Bai Yihao leaving the country did not create much news as the subsequent marriage of the three kings in one day interested the public much more, making them unable to divert their attention to the matters of other countries. Furthermore, Bai Yihao had always had a low profile, and aristocratic ladies only knew this piece of news after a few days, when they were devastated.
However, the man was already gone and could only remain in the dreams of these infatuated women, making them sad.
Mo Xuetong had a couple of days of peace as she did not leave the house these few days nearing her marriage, other than to greet Xu Yan. She spent the rest of her time sewing in Qingwei Garden. She wasn’t preparing for a large number of clothes, but she insisted on completing this set. In her previous life, she could only barely make ends meet and learnt sewing with the servants to help in household expenses, selling those that she sewed. Hence, her embroidery work was excellent.
However, others did not wish that she was so at peace.
Waking up in the morning, she was prepared to greet Xu Yan after her breakfast when Mother Xu came in.
“My lady, Old Madam is here. She brought second miss along, and they want to move the things in the garden.”
“What? Move what?” Mo Xuetong was stupefied. Before she could speak, Mo Yu asked in confusion.
The people present looked at each other, not able to comprehend the situation.
“Old Madam said that all the things in the garden belonged to her, and hence she brought second miss here to move them away, promising to gift a portion of it to second miss as dowries. She insisted that Madam open the door to the garden.” Mother Xu was anxious and complained eagerly. “Since Madam just married here, she’s unaware of the situation, and thus she wants you to go and have a look.”
Old Madam wanted to use the things in her garden as dowries for Mo Xueyan. That’s…
Standing beside Mo Xuetong, Mo Yu was the first one to voice her concern, “When Old Madam came in, there were only a few people present, much less those objects. All these things belong to Old Sir; how did they become Old Madam’s!”
“I know! But Old Madam insisted that she brought them here. Second Miss brought her people too and there was a huge commotion in the main house. Thus, she sent me here to ask my miss what to do.” Mother Xu stomped her feet anxiously. Nobody expected Old Madam to be so shameless, creating a commotion when Old Sir was not around.
If this matter spread, others would say that Mo Huawen was harsh to his elders, badly affecting his officialdom reputation.
The Old Madam was becoming more and more selfish and shameless.
Mo Xuetong frowned and walked out. She did not believe that Old Madam wanted these objects. Even though the objects in the garden were valuable, they shouldn’t be enough for Old Madam to come over and demand them. There were only some large objects. Even if there were some valuable ancient porcelains, it was not worth it for her to break the relationship with Mo Manor.
Mo Xueyan was in a business family and did not need so much money, requiring only power and status. Hence, she would not want objects that others have used. However, she was unsure of their intention if they are not here for the objects. Hence, she must examine the situation personally as she believed that something was amiss, especially since Mo Xueyan and Mingguo Manor were alliance by marriage, making her more difficult to deal with.
Last time, the plan to harm her had failed. What other devious plots did she have now?
In the main hall, Old Madam sat in the main seat with a black face, raging. Behind her, four to five bulky women stood, showing off their strength. Mo Xueyan was there, chiding Xu Yan impolitely and sarcastically. “Little Auntie, you weren’t there then! How did you know if those objects were not Old Madam’s objects! They are just ordinary stuff that I paid no attention too! What can I say since my grandmother likes them! Do you not find it rude to stop us like this!”
Calling Xu Yan little auntie signaled a sense of contempt that made her uncomfortable.
The usage of words “little auntie”, “weren’t there then”, and “rude” all implied that Xu Yan was merely a step-aunt to her and not the true owner of the house. That should not be something a niece said to her aunt!
Behind Xu Yan, a nanny rushed out, eager to rebut in anger.
Xu Yan reached out and stopped her, raising up her eyes smilingly and explaining calmly. “Second miss was right; I am not sure of the situation either. Hence, I sent someone to ask the third miss. If the third miss agrees, I will send people to move everything here belonging to Mother away for her.”
Waiting for Mo Xuetong? With that sharp mouth of Mo Xuetong, her plan would be thwarted. Mo Xueyan believed that it would be disadvantaged and refused harshly, “Little Auntie, move grandmother’s objects away! There is no need to send Her Highness here regarding such small matters. Now, Her Highness is at a prestigious position, marrying into the imperial family as a king’s wife soon. For us ordinary citizens, we shall not bother Her Highness as much. Furthermore, do you not trust Grandmother? Or do you think she will take the large objects from your manor!”
Those words made Old Madam’s face turn cold. She knocked her crutch on the ground twice and complained. “My eldest son, eldest son! Send for him quickly.”
“Don’t be angry, Old Madam. Old Sir will be fair to you.”
“Old Madam, if Old Sir heard that you are here, he will rush over immediately. Don’t be angry. Remember how you raised Old Sir up back then, he will not forget his mother.”
“Old Madam, you can give your things to anyone you like. There’s no need to discuss. In my opinion, we should just move them away, and prevent the eldest lady from being so stingy.”
“Well, the eldest lady is quite pitiful still. She lived under the roof of Fu General Manor for so many years, under the jurisdiction of others. Finally, she can be the master of her own household, and so she chooses to hold everything tightly in her hands.”
