Even Feng Yulei, who was standing by the large horse carriage smiled. He watched Mo Xueqiong with some interest. When he realized that it was Mo Xueqiong, a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes. He pretended not to see the pleading look in her eyes and helped You Yue’e onto the luxurious horse carriage in front before following her in. He did not take a second look at Mo Xueqiong.
This was the man Mo Xueqiong had loved. She had done everything to hurt Mo Xuetong and betrayed her father for this man. But in the end, the man hated her and felt disgusted by her.
Mo Xueqiong’s blood ran cold. If Mo Jiao had not reached out for her, she would not have been able to continue standing. She could hear the peals of mocking laughter around her and she turned around. None of the faces around her were kind. They were filled with disdain, scorn, and disgust. Their emotions almost destroyed her mental state. She reached out with shaking hands and seemed as if she wanted to catch something.
However, who was there to help her?
“What’s all this noise? She’s made such a mess just by getting on the horse carriage. Someone, drag her down. She doesn’t have to go since she doesn’t want to.” His voice was dark and cold but sounded like angels singing to Mo Xueqiong. She looked up, shocked and curious, to see the cold expression on You Yuecheng’s handsome face. She felt for that moment that everything around her was blurry as tears filled her eyes.
She covered her mouth to stop her agitated cries.
“Your Excellency, I did not mean to do that. His Highness asked me to go…” Madam Li said sweetly and urgently when she saw that the person was You Yuecheng and there were guards coming to drag her away.
She wanted to bring up Feng Yulei, but before she could even do so, the guards standing next to You Yuecheng dragged her down from the carriage and tossed her on the ground like a sack.
She fell to the ground even more forcefully than Mo Xueqiong. Her face was pale and she could not get up. She was going to say something but You Yuecheng looked at her coldly and she immediately stopped herself from saying anything. Her eyes brimmed with tears. She would never forget how You Yuecheng had killed a madam who tried to seduce You Yuecheng when she realized that she had no future in the King’s Manor. The body had been cut into pieces and the concubines in the manor were all invited to view it.
The madam was a beautiful woman. However, no matter how beautiful a woman was, she would not be too looking in death. Madam Li thought of the woman’s eyes which were open even in her death and was extremely frightened. She did not dare to say anything else.Visit website Listnovel.com
King Yan’s affections might be important, but it was not as important as her life!
“Second Consort Mo, please get on the carriage!” You Yuecheng showed sufficient respect to Mo Xueqiong, who was a Second Consort. Even though his expression was distant, Mo Xueqiong was so touched and speechless by his actions. She got onto the horse carriage with Mo Jiao’s help. On the horse carriage, she could still feel her heart beating wildly. She hadn’t felt like that in a long while!
Thinking about how You Yuecheng stood up for her earlier, Mo Xueqiong felt warmth spreading through her heart. As long as she could get medicine to fix her face, there would still be hope for her!
As such, Mo Xuetong had to die!
Inside Tianfeng Palace, the Empress sat at the very front of the hall with a dark expression. Imperial Nobel Consort Wen sat next to her with a smile. She looked friendly and kind.
Consort Wen was one of the rare few in the palace who got along with everyone. She also seemed not to be interested in fighting for the Emperor’s affections. Rumors were that she had once been pregnant but the baby was stillborn. Even though she had the Sixth Princess after that, she did not have any sons. Her predicament was very similar to that of the Empress.
As such, compared to the arrogant Consort Su, the Empress treated Consort Wen better.
However, the Empress was in a bad mood today. As such, she had been in a huff since Consort Wen arrived. Palace maid Yansha retreated to the side silently after serving tea.
The Empress picked up the tea and took a delicate sip. Then, she looked at Consort Wen and asked lightly, “Why have you come to me today? Even though what I say now might not be of much use, I can still help you to pass on the message.”
“Your Majesty, what are you talking about? No matter how stupid I am, I know that you are the mistress of the back of the palace. The situation at hand is only temporary. As long as you are still in Tianfeng Palace, you are the true mistress of the back of the palace.” Consort Wen looked up with gentle eyes and said with a smile as she put down her tea.
The Empress’s expression softened when she heard that. She had suffered multiple blows recently. First, her only daughter had married far away and there was still no news from her. They only said that the Fifth Princess was having so much fun she did not have time to write a letter. The Fifth Princess had been married off to the Yan Kingdom for so long, couldn’t she settle down? The Empress was speechless at her daughter’s willfulness.
Then, Feng Yulei, whom she had always supported, had gotten into trouble. He had drawn the Emperor’s ire and had been locked up by the Emperor. This meant that Feng Yulei was no longer a successor of the throne. This was a fatal blow to the Empress. She had fallen ill immediately. All her hopes and her secretly executed plans had come to a halt at this juncture. How could the Empress take this?
