Chapter 554 The Strangeness of Imperial Noble Consort Wen and the Sixth Princess
The banquet in the palace stopped unhappily, and all the noble young masters and ladies parted.
The things that happened in the imperial palace were weird. If someone was not careful enough, he or she would fall into the trap. Even if it didn’t really happen to him or her, he or she might be disabled or seriously injured. Especially for girls, their reputation would be ruined if they got a little involved in it. Then they might be unable to get married in the future.
Every lady of the noble family was well aware of how precious a girl’s reputation was.
Besides, someone said that there were still dead people in the back garden when they came out. Immediately, the people present did not say anything more. They did not even respond and only looked forward to returning early. There were two more people in the palace for no reason. If they were not brought in by people in the palace, who else could do that?
At this time, it was normal for some people to get involved, or some people afraid to be exposed and die.
But no matter what, everybody only wanted to leave as soon as possible. The imperial palace was a place where one was apt to get into trouble, so they wanted to stay away from it as soon as possible.
Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran knew what happened to the Empress even though they were not present. Mo Xuetong heard it from Feng Yuran while Feng Yuran learned it from a eunuch who sent messages for him. However, that was not the main point. The main point was that the eunuch had not come secretly, and had not come alone.
The eunuch came here openly to tell Feng Yuran about what happened to the Empress, which sounded meaningful. Mo Xuetong only smiled lightly and did not care or ask much about it. She could not guess how powerful Feng Yuran was, but when he was by her side, she felt very safe and at ease.
When they heard that the banquet was stopped, the two of them left the warm room and headed for the palace gate. Mo Xuetong held Feng Yuran’s hand and was almost brought into his embrace. Fortunately, almost all the people had left, so they did not meet any noble young masters or ladies on their way.
It was obvious that everybody panicked when something like this happened.
Although the imperial garden was still brightly lit, it looked a little unreal while the light was shaking. The eunuchs and palace maids, who were packing the things, were trembling and they only lowered their heads to do things. Their faces were as pale as paper. The people outside the palace had left, but what about the people in the palace? No one knew how many people would die in the following days.
Such a major incident happened in the palace, which not only involved the Emperor’s favored consort, but also the master of the imperial harem, the Empress. Would Ding General Manor be implicated as well? If the Ding General Manor was involved, then what about the Empress Dowager? The two most respected women of the Qin Kingdom might all be involved in this matter. One would think carefully about this involuntarily. The more they thought about it, the more frightened they felt…
It was a little cold at night. Feng Yuran put a light gray cape over Mo Xuetong’s shoulders and took her along the path in the palace. Feng Yuran was familiar with this place. If they walked through this path, they could walk through a straight path and reach the palace gate even faster. Mo Ye followed closely behind them and they walked silently.
“She hasn’t come out yet?” Suddenly, someone beside the rockery said in a low voice, which sounded worried.
It was a little far away from the imperial gardens, so there were no lanterns but was a rockery. As such, they could not see who was beside the rockery. Mo Xuetong remembered that path. There was a cross ahead, and one side led to the inner palace while the other led to the palace gates. The middle one went straight to the Emperor’s Qianqing Palace.
“She? Did he refer to the Empress?” No, he did not seem to refer to the Empress. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong found that the person’s voice sounded familiar.
Feng Yuran reached out to press her lips. Mo Xuetong understood what he meant and bit his slender fingers lightly. Then, she stood still.
“Her Highness hasn’t come out yet.” It was a respectful voice, which carried the sharpness of eunuchs’ voice.
“How long has she been in?” There was a hint of worry in the gentle tone of the woman.
“I’ve been watching all this time, and she has been inside for a long while.”
“Is the Empress still kneeling outside?”
“I just saw that the Empress was called in by the Emperor. I dare not go forward, but I heard the sound of something breaking.” The eunuch’s voice showed that he owed little respect to the Empress.
“If it doesn’t go on smoothly, report the news to the Empress Dowager. The Empress can’t be deposed anyway,” the gentle voice said with a helpless sigh.
“Yes, I’ll go and arrange it now.” While they were talking, three shadows appeared beside the rockery. The one in the lead was a woman with a slender figure, with a eunuch behind her, nodding and bowing. Behind the eunuch stood another woman who happened to be walking along a branch path and happened to avoid them.
Not far away, the three of them split up. One walked in the direction of the Qianqing Palace, and the other two slowly walked to the other side after the maid following them lit a lantern.
Mo Xuetong saw it clearly. The moment the lantern lit up, she saw the Sixth Princess’ delicate and gentle face. It was evident that she was worried about Imperial Noble Consort Wen. She frowned sullenly.
This princess was really a busybody. She even meddled in the affairs of the Empress. It was so interesting…
Mo Xuetong only heaved a long breath when she saw the Sixth Princess walking away. She reached out to pull Feng Yuran, and the two of them went on silently. The palace gates were in sight from afar. Mo Lan, who was waiting at the entrance, only heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran coming out hand in hand.
They were the only manor whose carriages were left outside the palace. Feng Yuran helped Mo Xuetong onto the carriage first, and since he did not ride a horse, he climbed onto the carriage as well. When they saw that the two of them were in the same carriage, the other maids went to the one behind.
Feng Yuran got on the carriage and leaned against the couch. He then reached out to pull Mo Xuetong up and took out a few hairpins that were in his way.
