The left side of the Lotus-rain Pavilion was close to the water, and there planted many lotuses. It was the time to bloom. The blossoms were fabulous, standing gracefully. There were waves of fragrance drifting. As a breeze blew, the lotus leaves shook, and looked quite beautiful and enchanting.
Then new lotus blossoms after the rain stood gracefully erect!
Mo Xuetong sat in the Lotus-rain Pavilion, held the fish food in her hands, and fed red carp in the water with boredom. The red carp passed by one by one, making her hand look like jade. The water flowed slowly and the lotus leaves were dense. The fine gauze was slightly lifted, and the jade-like woman was almost as beautiful as a fairy who had fallen into the mortal realm.
Far away at the arch bridge, the butler was leading King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, and a gentle and beautiful woman towards the Jinwei Pavilion. Feng Yuxuan had stayed in the camp for a while earlier and had only returned a few days ago. Even though he was still gentle, there was a sharp glint in his eyes. However, it was hidden at the bottom of his eyes. He looked still like the previous handsome gentleman.
On the bridge, his gaze couldn’t help but fall on the beautiful woman’s figure in the pavilion. Although it was a little far away and he couldn’t see her appearance clearly, he could still tell that she had a beautiful profile. With the soft and lazy aura, she just looked like a jade-like beauty.
“Steward Wang, has King Xuan not fully recovered yet?” Feng Yuxuan stopped. His eyes involuntarily followed the beautiful figure as he stood still.
Since the last incident of the assassins in different manors, Feng Yuran claimed that he had been frightened and wanted to rest in the manor so he applied for sick leave.
“His Highness is still like that. He just feels weak and doesn’t have a good appetite. He usually feels groggy, so he stays in the Jinwei Pavilion most of the time. He has just gotten up and heard that Your Highness is coming, he looks much better,” Steward Wang answered respectfully with a smile.
“Is that… Consort Xuan?” Feng Yuxuan pointed at the beautiful figure in the distance. His pretty eyes were deep and meaningful.
“Yes, that’s Her Lady.” Following Feng Yuxuan’s gaze, Steward Wang also saw Mo Xuetong, who was feeding on fish food and chatting with maidservants sometimes. Although he didn’t know why Feng Yuxuan mentioned Consort Xuan, he still nodded and replied.
“As so many things happened on Consort Xuan’s birthday last time, won’t King Xuan manage the inner yard?” Feng Yuxuan asked in a casual manner.
“Your Highness, His Highness brought Her Lady to the West Hill for a few days and they have just returned. Her Lady is still in poor health, so even if she wants to manage the yard, she can’t do anything about it,” Steward Wang answered cleverly. He did not say if Feng Yuran had helped Mo Xuetong vent her anger or if he had managed the inner yard. Instead, he pushed things to Mo Xuetong.
The dignified Consort Xuan had been shamed, but she didn’t take it seriously. Feng Yuran even didn’t deal with the pregnant concubine and wanted Consort Xuan to deal with her when she recovered. It seemed that the rumors about how much Feng Yuran doted on his little wife were not true. A glint flashed through Feng Yuxuan’s eyes.
“Consort Xuan is over there. Can I go and take a look?” The gentle woman standing by Feng Yuxuan looked at Mo Xuetong in the distance and asked gently. She was wearing a light green dress and looked rather thin. She looked a little green. When she looked at Feng Yuxuan, she looked rather affectionate. This added vigor to her beautiful face.
“Since Second Consort Mo wants to go there, I will get someone to take you there.” Steward Wang nodded with a smile. When King Chu came to the manor, he had said that he wanted to visit King Xuan and Consort Xuan with Second Consort Mo. Now that Mo Xuetong was there, it was reasonable to take Second Consort Mo there.
“Alright, then let’s go together.” Feng Yuxuan smiled lightly. He took the lead and strode towards the Lotus-rain Pavilion. Steward Wang was shocked. He said that he would take Second Consort Mo there but King Chu took the lead. However, since King Chu had already left, he could not say anything else. He had to only take a few steps forward and lead the way.
Mo Yarui looked at Feng Yuxuan and then at Mo Xuetong who had no idea what was going on in the distance. There was a hint of bitterness in her eyes. She picked up her long dress and followed the two men. However, her steps were small and she walked slowly, so she was left behind. Mo Yarui looked helplessly at Feng Yuxuan who strutted before her. She bit her lips and lowered her head. Taking a few steps quickly, she finally caught up with them.
She was in poor health since Ling Rui’er had caused her to miscarry. Even though Ling Rui’er did not do anything to her after she returned to the manor, Ling Rui’er often said something sharp. Fortunately, Mo Yarui did not wish to fight with her, so she stayed in her courtyard to recuperate so that Ling Rui’er would not see her.
When Feng Yuxuan was back, she went out of the courtyard. Luckily, Feng Yuxuan was kind to her and went to her yard first as soon as he returned to the manor. Then, he brought good herbs and tonics to her. Her cold heart gradually warmed up and the smile on her lips grew.
When she heard Feng Yuxuan ask if she wanted to go to King Xuan’s Manor, she agreed immediately. On the one hand, she wanted to thank Consort Xuan. Mei Yu had already told her that if not for Consort Xuan’s help in sending the message that day, she would have been tortured to death by Ling Rui’er. As such, she wanted to thank Consort Xuan in person.
On the other hand, since Feng Yuxuan did not ask Ling Rui’er, his first consort, but her to go with him, did this mean that she was different in his heart? This delighted Mo Yarui. She had a crush on Feng Yuxuan. Before she married him, she felt that this handsome prince was both smart and pretty and that if she could marry someone like him, she would be satisfied in this life.
