“Third Sister, Third Sister. It’s not like that. I… I… I want to leave King Yan’s Manor. Please, please help me. Third Sister. Otherwise, I will die. They will torture me to death.” It seemed that something occurred to Mo Xueqiong, and she shivered. She was as thin as a lath. Trembling with fear, she could not speak a simple sentence with tears pouring down. Obviously, she did live a miserable life in King Yan’s Manor.
“You want to leave King Yan’s Manor?” Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and asked.
“Yes, Third Sister. I can only survive if I leave there. Third Sister, please save me, save me. As long as you can save me from King Yan’s Manor, I will spend my rest life praying to Buddha for you.” Mo Xueqiong begged.
“Why don’t you go to Father?”
“No… Father is not the King Yan’s match. Only Third Sister and King Xuan can help me. His Highness, King Xuan is His Majesty’s favored son. Third Sister, you have a way to help me out. Right?” Mo Xueqiong stretched out her hand to pull Mo Xuetong’s sleeve, almost like grasping the last life-saving straw. She raised her head and begged Mo Xuetong with tears.
Mo Xuetong was silent for a while and did not speak.
Mo Yu felt sorry for Mo Xueqiong and forgot how disgusted she felt just now for Mo Xueqiong. Mo Yu’s eyes became slightly red and she said with some hesitation, “My Lady, Fourth Miss is so pitiful. Could you…”
Mo Xuetong took a sideways glare at Mo Yu, which stunned Mo Yu, and then she did not continue her words. However, Mo Yu did not look at Mo Xueqiong as fiercely as before, instead, there was a hint of sympathy in her eyes.
“My Lady!” Mo Ye also spoke timidly beside with the intention to beg for Mo Xueqiong. Mo Xueqiong’s several words actually softened the hearts of the people in the room.
“Mo Ye, help Fourth Miss up.” Mo Xuetong said.
Mo Ye came to help Mo Xueqiong up who had crumpled over the ground with tears.
“Well, tell me how you want to leave.” Mo Xuetong looked apathetic with a penetrating chill in her eyes. She just stared at Mo Xueqiong quietly, and did not ask the question till Mo Xueqiong felt flustered by the stare and lowered the head to pretend to cry.
Mo Xueqiong was overjoyed inwardly. With gratitude in her eyes, she took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and said, “Third Sister, I will listen to you all. I have no idea now. And I will listen to whatever you say.”
“You really have no idea?” Mo Xuetong looked calm.
“Third Sister, I, I really…” Mo Xueqiong looked at Mo Xuetong timidly and answered hesitantly.
“Since you have no idea, just come back and think about it. Come to tell me when you have any idea. Mo Ye, send Fourth Miss back.” Mo Xuetong’s face froze suddenly, and she put the teacup in her hand heavily on the table, and stood up, about to come into the inner room.
“Third Sister, Third Sister, I… I have an idea, please… please help me.” Seeing Mo Xuetong answered so pointedly, Mo Xueqiong realized things would go bad, so she hurried to block Mo Xuetong’s way and shouted, with panic and fluster full of her eyes.
“Have you got an idea?” Mo Xuetong turned back and asked coldly.
“Third Sister, I do have an idea, but I don’t know if it’s feasible, so I dare not to tell Third Sister.” Mo Xueqiong said with tears and peeped at Mo Xuetong. Finding Mo Xuetong just looked cold but not angry, Mo Xueqiong felt a sigh of relief in her heart.
Mo Xuetong sat down on the couch again and looked at Mo Xueqiong. “Go ahead!”
Mo Xueqiong nodded and said with sobs, “A few days later, it is the anniversary of King Yan’s mother’s death. His Majesty allows King Yan and the ladies in the manor to worship in the temple. And I will go there as well. If Third Sister can arrange several people to aid me behind the temple, I can succeed in escaping. I am not valued in King Yan’s Manor and don’t get a royal recognition. So even though I disappear, no one will care about me. Besides, it happens in the temple, which will have nothing to do with Third Sister.”
Her words sounded methodical. It could be a feasible plan. Not to mention whether Mo Xueqiong was valued or not in King Yan’s Manor, Mo Xueqiong was just a second consort without any royal background. Even though something terrible did happen to her in the temple, who could she turn to for help? Moreover, considering King Yan’s current situation, he was being grounded, so he had to keep a lower profile now so as not to stir up any trouble to displease the Emperor. Even if Mo Xueqiong disappeared, King Yan just reported that she died of a disease.
Who really cared about whether she was alive or dead?
“Which temple?” Mo Xuetong frowned.
“It’s the Puguang Temple outside the capital, where King Yan’s mother is placed. At this time of the year, King Yan always takes people there.” Seeing Mo Xuetong did not refuse, Mo Xueqiong felt overjoyed, but still wore sadness on her face. She said, “On that day, a number of people will go there. I wonder whether the people sent by Third Sister will recognize me. If something unexpected happens, it doesn’t matter that I can’t escape, but if Third Sister will suffer it, even death cannot exonerate me from the blame.”
King Yan would bring the ladies to go with him. Although it was impossible to know the number, judging from Mo Xuetong’s dangerous experience in King Yan’s Manor last time, the women around King Yan must be in a large number. Mo Xueqiong could go to the back door when those women too. Make sure that Mo Xuetong’s people would not get the wrong person, otherwise, it would cause terrible trouble.
Even though Mo Xueqiong was not valued in King Yan’s Manor, she was still a second consort that the Emperor awarded to King Yan.
Mo Xueqiong talked as if she planned everything for Mo Xuetong.
“Oh well, I won’t send any people there. You figure it out yourself!” Mo Xuetong blurted.