As the things on her head reduced, she felt much more relaxed. Mo Xuetong let out a sigh of relief comfortably and leaned into Feng Yuran’s embrace like a lazy kitten. She looked up with a smile and asked, “What’s the background of Imperial Noble Consort Wen? Her parents’ family is powerful, isn’t it?”
Her watery eyes were bright. As she felt comfortable, she closed her eyes slightly and her long lashes fluttered. There was a hint of charm in her beauty. Feng Yuran’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at her. He reached out to touch her lips, with a vague smile on his red lips.
“Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s father is just a lowly officer. Even though she was selected by the palace and gave birth to the Sixth Princess, she has never asked for a job for her mother’s family. As such, she is known for being virtuous in the palace. Furthermore, she is unlike the Empress who has always gained her authority in front of others. Besides, her child is not a son. So, there are many other consorts in the palace who have a good relationship with her.”
There was a hint of wisdom in Feng Yuran’s long and narrow eyes. He raised his long, sword-like eyebrows and a trace of gloom flashed through his eyes. He understood what Mo Xuetong meant. Imperial Noble Consort Wen was an idler in the palace and had no son, so she decided not to fight. After all, the result had nothing to do with her.
Furthermore, no matter who took the throne, even though she could not compare to the Empress and Consort Su in the palace, she had a daughter and a high position. No matter if the Empress or Consort Su became the Empress Dowager, they would not treat her badly in the future. As such, she did not involve herself in the fight no matter how chaotic the imperial harem became. She did not stand on King Yan’s side represented by the Empress, or King Chu’s side represented by Consort Su.
So she didn’t care about anything and had a good reputation for being idle. After all, she couldn’t compete with others. No one cared about her attitude. But today, Imperial Noble Consort Wen was obviously a little abnormal. What made her want to go to the Emperor’s Qianqing Palace, even in the face of his anger? It seemed that she interceded for the Empress.
“Would Imperial Noble Consort Wen do something like that in the past?” Mo Xuetong caught on to Feng Yuran’s main point sharply. There was a faint smile on her lips and she did not hide her suspicion of Imperial Noble Consort Wen. She felt that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was rather odd. She had always been impartial and in the middle of the Empress and Consort Su’s battle.
It seemed that no matter who won, it didn’t matter to Imperial Noble Consort Wen.
However, her calm attitude made Mo Xuetong confused. Living in the palace, one would either win or lose. It was a life and death struggle during ups and downs. Who could truly be stable? However, Imperial Noble Consort Wen had always looked calm. No matter who the Emperor doted on or who lost his favor in the palace, it seemed to have nothing to do with her. She had always appeared in front of others in a gentle manner.
She was neither outstanding nor backward.
Feng Yuran of course understood what she meant. He reached out and wrapped her long black hair around his fingers. He couldn’t help lamenting how a person’s hair could be so black, soft, and smooth. “One doesn’t have to care too much about what happens in the palace. As long as she doesn’t put her hand outside the palace, she can put it aside first. She wants to ask the Empress Dowager to save the Empress taking advantage of Ding General Manor’s reputation. That would be a good idea. The Empress Dowager still wants to rely on Ding General Manor. Tong’er, your hair is so fragrant. What did you use?”
Mo Xuetong blinked and looked up, just in time to see Feng Yuran’s charming and seductive look. When she saw how he was looking at her with his deep and beautiful eyes, she was startled. Then, there was a hint of annoyance in her eyes as she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and patted his hand, which was playing around her hair, away. “I’m talking about serious matters with you!”
Feng Yuran said seriously, “I am doing something serious. It is a great thing to have fun between wife and husband.” His hand reached out again. This time, he didn’t fiddle with Mo Xuetong’s beautiful hair. Instead, he held Mo Xuetong’s jaw and half-lifted his pretty eyes. Then he leaned towards her side.
Mo Xuetong’s face flushed when she saw his handsome face getting closer and closer. Her heart skipped a beat and she thought to herself that this guy was too attractive. Even though she was used to his charm, she would still be seduced. She looked at him unblinkingly and her pink cheeks flushed.
“You talk nonsense again.”
Feng Yuran looked at Mo Xuetong’s beautiful face with satisfaction and kissed her gently. Then, he put down his hand and hugged her. He looked ahead as if he was looking into an unknown distance through the carriage door. With a thoughtful look in his eyes, he said, “Next time you meet Imperial Noble Consort Wen and the Sixth Princess, you have to be careful. Don’t let them plot against you. I will get someone to investigate the details of Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s family.”
Mo Xuetong’s words reminded him that with the status of Imperial Noble Consort Wen, even if she did not mention it in front of the Emperor, there would still be people who would suck up to her. How could her father have been an official in a remote city for so many years?
According to the Sixth Princess’ words and deeds just now, she didn’t seem to be a princess who did not interfere in government affairs. In the past, when the Fifth Princess was around, the Sixth Princess had always followed behind her, looking obsequious. She had always been an auxiliary of the Fifth Princess and did not have much status in front of her. Even though everyone knew that the Sixth Princess was gentle, they knew that she was cowardly. With her temper, and her mother Imperial Noble Consort Wen who never offended others, even the Empress did not make things difficult for her. It was said that she wanted to choose a suitable husband for the Sixth Princess so that she would not be bullied when she married.
However, there wasn’t any trace of softness in the Sixth Princess’ words and deeds today…
Everything was so weird here!