There had been so much at stake when she pushed Feng Yulei to the front of the Emperor’s sights. She had done that even though it meant being enemies with the Empress Dowager. However, she did not expect it to end like that. It was as if the Empress had walked up 999 steps and was just one step away from the peak. However, she had slipped on the last step and had fallen off the mountain top and down the cliff.
The extreme despair had caused her to fall ill. She looked as if she had aged 10 years. The lively and energetic Empress had grown dull and listless.
“Consort Wen, by saying this, do you intend to follow me and are you expressing your loyalty to me?” The Empress looked at Consort Wen coldly as if she were looking at her for the first time today. Her eyes were dark and cold as she glared at Consort Wen.
Consort Wen had always been an indifferent person and was one of the most indifferent women amongst the consorts of the palace. She usually did not leave her palace and was only interested in her plants. Rumors were that she would read poetry in her palace. Consort Wen was from a family of scholars and it was normal for a woman from a scholarly family to be able to stay calm and indifferent.
She was just like an outsider watching the fights between the Empress and Consort Su. She never participated in it and said anything bad about the Empress or Consort Su. There were times she only played mediator. She also never fought for attention from the new consorts and was said to be a pushover.
Someone with such an indifferent character would not make her intentions so explicit. This, however, made the Empress feel a little suspicious because the Empress had been very direct. After living in the palace for so many years, the Empress was rather sensitive to such things. Consort Wen definitely did not just come to visit her like what she said.
The atmosphere in the palace grew tense with the Empress’s words. It felt as if even the air had stopped moving. Yansha stood behind the Empress and stared at the ground without moving, pretending as if she did not exist.
“Your Majesty, what are you saying? I belong to the back of the palace since I entered. As long as I am a member of the back of the palace, I am under your management. No matter how you see it, I belong to Your Majesty, so there’s no need to express my loyalty.” Consort Wen said with a small smile after a moment.
Her soft and gentle voice seemed to liven up the atmosphere in the palace once more.
She did not say no, but neither did she say yes. She did not defy the Empress and also responded graciously to the Empress’s shrewdness. Consort Wen was gracious and composed and was her usual intelligent smile. She did not make a move forward and neither did she make a move backward either. Instead, she expressed her goodwill and gave others a good impression of her.
The Empress’s sharp tone softened. However, her tone was still filled with displeasure as she said, “Consort Wen, why didn’t you visit Consort Su? I heard that King Yan is gaining favor with His Majesty. His Majesty has allowed King Yan to manage some secret matters with the military. It seems that I will soon lose my place in the palace.”
“Your Majesty, why are you belittling yourself? You will always be the Empress in the palace. No matter which prince ascends the throne in the future, they will still have to call you Empress Dowager!” Consort Wen said with a smile and covered her mouth. She was rather forward with her words for the Emperor was still sitting on the throne but they were already discussing the future Empress Dowager. However, the Empress felt as if Consort Wen was sincerely comforting her when Consort Wen said that.
The Empress let out a long sigh. She said with red eyes, “You can say something like that to me now but the palace will soon be under the rule of Consort Su. With her around, I… Sigh…”
There were things that did not have to be spoken out loud. They were all smart people and there were things that were best not spoken.
“Your Majesty, there is no need to feel sorry for yourself. You still have King Yan unlike me. I am lonely and only have the Sixth Princess for company. When she gets married, I will die old and alone in the palace. There is no more hope for me.” Consort Wen said sorrowfully, bringing up the Sixth Princess. She coughed softly as if she had brought up something that had upset her. Her eyes were slightly red and she wiped at them with her handkerchief.
She reminded the Empress that if Feng Yuxuan were to take the throne in the future, Consort Su and her would both become the Empress Dowager. Given Consort Su’s arrogance and the fact that she was Feng Yuxuan’s birth mother, the Empress would lose her place in the palace. She might even die in the palace due to unknown reasons, die of anger because of Consort Su, or even die of old age in the palace. There was not even a hint of hope for her. The Empress felt a chill run down her spine.
No, she must not end up so miserably, no matter what.
The Fifth Princess had married so far away and would not return again. She could only depend on Feng Yuzhen now. Feng Yuzhen might be imprisoned now but no one knew who was the victor until the end. She would not allow Feng Yuxuan to take the throne, no matter what.
A hint of viciousness flashed in the Empress’s eyes, causing the color of her eyes to change and revealing a blood-thirsty look in them. The negative aura surrounding her disappeared immediately. The Empress seemed like a changed person in an instant and no longer appeared dispirited.
“Consort Wen, you don’t have to say things like that. I promise that I will protect you as long as I remain in the palace. I will not allow anyone to bully you. When the Sixth Princess finds a prince consort, you might be able to leave the palace and enjoy a life of comfort and bliss.” The Empress gave Consort Wen a small smile. She now appeared as gracious as before as she spoke to Consort Wen kindly.
She was extending an olive branch to Consort Wen between the conversation!
