Looking at Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong posturing, Mo Xuetong’s eyes flashed a cold feeling of hatred. She thought, “The two vicious sisters won’t stop bullying me till my death.” Mo Xuetong turned to Mo Huawen and said with a smile, “Father, since the eldest sister and the fourth youngest sisters insist on accompanying me to worship and comfort my mother in the other world, Tong’er, as a daughter, should go with them. Father, let us go together.”
Mo Xuetong thought, “I haven’t avenged my mother’s death. Although Auntie Fang was sent to that place, she hasn’t died yet. And I won’t allow her to die so easily. The hate is absolutely irreconcilable.”
“Good, good. Father, let us go with the eldest sister.” Mo Xueqiong closed the door and answered before Mo Huawen spoke. She looked innocent seemingly, but a glint of cruelty and complacence flashed in her eyes, and she took a sideways look at Mo Xuetong.
As it had come down to the point, Mo Huawen’s eyes scanned his three daughters and fell on Mo Xuetong’s face. Mo Xuetong nodded at him slightly.
“Well, you should come back as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Father.” The three sisters saluted together to their father respectfully. For an outsider, the scene was flowing with deep sisters’ love.
“Your Excellency, Min’er will go with the two younger sisters to the Repayment Temple to comfort the deceased. Your Excellency, please go back first. When the things are settled, Min’er will go back to the manor immediately.” Mo Xuemin turned around and smiled at Sima Lingyun who was watching coldly for a long time. Her sweet smile looked graceful and obedient, and she did not claim herself as “I”, as if to draw Sima Lingyun’s care, so she insisted on calling herself “Min’er”.
After their marriage, the relation between Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun sank below the freezing point. Until now, the two did not sleep together. Except that they met once when visiting the relatives the day after their marriage, they did not say a word. Usually, Mo Xuetong had to stand beside and serve the duchess at the table, and she was ordered around, while Sima Lingyun stood with coldness and disgust, totally ignoring her.
Now in Sima Lingyun’s eyes, Mo Xuemin was nothing but a disgusting and wicked woman who did not follow the woman’s way. He was completely not in the favorite mood as he once had before. If it were in the Duke Zhenguo’s manor, he would fling out of the room and disgrace her. But now in the Mo Manor, Mo Huawen was still staring at seriously him beside.
The sternness in Mo Huawen’s words forced Sima Lingyun to look squarely at Mo Xuemin for the first time.
Considering that this was the marriage granted by the Empress, plus Mo Huawen’s threat, Sima Lingyun did not dare to reject Mo Xuemin’s request on the spot. He had nothing left. If he was disgusted by the Empress, how could he make any achievement in his life? But it was hard for him to pretend to love Mo Xuemin.
So he just said simply and coldly, “Since you have already made the plan and Father has agreed, just go there.” After finishing the words, he did not talk to Mo Xuemin any longer; instead, he turned to Mo Huawen to bid his farewell. The purpose of this return to Mo Xuemin’s home was to show his attitude. Now, he did it, which could answer the Empress’ expectation for the granted marriage. If Mo Xuemin got into any trouble later, it was permitted by Mo Huawen and had nothing to do with Sima Lingyun.
A sneer flashed over Mo Xuemin’s lips. She did not say anything more, but just took two steps back to conceal the sneer. She thought, “As long as the thing is done well today, I will not go back to Duke Zhenguo’s manor. Now, Duke Zhenguo’s manor has no hope but instead some bitchy seductresses. Do they really think I am willing to marry into their family?”
She bent her fingers a bit, and the slight pain reminded her of some big blisters on her fingers, which was caused by the pouring hot soup.
Thinking that the duchess poured down the soup to her ruthlessly, Mo Xuemin had the urge to smash that tart and rigid face. If not Mo Xuemin had not acted quickly to tilt her head, her face would have been disfigured. However, Sima Lingyun wore a faint smile, as if he could not see his legal wife was forced to kneel in front of Yun Yiqiu, and was poured the soup.
What’s worse, he even softly comforted Yun Yiqiu, the slut. How could the conceited Mo Xuemin bear it?
