Mo Xuetong asked Luo Mingzhu to wait in the yard and went to Feng Yuran’s Jinwei Pavilion in the front yard to talk with him for a while. She refused Feng Yuran’s good intentions of going with her and planned to go to General Manor by herself. Anyway, it was General Manor’s domestic affairs, and it was a matter of the inner yard. It was not suitable for Feng Yuran, a prince, to come forward.
When Mo Xuetong was ready, she and Luo Mingzhu hurried to have lunch before going to General Manor.
After an hour, their carriages slowly stopped in front of General Manor.
When the servants guarding the gate saw that it was the two young ladies who had returned, they immediately reported to Old Madam. Soon, Nanny Shen, who was by Old Madam’s side, welcomed them to the main entrance.
“Greetings, Consort Xuan. Greetings, Second Miss.” Nanny Shen hurried up to curtsy to the two when they got out of the carriage. However, she didn’t look good and there was more sadness in her face than usual.
Luo Mingzhu’s expression immediately changed when she saw that there was something wrong with Nanny Shen’s expression. She held Nanny Shen’s hand and asked, “Nanny Shen, how is Grandmother? And Elder Brother…”
“Second Cousin, Grandmother just catch a chill. It’s alright. Eldest Cousin will take care of her,” Mo Xuetong interrupted her gently and pulled her into the room.
Luo Mingzhu immediately realized that they were still at the entrance of the manor. She forced a smile at Nanny Shen and did not say anything else. The group of people hurried inside.
In Old Madam’s yard, a maidservant had already been waiting beside the door curtains. When she saw Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu coming in, she quickly lifted the curtains.
All the people they brought stayed in the yard. Even Mo Ye and Mo Lan stood a few steps away from the door like everyone else. Luo Mingzhu opened the curtains and entered with Mo Xuetong. The moment they entered, they saw Old Madam sitting alone in the couch; on the other side, Madam Qu stood fearfully; and Luo Wenyou was kneeling on the ground.
A stern expression appeared on Old Madam’s usually benevolent face. Her face was gloomy and wrinkled, making her look extremely old and haggard. However, her gray hair was combed in a neat and tidy way. Coupled with her straight back, it made one feel as if she was older and lonelier for some reason. There was even a hint of aging in her. “Grandmother is really old!” Mo Xuetong thought.
A lump came into Mo Xuetong’s throat and she almost cried. Her body softened and she almost fell. If Luo Mingzhu had not been quick to hold her, she would have fallen straight into the room. In her past life, when she saw her maternal grandmother for the last time, she seemed the same. Even when she passed away in the end, Old Madam still retained her grace as the Duke’s wife.
“Grandmother!”
“Grandmother!”
Luo Mingzhu’s eyes had already turned red. The two of them called out together and approached Old Madam. However, they could not speak as they choked with sobs. The lonely old woman might look strong, but she was extremely weak. However, she was still trying her best not to fall.
A hint of warmth flashed through Old Madam’s eyes when she saw the two of them entering. “Tong’er, Mingzhu, why are you here?” She called out to them.
“Grandmother, Cousin Tong and I wanted to visit you after a period of time. We didn’t expect someone to be so impatient,” Luo Mingzhu replied as she looked around, but she did not find Yun Ya. Her eyes were filled with anger, landing on her mother Madam Qu’s face unhappily. If her mother had not helped Yun Ya, the matter would not have come to this point.
Mo Xuetong held Old Madam’s hand and sat down beside her. Then she looked at Luo Wenyou who was still looking down and asked gently, “Eldest Cousin, what’s the matter?” She had a higher position, so it was normal for her to be saluted by Luo Wenyou. Madam Qu looked at them from the side but did not say anything. Instead, she lowered her head under her daughter’s reproachful gaze.
How could she blame her? If she didn’t do that, Yun Ya would die. As her aunt, she couldn’t be so cruel to her.
Luo Wenyou’s eyes flashed with awkwardness when he heard the question. However, he raised his head and looked at Old Madam. He said gravely, “Grandmother, it’s all my fault now. I made a mistake after being drunk and ruined Cousin Yun’s life. I should naturally take responsibility for it. Grandmother, please grant my request.”
He knew that he was in the wrong. No matter what, he had brought the girl into his room after he drank. As for whether something happened between them, it did not matter. What was important was that he had caused the girl to lose her reputation. As a man, he had to take responsibility for this. Even though he did not want his two younger sisters to see this, he knew that Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu would definitely know about it when he saw how Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu entered. As such, he did not hide it any longer.
Old Madam was so angry that her face paled. Her body swayed and she almost could not hold it. If Mo Xuetong had not been watching her and hurried to reach out, Old Madam would have fallen. She covered her chest with one hand and pointed at Luo Wenyou with the other. She almost could not speak. “How, how could you… You have been plotted against. You still don’t know. How dare you bring up the idea of marrying her into the family…”
Old Madam was really angry about her stubborn grandson. She had long known that her grandson was too righteous because of his study, but she had never thought that he would ignore the process and instead, he felt that it was his fault and had insisted on taking Yun Ya into the manor first. If he took Yun Ya before he had a legal wife, it would be the scandal of General Manor. Old Madam would never agree to something like that.
