Chapter 204 - The Confrontation between Mo Xuemin and the Duchess (1/2)

The d.u.c.h.ess acted swiftly in order to save her son. She prepared the betrothal gifts that night. They were all good items she had taken from her dowry. The fall of the Duke Zhenguo’s manor over the years meant that while they did not have to worry about basic necessities, the budget was still a little tight.

Fortunately, the d.u.c.h.ess had never touched her dowry and there were still some expensive items in it. She thought that if the betrothal was successful, Mo Xuemin would be considered her daughter-in-law. These things would still end up returning to the manor. That eased her anger slightly. Once the little s.l.u.t entered the manor, she could torture her in any way she wanted.

The d.u.c.h.ess went to the Mo Manor early the next day!

Mo Huawen had not yet returned from morning court. The Old Madam had returned to her courtyard, embarra.s.sed and guilty. She was too ashamed to see anyone and let others tell Mo Huawen that she was ill and that he need not come and greet her. Had this been any other day, the Old Madam would have treated the d.u.c.h.ess in a friendly manner because of Mo Xueyan. However, now that something like this had happened, she was in no mood to receive the d.u.c.h.ess. She only said that she was not feeling well and told Auntie Qing to receive the d.u.c.h.ess instead.

Mo Huawen went to Auntie Qing’s courtyard on the day of Mo Xueqiong’s incident. He gave Auntie Qing a scolding while Mo Xueqiong was beaten ten times by the paddle. Mo Xueqiong was lying in bed right now. When Auntie Qing heard the Old Madam’s summons, she could not do anything but ask Auntie Mo to receive the d.u.c.h.ess instead.

Auntie Mo had never received such a distinguished guest like the d.u.c.h.ess. She felt really apprehensive. She welcomed the d.u.c.h.ess with a smile.

“Madam d.u.c.h.ess, why have you come today?” Auntie Mo asked with a smile. She did not know why the d.u.c.h.ess was here and carefully invited her into the living room. The maids served tea.

The d.u.c.h.ess was already feeling displeased when she saw that she was being received by a concubine. However, when she thought of how she was here to plead with the Mos, her eyes grew slightly warmer. She said lightly, “I wonder if you can let me see First Miss.”

She truly could not be bothered to chat with a concubine. It was an insult to her status. As such, she spoke in a straightforward manner and asked to speak with Mo Xuemin. She did not believe that the little s.l.u.t would dare to say that she was not in a secret relations.h.i.+p with Yun’er in her face.

“Madam, you are too kind. Of course you may.” Auntie Mo gave it a thought and nodded in agreement.

She was just a concubine and did not know much. On one hand, she felt that the pressure the d.u.c.h.ess was exerting on her was too great. She felt very uncomfortable. Since the d.u.c.h.ess wanted to see First Miss, she might as well let First Miss deal with it. She went out and asked the servants to take the d.u.c.h.ess to Mo Xuemin’s courtyard.

The d.u.c.h.ess brought her own servants who held the betrothal gifts and went to Mo Xuemin’s courtyard. Mo Xuemin had only just woken up and was sitting in her room in a daze, thinking about some things. When she heard that the d.u.c.h.ess was outside, she could not help but be stunned. She suddenly stood up and went further inside the room. She told Mo Xiu to tell the d.u.c.h.ess that she was not in!

She felt that she had nothing much to say to those from Duke Zhenguo’s Manor after that happened.

However, the d.u.c.h.ess had already barged in. It was impossible for her to avoid the d.u.c.h.ess. As such, she could only invite the d.u.c.h.ess to sit down.

“First Miss Mo, what happened that night? Why was Yun’er with you? I heard that you returned to your manor early that day.” The d.u.c.h.ess sat down. Her eyes were dark as she spoke coldly. She did not bother being nice to Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin was from a good family. However, she was not at home sleeping in the middle of the night and was instead found on the streets. That itself proved that there was a problem with her.

Mo Xuemin did not think that the d.u.c.h.ess would be so sharp. She paused and could not speak for a moment. She felt so anxious that her face was flushed red.

She was certain that Sima Lingyun would not dare to say anything about that matter. However, she did not expect that the d.u.c.h.ess would come to their home and ask her about it directly.

Sima Lingyun would not say anything about how the two of them plotted together against Mo Xuetong. This meant that Sima Lingyun would not be able to explain his actions. He could only plead guilty to the count of failed rape. She would then be able to escape with her chast.i.ty intact despite the fact that the two was caught hugging with their clothes in disarray. Furthermore, if the Princess helped her secretly, it would be easy for her to get away with her crime.

However, while she had managed to successfully scheme against Sima Lingyun, she had not taken the d.u.c.h.ess into account.

“First Miss Mo, if the officials of the Ministry of Justice find out that others discovered the secret meeting between you and Yun’er in the palace on the same day, would they think that what happened after was just another secret meeting between the two of you?” The d.u.c.h.ess pressed on. Her eyes were cold and sharp.

“I did not have a secret meeting with His Excellency in the palace!” Mo Xuemin defended herself anxiously.

How would she dare to admit something like that? If what happened in the palace was linked up with what happened later that night, it would be easy for others to think that she was having a secret relations.h.i.+p with Sima Lingyun.

“If not, then why did you not explain yourself clearly then? Instead, the others forced Yun’er out into the light as well. There were so many young ladies and masters there that day. Were they all confounded?” The d.u.c.h.ess’ eyes were fierce and vicious. She stared at Mo Xuemin unyieldingly.

“But that person said that he misunderstood me in the end.” Mo Xuemin said, her expression changing slightly.

“Did that person watch you the entire time, First Miss Mo? Or was he the person you were having a secret meeting with all this while? Is that why he knows you so well! First Miss Mo, I will cut the chase here. Yun’er has been taken to the Ministry of Justice and still has not been released. You just have to admit that you were together with Yun’er that night. The two of you encountered a robbery and Yun’er was injured because he was trying to save you.” The d.u.c.h.ess slammed her teacup onto the table. However, there was a hint of a gentle smile on her face.