Mo Xuetong's eyes were cold. She lifted her head up high and did not avoid anyone's eyes as she looked at Yu Sirong quietly. Her expression was one of righteousness and calmness, completely different from the weak and cowardly image others had of her.
It was the first time she was showing her sharpness before everyone! It was the first time she was truly showing off her pride.
Some people were destined to be your enemies! Then, there was no need to avoid them. The enmity of the past and the hatred of today had made her understand one thing. That was, others might not let you live even if you gave way to them.
Everyone fell silent when she said that. They all looked at her and saw how straight she stood. Her eyes were as clear as pools of water and they shone with life as she looked at Yu Sirong coldly. She was calm and composed like a noble lady.
The people all felt convinced by her for some reason as they looked at Yu Sirong with suspicion, disdain, and scorn and they laughed at her...
Even though Mo Xuetong had not said it outright, those who have lived in the inner courtyard for some time were all smart. If Mo Xuetong had not dodged, she would have been the one to smash into the fake mountain. Yu Sirong hated her because she had managed to dodge and did not stand there silently to be hit! This joke was too funny!
Furthermore, everyone already understood that Yu Sirong had started the whole thing when they heard what Mo Xuetong had to say earlier. The vicious person Mo Xuetong was talking about was her. She wanted to knock into Mo Xuetong into the fake mountain and disfigure her. However, she had ended up disfiguring herself instead. This is indeed karma for the vicious.
Furthermore, Yu Sirong did not look like a noble lady at all right now. She was like a shrew and did not leave a favorable impression on others.
"Isn't that the first miss of the Yu family who is said to be elegant and cultured? Why is her heart so vicious!"
"You really cannot trust rumors. This lady from the Yu family was said to be the most elegant and gentle lady of Cloud City."
"If my girl is so 'elegant' and 'gentle', then I rather much prefer how she is right now."
"The Yu family say that they are a family of scholars, but their main first miss is so vicious, much less their concubines' daughters. Whoever marries their daughters would really be unfortunate. Their back courtyard would be a mess."...
There were other families living there other than the Qin and Yu families. The ruckus was so loud and had attracted attention. Many gathered around while the Qin and Yu families were not paying attention. They understood everything when they heard what Mo Xuetong said. The disdainful and mocking conversations drifted from the crowd and they looked down on the Yu family even more.
They were all talking about how the Yu family's plot to harm others had backfired on them.
Mdm Chen and Mdm Yu were so angry they felt dizzy. Who would dare to marry a daughter from the Yu family if news of this incident were to spread?
Yu Sirong gritted her teeth by the side. But she knew that she should not be as willful as she usually was right now. There were so many people watching, and she could only receive their sympathy if she pretended to be weak. Anyway, she was injured right now and everyone could see that. She lifted her head up hurriedly when she thought of that and looked at Mo Xuetong tearfully, "Sister Tong, how could you say something like that. You were standing behind me earlier. I got there before you and all the maids saw that. How could you say that! Sister Tong, even if you are jealous and hate me and Cousin Xuan, you can't do that. We truly doted on you like our own sister."
Everyone turned to look at Mo Xuetong suspiciously when they heard that.
Mo Xuetong had said earlier there were no grudges between her and Yu Sirong and she would not hurt her. But what Yu Sirong was saying now implied that Mo Xuetong was jealous of her and hated her, which was why she wanted to hurt her. This meant that there were indeed grudges between the two.
"Our mistress came first before asking Miss Mo to come to look at the black bamboos."
"It is true that our mistress came here first. Mo He and Mo Ye both saw that. We were standing just a few steps away from the two misses and saw everything clearly." Yu Sirong's maids knelt hurriedly and bore witness for Yu Sirong. They thought of how severe her injuries were and knew that they might be killed when they returned. They did not dare to go against what Yu Sirong had said.
"Mo He, Mo Ye, what do you two have to say? Did Miss Yu arrive first?" Mdm Qin looked at Mo Xuetong darkly and there was a cold smirk on her lips. If Mo Xuetong had really done something so vicious, she would definitely not side with her.
"Old Madam, Miss Yu was the one who brought us there. If our mistress wanted to hurt Miss Yu, she would have brought her to somewhere she had already set up. It can't be something done at the spur of the moment either. If it had been, it would not have been so perfect and flawless." Mo Lan was really glib and she managed to sum up the matter clearly in just a few words.
Yu Sirong was the one who had brought Mo Xuetong over and she was also the one familiar with that place. It was entirely possible that Yu Sirong was the one who had thought up the plot against Mo Xuetong.
Mdm Qin was flustered. Yu Sirong was wailing pathetically while Mo Xuetong was looking at her with clear sincere eyes. She did not seem like someone who would hurt others. Both the Yu and Mo maids made sense. Who should she believe?
