All of them were startled by the sound of drumming. They glowered at the man who disturbed Bai Yihao's elegant piano music. They only realized it was King Xuan playing a prank when they saw the lazy and charming smile on his handsome face. They thought about how King Xuan was very much favored by Emperor Zongwen and did not dare to say much. Their angry stares turned into kind smiles instead.
The situation in the palace now was very much different from before. No one dared to offend King Xuan because he was the son Emperor Zongwen doted on the most.
There were only two princes who were of age by Emperor Zongwen's side in the past.
The eldest prince was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan and third prince, King Yan, Feng Yulei. They were the only two who had the ability to compete for the throne.
King Chu's mother was Concubine Su. She was the only person who was comparable to the Empress. Even though her maternal family were not from the Four Great Manors but were new money, the Su family were reputable in court because of Concubine Su's favored status. They were not any weaker than the Four Great Manors. Furthermore, the Eldest Prince was the oldest prince and was gentle and polite, which was why many thought that he had potential. Even though they did not support him wholly obviously, they showed their support more or less in private.
King Yan's situation was different from King Chu's. His mother was the Empress' sister who had died young. He was brought up by the Empress and had the Ding General Manor behind him. The power of the Ding General Manor and the Empress, as well as the Empress Dowager who acted behind the scenes, meant that no one dared to underestimate him. He was definitely the strongest in terms of power.
Compared to the gentleness and elegance of King Yan, King Chu seemed to be more simple. He was known to be interested in literature and poetry. He was known to be a celebrity. The two of them were formidable characters.
If there were no accidents, one of the two of age princes would get the throne!
While King Xuan, Feng Yuran, who had suddenly appeared, was much doted on by Emperor Zongwen, everyone treated him as a regular prince.
His lack of support on his maternal side was his greatest weakness. Concubine Xian, who was said to be extremely beautiful, was just a girl from a wealthy family. Even though she had become a doted concubine, she could not raise her family's status. It was obvious from this that her family were not very capable. Without the support of a powerful maternal family in court, he would not be able to shine.
Furthermore, he was willful and had a reputation of being a philanderer soon after he returned. He had once visited all the famous brothels in the capital within a day and brought the most beautiful courtesans back to his manor. Emperor Zongwen was so angry he locked him up for two weeks. However, he did not stop after that and would occasionally cause trouble with his womanizing behavior.
He had a reputation for being a womanizer at such a young age, and many who have seen him felt that it was such a pity for he was extremely handsome! Such a handsome youth who had such a noble status did not intend to improve himself and get a court position. Instead, he was only interested in sex. How could others not feel that it is a waste?
The Empress pursed her lips in disdain. She clicked her fingers lightly on the table to signal the palace maids by her side and then stood up. Eunuchs and palace maids had already gone to help her up and leave.
The palace maid following behind her immediately understood. When she brought her servants away, she took two steps up and appeared before the crowd. She said loudly, "The Empress has given her orders. The ladies mentioned below are to see her at Xiayun Hall." Then, she took out a list and called out a dozen names.
Mo Xuetong was among the ones mentioned.
How could she be also on the Empress' list? Mo Xuetong looked up in shock. She caught the satisfied grin on Mo Xuemin's face and she frowned. She felt that something was odd. She had not participated in this banquet in her past life and did not know what happened there. She saw the girls who walked out from the crowd. They were all seated quite far away from the Empress like she was.
The seating in the palace was arranged strictly by class. This meant that the girls' fathers were of about the same position as her father. There were not any main daughters of officials third class and above involved.
"Third Miss Mo? Please follow me to see the Empress." A palace maid greeted her with a curtsy politely, not allowing her to think of this anymore.
No matter how bewildered she felt, she could only stand up and leave with the palace maid.
Xiayun Hall was not part of the Empress' palace. Mo Xuetong only recalled that there were not any concubines living there. Even if the Empress wanted to meet people from the banquet, she could just meet them here. Why did they have to go to Xiayun Hall? Even though she heard that the banquet was to search for wives for the princes, none of the girls picked earlier were from extremely noble families.
The princes were nobility and not even concubines who were from regular families would choose girls from less noble families.
Furthermore, with the Empress' status, why would she bother with helping the prince's pick out a few concubines?
A sudden thought flashed through her mind, and Mo Xuetong could not help but bite her lips tightly.
If the Empress was not picking for the princes, then was she picking for the emperor? As the main wife of the Emperor, she was gracious and virtuous. She had to be prepared to accept the Emperor taking in concubines. The Empress did not have any sons, so she needed even more so to display this graciousness. It was natural for her to help the Emperor pick out concubines. However, she would not allow any concubines who came after her to steal the limelight from her and threaten her position. As such, she picked the daughters of some low ranking officials.
If this was so, then the Empress' actions were truly understandable. Her father was a fifth-grade official and was not any high ranking official. What happened in the palace was a reflection of what happened in the court. Without a powerful family, it did not matter no matter how much the Emperor favored you. So Why would the high and mighty Empress bother with the powerless concubines?
No wonder there were rumors that the princes were choosing concubines earlier on. The Empress must be using this false rumor. Even though she ruled her six palaces, she was not the birth mother of any prince.
