"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
Mo Xuetong flushed with anger. Rather than speaking, she bit her lip and walked out. It wasn’t far to the second door. She could see for herself.Behind her, Feng Yuran walked with folded arms. He leaned over with a smile."Fifth Princess is here chatting with Cousin Bai. The second door would take your sister into the courtyard where she’s staying. Your second sister can't be bold enough to try to steal him from the princess." The fifth princess was here? She was chatting with Bai Yihao by the second door! Mo Xuetong opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. All women knew such a conversation should never be seen! But the fifth princess did it so fearlessly. She had to admit, the children from the palace were different, tough. Mo Xueyan had a thick skin, she knew she had to be sneaky to chase after a man, but the fifth princess just blocked the door. It really did all come down to status. If Mo Xueyan did such
Mo Xuetong did not know what happened. She’d met Xu Yan and the two had started chatting. After a few days of getting to know each other, Mo Xuetong found herself very satisfied with this aunt of hers. While Xu Yan looked gentle and fragile on the surface, she was very opinionated. Otherwise, she would not have delayed her marriage until now and be so picky about her husband. That was for the best. Xu Yan's would not give Auntie Fang and Lan Xinru a second chance. If Xu Yan had been a weak-willed noble lady, she would be no match for them. Auntie Fang had Mo Xuemin pulling strings for her, backing Xuemin in turn. Lan Xinru had Old Madam behind her.Xu Yan's personality was a good match for her father’s too. Even though Mo Huawen doted on her now, she still noticed where he was lacking. He certainly wasn’t good at managing the inner courtyard. The social structure of the inner courtyard was almost nonextant.The gossip was starti
Because it was winter, there was a hotpot in the center of the table. There was also fruit.The maids peeled the mandarins and served them to their mistresses. Chen Ya'er turned around and smiled at Ling Rui'er. "Elder Sister Ling, why isn't Second Miss Ling here today? I heard that Her Majesty dotes on her. I heard that she treats Second Miss Ling even better than First Miss Ling?" "Her Majesty, my aunt, naturally dotes on my elder sister more than First Sister. How could First Sister's character and beauty compare to my elder sister's? My aunt has always liked my elder sister. We went to the palace to visit my aunt some time ago. My aunt even gave my eldest sister and a pair of really exquisite earrings. Only my sister received earrings and a pair of jade bangles." Ling Rui'er glanced at Mo Xuetong with satisfaction. As a maid passed a golden mandarin to Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu leaned over to whisper.
"Elder Sister Ling, we asked you to talk about what the imperial consorts in the palace wear. Why are you talking about this instead?" Chen Ya'er flushed red. They were all unmarried young ladies. It really was a rather inappropriate topic.Ling Rui'er, however, had already been embarrassed several times today. She felt that she had to flaunt everything she had right now to put Mo Xuetong back in her place."The imperial consorts have all been worrying about it for days. They are not only picking for His Majesty, they are picking for the princes as well,” she said with satisfaction. “My aunt has been so busy these past few days. She even told me to see if there is anyone suitable amongst my friends. I think everyone here is beautiful and has a high enough status. You are all good candidates. I shall tell my aunt tomorrow." Her statement made all the young ladies flush red. "Younger Sister Ling, you are confused. How could we pres
Mo Xuemin received the letter from the fifth princess at night. She slipped out the back door and boarded an inconspicuous carriage by the road. The horses pulled her down several turns until she arrived at a store filled with exquisite jewelry. The cases inside the newest and best hairpins, bracelets, bangles, and earrings. Even though it was late at night, there were still a few madams and young ladies in the shop.A nanny in her late forties waited at the entrance. She looked at Mo Xuemin loftily and gestured for her to follow. She led her down a narrow alleyway and up a small, unlit flight of stairs. Mo Xuemin followed her up into the dark.When she reached the top of the stairs and went around the turn, she was blinded by the sudden light.Mo Xuemin shielded her eyes with her sleeves. That was when she saw a door to a private room in front of her. There were a few large palace lanterns hanging in front of the door and four we
The death of a maid in the back courtyard of the Fu General Manor did not attract any attention at all. If Mo Xuetong had not seen it with her own eyes, she would not have had a second thought about the matter. The amazing flower, however, became a hot topic. Outside the manor, the excited chatter spread the rumor quickly.Only a day had passed, but the news had already spread far and wide. Old Madam Mo, who had been sick for a long while, finally felt better in time for the banquet tomorrow. Mo Xuetong woke up early to greet the old madam. She was greeted by joyful laughter when she reached the entrance of the courtyard. She could hear Mo Xueyan's voice. It was obvious that Mo Xueyan was the old madam's favorite granddaughter. "Old Madam, Third Miss is here to greet you," a maid reported. The old madam was cheerfully speaking with Mo Xueyan and Lan Xinru. When she heard that, her expression grew cold.
The next morning, Mo Xuetong woke early to prepare for the banquet.She wore a powder blue dress with wide sleeves and an embroidered white lotus. The blue waistband was inlaid with golden strings. A bolt of pure white cloth gently draped from her hands to the hem of dress. The pure whites against the soft blue made her look like a spirit from the heavens.The guest list included members of five families, including Wang Yilan from the previous party.It was the New Year, so even Mo Queqiong was out to help serve the guests. Only Xuemin was asked to remain away from the guestsRecently, two concubines had been in charge of the affairs in the manor. Auntie Qing was had more power than Auntie Mo because she was the mother of Mo Xueqiong. Auntie Qing was dressed in a light pink dress that gave her a sweet charm. If one didn’t pay attention, they might think she was really the main wife in the manor. It seemed Auntie Fang wasn’t the onl
Mo Xuetong studied Mo Xueqiong and found the pride in her eyes. Mo Xuetong smiled coldly. She had thought her forth sister was simply petty, but, since Mo Xuemin had lost power, she’d started to show that she was truly cruel. Still, it was too early for pride. She hadn’t beaten Mo Xuetong yet."Who are you?" Mo Xuetong asked coldly."Third Miss, aren't you the one who asked the servant to bring me here? You can't have forgotten me so quickly. I'm Li Xiu'an. You came to buy flowers and told me you admired me. You even asked somebody to bring me here.” Li Xiu’an looked at Mo Xuetong with genuine affection. He pointed at a woman on the rockery he’d come down from. “Third miss, look, the servant you sent to get me is still here.”I timied maid walked out of the rockery and knelt wordlessly in front of Mo Xuetong.Several maids who recognized her screamed."Qing'er!" "It's Qing'er from Third Miss's garden."