Chapter 490 - Mo Xuetongs Plot (2/2)

Mo Huawen paused and asked hurriedly, “What do you mean?”

This was a problem Mo Huawen had been troubled with for the last few days. What should he do and how should he go about doing it so that it would be just right? It was something that was difficult to gauge, especially when the circ.u.mstances behind the entire situation was unclear. Mo Huawen did not think that acting rashly was a good plan. He managed to make it as a lord mayor, proving that he was not a rash person.

“Father, there is something I do not understand. What was it that made Fourth Sister betray me and the lives of the Mo Manor? Was it really for that servant? Fourth Sister has always been proud; it’s impossible for her to fall in love with that servant. She had done everything she could to steal the account books and secret doc.u.ments of the King’s Manor. It does not make sense that she did this just to elope with the servant. There is something wrong about this.”

Mo Xuetong continued a.n.a.lyzing the issue, “With this loophole, King Yan’s Manor can only at the most insist that Fourth Sister was in the wrong. Otherwise, someone in King Yan’s Manor has to take the blame for not being able to accept Fourth Sister, or that they had tried to harm King Xuan. Father, which blame do you think our King Yan is more willing to accept?”

Mo Huawen’s eyes lit up at that and he nodded approvingly. Why did he not think of that?

If Mo Xueqiong had died unjustly, if Mo Xueqiong had not really intended to elope with a man, then all the blotches on her reputation would vanish. Then, others would start to think: Who wanted Mo Xueqiong to die an unjust death? Who had set up this plot to frame Mo Xueqiong?

Was it really because they could not accept the existence of a Second Consort or were they trying to use her to get to King Xuan, Feng Yuran? No matter who was to blame for it, they would all accept the first accusation rather than the second.

The first accusation was just jealousy between women and a matter of the back courtyard. Women of the back courtyard took the blame for such incidents most often. However, the second charge was one in which a man is suspected of attempting to take the life of his brother. Furthermore, the victim was the Emperor’s favorite son, the Eighth Prince, the spoilt King Xuan.

It was obvious which charge was more serious.

However, the crux of the matter was—how were they going to prove that Mo Xueqiong was innocent?

Mo Xueqiong was dead and even her two personal maids were dead. Who could stand up for her and be her witness? Even if Mo Xuetong brought up the letter from Mo Xueqiong, it would be useless because Mo Xueqiong was dead. They only had to say that Mo Xuetong had forged the letter and insist that they did not know about it. Mo Xuetong would not be able to prove Mo Xueqiong’s innocence with that.

Since Mo Xueqiong was dead, they could say anything they wanted.

The matter could be manipulated but the problem was: Who was going to manipulate the situation?

Mo Huawen understood what Mo Xuetong meant and nodded. However, he asked with a frown, “Tong’er, who do you think would be more suitable to do this?” He naturally could not do such a thing. Furthermore, if he were the one to do the confrontation, it would end up in front of the Emperor. He wanted to embarra.s.s King Yan’s Manor, not fight with the Emperor. As such, it was extremely inappropriate for him to stage the confrontation.

Other than him, there was Xu Yan. She was Mo Xueqiong’s mother. As her mother, it was normal for Xu Yan to stand up for her daughter. However, Xu Yan was heavily pregnant. If there was pus.h.i.+ng and shoving and she was not careful, accidents might happen. Furthermore, this was not something a t.i.tled n.o.blewoman should do. If she caused trouble, she would not be able to run in the circles of n.o.blewoman ever again.

Then, there was Mo Xuetong. She would be able to stand up for her younger sister. However, she was the high and mighty Consort Xuan. It was even more inappropriate for her to do something so cra.s.s, going to the King’s Manor front door and yelling like a shrew. Furthermore, she was involved in the gossip and if she did this, there might be more gossip about her. As such, she was not a good candidate as well.

“Auntie Qing!” Mo Huawen’s eyes brightened as he thought of a person. Mo Xueqiong’s legal mother could not stand up for her. However, Auntie Qing was Mo Xueqiong’s birth mother and was just a concubine. She would be the best candidate to do something like that.

Even if something were to happen, the blame could be pushed onto the concubine. Anyway, it was normal for her to say inappropriate things since she was upset and angry at the loss of her daughter. The Emperor was a wise leader and would not make things difficult for an insignificant concubine.

Mo Xuetong smiled slightly when she saw that her father understood her intentions. She drew patterns on the surface of the table and then looked up with a smile. “Father, that’s not enough. Fourth Sister’s reputation has been tarnished after all. If King Yan’s Manor insists that Fourth Sister was in the wrong, what are you going to say? The Censor might write about you and say that you have not managed your back courtyard well. He might say that you cannot help maintain peace throughout the country. Then, this will involve me and King Xuan. What will you do?”

Mo Xuetong decided that she had to remind her father lest he should get caught off-guard when others try to undermine him. Given her father’s current abilities, he would not allow others to put him at a disadvantage if he were prepared! Mo Xuetong had confidence in Mo Huawen.

The laws of the Qin Kingdom stated that a concubine who elopes with another man can be beaten to death. Even though Mo Xueqiong’s ranking was not high, she was still a Second Consort. She could only be punished if she was deemed guilty. However, the problem was that Mo Xueqiong’s reputation was now besmirched. If Feng Yulei were to use that against Mo Huawen, he could say that Mo Huawen had not taught his daughters well. That was why his daughters behaved immorally. Then, he could talk about Mo Xuemin, whose reputation was poor as well. After that, he could continue talking about Mo Xuetong or he might just criticize Mo Xuetong directly. That was possible as well.

They were all blood-related sisters. Since two of them were like that, how could they guarantee that the third was unlike the other two?

Mo Huawen grew frightened when he heard that and he immediately lost all the color in his face. He broke into a cold sweat. No wonder there were so many people who went to kick up a fuss at King Yan’s Manor. He used to think that these people got along pretty well with King Yan’s Manor and had secret dealings with King Yan. Why were they casting stones the moment King Yan descended from grace?

He only realized then that those people were setting him up. The matter was a double-edged sword. If he did not handle it carefully, he would injure himself. As such, he had to deliver a single fatal blow to King Yan’s Manor so that they would not even be able to speak. He had to deliver the strike that would silence them!

Mo Huawen thought through Mo Xuetong’s question and said gravely, “Tong’er, you mean…”

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