“It’s true. My Lady, His Highness loves you so deeply that he will not cheat you. Just relax. The women in the backyard all came to the manor earlier than you. If any of them has an affair with His Highness, she will not wait until now. My Lady, even if you don’t believe those women, don’t you believe in the heart that His Highness gives you?”
Mo Lan was clever and understood Mo Xuetong’s thoughts immediately, so she persuaded to Mo Xuetong’s ear in a low voice.
Mo Xuetong let out a long breath to exhale the depression in her heart and cleared her mind gradually.
It’s true. How could she doubt Feng Yuran? He was a person with strong endurance, but never had a tender heart for women. He even overlooked the first beauty, Ling Fengyan, let alone the concubines in the manor. It was not a big deal indeed. Nothing but a concubine came to stall Mo Xuetong, while the other came to seduce Feng Yuran.
Clearly, nothing would happen. But it still made everyone worried.
If this matter spread out, Mo Xuetong would be laughed without a doubt. Moreover, she was supposed to rectify Feng Yuran’s backyard these days. How could she be defeated by such a trifle?
“I’m fine. Perhaps I drank too much iced watermelon juice. I’m fine now. Don’t be flustered. Mo Ye, go to see which concubine went to Jinwei Pavilion. If it is Concubine Lian, or Concubine Ming, just take them here. If it is Concubine Qin, leave her there to see how His Majesty will deal with her.”
Mo Xuetong actually tended to believe that it was Concubine Qin who went there. After all, she had a higher status than any other concubine in the manor. She was the right person to go there. With her proud temperament, she would not behave timidly in front of Feng Yuran, but speak normally to him.
Mo Xuetong arranged rationally. Her calm expression was totally different from what she was in a panic with red eyes before. Seeing this, Mo Lan finally heaved a sigh of relief.
It was getting dark outside.
In Jinwei Pavilion, the guards were on sentry duty in every entrance. When Concubine Qin was allowed to come in, she was first brought to the second floor.
It was the first time that Concubine Qin had come to Feng Yuran’s bedroom. With merely a glance, she was astounded.
As layers of gauze curtains were raised, a super collection of gold and jade porcelain, blue-and-white vases with dragon design, and the screen painted with beautiful women could be seen behind the curtains. Although Duke Wanping was also influential and wealthy, the decoration there was totally not at the same level as Feng Yuran’s, which made Concubine Qin get more excited.
Even though she always held herself aloof from the worldly affairs and looked down on the concubines around her, thinking that they were too inferior to be presentable and acceptable, she had to admit this time that the magnificence and wealth in the King Xuan’s Manor were far beyond her family’s. Through the screen, a gauze curtain embroidered with beautiful women, she faintly saw a figure on the grand bed who could make her blush and heart fast by only a glance.
He still looked like what he was in her memory. On his rare handsome face in the world, his beautifully cut facial features were so striking to combine together, tempting and charming. His lips curled up slightly into a half-smile, and he watched Concubine Qin being brought in front of him.
He was as noble as a god!
Just a glance made Concubine Qin’s nervous heart beat more wildly. The face that appeared in her memory day and night showed up really in front of her. It was not a vague and untouchable image. The man was the very one who could match her. How was there any other woman in the world good enough for him?
He seemed to just get up, his long hair loose casually. After hearing the eunuch’s report, he raised his head a bit and looked at Concubine Qin with a half-smile. He looked intrigued with sarcasm, as if it were the first time that he had seen her.
His eyes right now were utterly different from what they were in Concubine Qin’s memory!
A eunuch shouted. “How dare you! Why not kneel down in front of His Highness?”
Frightened by the eunuch, Concubine Qin felt her legs weak involuntarily and knelt down. She bowed her head respectfully with an inexplicable uprush of sorrow in her heart.
When she had met him for the first time, he was a beautiful boy with attractive eyes and distinguished bearings, while she was also an elegant and talented girl in the capital. If the thing had not happened, she might not have come to this end that she became one of his concubines as those women with humble origins.
But if not, how could she link to him?
Her pride was now even despised by herself. Therefore, since she entered the manor, she behaved like a transparent person, and never took the initiative to approach Feng Yuran. She was so aloof and distant, as if getting close to Feng Yuran was an insult to her.
But now, she suddenly felt cold. In such a hot summer, his distant smile was as strange as if they just met for the first time, and coldness rose from her heart.
“Let her sit.” Feng Yuran shifted his attention back to the book lazily, no longer concerned about Concubine Qin’s presence, which made her feel less pressure and relieved.
The eunuch brought a flowery small stool. Concubine Qin was surprised to find that the satin was made of exquisite brocade. She had once seen this kind of brocade in her family manor. The imperial consort granted the mother a piece of brocade of its kind, and the mother was too fond of it to put it down and said that the brocade would be her dowry when she got married.
At that time, other sisters in her family were so envious and said that it expressed good luck, indicating that Concubine Qin would marry into a wealthy family and have the material comforts. But beyond her imagination, the brocade was just used to make a common stool in the King Xuan’s Manor. Looking at the splendid decoration here, she could not help thinking her own room in the manor, where paints on the furniture had peeled off, and the curtains had been discolored and outmoded. What’s worse, it was unbearably muggy there in summer. In a word, her room was a complete contrast to the room here.
