Chapter 199 Lan Xinrus Challenge (1/2)

The death of a maid in the back courtyard of the Fu General Manor did not attract any attention at all. If Mo Xuetong had not seen it with her own eyes, she would not have had a second thought about the matter. The amazing flower, however, became a hot topic. Outside the manor, the excited chatter spread the rumor quickly.

Only a day had pa.s.sed, but the news had already spread far and wide.

Old Madam Mo, who had been sick for a long while, finally felt better in time for the banquet tomorrow.

Mo Xuetong woke up early to greet the old madam. She was greeted by joyful laughter when she reached the entrance of the courtyard. She could hear Mo Xueyan's voice. It was obvious that Mo Xueyan was the old madam's favorite granddaughter.

“Old Madam, Third Miss is here to greet you,” a maid reported.

The old madam was cheerfully speaking with Mo Xueyan and Lan Xinru. When she heard that, her expression grew cold.

“Let her in.”

They were in the Mo manor. No matter how much she dislikedd Mo Xuetong, she couldn't let Mo Huawen lose face. An elderly servant held up the curtain for Mo Xuetong to enter.

After her greeting, the old madam ordered Mo Xuetong back to her feet.

“What happened last night? It was the first time your second sister went to the Fu manor, but you didn't even introduce her to anyone. You told her not to go anywhere and then disappeared and left her all alone in the garden. Is that something a younger sister should do?” she asked coldly.

Mo Xueyan had indeed complained about her sister the moment she got back. She did not mention that the princess caught her trying to slip through the inner door, focusing on Mo Xuetong's faults.

Mo Xuetong smiled gently.

“I was indeed in the wrong yesterday,” she said. “I told Mo Yu to take Second Sister around, but she went to the inner doors instead. She b.u.mped into the princess and almost got into a good deal of trouble. After that, I was so worried the princess would punish her that I went to Grandmother for help. I should have kept a better eye on her and been more help. The blame is squarely on my shoulders.”

She turned to smile at Mo Xueyan.

“Second Sister, please forgive me. I am not very experienced at this sort of thing. When I start on something, I forget my other responsibilities.”

Interrupting the princess was no small matter.

Mo Xueyan hadn't even fully processed what had just happened when the old madam turned on her. Mo Xueyan had not mentioned anything about this when she'd returned last night. Annoying the princess meant, at best, a whipping. If the princess was deeply offended, the whole family could have been killed.

Considering the weight of the mistake, the old madam didn't give Mo Xueyan a chance to reply.

“Did you run into the princess yesterday?” she asked anxiously.

Mo Xueyan was frightened by the old madam's anxiety. She didn't dare lie but spoke with an obvious look of hurt.

“I did b.u.mp into the princess, but she didn't say anything. And she let me go after that!”

“The fifth princess did not say anything, but she did punish second miss,” Mo Yu cut in. “She was forced to kneel for a very long time. After that, she even went to look for the old madam of the house. I was so frightened that I went to look for my mistress immediately. We had to tell the old madam about the situation before the fifth princess found her so we could have a plan to appease her.”

The fifth princess was the only daughter of the empress, the n.o.blest among the princess. It was very dangerous for her to complain to the elder madam about Mo Xueyan. Old Madam Mo glared at Mo Xueyan. When she turned to Mo Xuetong, she now spoke with warmth.

“Did the fifth princess say anything when she left?”

Mo Xuetong wasn't sure, but she replied honestly with what she could.

“I heard that the fifth princess was very unhappy. She did not stay in General Fu's manor for long before returning to the palace.”

Of course, she'd also heard that the fifth princess had secretly sent men to look for her. Fortunately, she was with Luo Mingzhu and a few other n.o.ble ladies. When she's heard that, the princess had returned to the manor without summoning her.

Seeing the old madam's rising anger, Lan Xinru cut in, trying to ease the tension.

“Aunt,” she said with a smile, “Yan'er only b.u.mped into the fifth princess because she was careless. The princess is a n.o.ble lady and will not fixate on such a small matter. Since it's already been dealt with, just let it be.”

Mo Xuetong also jumped in to defend her.

“Grandmother, do not be angry. As long as it doesn't happen again, it will quickly become a distant memory.”

Hearing that, the old madam remembered that she had asked Mo Xueyan to go to the inner doors tonight. Hearing all this, she decided she could not allow the girl out. After what happened with the fifth princess, they could have no more trouble at the inner doors. If the fifth princess got news, things would only get worse.

“There will be guests coming to the manor tomorrow,” she told Mo Xueyan, voice firm. “Stay in your own courtyard tomorrow and do not go anywhere and make trouble.”