Mo Xuetong stared at the painting for a while and muttered a few words to herself. Mo Lan was standing beside her, so she could hear Mo Xuetong muttering “How could it be possible? How could it be possible?”
She didn’t understand what she meant. She turned her head and looked at the painting, but she didn’t find anything. She asked softly, “My Lady, what did you find?”
Suppressing the suffocating pain in her chest, Mo Xuetong heaved another long breath. She gestured for Mo Lan to put down the painting in her hands and said, “I’ll lie down for a while.”
Mo Lan nodded when she realized that Mo Xuetong did not want to say anything. She picked up the painting and got Mo Yu to move the painting to where it was. Then, she sat by the window and made needlework. In an instant, the room fell silent.
An incredible idea came to Mo Xuetong’s mind. It was not only incredible, but also unacceptable. She suppressed the surging qi and blood in her heart over and over again before she slowly calmed down. She had to go to Qin Manor. Maybe she could start from Old Madam Qin, or maybe Qin Yufeng knew something. Of course, she had to order someone to inquire about Fu General Manor and ignored her maternal grandmother.
She was weak, so after thinking for a while, she felt dizzy. In a daze, she really fell asleep.
A whisper woke her up.
“Mo Lan, if Her Lady hasn’t woken up yet, aren’t you going to wake her up? Madam Lian has been waiting for a while. It won’t be polite if we have her continue waiting,” Mo Yu said in a light and lively voice.
“It’s alright. Wait a little longer. If Her Lady doesn’t wake up, just wake her up. Let her sleep now. She hasn’t slept long.” Mo Lan’s voice was calm and steady.
“Is it okay? She has been here for some time,” Mo Yu asked uneasily.
“When Madam Lian took Yu Mingyong to the manor last time, they caused so much trouble and almost ruined Her Lady’s reputation. Let her wait for a while so that she will know that this is King Xuan’s Manor, and that not everyone can come in as they wish. She shouldn’t think too highly of herself and look down on Her Lady,” Mo Lan said calmly.
Mo Xuetong liked what she said.
Madam Lian had always had a good reputation amongst madams and ladies. Her husband had gotten the highest official rank at a young age, and was well-contented. Therefore, she had only stood by the side and said that she was innocent when Yu Mingyong’s incident happened. She did not mean to ask for forgiveness. She had probably thought that she would apologize to Mo Xuetong alone when there were fewer people. This would save her from embarrassment.
She didn’t expect that as soon as the banquet ended, Feng Yuran took Mo Xuetong away.
So she had missed an opportunity to apologize to Mo Xuetong in person, and this time, she was here to make up for it.
Madam Lian seemed to be a scheming woman and she used it on Mo Xuetong this time.
“Mo Lan,” Mo Xuetong called in a low voice and propped herself up.
“You’re awake, My Lady. It’s great.” Mo Yu immediately came to her senses and hurried over to report, “My Lady, Madam Lian came and said that she wanted to apologize to you. She also brought gifts.”
Mo Xuetong held Mo Lan’s hand to sit up. She took the warm water that Mo Lan handed her and took a sip of it to moisten her throat before asking, “How long has she been here?”
“She has been here for an hour. I saw you were sleeping well, so I did not wake you up. But it has been an hour, and it would be inappropriate to keep her waiting.” Mo Yu was not worried Madam Lian would stay for too long. Actually, she did not like her at all. Madam Lian looked gentle and was very nice to people. However, she had not expected that she would do things so frivolously and end up bringing a playboy in.
If not for the fact that she was also the wife of the first rank official and it was not proper to ignore her, she would not have urged Mo Lan to wake Mo Xuetong up again and again.
“Did you serve the tea outside well?” Mo Xuetong’s lips curled up slowly and she did not get up. Instead, she leaned up. Mo Lan had already picked up a large cushion and placed it behind her. Anyway, she was sick from anger and it was normal for her to not get up.
“Rest assured, My Lady. I have asked to take care of her and not slight her. I think Madam Lian intentionally let us neglect her. Even though she looked at me with a smile, I felt that she was so hypocritical,” Mo Yu said hatefully. She really did not like Madam Lian.
She didn’t even like the two maids she brought with her. Why did they dress up so glamorously? As the matriarch, how could there be such coquettish maids by her side? It was really annoying.
Mo Xuetong nodded in appreciation. Even though Mo Yu was a straightforward person, she knew that she could not be accused of doing anything wrong. Mo Xuetong smiled and said, “Go invite Madam Lian over. Tell her that I’m feeling poorly and was taking medicine just now. That’s why I was delayed. I beg her pardon.”
No matter what Lian An’s wife was up to, Mo Xuetong had her own way to deal with her. She was thinking about getting involved with Lian’s Manor when Madam Lian sent herself to her. How could she not make good use of it?
“Yes, I will go to her now,” Mo Yu answered and was about to leave.
“Wait a minute,” Mo Xuetong suddenly said, her lively eyes blinking slyly. She reached out and got Mo Lan and Mo Yu to move closer to her. Then, she whispered a few words into their ears. The two looked at each other and nodded.
Mo Yu went to invite Madam Lian over.
Before she came here, Madam Lian was confident, for she felt that Consort Xuan was easy going. In the past, she had seen her several times, and she had always been gentle, which made people feel that she was accommodating. It wouldn’t be too big of a problem if she apologized directly and sent some gifts to Mo Xuetong. After all, she was the wife of the first rank official of the court, so Mo Xuetong would not make her look awkward.