Since Duke Zhenguo’s manor treated Mo Xuemin so meanly, she could not allow those cheap women to live a comfortable life, and she thought her vicious counterattack was reasonable. Coldness flashed in her eyes. Sima Lingyun did come back at the right time.
Mo Huawen did not ask him to stay, but waved his hands coldly instead.
After Sima Lingyun left, Mo Xuemin and her sisters also said goodbye to Mo Huawen, and left the Mo Manor together.
Sima Lingyun had left and Mo Xuemin’s carriage stopped outside. Except for a coachman, Duke Zhenguo’s manor did not leave any manpower for Mo Xuemin, which obviously showed that Duke Zhenguo’s manor’s grudge for Mo Xuemin had worsened to an unreserved level.
Mo Xuemin held Qiu Qiao’s hand to get on the carriage, followed by Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuetong. There was not much space in the carriage, and even a bit crowded for three people to sit in it. Considering the three maids outside, Mo Xuemin asked the Mo Manor’s servant to prepare another carriage to take them.
The curtain was pulled and the horse rattled. The wooden wheels ran in a low voice. Mo Xuetong looked at the window, and her sharp eyes found a thin slit on the gauze curtain. Unbelievably, it was broken.
This carriage was rather small, different from the last one which Sima Lingyun used to take them out…
“Eldest sister, your carriage is not so good. It can only hold our three sisters, even the maids can’t get in.” Mo Xueqiong mocked. She pointed to a scratch on the carriage beside and said with a fuss, “What! Eldest sister, it is broken. As the newly married wife, how can you use this broken and small carriage which should be used by the domestic servants? Does the bother-in-law love anyone else and treat you badly?”
Her words seemed to defend Mo Xuemin against the injustice, but the other two people in the carriage could clearly feel her pleasure in the misfortune. Now, things about Mo Xuemin were being spread in the whole capital. How could Mo Xueqiong remain unknown of them?
Mo Xuemin felt her breath panting by the jeer and almost burst into rage. She struggled to suppress the rage and pretended to sigh indifferently, “To be honest, fourth youngest sister, Duke Zhenguo’s manor is just rich on the surface. No one has ever imagined that it is just a hollow shell. Perhaps several years later, we cannot even take a carriage like it. Fortunately, you did not go there with me. Otherwise, I’m afraid we cannot even get a carriage like it.”
These words sounded ironic and sardonic, which meant if Mo Xueqiong married to Duke Zhenguo’s manor as well, she could only enjoy the status as a concubine, lower than Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin made the words seem sincere, but her meaning was rather apparent. Mo Xueqiong blushed and clenched her teeth in anger.
Was Duke Zhenguo’s manor so poor? Or did Mo Xuemin even not compare to a servant in Duke Zhenguo’s manor, so she could only use such a carriage? Mo Xuetong sneered in her heart and looked down at her waist, where one of the sharp daggers was hidden. The pair of swords was reduced to the forms of daggers, and one of them was used for Feng Yuran to protect himself.
Although the pair of swords was made into an elegant hairpin, Mo Xuetong could not always wear on the head. So she took Feng Yuran’s advice and got rid of all the complex designs to make the scabbard and dagger lighter, shorter and easier to carry.
After stabbing a person to death in the King Yan’s Manor, Feng Yuran once explained to her that the pair of blue daggers was singularly good swords. Press the dark button on the swordtail, and the sword would shoot out rays. As long as the rays of the sword swept to any person, it functioned as sharp blades. That’s why the maid who was good at kung fu would die as long as she was shot by the rays of the sword.
If Mo Xuemin took an unusual action, the dagger would be triggered quietly.
Of course, Mo Xuetong didn’t believe that Mo Xuemin came to deliberately show her to make nice. She and Mo Xuemin were so incompatible like water and fire. No one would believe that the other one would show kindness sincerely. Mo Xuetong had heard of things in Duke Zhenguo’s manor.