Furthermore, there were many suspicious points about this matter. Why would Yun Ya appear there at that time? She claimed that she was going to help Madam Qu to see if Second Master had returned to the manor, but as a niece who temporarily lived in the manor, she did not sleep in the middle of the night, but went to visit her uncle-in-law. No matter what, it did not make sense. However, Luo Wenyou was even stranger. He was rushing to take responsibility. How could Old Madam not be angry?
Luo Wenyou kowtowed heavily again, raised his head, and said firmly, “It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, Miss Yun wouldn’t… I should take the responsibility!”
“You, you…” Old Madam covered her chest and could not say anything else. Mo Xuetong hurriedly reached out to hold her back and said gently, “Grandmother, don’t be mad. Let me ask Eldest Cousin, okay?”
Old Madam’s current condition was not very good; her eyes were bloodshot and looked slightly dark red. Mo Xuetong put her hand on Old Madam’s wrist and discovered that her pulse was beating wildly. If her symptoms continued, she would have a stroke. How could Mo Xuetong not be worried? So she comforted Old Madam first.
“Grandmother, take a rest and let Cousin Tong speak. She has something to say,” Luo Mingzhu said urgently. She could not be bothered with anything else when she saw Old Madam’s expression. She came to her, sat down and patted Old Madam’s shoulder lightly.
Madam Qu, who was standing by the side, saw how angry Old Madam was. She moved her feet uneasily, bit her lips, and lowered her head again. She could not turn back now. If Luo Wenyou really did not allow Yun Ya to marry into the manor, Yun Ya, who had lost her reputation, would die. Then she would be sorry for her own sister.
Old Madam finally calmed down. She looked at Mo Xuetong and patted her hand. Then, she leaned against the couch and closed her eyes, not saying anything else. Nanny Shen hurriedly picked up a cushion and placed it behind her back. She looked at Luo Wenyou who was kneeling on the ground with displeasure. Even though she did not speak, she was blaming him.
She had watched Luo Wenyou grow up. He had always been obedient and sensible in front of Old Madam, but why was he so obstinate today? The big family would not allow a concubine to marry into the family before the official wife. It broke the family rules about wife and concubine. If one did not care about that, it would be a disaster in the back yard of the family.
How could His Excellency not understand?
Mo Xuetong sat down again when she saw that Old Madam looked as if it was at her disposal. She looked coldly at Madam Qu and Luo Wenyou, who was still kneeling in front of Old Madam’s couch. A hint of sharpness flashed in her eyes and she raised her brows slightly. “Eldest Cousin, what are you doing? Are you going to kneeling here until you die if Grandmother doesn’t agree? Do you want Grandmother to be accused of being unkind? Are you forcing Grandmother?”
Her words were so sharp that Luo Wenyou could not keep kneeling. Madam Qu who was standing by the side also paled. In her heart, Mo Xuetong had always been smiling. She was a gentle niece. Even though she was Consort Xuan now, she had never put on any airs.
She had never thought that Mo Xuetong would have such a sharp side. She heaved a sigh of relief when Old Madam did not want to meddle in the matter anymore and threw it to Mo Xuetong. However, at this point, she felt as if her heart was in her mouth.
“Eldest Brother, are you kneeling for Cousin Tong and me?” Luo Mingzhu questioned coldly by the side, her heart full of displeasure.
Luo Wenyou could not kneel any longer when he heard that. He had to stand up by holding on to the corner of the table.
“Second Aunt, Eldest Cousin, please sit down first,” Mo Xuetong said lightly. From the way Luo Wenyou and Madam Qu behaved, it was obvious that they would not give up easily. Yun Ya was really good at plotting. However, Luo Wenyou was too straightforward while her Second Aunt had her own plan.
Luo Wenyou and Madam Qu did not dare to say anything when they saw her expression. They both sat down by the side.
“Second Aunt, why was Miss Yun still not asleep at that time? I heard that it was a little late at that time!” Mo Xuetong turned around to Madam Qu, ready to dig out something from her.
Madam Qu was stunned. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to ask her first. The corners of her eyes twitched and she sighed softly. “It would not have been so late. I chatted with her but we talked too many things. As a result, it was too late. I did not expect this to happen. If I had known that something like this would happen, I would have told Ya’er to return earlier. It’s such a pity that she was a pure and innocent girl…”
Luo Wenyou felt even guiltier when he heard that. His face flushed and he lowered his head.
“Mother, even if you said a few more words with Cousin Yun, how could you ask her to see if Father had come back or not. She is a young lady living in the boudoir, but why does she have to involve Father in it? Hasn’t she learned etiquette? Or does she have ulterior motives? Why does she go to Father in the middle of the night?”
Luo Mingzhu snapped hatefully by the side. She hated Yun Ya so much. She had known that Yun Ya was a restless person. Now the girl even colluded with her mother and made her mother suffer. She did not know how her father and grandmother would deal with her mother. As there were no outsiders in the room, she would not say anything nice.
For no reason, a young lady went to the study room at the second door to find her uncle-in-law, and it was in the middle of the night. It did not make sense in any case.
