Chapter 469 - Pay Respects to the Emperor, Incisive Words (1/2)

It was the first time for Liu Xi to see King Xuan was concerned about a person. Worried about the lady’s poor health condition, King Xuan had confided in advance, for fear that his lady would feel a little wronged. In Liu Xi’s opinion, since His Highness, King Xuan, was His Majesty’s favorite prince, and the lady was His Highness’ treasured person. This weight was heavy enough to make Liu Xi, the lead eunuch who had been living in the palace for several decades, fawn on Mo Xuetong.

It turned out that Feng Yuran had ordered it. Looking at Liu Xi’s teasing eyes, Mo Xuetong blushed and lowered her head slightly, and felt warm in her heart. She knew that most of her things were in the palm of his hand. Although she did not ask Mo Feng to tell him anything, she believed that Feng Yuran had known it, otherwise, he would not have sent people to ask her to enter the palace as soon as she went down the Puguang Temple.

Then he had arranged everything well in the palace and did not let her feel a little wronged. Mo Xuetong’s heart felt as sweet as being soaked in the mulse. And now as her thoughts were seen through, her face turned red with abashment, and she could not speak a word.

Seeing Mo Xuetong feel ashamed, Liu Xi s.h.i.+fted the topic subtly and said to her with a smile, “His Majesty has approved the memorials for the whole afternoon and felt tired. Your Highness, could you please finish your words more quickly, as I will serve His Majesty to have some dessert and take a break.” Having been living in the palace for many years, Liu Xi was absolutely a clever person, since he was able to promote from a rock-bottom eunuch to a lead eunuch in charge.

Mo Xuetong said softly, “Yes, I know. Thank you for the trouble you’ve taken on my behalf, Eunuch Liu.” The blush on her face receded slightly. Her eyes became calm, and the abashment had faded away completely, as if she changed into another one in a blink. Liu Xi could not help praising her inwardly as he saw her change.

The lady did have the dignity and majesty that a king’s consort should have. Compared with Consort Xuan, Consort Chu was left far behind, as she knew nothing but make a scene shrewishly, and all the things she had conducted just brought shame to the royal family. She did not even accept that the king’s second consort conceived a baby, and did harm to the royal heir, which did violate the taboo in the royal family. On the other hand, Consort Xuan behaved decorously with the best upbringing and courtesy.

This was what Liu Xi thought, and so did Emperor Zongwen.

Sitting behind the high desk, Emperor Zongwen looked at Mo Xuetong who was kneeling on the ground respectfully, and he brightened into a satisfied smile. He was rather content with the daughter-in-law. Every time he thought that his son’s life could be saved thanks to the marriage with her, and Mo Xuetong was not as defiant as before, Emperor Zongwen thought it was right to allow Mo Xuetong to marry Feng Yuran.

The only thing that Emperor Zongwen felt dissatisfied was that Mo Xuetong was too young and still observing mourning for her mother, so she was unable to procreate for the royal family at the current stage. Emperor Zongwen thought Xuan’er would feel aggrieved at it. Now, Xuan’er had recovered and could marry a second consort admittedly. At least, the second consort could help Mo Xuetong manage the domestic problems lest Mo Xuetong should be too young to deal with a number of women in Xuan’er’s back garden.

Emperor Zongwen made up his mind and became gentler with Mo Xuetong. “Get up and take a seat.”

“Thank you, Father Emperor.” Mo Xuetong copied the way that Feng Yuran called the Emperor, so it sounded rather close, which made Emperor Zongwen rather satisfied. He nodded his head, signaling that she did not have to be punctilious.

Mo Xuetong respectfully made a bow and stood still with Mo Lan’s support. A palace maidservant came to lead Mo Xuetong to sit on a brocade stool on one side.

“Old Eight’s consort, what’s the matter that bothers you to come to see me?” Emperor Zongwen asked.

“Your Majesty, please redress the scales for me.” The moment Mo Xuetong was about to sit, she knelt down suddenly with her eyes turning red, as if she was crying. So Mo Xuetong turned her head to hide the grief in her eyes and quickly wiped the tears in the corner of her eyes to control her emotions. Although she felt wronged, she still behaved herself in a calm and easy manner.

Emperor Zongwen looked stern and asked gravely, “What happened?”

Mo Xuetong bit her lower lip and hesitated. She looked at Emperor Zongwen, nonplussed, afraid of irritating him. Her gingerly appearance showed her worry and fear, as well as the desire to speak but hesitation in a second thought, which made people itching to know what had happened on earth.

Emperor Zongwen frowned and asked, “Old Eight’s consort, go ahead. Tell me what happened.”

“King Yan, His Highness, King Yan said my fourth younger sister eloped with a man, and even claimed that it was I who incited her to do that. I felt extremely wronged. Since I was invited to offer incense in the Puguang Temple for no reason, such unexpected things happened to me. And the manservant that my fourth younger sister eloped with was King Yan’s close servant. Your Majesty, I felt scared and nervous. So I hurried down from the mountain. At the thought that my fourth younger sister is still in King Yan’s Consort’s hand, and I don’t know if my sister is still alive or dead, I feel greatly upset, not knowing what to do?”

After finis.h.i.+ng speaking, Mo Xuetong seemed to be unable to restrain her grief, and the tears on the corners of her eyes dropped down uncontrollably. She knelt down on the ground and kowtowed again, as she said in a sad voice, “Your Majesty, please redress the scales for me and save my fourth younger sister. Let His Highness King Yan give a way out to my fourth younger sister. She is just a woman with a disfigured face. How could she get involved with elopement?”

Women who chose to elope were often pa.s.sionate with others. In this regard, who would like to elope with a woman with a disfigured face? Besides, the man was King Yan’s close manservant. In fact, the status of such a close manservant was not so humble in the king’s manor, so he could choose a beautiful woman as he wanted, but why did he choose Mo Xueqiong, a woman whose face had been ruined?

Mo Xuetong expressed her thoughts clearly in her words.

Sure enough, Emperor Zongwen was furious at what she said, slapped heavily on the table, and shouted at Liu Xi, “Go to bring Old Three to me.”

Although Mo Xuetong didn’t say much, how could Emperor Zongwen not know what she implied? Originally, Emperor Zongwen had intended to make Old Three act dutifully. But judging from the current case, Old Three became more and more undisciplined that he dared to frame Old Eight, which did make Emperor Zongwen burst into rage.

Feng Yulei and You Yue’e came very fast. Before the Emperor’s decree was pa.s.sed out of the palace, they had already come to the palace gate and hurried inwards, and they happened to meet Feng Yuran who were taking Mo Xuetong out of the palace. The four just confronted in the palace.

Feng Yuran raised his handsome eyebrows, stepped forward, and blocked Feng Yulei’s way. He made a bow with fists folded in front. Although he behaved respectfully, and his eyes looked sincere, his lips curled up with a slight sneer, which betrayed him and showed a sheer provocation to Feng Yulei. “Third Brother, haven’t you gone to the Puguang Temple and prayed for your mother? Why do you have time to enter the palace at this time?”