Therefore, even as a second consort, she also felt happy. However, since she entered King Chu’s Manor, she found that the days were not as happy as she thought. Feng Yuxuan was lukewarm to her, not too close or distant. Fortunately, she found he took the same attitude to everyone. Mo Yarui felt that it had something to do with his character, so she slowly got used to it.
But now, she suddenly saw something different in Feng Yuxuan’s eyes. She didn’t know what it meant, but it was obvious that he treated Consort Xuan differently. A trace of worry flashed in her eyes, and she walked quickly to keep up with him so as not to fall behind too much.
Mo Xuetong was truly bored. She had told the others that she was still ill. However, she felt that she was much better now and wanted to return to Mo Manor to take a look. However, she was clear that this was not the right time. She had to pretend to be ill in the manor and would not be able to leave for a while.
She had almost thrown all the food to the fish. Then she lifted her sleeves and played with the water with her little white hands. Feeling the gurgling water on the surface of the lake, she found it was very soft and comfortable.
“My Lady, don’t splash water anymore. It’s cold. His Highness will be unhappy when he sees it.” Mo Lan reached out to stop her. Mo Xuetong’s health was still poor. The water was under the lotus leaves which blocked the sunlight, so it was extremely cold. It would not be good for one’s health if the cold air rushed up to them in the summer.
Therefore, Feng Yuran was very unhappy when he saw Mo Xuetong stretched her hands to the water. However, Mo Xuetong liked to reach her hand into the icy cold water because it was extremely comfortable. She would reach her hand into the water while he was not around.
“Don’t worry. I’ll only do it for a while. His Highness won’t be able to see it.” Mo Xuetong stuck out her tongue and a sweet smile appeared on her innocent face. Her long lashes fluttered and she looked rather pleased with herself.
“Yeah, Mo Lan, it’s fun to put hands into the water. Look, the fish are biting my hand.” Mo Yu giggled and reached into the water as Mo Xuetong did. Seeing that Mo Lan was still pulling a long face, she naughtily picked up a few drops of water and sprinkled it on Mo Lan. Mo Lan dodged, but a few of the drops still landed on her.
She was so angry that she went over to pinch Mo Yu. Seeing Mo Lan’s expression, Mo Yu stood up hurriedly. She walked around the stone table and stools and ran out. Mo Lan did not want to let her go and went after her hurriedly.
One of the two chased and the other escaped, playing in the pavilion.
Mo Xuetong leaned lazily against the railings of the pavilion. She picked up the circular fan beside her and fanned it while instructing them, “Mo Yu, hurry up and run. Come back from behind.” Or, she said, “Mo Lan, you’re a little slower. Just a little more and you’ll be able to catch her.”
Her bright eyes curved into a smile. She looked extremely happy.
Just as they were playing around, they suddenly heard Steward Wang’s loud voice. “Your Highness, this way please.”
Mo Xuetong stopped fanning. She turned around and saw the gentle Feng Yuxuan coming over with a smile on his handsome face.
Why was Feng Yuxuan here? Mo Xuetong blinked her deep eyes and did not understand how he could enter the inner courtyard without Feng Yuran’s company. Even though Feng Yuran was his brother, it was not proper for him to barge in. Mo Xuetong’s stiff hand shook slightly while she looked at Feng Yuxuan dazedly.
It was rare to see Mo Xuetong in such a daze. The smile on Feng Yuxuan’s lips grew bigger as he walked towards her.
“Greetings, Your Highness, King Chu!”
“Greetings, Your Highness, King Chu!” The two maids had regained their wits and immediately saluted.
“Forego formalities!” Feng Yuxuan smiled lightly. He was as gentle as water.
Mo Xuetong stood up immediately as well. Holding her fan, she saluted. “Greetings, Your Highness, King Chu.”
“Consort Xuan, you don’t have to be so polite. I came here to visit Eighth brother and you with Ya’er. When I saw you from afar, Ya’er wanted to come first. So I accompanied her here,” Feng Yuxuan explained with a smile. He waved his hand and sat down on a stone bench not far from Mo Xuetong. He picked up the teacup that Mo Xuetong had placed on the table and as if he did not notice that half of the cup of tea had just been consumed by Mo Xuetong, he took a sip, looked at it curiously and took two more sips.
Then he turned around to Mo Xuetong who paused in the spot and asked with a smile, “Consort Xuan, what kind of tea is it? It has a smell of lotus fragrance and is very refreshing. I have never drunk this kind of great tea before. I wonder if you can answer my question.”
Mo Xuetong pursed her lips and was very unhappy. She looked at her cup of tea unhappily but could not say anything. He had already drunk it, and she could not ask him to spit it out. As she saw how he neglected minor points of conduct, she also sat down. With a smile, she said, “Your Highness King Chu, you flatter me. I’ve only collected some dew to make tea. It’s not some good tea. Sorry, it upsets you, Your Highness.”
Her words were very direct. She looked at the cup in Feng Yuxuan’s hand with her watery eyes and seemed a little annoyed.
Feng Yuxuan seemed not to understand Mo Xuetong’s unpleasant words. He raised his eyebrows and seemed to be interested in discussing the tea with Mo Xuetong. “Consort Xuan, you’re so intelligent. I wonder if there’s any dew collected from the lotus leaves. Can you send me some and let me make some fragrant tea in my manor?”
Feng Yuxuan acted oddly today!
Mo Xuetong had no idea what he was trying to say at that moment. She looked up and saw Steward Wang bringing a beautiful woman over. Was this Ya’er that Feng Yuxuan had just mentioned?
