Chapter 273 - Beauty Disfigured Due to Her Plan (1/2)

Chapter 273 Beauty Disfigured Due to Her Plan

Even though she did not know what Bai Yihao was asking about, Mo Xuetong could not be too careful. She would not have so many unnecessary thoughts if she did not know about her mother’s background. But now… she could not control herself.

“That’s right, many scholars were left out of the palace, a great loss to the imperial court. Do you wish to see some true scholars out of the court in the Qin Kingdom, Your Highness? True scholars always longed for freedom and you could be considered to be one of them. It will be a real pity if you do not join us.” Bai Yihao smiled.

“Just like the piece that the Empress Dowager praised.”

Bai Yihao seemed to be inviting her to partic.i.p.ate in the Qin gathering, even threatening her. Involuntarily, Mo Xuetong lifted up the jade bowl beside her and sipped at the wine. Together with the warmth brought by the wine, her eyes became cold and unforgiving. “Thank you for your invitation, Sir Bai. My foot is injured or I would definitely be willing to know those scholars.”

“I can help you examine your injured foot, and ensure that you can partic.i.p.ate in this Qin gathering.” Bai Yihao glanced down at Mo Xuetong’s foot. Even though he could not see anything, Mo Xuetong’s face turned red with embarra.s.sment as she attempted to retract her foot. Bai Yihao’s rude behavior was unusual for a gentleman like him.

“There’s no need to trouble you. The doctor merely told me to rest it.”

Only she knew about the conditions of her injury and she would never show it to Bai Yihao, well-known for being a great doctor.

“One needs to combine work with rest. Such a good opportunity is not so easy to come by.” Bai Yihao placed down a chess piece and smiled handsomely.

“An opportunity for others might not be an opportunity for me.” Mo Xuetong replied calmly as she placed a piece in the corner, engulfing an entire portion of Bai Yihao’s pieces. The chessboard immediately emptied out, with distinct white and black pieces. It was obvious that there were more black pieces.

Bai Yihao seemed to be oblivious to his imminent defeat and raised his head to look at his opponent, smiling even more calmly. “The treatment of a unique Qin arrangement and chess formula would be completely different in and out of the palace.”

“In and out of the palace! What does he know!”

Mo Xuetong’s hand trembled as she forced herself to remain calm. As she placed down another p.a.w.n, she realized that she had lost her initiative after placing this piece, rendering the entire corner Bai Yihao’s territory. Even though she had removed his pieces from the board, she also entered his trap. However, she had to do it or it would be an immediate defeat for her.

Bai Yihao has superb chess skills!

Any move will lead to her defeat!

She frowned slightly as she glanced at Bai Yihao secretly, trying to figure the mysterious man out. Since both advancing and retreating would result in worries, Mo Xuetong might choose to retreat in her previous life. However, Mo Xuetong chose to face her difficulties in this current life. She placed down her p.a.w.n and clapped, smiling. “You’ve won! I admit defeat!”

“It’s merely luck.” Bai Yihao threw his pieces into the basket as he waved his sleeves across the chessboard, not willing to discuss the match at all. If Mo Xuetong didn’t know that he had great ambition, she would have thought that he did not value fame and fortune.

He merely didn’t care about partial victories.

Mo Xuetong reminded herself again about the danger of the man before her. The corner of her eyes rested on the chessboard, worried.

Bai Yihao smiled and turned to Princess Royal, saying, “Aunty, thank you for your plum wine. It is already late and I will leave first. I will come back to visit another day.”

The sky had darkened, signaling that it was already late. The palace lockdown would be happening soon and Mo Xuetong had to leave too, albeit after Bai Yihao left to prevent unnecessary rumors. However, Princess Royal’s thoughtful eyes made her stressed. Her eyes seemed to convey pity, worry, and some other strange emotions.

She had always been wondering about the relations.h.i.+p between her mother and Princess Royal. Did Princess Royal know about her mother’s ident.i.ty? If she did know, why did Princess Royal make such a friend? If she didn’t, why did she treat her mother so well? She had a feeling Mother and Princess Royal were not just friends.

The previous emperor killed King Jin, his brother, and took his crown. That meant that Prince Jin was Emperor Zongwen’s uncle, and Princess Royal was Mother’s cousin. Was Princess Royal really as peaceful as she seemed to be on the surface? Did she really not partic.i.p.ate in politics? Through her interactions with Princess Royal, she discovered nothing about Princess Royal’s involvement in the battle of the heirs other than her favor towards Feng Yuran.

However, she noticed that something seemed amiss amidst the entire mess.

In her previous life, the only place where she met Princess Royal was at the downfall of General Manor, which Princess Royal played a big role in. Why was Princess Royal so determined in dealing with General Manor? After her rebirth, she slowly became familiar with the royal family, and she changed her mind about Princess Royal. Could such a calm Princess Royal really dare to rush and destroy General Manor just for the son of her wet nurse?

If she was truly so, where did she place Mother?

In her previous life, Mother never mentioned Princess Royal voluntarily, and Princess Royal seemed to be just part of a legend. However, she seemed to be involved in everything that was happening in this world. She also mentioned the items that Mother left behind. But how could she know about that? Was the Plum Garden a coincidence as well?

Impossible. There must be something that she did not know.

Mo Xuetong did not use the sedan this time, as she used Mo Lan’s hand as a support. As she walked, she pondered about the matter just now. She felt that Princess Royal was a different person just now, but she could not say exactly why.

Was it because of Bai Yihao? Something flashed across her mind but she could not catch it.

“Are you Princess Anping?” Under a tree full of blossoming flowers, a beautiful lady stood tall. She asked with a friendly tone as she blinked when seeing Mo Xuetong.

“You are…” Mo Xuetong stopped and asked hesitantly.