“Oh, it’s you, Cousin.” Luo Mingzhu hurried over to help Yun Ya up. She held her hand and said with a smile, “I thought who the beauty was. You turn out to be Cousin Ya. Why are you here, Cousin Ya? I heard that you’re getting engaged, and I was wondering what to give you as a present. I’m really surprised to see you here, Cousin Ya.”
Hearing her words, everyone couldn’t help glancing at Yun Ya.
Yun Ya looked about 15 or 16 years old. Since she was making an engagement, she must be getting married. Why did she come all the way to the capital at this time? It was weird.
“Nonsense. Who said your cousin is getting engaged? It is just that someone else has taken a fancy to her. Alright, let’s not talk about this. Anyway, it’s over.” At the sight of the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Madam Qu glared at Luo Mingzhu. She smiled awkwardly and scolded her.
Luo Mingzhu gently patted her face and smilingly scolded herself, “Okay, okay, okay. I got it, mother. I put my foot in my mouth again. Look at my mouth, it always speaks nonsense. Don’t be angry, Cousin Ya.”
“Cousin, what are you talking about? How can I be angry with you?” Yun Ya gently replied with a blush. She looked like a lady from a respectable family.
At this point, someone came and said that King Xuan invited the madams and ladies to take their seats.
Mo Xuetong stood up with a smile and led everyone into the garden. The scenery in the garden was beautiful; clusters of blooming flowers were dotted with dense green leaves, making the entire garden lively. The madams and ladies spread out, walked on their way while admiring the beautiful scenery in the garden.
Concubine Qin and the other concubines followed closely behind Mo Xuetong.
“Who are these people?” Walking with Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu saw Concubine Qin who was three or four steps behind Mo Xuetong. She knew the woman in the front: it was said that she was the daughter of Duke Wanping, who had been sent to King Xuan’s Manor. This girl used to be full of pride. Unexpectedly, she came to King Xuan’s Manor without a title in the end.
Luo Mingzhu felt pity for her for a while.
However, even though she looked down and followed behind Mo Xuetong, a hint of disdain could be seen in her eyes. Luo Mingzhu disliked her manner very much. She was just a concubine without a position. How dared she look at Consort Xuan like that? She was too conceited. That was the reason she pointed at them and asked arrogantly.
Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and answered unconcernedly, “They are just a few concubines. You don’t have to care about them.” She could tell that Luo Mingzhu was trying to help her vent her anger.
“You’re right. There are so many concubines in King Xuan’s Manor. I heard that His Highness used to like to gather all kinds of concubines and then send them out.” Luo Mingzhu took a look at Concubine Qin and Concubine He, especially at the face of Concubine Xiang, who wore loose clothes and looked obviously pale. She smiled, and her remarks appeared to be directed at someone. Then, she stopped looking at them and walked forward with Mo Xuetong.
The calmness on Concubine Qin’s face had disappeared. Her expression stiffened and a hint of anger flashed through her eyes. She almost failed to control her temper. But casting a glance at Luo Mingzhu in front of her, she suppressed the anger in her heart. Four Great Manors were the noblest. Even in the past, she could not afford to offend them.
Although He Yufen was still smiling, there was also a flash of jealousy and hate in her eyes.
Only Concubine Xiang, who walked at the end of the crowd, still seemed to bear no grudge, looking as frail as ever.
Mo Ye noticed all their expressions. She took a few steps forward to separate Concubine Qin from Mo Xuetong. She closely followed her master, not allowing Concubine Qin to get too close to her. Even though Concubine Qin was arrogant, she couldn’t help trembling when she saw Mo Ye’s cold gaze. As a result, she did not dare to get too close to her.
“Second Cousin, what kind of person is your Cousin Ya?” Mo Xuetong asked Luo Mingzhu softly when she saw that Concubine Qin and the others were a few steps away from them.
She had always liked Luo Mingzhu who seemed to be straightforward, but in fact, was not careless. What Luo Mingzhu said about Yun Ya had a deeper meaning behind it. It was just that since her Second Aunt was close to them, she could not ask about it in detail. She asked only when she saw that her Second Aunt was watching the flowers with Miss Yun Ya.
Luo Mingzhu harrumphed coldly. It was obvious that she was displeased. “Cousin Ya isn’t as weak as she looks. What was my mother thinking? Why did she allow her to live in my family? God knows if she would make trouble,” she said in a low voice when she saw that the people around them were all Mo Xuetong’s confidantes.
“Cousin Tong, don’t look at how weak and delicate she is. She looks as if she would blush within just a few words. In actuality, she is quite tough. She dared to elope with a man when she was only 13. Even though she failed, she made a scene at home. My aunt and uncle had no choice but to agree to the marriage between her and that man.”
“However, half a year later, she fell in love with another man, and even tried to harm the previous man. The matter caused a stir in the local area. Fortunately, she failed again. My uncle put in a lot of effort and sent many taels of silver to settle the matter. I didn’t expect her to come to the capital now. Isn’t she here to cause trouble for Fu General Manor?”
