The sounds of discussions were not small. They were like bombs thrown into Consort Zhao’s heart. She knew that her plan had failed completely today. Not only could she not save Lian An, but she would also implicate him. She had planned to use this incident to push the matter about Lian An and He Yuxiu onto Mo Xuetong and put her to death.
However, things did not go according to her plan.
First, the maidservant did not get Mo Xuetong’s handkerchief, and instead, she got Ling Rui’er’s handkerchief. This was already beyond Consort Zhao’s expectations. It was fortunate that she could blame Mo Xuetong for this. However, unexpected things happened one after another. The situation had completely changed. She failed to put Mo Xuetong to death in one go, but she would draw the suspicion of Emperor Zongwen.
“Consort Zhao, what’s the matter?” The Empress’ eyes flashed with a trace of anger. She looked at Consort Zhao coldly and said angrily. Things had already come to this point, and if she didn’t ask further, it would be a little weird, which would make people suspect.
“I don’t know. I was with Your Majesty just now and didn’t know anything about the eunuch.” Consort Zhao was in a hurry to defend herself.
“Consort Zhao, you misremembered. Didn’t you go back to rest just now? Didn’t you say that you were tired and wanted to go back and rest for a while? Her Majesty and we really don’t know what you were doing during this period of time.” Consort Yu seemed to be puzzled and asked, which made Consort Zhao’s face instantly turn livid.
Only then did she remember that she had not wanted to rest, but Consort Yu had said that she was tired. Her mind whirled and she pointed at Consort Yu hatefully. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, “It’s you. It’s you, isn’t it? It’s your people.”
“Consort Zhao, you’re really joking. I’ve been following Her Majesty, so why does it have to do with me? You said it was Consort Xuan, but now you’re saying it’s me. Consort Xuan is in poor health and she was still lying in bed a few days ago, and I’m pregnant with His Majesty’s child. I don’t have enough rest in normal times, so I don’t have time to plan anything. I don’t know what you’re busy with these days, Consort Zhao.”
Consort Yu’s face darkened and she said coldly. Although Consort Zhao was the Emperor’s favorite concubine and the Emperor didn’t show dislike to her, she was not weak either. At least she had a child in her belly, and in this respect, she had the upper hand. When she heard a concubine say that He Yuxiu, Lian An’s mistress, was her younger brother’s fiancée, Consort Yu wanted to vent her anger on Consort Zhao.
Seeing the sinister coldness in Consort Zhao’s eyes, Consort Yu decided not to spare her even if she could not directly drag her down today. No matter how much the Emperor doted on Consort Zhao, he still had to give everyone an explanation. There were quite a few people present, including most of the ministers’ family members. Although she did not explicitly prove that it was Consort Zhao, the meaning was enough.
And there was one thing—Consort Yu did not believe that the Emperor did not care about it.
“Guards, take Consort Zhao away. Send her to His Majesty in a minute and His Majesty will punish her,” the Empress said in a low voice. Anyway, the matter had been blown out of the clues. The eunuch lay with his face down, so she didn’t see his face clearly. At this time, a guard came over and accidentally flipped him, and immediately, his face, which was scratched so badly that no one could see his true appearance, was exposed.
The eunuch’s face had been disfigured. How to distinguish this?
This matter was equivalent to a mystery case without clues. When it came to Consort Zhao, it stopped, and all the doubtful points were pointed at her, but there was no actual evidence. Although the Empress really wanted Consort Zhao to die, she also understood that it was not the right time to do so. While Consort Zhao plotted against Mo Xuetong, she had added fuel to the fire.
The one who tried to steal Mo Xuetong’s handkerchief was her maid. However, she stole Ling Rui’er’s handkerchief. And then it was about the watermelon juice. She only hoped that Ling Rui’er did not discover what happened after that. Otherwise, Ling Rui’er would really fall out with her. No matter what, all she wanted to do now was to turn the incident into a minor one. She did not even care if the Emperor would let go of Consort Zhao.
Consort Zhao was dragged down and the corpses on the ground were also dragged out one by one. After such a bloody incident had happened at the Ancient Valentine Banquet, the noble ladies and masters did not have the mood to talk love with each other. All of them only wanted to hurry up and return as soon as they could after the banquet. King Chu and King Xuan both led the way. Then, the Empress went behind them, and followed by the noble madams and ladies. They walked towards the banquet in groups.
The Empress left in a hurry as if she had something urgent to do. She held a palace maid’s hand and followed the two men closely, leaving those consorts behind. And the consorts all looked at her strangely.
Mo Xuetong hurried over from behind and suddenly called out, “Your Majesty.”
Perhaps because it was a little softer or it was not loud enough, a few people heard her and turned around. However, the Empress did not hear it and continued walking forward quickly.
Ling Rui’er walked past Mo Xuetong and glared at her. Then, she pursed her lips and mocked, “What are you shouting about? What’s the matter again?” Then, she spoke loudly and sweetly to the front, “Aunt Empress, Consort Xuan is calling for you. Please stop for a while.”
Ling Rui’er was still angry when she thought of how Mo Xuetong had managed to escape earlier. She wanted to see what Mo Xuetong was going to do at the moment. As such, she stopped and stood by Mo Xuetong’s side.
Ling Rui’er’s voice was very loud. Not only did the Empress hear it, but even Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran, who were in the lead, also heard it. Both of them stopped and turned around to look behind them. The Empress had to stop as well. She hated the stupid Ling Rui’er in her heart. Even though she was very anxious, she did not show it on her face. She pretended to be calm and turned around to ask, “Is there anything else, Consort Xuan?”
“Your Majesty, I just wanted to ask when the banquet would begin,” Mo Xuetong said gently.