“Even if that is the case, this is still wrong! After marriage, one naturally listens to one’s mother-in-law. Not only does she not wish to help, but she also seems to be eyeing her mother-in-law’s stuff.”
Her nannies’ words became nastier and nastier. They glanced at Xu Yan, refusing to give her the proper respect she deserved as a proper wife. That made Xu Yan shiver in anger. Previously, in Fu General Manor, even though she was merely a guest, the old madam there loved her, and the cousins treated her as their real sisters. She had never been so angry before and was hence at a loss for words.
“Little Auntie, see! This is such a simple matter, just let us move the stuff away! Don’t make my uncle seem unfilial and unkind. If he does get such a reputation, it’ll be bad for his career. If he becomes angry then, you will be the one suffering. It will be a true pity if that happens just a few days after your marriage.” Mo Xueyan continued arrogantly, more and more disdainful of Xu Yan as she mocked Xu Yan.
She knew that the new step-aunt could do nothing to her.
“It seems like my second sister knows that one uses filial piety to govern the world, and we must be respectful to elders. However, it doesn’t seem that second sister behaves like this.” Outside the door, a sweet crisp voice chided.
The door opened and Mo Xuetong walked over. Her aura was not weak either as eight strong women were behind her as well, comparable to those behind Old Madam. Old Madam’s eyes darkened as she became deep in thought.
Wearing a pain lotus long dress, the flowers danced beneath her as she walked, with simplicity accompanying her pure beauty. It accentuated her pink face, making her look holy and scared, and yet she had a breathtaking aura despite her fragile appearance.
“Greetings to grandmother.” Mo Xuetong came over and greeted Old Madam calmly.
Mo Xuetong’s voice had made Old Madam sober and come to her senses. She replied calmly. “Tong’er is back. It’s unreasonable to chide your sister once you are back. Please apologize to her, don’t be rude to your sister.”
What a biased old lady. Before she could even speak, Mo Xuetong was charged with a crime.
If she apologized to Mo Xueyan, it would seem that she was indeed rude; If she didn’t, she would seem to be rude to her grandmother. The reputation of a woman was like water. It easily got corrupted and could not withstand such rumors. However, Mo Xuetong was now of a different status. As the princess of the imperial family, she could afford to be a little rude.
Furthermore, she was about to have a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. It was impossible that Feng Yuran would cancel the marriage because of some rumor.
She was sneering in her heart but her face gave a gentle and surprising look. Straightening up her body, she confronted Mo Xueyan. “Is it right for second miss to be here to bully her aunt?” Her face was extremely naive as if he really did not understand what was going on, so direct that Mo Xueyan was at a loss for words. Her face turned pale and purple as she was speechless.
She did come with that intention, but she could not make it so obvious.
Seeing that Mo Xueyan was being suppressed by Mo Xuetong, Old Madam had to interfere herself. She chided angrily. “Even if your second sister is a little at fault, you cannot make such a big commotion as a younger sister! As sisters, you should settle this internally, and not be so rude!”
“Settle this internally with Mo Xueyan?” Mo Xueyan could shout at Xu Yan but she could not straightforwardly talk with Mo Xueyan. Old Madam wanted to suppress her. Even though she did not know what Old Madam wanted, the old lady did not come with a kind intention. Luckily, she was well-prepared.
“Third Sister, how dare you bully be like this when grandmother is still here. You don’t even greet me, chiding me immediately. Are you really disregarding our sisterhood once you become a princess?” Mo Xueyan recognized the situation and immediately complained in front of Old Madam as if she were greatly wronged, pointing at Mo Xuetong.
Her eyes were full of unwillingness, and jealousy for Mo Xuetong’s high status. Why should she be bullied by Mo Xuetong like that!
She originally thought that it was incredibly lucky to marry the second son of Mingguo Manor as that handsome man did grab Mo Xueyan’s heart at first. Mo Xueyan smiled even in dreams when she thought that she would marry the love of her life and enjoy the ever-ending wealth and prosperity. Furthermore, the two times when they met in private, he was tender and warm to her as well.
However, before her marriage, the matter between Mo Xuemin and You Yuelian’s affair broke out as the two were thrown together in the main gate of Duke Zhenguo’s Manor. Rumors were everywhere. Even though it was unconfirmed, most people believed in it, and the two people’s reputations were ruined. In awaiting her marriage, the attitudes of the servants and nannies in her household turned from one of envy for her good marriage to disdain, and they had all been gossiping about her.
That made Mo Xueyan mad!
She was also involved in hurting Mo Xuetong, which was plotted by Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong, as she gave the icy silk handkerchief over to Mo Xueqiong. Even though she did not know the exact details of their plan, she knew that it involved Mo Xuetong and they wanted to destroy Mo Xuetong, which was a great idea to her. Thus, she asked You Yuelian to pass the handkerchief.
Unexpectedly, Mo Xuetong was unscathed, but Mo Xuemin and You Yuelian were rumored to be having an affair, with the servants and nannies mocking her marriage to a promiscuous husband. She believed that it was Mo Xuetong’s revenge after their failed plan. Hence, all her anger was poured on Mo Xuetong. Staring at her beautiful face now, she wanted to bite her to death and naturally would not speak anything good to her.
She did not want to keep Mo Xuetong alive. She must get rid of her, she must!