Luo Mingzhu grew angrier as she spoke. A surge of madness rose from the pit of her stomach when she assumed that it must be because her mother was too soft-hearted.
Mo Xuetong was shocked by Luo Mingzhu’s words. She blinked her watery eyes and could not help but sigh in her heart, “She isn’t like a lady from a noble family at all. If she was in the capital and had such a reputation, who would dare to marry a woman like her?” Then she wondered if that was the reason why Miss Yun left her family.
If she was really like that, she would really cause trouble for Fu General Manor, especially when she realized that Yun Ya might really have something to do with a man. Mo Xuetong frowned and could not help spilling her mind, “Second Cousin, do you think your cousin has taken a fancy to another man?”
“Did you see her having a secret date with a man?” Luo Mingzhu paused, annoyance appearing on her face. This cousin was always doing such things. When she saw another man who was slightly stronger than the previous one, she would fall in love with him. Furthermore, she was reckless. So Luo Mingzhu was really afraid that she would cause trouble for Fu General Manor.
She secretly made up her mind that she would talk to her mother privately later and ask her to watch Cousin Ya closely and not to bring her out to attend any banquets in case that she made a scandal that would implicate the entire Fu General Manor.
“No, I didn’t. I only saw that she had a jade pendant. According to its style, it is from the palace, and belongs to a male.” Mo Xuetong told what she saw to Luo Mingzhu. This matter could not be hidden. If someone took advantage of Yun Ya, some old things in Fu General Manor might be brought up. In that case, it was not just about a woman’s bad private morality.
Luo Mingzhu nodded and said, “Don’t worry, Cousin Tong. I’ll talk to my mother later.”
A maid who walked in the front led the way into a path.
Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu followed behind subconsciously. They walked on the path by the lake as they spoke. They would reach the banquet once they passed through the path. The wind blew through two rows of tall willows planted on either side of the road. Feeling the breeze on their face, these people were invigorated and felt very relaxed. They could not help but slow down.
“Ah!” Suddenly, a low scream came from behind. Everyone turned around and saw Concubine Xiang, who was at the end of the crowd, squatted at the intersection near the lake. She was pale, with one hand covering her belly, looking fragile.
Concubine Qin and He Yufen, who were standing next to her, looked at each other with alertness in their eyes. They both stepped back, no longer close to her. No matter how they wanted to kill the child in Concubine Xiang’s belly, it was obviously not the best time to do it. In order not to get into trouble, they simply backed away.
“What’s wrong?” Mo Xuetong stopped walking and turned around to stand in front of her. A hint of gloom flashed through her lively eyes.
“My Lady, my stomach hurts. Can I have a rest?” Concubine Xiang lifted her charming eyes and looked at Mo Xuetong pitifully as she begged. She looked nervous and afraid. “I, I really can’t move.”
She looked and acted as if Mo Xuetong were deliberately dragging her along. There were already a few people walking on the path across the lake, and they were all young masters. Mo Xuetong was inside to entertain young madams and ladies while Feng Yuran was outside to entertain young masters.
In order to create a lively scene, Feng Yuran arranged the venue of the banquet in the garden. However, they were separated by screens. Most of the guests were young and wanted to create a lively scene. It was the beginning of the banquet and it was reasonable for the male guests to come over.
He Yufen cast a glance at one of them from the corner of her eye as a grim and smug smile appeared on her lips. She glanced at Mo Xuetong and Concubine Xiang, and then stepped back a little.
The road they took was close to the lake. Except for a few willows, there was no barrier to the lake, and the lake was not large, so people on the other side of the lake could see them. They saw that there was an argument, especially with a pretty woman half crouching shyly to salute, and that the one with her back to them had not let her up. They thought it was too much.
“Concubine Xiang, if you don’t want to walk, you can rest here. You don’t have to follow us.” Mo Xuetong seemed not to know that the young masters across the lake had stopped and looked at them suspiciously. She raised her lips coldly and lifted her eyebrows. “Do you think that you can threaten me with the baby in your belly, Concubine Xiang?”
Concubine Xiang did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so direct. Her expression instantly changed, and then returned to normal immediately. Her voice was gentle, but there was a hint of provocation in her eyes. She looked at Mo Xuetong and said in a low voice, “My Lady, I dare not. But he is the eldest son of His Highness. In order to protect me, His Highness didn’t tell you until now. He must be sincerely hoping that I can give birth to the child so that he can inherit everything in King Xuan’s Manor. My Lady, don’t you think the child in my belly is noble?”
She was still squatting with a hint of challenge in the corner of her eyes. She almost pointed at Mo Xuetong’s nose and cursed. She seemed to be unstable and shook backward. Then, she suddenly yelled loudly, “My Lady, please spare my unborn child. He’s, he’s His Highness’ child. I… I’ll give birth to him even if it cost me my life.”
