After the Qixi Festival banquet in the imperial harem, those young men and women did not become couples but made the Emperor and the Empress unhappy. After the news that the Empress entered the Buddha Hall of her own accord, it was also said that Consort Zhao also shut herself up in the Mingyue Palace to pray for blessings for the dead palace servants.
The two powerful women were immediately isolated from the world, leaving Consort Su to outshine others. Was the Emperor trying to promote King Chu to the Crown Prince? The officials all had their own ideas. Someone had already secretly sent gifts to King Chu’s Manor to privately show their loyalty to King Chu. However, most officials were just waiting and watching. It was not easy to guess what the current Emperor was thinking about.
King Yan had already been of noble status and was about to become the Crown Prince, but he had been locked up since his wedding. In fact, there was no evidence about that matter. It was just a rumor, and how could the Emperor only listen to the rumor when he was so wise?
Therefore, the only possibility was that the Emperor wanted to control King Yan!
At the thought of this point, those officials who had their own plans in their hearts felt their hairs stand on end. Who knew when the Emperor would dislike someone? There was only one position high above. The second round of the fight for the throne was about to begin. Some older officials could still remember when King Jin fought for the throne 30 years ago.
At that time, blood flowed like rivers, and everyone got so excited by killing others. Many relatives of the royal family and descendants of officials who had feats had died. It could be said that it was a shakeup with blood. Although King Jin’s people were all killed, his opponent was also weakened. After the former Emperor took over the throne, he only slept for a few hours every day. The prime Emperor then only lived for a few years and the throne fell into the current Emperor’s hands.
Emperor Zongwen did not experience such a battle for the throne. It was because some of the sons of the former Emperor had died in the fight for the throne with King Jin early. The remaining legitimate son was in poor health, and he had only been the Crown Prince for a short while before he died. Then, the former Emperor passed away and Emperor Zongwen was the only son left. It was his responsibility to take the throne.
However, this man was not easy to fool. When he first became the Emperor, he administered the government strictly and punished a group of corrupt and fatuous officials. He was quick and ruthless. As a result, he had managed the Qin Kingdom well and properly. It was obvious that he was a competent Emperor. Moreover, after he had been the Emperor for so many years, people couldn’t figure out which prince he liked!
Of course, the commotion outside was all for men, and Mo Xuetong would not take it to heart. There were strong men to deal with it. It was obvious that Feng Yuran was a strong man in her heart. The only thing she could do was to help him manage the back yard and care about him through small matters.
Ever since the banquet, Feng Yuran had been dragged back to court. As such, no matter how unhappy he was about it, he had to go to the court.
When Mo Xuetong got up, it was already past breakfast time. There was only one master in the manor, and Feng Yuran had told the servants not to wake her up. She slept until she woke up naturally every day, but she still felt a little tired. Fortunately, after getting up for a while, she felt less tired. She knew that the poison in her body had not been detoxified, and it must have something to do with it.
But now, she didn’t want to think about it. Anyway, it was useless. Thinking about it, she would be scared. She had to think about things in a better way. At least, Feng Yuran’s medicine was much better than her mother’s. She didn’t have to be bedridden all the time and could get up to deal with things. She just easily felt tired.
Fortunately, there was nothing to do in King Xuan’s Manor. Even though there were many concubines in the back yard, it was obvious that she did not have to manage them. She was free. Concubine Qin was the only woman who had a title in the back yard. Feng Yuran had told her not to disturb Mo Xuetong’s rest, so she had nothing to do.
Mo Xuetong felt much better after drinking the medicine and eating breakfast. However, she did not have much appetite. There was porridge and dishes on the table, but Mo Xuetong only ate a few mouthfuls before putting the bowl down. Mo Lan felt worried and touched Mo Xuetong’s forehead. Finding that Mo Xuetong did not have a fever, she heaved a sigh of relief.
Ever since Mo Lan found out that Mo Xuetong also had been poisoned, her heart had been in her mouth. She was afraid that something would happen to Mo Xuetong. Madam’s sickly look had always flashed before her eyes. Even though she was young then, she had already understood the situation. If Consort Xuan became like her mother…
Mo Lan grew anxious when she thought of that. As such, she sent the medicine here, and strictly supervised Mo Xuetong drinking of the medicine.
“I’m fine. I have taken a book yesterday and read it late. Maybe that’s why I’m a little tired.” Mo Xuetong knew what Mo Lan was worried about. Her heart melted and she patted Mo Lan’s hand away with a smile.
“My Lady, how can you stay up late reading? If you do it again, I’ll go to tell His Highness and ask him to supervise your sleep time,” Mo Lan complained as she stared at Mo Xuetong.
Feng Yuran did not sleep in Mo Xuetong’s room last night and Mo Xuetong could not fall asleep alone. She tossed and turned for a long while. Then, she picked up a book and flipped through it. As a result, she read it for a long while and fell asleep late. Mo Yu was on duty at that time and Mo Lan had complained about it for a long while this morning.
“Alright, I’ll never stay up so late again, alright?” Mo Xuetong smiled and comforted Mo Lan who was obviously unhappy.
“My Lady, you have to remember what you said,” Mo Lan said seriously as she stood in front of Mo Xuetong. There was a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
“Okay, sure. I will definitely remember it. Mo Lan, don’t worry. I hope that I can be energetic every day and go to the garden to get some lotus dew to make tea.” Mo Xuetong nodded hurriedly and promised. In front of Mo Lan, she was immature. But she had no choice. After all, Mo Lan was so sensible.
