Chapter 219 - The Princess Royal Favors (1/2)
Chapter 219 The Princess Royal Favors
Mo Xuetong warmly comforted Luo Mingzhu. “Don’t worry, cousin. I don’t have anything that Her Highness can pry into. Before, she might make things difficult for my elder sister. Now, Her Majesty issued the decreed. My elder sister has to marry into Duke Zhenguo’s manor no matter how unwilling she is. Father won’t let her attend gatherings either. How can she get in trouble again? Don’t worry.”
Luo Mingzhu hesitated and had to remind Mo Xuetong in case the latter was framed while unaware of it. “I always thought the elder sister of yours, that concubine’s daughter, wasn’t nice. When you’re out of the capital, she acted like a legal daughter in Mo Manor. She looks decent, but she’s really good at putting on shows. People also say that she’s connected to Ming General’s heir, You Yuecheng.”
Before, Mo Xuemin had been close with Mingguo Manor’s You Yue’e. Mo Xuemin almost spent time with You Yue’e in every banquet. She was also close to Ming General’s heir, You Yuecheng. Though the two didn’t act intimately on the surface, some observant misses could still notice their interactions.
Therefore, rumor had it that You Yuecheng turned down the proposal from Ding General Manor partly because of Mo Xuemin.
Mo Xuetong knew that Luo Mingzhu worried about her. Indeed, You Yuecheng and Mo Xuemin’s relation had been ambiguous. However, Mo Xuetong would rather think that because of Mo Xuemin, You Yuecheng had been holding grudge against herself. Luckily, Mo Xuetong didn’t ask for anything from You Yuecheng, thus, it didn’t matter to her anymore.
Hence, Mo Xuetong just smiled. “Mingguo Manor’s hair is a virgin. Even if he had a fling with my elder sister, he won’t engage with Mo Manor in the future.”
Luo Mingzhu giggled and covered her mouth with her handkerchief. “That’s good. There’s still one year of Aunt’s mourning. We should just keep Mo Xuemin in the manor during this time. When she marries into Duke Zhenguo’s manor, she can do whatever she wants. I heard Sima Lingyun just openly took a concubine. That woman could actually marry him at such a time. She must be resourceful. When Mo Xuemin marries into that manor too, it’ll be fun.”
Sima Lingyun just got into trouble. The Empress issued a decreed to marry Mo Xuemin to Sima Lingyun, then he immediately took a concubine. It was like a slap in the face for Mo Xuemin. With her personality, if Mo Xuemin really married into Duke Zhenguo’s manor, how would she let that woman off? Mo Xuemin involuntarily pursed her lips to smile. She was almost sure that this “remarkable” and “resourceful” concubine was Yun Yiqiu.
She must “help” make Mo Xuetong suffer in the last life!
For some unknown reason, looking at Luo Mingzhu’s bright smile, Mo Xuetong sighed. “Second Cousin, I heard grandmother wanted you to marry into the royal family. Do you really want to?”
After these words, the smile started to fade from her face. Then, she blinked and forced a smile. Leaning on the rail of the pavilion, she pouted. “Grandmother intends to. They said they got the wind of the news from the Empress. Father and the First Uncle weren’t that satisfied with this marriage.”
Mo Xuetong asked in a low voice, “Who did they select…?”
Luo Mingzhu didn’t continue and looked pale. “The third one. They said he was well-educated and thus well-mannered. But who didn’t know he and Ding General Manor’s…?”
The third one meant King Yan, Feng Yulei. The third prince, Feng Yulei, fancied Ding General Manor’s Ling Fengyan. They grew up together. Last time, on New Year’s eve, something like that happened. In the end, King Yan almost got physical with King Chu, Feng Yuxuan. All of this showed that Feng Yulei and Ling Fengyan more than just knew each other.
Who wanted to marry a man with a secret lover? Moreover, before the marriage, a detailed rumor of their affair had been flying. The gloomy look on Luo Mingzhu’s face revealed her reluctance. Mo Xuetong knew that Luo Mingzhu would like to marry a man who loved her for who she was. She would marry him and grow old with him, instead of His Royal Highness King Yan, who was already taken by another woman.
Additionally, that woman happened to be Ling Fengyan, who had never gotten along well with Luo Mingzhu. How could Luo Mingzhu not mind?
Mo Xuetong held Luo Mingzhu’s hand and said, “Since Her Majesty just sent some signal, she might haven’t decided yet. We might cancel the marriage too. It’s the best that First Uncle opposed it. Next time, I’ll tell Grandmother that King Yan will never be a good husband and he just wants to marry you for First Uncle’s military power.”
Since the Empress considered marrying Ling Fengyan to King Chu, she must have thought about pus.h.i.+ng First Uncle with military power to King Yan’s side. In this way, a balance was formed on the surface. King Chu married Ding General Manor’s daughter, while King Yan married Fu General Manor’s. Both families possessed military power and they were equal.
However, in fact, Ding General Manor supported the Empress. With the Empress backing King Yan, even if Ling Fengyan married into King Chu, she couldn’t make Ding General Manor loyal to King Chu. Instead, it was like sending a spy beside King Chu. Should King Chu conduct anything in the future, King Yan must know it at once.
On the contrary, King Yan had not only Ding General Manor’s support, but also Fu General Manor’s. With the help of the two manors, the military power they possessed, and Empress in the harem, King Yan’s chance of taking the throne would tremendously increase. This was the Empress’s real plan!
Nevertheless, when King Yan, Feng Yulei, became the emperor, would Luo Mingzhu really feel happy?
Most of the previous empresses were deposed by the emperors. The out-going, direct, and lovely Luo Mingzhu could never match the pretentious Ling Fengyan in a war. In the end, she might end up in a plight in the harem and even couldn’t protect Fu General Manor.
Mo Xuetong lowered her eyelashes, hiding the coldness in her eyes. King Yan was never meant for Second Cousin. If he was loyal, he would be thinking about Ling Fengyan all the time; if he was unfaithful, entering the harem for Second Cousin would be like being exiled. The harem never lacked beauties and time only drove women mad. Plus, when everything settled down, you couldn’t tell if King Yan would dispose of her after using her.
With all the women in the harem, all the wolves surrounding her, how could Second Cousin survive…