It was not that Old Madam felt bad for Mo Xuemin. If the two daughters of the Mo Manor could only become concubines, then Mo Xueyan, whom she doted on the most, who was the daughter of a businessman, would not be able to marry well. They had come to the capital so that Mo Xueyan could go with Mo Xuemin to the banquet. There, she would be able to gain knowledge or perhaps find a good marriage.
However, she did not expect Mo Xuemin to keep getting into trouble. Even if her reputation was not ruined, it was not stellar. If she let Mo Xueyan follow Mo Xuemin around, it would drag down Mo Xueyan's reputation. It would not be appropriate for Mo Xueyan to follow Mo Xuetong around, either. Firstly, Mo Xuetong had just come to the capital and her health was poor. She did not know many people in the capital and usually needed someone to take care of her. Where would she find the energy to introduce Mo Xueyan to good people?
Furthermore, while Mo Xuetong was young,
The daughter from Luo Xia's family? Lan Xinru was no match for that! And, if the Old Madam from the General Manor had decided on the matter, Mo Huawen could not be considered to have been in a secret relationship.The Old Madam glanced at the sachet angrily. She did not reach out to take it and said coldly, "This matter has only been mentioned; it is not official. Even though the Old Madam's niece would not be bad, you have to ask around more about it. This embroidery work is only alright and cannot compare to Xinru's skills. You had better think about it again. It’s better to marry someone you already know than marry a total stranger. Get married while I am still here and consider it as fulfilling one of my wishes." "Yes, Mother, I will consider it!" Mo Huawen said respectfully.The Old Madam was so angry, she dismissed him from her yard. "Aunt, you must help me! " Mo Huawen had only just left the Old Madam's room when Lan Xinru
Compared to the chaos at the Duke Zhenguo's Manor, the Palace was much calmer.In the morning, the Fifth Princess of Changping Palace clutched her dizzy head and got up with the help of her palace maids. She stretched lazily, and after she was done washing up, the maid in charge, Huanyue, helped her to rub her hair dry with a dry towel. The weather outside was very good. Soft couches filled with cotton were laid out at the southeastern corner of the garden in the palace, where there was plentiful sunlight. Two tall, marble screens were placed on the northern and western sides to block out the wind. It was already near noon, and the sun shone warmly from above. The Fifth Princess leaned against the couch and chatted with Huanyue about the events of the previous night.The Fifth Princess still did not know what happened outside the palace, but knew how odd the incident last night was, especially after receiving a letter in the morning.
The atmosphere in the room grew grave. Mo Huawen was shocked. After a while, he smiled. "Why do you all want me to remarry? Even you are telling me this. Your mother only passed away less than two years ago..." He raised his wine cup and drained it, his smile growing bitter. The words rushed out of her mouth, "Father, Mother will understand and she will not blame you. She held my hand then and told me that if there is a good girl, you should marry her. Just remember not to ill-treat Tong'er." She held the corner of the table with a shaky hand. It was as if that was the only way she could push down the pain in her heart. Her mother's pale face appeared before her. She had been thrown from heaven to hell that day!She could not bear how her mother did not even get to see her father one last time. She could not bear how heartless the man was, fooling around with a concubine while her mother was on the brink of death. He even threw
The banquet tonight had been planned by the empress herself. Walking down the eastern corridor of Tianfeng Palace, one would eventually reach a small forest. Stepping through it, they would find themselves in the plum blossom courtyard. This was one of the three gardens near the palace. There was also an Osmanthus garden and a peony garden. The empress treasured these gardens and liked to have a banquet in each one according to season. They were always interesting to attend.The fruits and cold platters had been delivered long ago. The imperial concubines greeted each other warmly and gently. The palace grew busier and busier. There were no outsiders. This was a family banquet, so there was no need to be so formal. "His Majesty is here!" a eunuch outside said loudly. The imperial concubines went out and knelt, led by the empress. "Rise, everyone!" called the emperor.Emperor Zongwen of the Great Qin lo
Mo Xueqiong stood at the entrance of Qingwei Garden, glaring at Mo Xuetong. Her face was as cold as steel and her chest rose and fell heavily. "Mo Xuetong, you're too vicious. What does my business with His Excellency have to do with you? Were you so jealous that you had to ruin my marriage?" Her two maids, Mo Yan and Mo Jiao, hurried from behind and hugged her tightly."Miss, Miss, you must not listen to those slanderous talk. They might not be true," they urged. "How could it not be true? If not for her, would Father have locked me up in that faraway courtyard? Would Father have kept me from finding out about what happened at Duke Zhenguo's manor? I am his daughter too! How could he treat me like this for her sake?!" Mo Xueqiong looked as if she wanted to lunge at Mo Xuetong and bite her. "Fourth Sister, come in and say whatever it is you want to. It is the first day of the new year and Father is in a bad mood. D
On the eighth day of the new year, Mo Xuetong went to the banquet at General Fu’s. As a granddaughter of the family, her presence there was mandatory.In the morning, Mo Huawen had someone bring her new clothes with matching accessories. Mo Xuetong had seen these accessories before. They had once belonged to her mother. Though her mother dressed plainly, the accessories were all lavish and glamorous. Because of that, they’d only been used a few times and looked almost new.Recently, Mo Huawen kept giving her little things of her mother’s. He said they were tokens to remember hey by, but she knew he was actually making sure that if he married again, the new wife would not claim her mother’s dowry. He passed them on piece by piece. Her father had repeatedly implied that he was too tired to manage the stores left by her mother and wanted to pass them over to her. Mo Xuetong was moved by her father's behavior, by how much he cared for her. Now tha
Luo Mingzhu stopped and looked confusedly at Mo Xuetong’s suddenly pale face. "Cousin Tong, What's wrong? Are you ill?" Mo Xuetong pulled Luo Mingzhu ahead."No, it’s nothing. I just felt a little dizzy. I'll be fine in a moment. Second Cousin, let's go view the flower." How had it appeared now? Had they been preparing this scheme for four years?The flowers looked fearless, blooming brightly from the same branch into the cold winter air. The bright red, pale pink, and deep purple blended together into a thing of unbelievable beauty. It was amazing such a fine flower could bear the cold.Looking at the flower, Mo Xuetong only felt cold. The chill ran through her whole body as if a hole had opened in her heart and was pulling all the warmth from her body. Her hands trembled and she wondered when the flower had been sent. And who had sent it. "Cousin Tong, Cousin Tong..." Luo M
"Don't speak. It's me!" Since the day she’d passed out in his arms, she remembered Feng Yuran’s voice like it had been written onto her brain. Hearing him, she instantly calmed down without any good reason."Stop biting me. It hurts a lot," he added.She relaxed her teeth. She was about to ask more when he held her tighter, lifting her a bit.She began to hear other people, footsteps so light she’d have missed them if she wasn’t listening. Past Feng Yuran, she could just see a man in black with a long, shining sword. It was stained with blood.Mo Xuetong didn't dare to breath. Their position was high enough that Feng Yuran had to be hanging on to the rockery, holding her up with him.Another man in black walked wielding his own sword. "How did it go? Did you find him?”“There is no one,” said the first man. “Strange. I was sure I’d heard something”He