"Old Madam, Sirong has already been hurt so badly. Is this not enough that her reputation has to be smeared as well? Do you want to force her to death? Miss Mo is really precious, she has done something like this and still wants to force others to their death. Could it be that the Mo family has no regards for the rules at all?" Mdm Chen gritted her teeth and was insistent on pinning the fault on Mo Xuetong. There was no way to end the matter amicably today. It would end with either Mo Xuetong's reputation being ruined or the Yu family's reputation being smeared.
Mo Xuetong swept her eyes across Mdm Chen coldly as well as Mdm Yu, who planned not to help either party but remained neutral. Then, she glanced at Yu Sirong, who was crying sadly and in desperation on Mdm Chen. A cold smile appeared on her lips.
"Mdm Yu, are you implying that I want to force Miss Yu to death if I don't admit to pushing her? Miss Yu, do you really think that I was behind you just now?"
Yu Sirong looked up when she heard what Mo Xuetong said. "How could I not know when I was standing there earlier? Am I that stupid to not even know whether you were the one to push me? Am I blind?"
"Tong'er, do you have proof?" Mdm Qin said with a grave expression.
Mo Xuetong smiled and said coldly and elegantly, "Grandaunt, do you really think that I have no proof? What if I have both eyewitness and physical proof?" Mo Xuetong spoke slowly with a neutral expression, seeming very natural. However, this shocked the crowd.
"Impossible. You can't possibly have evidence. There was no one there, so you don't have an eyewitness." Yu Sirong was stunned and she suddenly yelled madly.
"How would you know that there isn't? If you had not set up everything, would you dare to swear that I was behind you earlier? The mark where you fell and slid past is still there. Is that not physical evidence? Miss Yu, you set up everything and wanted to get rid of the marks after I got hurt. However, you did not expect to knock into the mountain yourself and did not have time to get rid of those skid marks, right? Everyone would know once they see it. There is no need to defend yourself." Mo Xuetong smiled while enunciating every word clearly. Her smile was innocent, but looked frosty to Yu Sirong.
The marks, the marks. How could she forget those marks! Her limbs turned cold in an instant! That patch on the ground was dry and soft. There were many fallen leaves on it. There would definitely be skid marks on it when she fell over. Mo Xuetong was in front of her, so there would definitely not be any marks behind her. The two marks were there, and they proved that she was lying.
Yu Sirong felt as if she had been scalded by a meteorite. She started shaking.
"It has been some time since Sirong got injured. Since the crafty Miss Mo has thought of all that, does she have time to set things up as well as use it as evidence? There are so many gaping holes in this." Mdm Chen knew that they were in trouble and started to panic. She could only grit her teeth and deny to the end.
The Yu family were really shameless. They were determined not to admit to plotting against Mo Xuetong!
Mdm Qin coughed lightly. Just as she was about to speak, someone beside her spoke, "I wonder if I would be able to count as eyewitness if I were willing to speak up? Would this be something Miss Mo planned as well?"
The crowd parted and a woman appeared. She was dressed in a deep purple satin dress with butterflies sewn into it. She wore a piece of jade tied on her waist with a jade green sash. There was a long silk embroidered light purple satin strap that twisted up her forearm. Her long dark hair was combed back into an elegant bun. Her neck was pale and slender and she looked to be in her 20s. However, when one looked closely, she seemed to be slightly older. Her eyes shone brilliantly and her disposition was noble and elegant.
She was flawless and elegant.
"And this madam is?" Mdm Qn frowned and her eyes landed on the jade pendant hanging from the woman's waist. She suddenly thought of something and her expression changed, becoming more respectful.
Mo Xuetong took two steps back and hung her head. It was the Princess Royal!
"Old Madam, you don't have to care who I am. I was walking by then and I did see Miss Yu asking Miss Mo to go look at the black bamboos. Then, Miss Yu turned behind Miss Mo and tried to knock her down forcefully. Miss Mo seemed to have realized it and wanted to dodge. However, she tripped on something and fell. Miss Yu sped by her and slammed into the fake mountain. I believe that everyone knows what happened after that." The Princess Royal swept her eyes upon everyone present. Her gaze landed on Mo Xuetong's face and she smiled gently.
"You're bullshitting. You didn't see anything. It's impossible for anyone to be there. I already told the servants to keep watch..." Yu Sirong ignored the injury on her face in her panic and started to yell. She did not expect that someone would defend Mo Xuetong and she started to scream madly.
Before she could complete her sentence, her eyes widened...
What else was there to say! Everyone looked at Mdm Chen and her daughter with disdain.
Mdm Chen had recalled the Princess Royal's status then and did not dare to talk back. She shook and seemed as if she was about to kneel down.
"Mdm Chen, it is alright to give in to your daughter but there is no need to raise her to be so vicious. She has hurt others and herself and still does not know what she has done wrong. Will she only stop when she implicates the entire Yu Manor?" The Princess Royal glanced at her coldly, stopping her from kneeling. She had only come out to take a walk and did not want everyone to find out.