Her question made the Empress almost fly into a rage. She thought something was wrong and stopped on purpose. But it turned out that nothing had happened. She was anxious and pretended to be fine. She answered lightly, “It’s about to start. Is there something wrong, Consort Xuan?”
Mo Xuetong looked as if there were indeed something wrong. Her face twitched and she looked at Ling Rui’er who was standing by the side. Then, she opened her mouth but did not say anything.
“Consort Xuan, are you wanting to say something intimate to Aunt Empress that I can’t listen.” Ling Rui’er could not help but mock Mo Xuetong when she saw that Mo Xuetong looked at her as if she could not say anything. She especially called the Empress her Aunt in order to make Mo Xuetong understand that she and the Empress were the closest, and that there was nothing that she could not listen to.
“I… I’m fine. I’m just asking.” Mo Xuetong looked awkward, which made Ling Rui’er feel rather pleased. She ignored the hatred she felt for the Empress earlier and stepped forward to hold the Empress. She raised her head as if she was trying to frighten Mo Xuetong. “Since there’s nothing wrong with Consort Xuan, Aunt Empress and I will take our leave first.”
Then, without saying anything else to Mo Xuetong, she held on to the Empress and walked forward slowly.
The Empress was worried and anxious, but she could not walk fast because Ling Rui’er was holding on to her. She could only watch as Mo Xuetong walked past her holding her maid and towards the banquet. The anxiety in her eyes almost burst out. No, she could not let Mo Xuetong enter the banquet. Otherwise, something would really happen.
“Consort Xuan,” she called in a loud voice.
“Your Majesty.” Mo Xuetong stopped and waited for the Empress to come over anxiously. She looked at the Empress’ uncontrollable twitch at the corners of her eyes and a cold smile appeared in her heart. “Are you in a hurry now? Why weren’t you in a hurry when you had plotted against me?” The Empress’ traces were everywhere in today’s scheme.
However, the Empress thought that she had done it without leaving any trace.
In order to deal with her, the Empress even cooperated with Consort Zhao to steal her handkerchief for Consort Zhao. If her handkerchief was gotten by the palace maid named Fei Huan, did that mean something else? Then Fei Huan tried to knock the watermelon juice on her. Mo Xuetong didn’t know what the Empress was up to, but she was sure that the one who went to change her clothes would be in trouble.
When Ling Rui’er came out safely, she had once suspected that she was being too sensitive. However, when she saw how the Empress had left everyone aside in a hurry, it was obvious that she was feeling guilty. It was not that the Empress had not plotted against her, but that the plot had not even started anything.
As she noticed that the Empress walked so quickly, Mo Xuetong was certain that the plot would start the moment she appeared at the banquet. The Empress had set a second plot against her. If she had not died in the previous murder, the following incident would definitely blame on her.
Unfortunately, she would not make the Empress pleased. She would like to see what she plotted this time.
“Consort Xuan, walk slowly. I’m a little tired. Why don’t you and Consort Chu help me rest at the Tianfeng Palace?” The Empress touched her forehead, looking a little weak. She leaned against Ling Rui’er and put her weight on Ling Rui’er. Ling Rui’er immediately stumbled and could not support herself well.
The Empress was trying to trick Mo Xuetong into going to the Tianfeng Palace first, and then get someone to rearrange. As long as Mo Xuetong did not appear at the banquet, the plot would not start and she would still have a chance to arrange it.
“Somebody, Her Majesty is not feeling well. How could you let Consort Chu support her alone? Two more persons, hurry up.” Feng Yuran stopped in front of the Empress and a trace of viciousness tugged at his lips. He yelled at the palace maids standing by the Empress’ side with a vicious look in his eyes. The two palace maids who followed the Empress were so frightened that they hurried over to help the Empress.
“Your Majesty, Tong’er isn’t feeling well and could just walk for a while the day before yesterday. She really can’t serve you. I’ll take her to have a rest. If you’re tired, go and have a rest first.” A cold smile appeared on Feng Yuran’s lips. He said in an arrogant and casual manner.
Even though he appeared impolite, it made others speechless. This person was not well-behaved even in front of the Emperor. King Xuan had never been one to be polite. As such, even though the Empress was extremely angry, she could not say anything. At least, the man seemed to be respectful towards her on the surface.
The Empress was very anxious when she saw him taking Mo Xuetong toward the banquet, his arm being around her slender waist, as if no one was around. The Empress could not pretend any longer and pushed away the maid and Ling Rui’er, who were supporting her, and strode forward. She had to stop the plot before Mo Xuetong arrived at the banquet.
Seeing the Empress walk past her, Mo Xuetong reached out to pull Feng Yuran’s hand and slowed down. Then she gestured to Mo Ye who was following by her side. Mo Ye walked to the side slowly and disappeared from everyone’s sight in an instant.
“Don’t you want to hurry?” Feng Yuran smiled at Mo Xuetong. His eyes looked as if they were filled with spring breeze, without the viciousness they had earlier.
Mo Xuetong leaned close to him and smiled. When she looked up again, there was a warm glow in her eyes. “It’s alright. There’s no hurry.”
She was really not in a hurry. When she entered the Tianfeng Palace, the Empress had asked a maid to steal her handkerchief using Ling Rui’er. Then she asked Mo Ye to take Ling Rui’er’s handkerchief and exchange it for hers, making a mistake in the Empress and Consort Zhao’s plan. Later, Feng Yuran ordered his people to bring the two selling indentures from Lian’s Manor. The box that Lian An had sent was originally filled with notes of silver, and Feng Yuran had exchanged them for the selling indentures.
Mo Xuetong did not expect the eunuch to scratch his face before he died. However, this did not hinder Mo Xuetong from going along with the plan. Now was not the best time to get rid of Consort Zhao. She still had to dig out her secret.
As for the Empress, she just needed to wait for her next move and watch the fun.