Not only did Mo Xuetong heard the same at the others that Mo Xuemin was treated coldly in Duke Zhenguo’s manor, but also she heard that the duchess forced Mo Xuemin to kneel on the ground and serve soup to Yun Yiqiu for forgiveness, but Yun Yiqiu pretended to be weak and tender and fell into Sima Lingyun’s arms, and then, the duchess was so angry that she poured the soup to Mo Xuemin…
Under such a circumstance, if Mo Xuemin still had the intention to take her to worship the mother, Mo Xuetong did feel confused.
Although Mo Xuemin had hidden her contempt on Sima Lingyun in her eyes during their talks, Mo Xuetong could see it clearly. When Sima Lingyun turned away, Mo Xuemin’s gaze on him changed into undisguised grudge and arrogance. Mo Xuemin seemed to be utterly indifferent to Sima Lingyun’s intentional indifference.
Under what circumstances did a newly married woman care nothing about her husband?
If a newly married woman was disgraced in her husband’s home quite soon, and had to kneel down in front of a concubine, even almost got burned, any ordinary woman could not endure, let alone Mo Xuemin. If she had not wanted to take revenge, she would not be Mo Xuemin.
“But what does it have to do with me?” Mo Xuetong thought.
“Why did Mo Xuemin try every means to take me out? And Mo Xueqiong’s unusual behavior showed her ulterior motive. As for the icy silk handkerchief, no one in the manor but I had it. It was not a common thing that could be purchased by money, but the tribute for the imperial. It was quite rare in quantity. And the handkerchief in my hands was bestowed by the Princess Royal.”
“My elder sister, you are so pitiful. As a talented and beautiful girl in the capital, you have even married into such a declining family. If one day, I can have a good marriage, I will take care of eldest sister for our deepest sisterhood for fear that elder sister cannot even have a carriage to go out.” Mo Xueqiong couldn’t help but answer back sarcastically. She waved the ice silk handkerchief in her hand and covered the smile on her lips. She deliberately wiped her mouth with the handkerchief, and it glittered in the carriage dazzlingly.
“Thank you, fourth youngest sister.” Mo Xuemin took a jealous glance at the handkerchief in Mo Xueqiong’s hands. Light and shadows flashed alternatively on Mo Xuemin’s face, reflecting the coldness in her eyes. She thought, “Mo Xuetong assumed that since she earned that handkerchief, she could earn the man’s heart. However, Mo Xueqiong did not have a beautiful appearance or wisdom. How dare she imagine entering the man’s manor? If not for the need of her assistance to cheat Mo Xuetong, I wouldn’t have time to deal with her.”
“Didn’t she think about her identity? To be the Prince’s second consort? How dare she to imagine?”
Hearing Mo Xuemin showing weakness, Mo Xueqiong felt satisfied and could not keep her eyes from glancing at Mo Xuetong’s beautiful face, and then, her triumphant eyes turned as vicious as Mo Xuemin’s.
As long as Mo Xuetong died, she, Mo Xueqiong would win the King Yan’s love, as King Yan had made a promise to Mo Xueqiong that he would immediately come to ask for her father’s permission of marrying her. In other words, Mo Xueqiong would marry King Yan who was the most promising candidate of the Crown Prince, and become King Yan’s second consort, the Royal Consort, or even the Empress one day. This possibility made Mo Xueqiong too excited to sleep for several nights.
In the past, she fell in love with Sima Lingyun because of his excellent family and gentle manner. But now, King Yan was as high above Sima Lingyun as the clouds were from the mud. How could Sima Lingyun compare to King Yan? Therefore, compared to Mo Xuemin who had married Sima Lingyun, she, Mo Xueqiong would enjoy high social standing also as the clouds were from the mud.
The exciting thought made Mo Xueqiong’s smile overflow the corner of her lips. Not until she laughed out, did she realize it, so she covered her mouth with the handkerchief and said in the pretense of calmness, “Our three sisters seldom go out together. I am really happy now.”
Of course, nobody believed this. The other two people in the carriage took a look at her without saying a word.
Suddenly, the horse screamed, and the carriage shook violently and jolted on both sides.
“The horse took fright.” Someone shouted outside, and it seemed the driver’s voice.
“Hurry up! Save our Miss!” Mo Yu yelled.