“My Lady, you want to get some lotus dew? There is no dew on the lotus leaves at this time. There is a lot of sunshine, but I don’t know how to get it!” The curtain was lifted, and Mo Yu came in and blinked with a mocking smile on her face. She carried a plate in her hand, and the white jade bottle contained the lotus dew that Mo Xuetong mentioned just now.
If you made tea with the lotus dew collected in the morning, the tea would contain a faint fragrance of the lotus. It was fairly fragrant, and Feng Yuran liked it very much. He had been thinking about it ever since Mo Xuetong collected the dew and made tea for him to drink. However, he did not allow Mo Xuetong to collect the dew herself.
Looking at the sunlight outside, Mo Xuetong smiled. It turned out that she had really gotten up too late.
Mo Xuetong picked up the bottle that Mo Yu handed to her, and picked up a handkerchief to carefully wipe the water on it. Then she asked softly, “How is He Yufen?”
In fact, He Yufen had not been sent to the brothel that day. Feng Yuran only pretended to do it. Then he brought her back secretly and threw her in the woodshed of King Xuan’s Manor, asking someone to keep watch on her. Only a few confidants knew about it. The person guarding He Yufen was Feng Yuran’s man, and usually, it was Mo Yu who sent meals to her.
“When I sent the meal, First Miss He begged me and she wanted to see you, My Lady. She said that she has something important to tell you.” Speaking of the business, Mo Yu stopped smiling mockingly and answered seriously. In fact, she really didn’t like First Miss He. She didn’t understand why King Xuan and Consort Xuan kept her in the manor.
From Mo Yu’s point of view, since she dared to murder Consort Xuan, it was not enough to vent her anger, even if she were to be cut into pieces.
“She said it more than once. I don’t think there’s anything more important for the He family. Apart from being wealthy, they don’t hesitate to give their daughters to different officials. What else important things do they have?”
Mo Xuetong fell silent. The He family was the most painful thorn in Feng Yuran’s body of a generation ago. Now, it was the thorn in Mo Xuetong’s heart. They had intentionally kept He Yufen in the manor because they wanted to know how many secrets she knew. He Yufen seemed to be more scheming than He Yuxiu. They had left her in the manor because they wanted to see how she would react.
Now it seemed that she did know something; she should know more than He Yuxiu did.
Mo Lan, who was not as reckless as Mo Yu, thought for a while and said, “My Lady, it’s about time now. I went to see He Yufen secretly yesterday. When she heard a sound, she cowered aside nervously. It seems that she is really frightened. I think it is the best time to ask.”
Mo Xuetong nodded approvingly. She put down the white jade bottle that she had wiped clean and said, “Mo Yu, stay here and put away the water in the bottle. When His Highness comes, boil it and make tea. I will take Mo Lan there to take a look.”
“Yes, I will put it away right now.” Mo Yu nodded.
Since He Yufen was secretly brought her here, it would definitely not be appropriate to bring her to the main yard. She only brought Mo Lan with her and went to the woodshed in the back courtyard. The manservant guarding the door opened it for her. Mo Xuetong entered with Mo Lan.
Hearing people’s voices, the figure inside immediately huddled up and shivered.
With the sunshine outside the window, Mo Xuetong could see clearly that He Yufen’s eyes peeked out from behind the sleeves. Seeing clearly that it was Mo Xuetong, He Yufen suddenly pulled down the sleeves covering her face and rushed to Mo Xuetong. Mo Lan, who had been staring at her, quickly stood in front of He Yufen.
“He Yufen, are you trying to harm Her Lady?” Seeing that Mo Xuetong almost fell down because of He Yufen’s pounce, Mo Lan raised her eyebrows and rebuked her angrily.
“No, Elder Sister Mo Lan, I’m not. I just have something to say to Her Lady.” He Yufen was in a hurry to explain.
Mo Xuetong’s eyes fell on He Yufen’s face. They hadn’t seen each other for a few days, and He Yufen looked thin and almost out of shape. Her cheeks were sunken, and her skin was pale. Since she hadn’t taken a bath for so many days in summer, she gave off the smell of sour dishes, which was really unpleasant.
The manservant brought a chair from outside and placed it at the door. He said smartly, “Please sit down, My Lady. His Highness said you should not come too close to her, lest you fall sick because of the stinky smell. There are still people at the door, and no one will come over.”
Mo Xuetong nodded and sat down on the chair. She knew that Feng Yuran meant that no one would hear what she said. Then, she looked at the manservant and found that he was very quick. She knew that he was good at martial arts. He was standing on her side before, just in front of He Yufen. It was because Feng Yuran was wary that He Yufen would hurt her. Mo Xuetong felt warm in her heart and could not help but reveal a faint smile on her face.
Looking at the beautiful and lazy woman sitting in the chair, He Yufen felt bitter in her heart. How could she not see through it and want to take that position? Was it because the prospect Consort Zhao had described to her was too tempting or was it because she had been reluctant to stay behind? As she looked at everything in front of her, how could she not understand?
Mo Xuetong was the only one in the mighty man’s heart. However, it was a pity that they could not see through it. Consort Zhao had even claimed that she had already used tea leaves to make them dislike each other. Did they look like they didn’t like each other? Even when Mo Xuetong interrogated her, he was afraid that Mo Xuetong would be suffocated by her smell. How could the man who protected her have any other woman in his eyes?
In fact, she had already been defeated when she entered the manor…