Mo Xueqiong’s face turned red immediately, and she dared not to make her statement too absolute, and hurriedly justified herself, “I know that Third Sister must have a way to save me. Only this time, as long as I can escape this time, I will never bother Third Sister anymore, and all I want is to live a restful Iife and pray for Father and Third Sister.”
“There must be many women coming out of the back door at that time. How can the people I send tell which one is you?” Mo Xuetong looked at her nonchalantly and asked.
Mo Xueqiong was dumb by the question. She went around in circles, clapped her hands suddenly, and said, “I got an idea! Third Sister, could you pretend to light incense in the temple that day, so that you can recognize me at the back door, and ask people to take me away? With Third Sister’s presence, everything will be okay without a doubt.”
“Do you want me to go there?” Mo Xuetong’s eyes darkened and looked at Mo Xueqiong nonchalantly.
“Third Sister, Third Sister. Just this time, only this time. I am afraid, I am afraid if I fail to escape this time and get caught, I… I’ll have no way but a dead end. Third Sister, save me!” Mo Xueqiong shrank with a shiver and begged Mo Xuetong with a hint of fear and panic flashing under her eyes, as if she was really scared to the extreme.
“My Lady, could you please go there? It happens that you will pray for the baby in the Madam’s belly. How about going to the Puguang Temple conveniently? It’s said that the Buddhas there are so efficacious. Last time, My Lady, when you were ill, I went there as well. It is prosperous.” Mo Yu looked at the poor Mo Xueqiong and spoke for her.
“Third Sister, only this time. If, with the Third Sister’s assistance, I am still unable to escape King Yan’s clutch, I… I will jump down from the cliff over there as an explanation to Third Sister.” Mo Xueqiong screamed with a trace of resolution in her eyes, showing a look that said she would die if she could not escape. Her weak body shook and crumbled.
The room became silent immediately. Mo Xuetong held up the teacup quietly, took a sip and used the celadon tea lid to sweep the tea foam. After a while, she said coolly, “Well, you go back first. When the day comes, you send a letter to inform me.”
“Okay, thank you. Third Sister, I… I thank you very much.” Mo Xuetong sobbed with excitement and gratitude, as if she could not say anything but only thanks at that moment.
Mo Xuetong did not ask her to stay there longer, but just said a few words distantly. Mo Xueqiong thought the thing was settled and did not continue to stay there, and she excused herself with gratitude and made an agreement to meet with Mo Xuetong in the Puguang Temple.
Seeing Mo Xueqiong coming out of the room, Mo Yan and Mo Jiao hurried to come out and left with Mo Xueqiong.
Not until the three people had gone far, did Mo Lan return to the room. Inside the room, Mo Yu had replaced the tea for Mo Xuetong. When seeing Mo Lan come in, Mo Yu asked immediately, “Have you sounded out anything?”
Mo Xuetong also looked over.
“My Lady, Mo Yan and Mo Jiao have close mouths. I asked them for a long time, but got nothing from them. But Mo Jiao spilled the bean and said that the gifts that Fourth Miss brought to the manor were all given by Consort Yan. After saying that, Mo Yan gave a fierce kick to Mo Jiao under the table. Then, however I tried to ask, Mo Jiao just pretended to be dumb while Mo Yan answered me beside.”
Mo Lan came forward to report.
“Just some gifts sent by Consort Yan. Was it worth making a fuss for Mo Yan and Mo Jiao?” We don’t like those things yet.” Mo Yu curled her lip subconsciously and said.
Mo Xuetong’s eyed darkened with a trace of mockery in her eyes. Mo Xueqiong really thought that Mo Xuetong would be cheated to the Puguang Temple by a few soft words. In the last life, Mo Xuetong had happened to know that the dead consorts of the royal family should be put in the Repayment Temple in the capital for praying. After all, it was the royal temple. and those royal dead consorts were not allowed to be randomly placed anywhere else.
“Consort Yan treats Fourth Miss so well, and even gave her the gifts to return to the paternal home. However, our Fourth Miss still performed as if she had been bullied seriously.” Mo Ye also sensed something unusual and said angrily.
“My Lady, all Fourth Miss did was pretense?” Mo Yu blinked and understood what Mo Lan meant, so she asked nervously, “Shall we tell His Highness?”
Thinking that Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin framed Mo Xuetong last time, Mo Yu felt flurried, and her face turned pale with her eyes staring at Mo Xuetong, as if a great calamity was at hand.
Mo Yu’s countenance as though she was confronted by a formidable enemy made the people present laugh.
“Why shall we tell His Highness? Just Mo Xueqiong loathes me and tries to deal with me again. Anyway, I have Mo Feng and Mo Ye around. It is not a big deal.” Mo Xuetong smiled.
“My Lady, do you really want to go? That’s not okay. It’s too dangerous. It will be terrible that Mo Xueqiong stirs any trouble at that time.” Mo Lan’s smile dissolved, and she said with a severe countenance.
“It’s okay. Since someone wants Mo Xueqiong to set the trap, it is not only targeted at me. If I don’t go this time, I don’t know what will happen next time. I might as well go to see and let the person drop the idea forever. By the way, I want to know who is trying to frame me!”
Mo Xuetong said calmly with a hint of coldness flashing on her lips. She exhaled a long breath of depression from her chest. As for Mo Xueqiong’s end, Mo Xuetong showed no sympathy for her. Just now, Mo Xuetong had seen clearly that Mo Xueqiong sobbed hysterically while peeping at Mo Xuetong’s face secretly.
Obviously, Mo Xueqiong had plotted well, but still pretended to be helpless in front of her. But for Mo Xuetong really wanted to leave and Mo Xueqiong was forced to reveal what she wanted, perhaps Mo Xueqiong would have not told her real intention before acting for a longer time. Mo Xueqiong’s words were mixed with the false and true, and most of them were true, but the false part was the key to frame Mo Xuetong.