Besides, she really did not know about that matter. After that, she went to ask Lian An about it. Lian An also said that she had been wronged, so she was very confident this time.
However, she had been waiting for so long, and when she asked the maids and older maidservants, they all shook their heads and said that they did not know. This made Madam Lian feel uneasy. The more she sat in the living room, the more uneasy she felt. She also felt a little regretful in her heart. If she had known this, she would apologize to Consort Xuan directly in front of all the madams and ladies that day, and then she would not have been so embarrassed today.
Of course, she was also dissatisfied with the way Consort Xuan acted!
Even if she was to be blamed, she was still the wife of the Minister. However, she did not dare to say anything when she followed Mo Yu into the inner yard. She and Lian An came from a poor family and did not have any backing in the capital. They came to this place partly because they had a good relationship with others. So Madam Lian did not dare to offend the famous Consort Xuan.
“Miss, how is Her Lady? Is she all right?” she asked carefully. It was because of her caution that she could make it this far.
“Madam Lian, you’re too polite. Her Lady has not recovered since she was irritated last time. She spent a few days in the West Hill Yard with His Highness but had to come back because there was no good doctor. The imperial physician from the imperial hospital has also seen her and said that Her Lady was too angry this time and she had to take a good rest,” Mo Yu spoke in a calm manner as she led the road ahead.
Was she really ill? The smell of herbal medicine in the air grew stronger. Looking at the wide door in front of her, Madam Lian was confused. Before she came, she was sure Consort Xuan just wanted to make a fuss and deliberately let others know that she had been wronged. She did not like this kind of behavior honestly because it was a childish behavior, just like the maids in the manor who wanted to please her husband. It was not worth mentioning.
She planned to coax her and then she should be fine.
But from the current situation, could it be true? The smile on her face was a little stiff. If it was true, then King Xuan might vent his anger on her husband. She heard that King Xuan was the one the current Emperor doted on the most. She hoped that they would not get into trouble. She was truly regretting it now. If she had known, she would have apologized on the spot, no matter whether she was embarrassed or not. Then those madams could testify for her.
“Madam, please, Her Lady is inside.” Mo Lan stood at the door. When Madam Lian approached and bowed, she just put on a dull expression. She did not seem warm to her at all.
Madam Lian nervously entered the room anxiously and saw Mo Xuetong leaning against the couch. Her face was pale and haggard. With a glance, one could tell that she was really ill. Madam Lian’s heart tightened. She hurried up and said, “My Lady, why is your health so poor? It’s only been a few days since we last met and you’re so thin. What should I do? I’m really sorry for you…”
She wanted to make things clear at one fling. No matter what, Yu Mingyong had nothing to do with her.
Mo Xuetong coughed and said weakly, “Madam Lian, have a seat first. Mo Yu, serve tea to Madam Lian.” However, she seemed to have interrupted Madam Lian’s words subconsciously, causing her to not be able to finish her sentence in one go.
Mo Yu served the tea and said lightly, “Madam Lian, please sit down and have some tea.” She looked at the two maids behind Madam Lian and backed away respectfully.
The two maids had been standing behind Madam Lian’s side. Since Madam Lian had backed, they were beside her. Mo Yu also backed away, and now only the two of them stood there in a daze. Madam Lian gritted her teeth hatefully when she saw how stupid the two maids were. She was about to speak when Mo Xuetong said with a smile.
“I think I have seen the two girls somewhere before. But I can’t remember where it was…” Mo Xuetong rubbed her forehead and said with annoyance.
When she was standing below, Ming Yu’s eyes lit up. At this time, she became smart. She immediately bowed and said, “My Lady, you’re really forgetful. Ming Xia and I met you in Qin’s Manor.”
“Oh, yes, I remember. You two were arguing then, weren’t you? Oh, my memory, it is getting worse after I fall ill.” A sudden understanding smile appeared on Mo Xuetong’s face. She patted her head lightly with one hand and looked at the two maids with a smile.
In the past, she did not understand, so she felt that they looked familiar, but she could not remember who they looked like. Only now did she realize that these two maids and Consort Zhao shared about 40 to 50 percent resemblances. It seemed that there was indeed something between Consort Zhao and Lian An, but she did not know if this seemingly gentle and kind Madam Lian, who was actually very scheming, knew of it.
Ming Yu didn’t see her master staring at them, and said happily, “Yes, it’s us.”
Madam Lian’s face darkened in anger. She had always pampered these two maids and had tried to spoil them without limits, because Lian An liked them. She had wanted to promote them to be concubines in a few days so that her husband would not be distracted by the people outside. Of course, she did not have any good intentions.
There were still a few concubines in Lian’s Manor, and none of them were easy to deal with. If the two maids were doted on and fought with other maids, she would not be blamed for what happened. It was all about the matter of concubines. No matter who was injured, she just had to watch.
Of course, before they became concubines, she still didn’t want the two to really hook up with Lian An, in case that they broke the rules of the manor and ruined the reputation of the manor, so she always took them with her.
It didn’t matter if they became concubines, but everything had to be under her control. Madam Lian couldn’t stand the person who was out of her control in her own back yard.
However, now in King Xuan’s Manor, the two maids spoke before their master could speak. Furthermore, they had even tried to curry favor with Mo Xuetong and had even claimed that they had fought. How would outsiders think of the Lian’s Manor and her? If she could not even deal with maids, how would she be able to manage the family? This was so embarrassing.