If Mo Xuetong had not guessed wrongly, they would definitely meet Emperor Zongwen in Xiayun Hall.
If Emperor Zongwen liked them, they could only depend on the Empress since their families were not powerful. They would definitely become chess pieces of the Empress.
No wonder Mo Xuemin's smile was so satisfied earlier. Mo Xuetong could even sense the lifting of her lips. If she really entered the palace and became someone's chesspiece, it would only lead to the success of the Mo family. Mo Xuemin would become more and more successful because of her. Then, she would find a way to make Auntie Fang the matriarch of the family. Then, Mo Xuetong would not be able to interfere since she could not get out of the palace. She would only be able to watch as the mother and daughter be as pleased with themselves as they were in her past life.
She would definitely not allow something like this to happen.
She looked at a bush by the roadside with her clear eyes. She gritted her teeth and when she saw that no one around was looking at her, she lifted her legs to step on the edges of her skirt. If she were to step on it, she would fall into the bushes and would look utterly pathetic. Or perhaps, she could be injured. She would only be able to save herself in this way.
"Where did this Miss come from? You look familiar." A gentle voice appeared from the side. A few palace maids appeared at the crossroads. Standing among them, was a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties. Her plain colored dress could not hide her noble aura. She stood there straight and upright, looking ethereal and calm as she looked at Mo Xuetong with gentle eyes.
Mo Xuetong quickly hid her foot.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Palace maids curtsied and greeted her. Everyone curtsied together with them.
It was the Princess Royal. Mo Xuetong was curious. The princess she had imagined was a person who was dressed elegantly and was sharp and stern. She should not look like how she did now. She was ethereal and looked as if she belonged in another dimension where everything was clean and pure. One could see that she was a calm and gentle person from her smiling eyes.
She felt completely different from how she was in Mo Xuetong's previous life.
In her past life, the son of the princess' nursemaid had been involved in the incident in Cloud City and had been beheaded! The princess had been determined to investigate the incident and finally discovered that it was a false accusation from the Fu General to drag down the princess and force her to plead with Emperor Zongwen...
After the princess found out about it, she went full out against the general manor. Everything that happened after that was done by the princess. The fall of the general manor had directly caused Mo Xuetong's death. As such, in Mo Xuetong's heart, the princess was noble and stern. The princess before her was completely different. Was it the princess in this world had changed or was the princess originally like that!
However, no matter what, Mo Xuetong knew that this was her opportunity to flee!
She took two steps forward and curtsied to the Princess Royal. "Mo Xuetong greets Your Highness."
She did not hope that the princess would take her away, but at least she could stall for time. Furthermore, the princess would not say what she had said for no reason. The last time Mo Xuetong had gifted her with the orchid, she had also written down the name of the mastermind of the plot in Cloud City. She believed that the princess would be able to solve the case quickly with that. Her nursemaid's son would not die and she would not go against Mo Xuetong's maternal family.
"You are Mo Xuetong, aren't you. Get up. Is your mother Luo Xia of the Fu General Manor?" The princess smiled and asked gently.
"She is my mother. Does Your Highness know my mother?" Mo Xuetong stood up straight and smiled respectfully.
"Your mother is younger than me. I did not expect her to pass away before me, leaving behind you..." The princess' voice sounded rather sad.
She was only one year older than Luo Xia and they have known each other since they were children. Furthermore, they got along well and were like sisters. It was odd that Princess Royal Mingzhu did not have a good relationship with the Empress' birth daughter, Princess Royal Yunruo, but was closer to Luo Xia. The two of them got married on the same day. However, the two grew distant after marriage.
However, today, her old friend was already gone. There was only the girl in front of her whose crystal clear eyes exuded faint sadness.
"Princess, the Empress wants these ladies to see her at Xiayun Hall." The leading palace maid said awkwardly when she saw the Princess Royal talking with Mo Xuetong and did not look like she would leave anytime soon.
"Why is the Empress looking for these ladies?" The princess seemed to only realize that she was blocking the way then. Her gaze turned from Mo Xuetong to the other girls.
"Her Highness likes that these ladies are beautiful and adorable. So she would like to see them in private." The palace maid did not dare to say that the Emperor wanted to see them, and so could only answer in this roundabout way.
"Then leave this one behind. Third Miss Mo and are quite fated. I have met the descendant of an old friend." The princess waved her hand casually and signaled for the others to leave.
"Princess..."The palace maid hesitated.
"What? I am just asking the daughter of an old friend to stay behind to chat. Would the Empress be unhappy about that?" The Princess Royal narrowed her eyes slightly at the palace maid. Even though she was smiling, her smile was rather frigid.
"Your servant does not dare." Her Highness was being too serious. The palace maid was so afraid she knelt down with a thud.
"Tell the Empress that I'm taking her with me. I have always been close with Miss Luo and her daughter is my niece. The Empress won't object to this, will she?" The princess waved at Mo Xuetong and signaled for her to go over with a smile. Then, she turned down another path.
Mo Xuetong immediately followed her obediently.
The palace maid who was kneeling on the path only stood up when she saw that the princess had walked away. She looked at the remaining girls and could only lead them to Xiayun Hall helplessly.
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