Concubine Qin hesitated, raised her head, and did not sit down. She said in a pretty manner, “In front of Your Highness, I dare not overstep the line. It is okay to stand.”
She was just a humble concubine without proper status, so how could she have any position in front of Feng Yuran?
Feng Yuran did not insist politely but said distantly, “Just stand up as you want.”
The little eunuch came and took the stool away. Concubine Qin wanted to make way for him, but blocked it instead. Seeing the eunuch coming up on the left, she hurried to the right. Unexpectedly, the eunuch had the same idea as her. The two tried to get out of the way, but failed. Then, Concubine simply stood still and could finally give way to the eunuch. Looking at the eunuch’s impatient eyes, Concubine Qin said with an embarrassed look, “Your Highness, please excuse me being out of line.”
Feng Yuran raised his head to look at her and said indifferently, “It’s okay to be out of line, but not to be out of the calculation.” His handsome eyes looked rather calm.
Concubine Qin did not believe that Feng Yuran would speak like this. Although she was ready to be humiliated, she was still stunned at that moment, and immediately her eyes were brimmed with tears. She looked at Feng Yuran tearfully and bitterly, her lips trembling, and felt too heartbroken to say a word.
“Out with what you want to say. Don’t cause any trouble to disturb everyone. Her Highness is waiting for me for dinner later.”
Tears rolled down from her eyes to her jade-like face. Delicate and aloof, she took on an aggrieved and touching beautiful image in front of Feng Yuran. Her eyes silently conveyed tenderness and sadness, and just gazed at Feng Yuran dazedly. Everything lay in silence.
“Nothing to say? Well, if you have nothing to say, just go down. I am about to get up.” Feng Yuran put down the book in his hand carelessly and shot a glance at her.
“Just go down like this?” Concubine Qin froze, not knowing what to say at that moment!
Before coming here, she thought a lot, believing that as long as she lowered her head, Feng Yuran would treat her differently, otherwise why was she allowed to bring her own maidservant to the manor while the other concubines were assigned the maidservants in the manor? If she had not belittled herself and felt too ashamed to talk to him after entering the manor, and she had not distantly avoided him every time seeing him, how could she have no title or position now?
How could the woman have the chance to get to the position?
The position of a king’s consort should be hers clearly!
In terms of status, she was the eldest legitimate daughter of a duke, far beyond Mo Xuetong. In terms of looks and talents, she was the famous talented woman in the capital, even Ling Fengyan had to swallow the pride to ask for advice. Therefore, with her status, couldn’t she match King Xuan? Why? Why did she have to become a concubine while the woman became King Xuan’s consort?
How could she reconcile herself to the fact?
Looking at Feng Yuran’s handsome and gloomy expression, Concubine Qin was filled with mixed emotions, but knew that the opportunity should not be missed… Anyway, she could not afford failure this time.
Concubine Yun was right. If she couldn’t grasp such an opportunity, she would never have any chance after that.
“Your Highness…” Concubine Qin knelt down suddenly, lowered her lofty head, knelt over to hug Feng Yuran’s leg, and continued to say, “Your Highness, for the old time’s sake, don’t you forget the poetry meeting where you and I versed in antiphonal style? I am too dull to fawn on others. If I once offended your Highness, please spare me for the sake that I was born in an influential family and it was hard for me to bow my head.”
As she said, she cried pitifully and raised her bright eyes to look at Feng Yuran entreatingly, begging for his tender love. Concubine Qin also disliked how she behaved now. But she had no other way, as she had to survive in the manor. When Mo Xuetong did not come to the manor, Concubine Qin still believed that Feng Yuran treated her differently.
All she needed to do was to bow in homage!
But she did not yield to it. She was a daughter of a duke and enjoyed high status. Why could Feng Yuran pay no attention to her? Shouldn’t he enter the palace immediately and ask for His Majesty to grant the marriage with her? Shouldn’t he give her an admitted and just status? Why did she have to live with those humble women in the manor to beg for his favor?
But now things were different. She was itching to get Feng Yuran’s special treatment to her…
When Feng Yuran came to the capital, he also participated in some poetry meetings where noble gentlemen and ladies would take part. And he made his acquaintance with Concubine Qin in a poetry meeting where they versed in antiphonal style.
Feng Yuran’s eyes finally fell on her. Looking at her, he asked lazily, “What do you want?”
“What do you want?”
So straightforward! But Concubine Qin did not know how to answer the question. Her face blushed suddenly, and she fell into silence.
Feng Yuran asked frigidly, “Tell me, what’s your intention? Why not dutifully be a concubine of the King Xuan’s Manor, but run here? Don’t you think I will be cheated by you again as before?” His chilly attitude, along with the mocking looks of the two eunuchs, seemed to tell that she was so filthy and shabby.
Her heart hurt as if being stabbed by a needle. She could not breathe with some trembling panic. She wondered why Feng Yuran asked her that and whether he had known the truth of the matter, or he just mentioned it casually.
“Your Highness, I… I don’t have any vain hope. I just, just… ” She sobbed in a low voice. Her beautiful face carried with the hope and inexplicable affection, and her soft eyes exuded tenderness and love.
Any man who saw a beautiful lady kneeling in front and crying so miserably would not have the heart to reprimand her.
