Chapter 156 You Yuecheng Threatens Mo Xuetong but is Shamed Instead
You Yuecheng grew white with rage when he heard what Mo Xuetong said. He shook out his sleeves angrily in disdain and then raged, “You are indeed from the countryside of Cloud City. You don’t know any etiquette and are ill-bred.”
Mo Xuetong hated it when people spoke badly of her mother. You Yuecheng was implying that she did not have a mother to teach her. She looked at him from the corners of her eyes and turned around elegantly. She took two steps away to the side and stood at the railings. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she turned around to say mockingly,
“Marquess You, you think that Eldest Sister is the most well-bred, and you admire a woman like her, then why don’t you marry her? You’d save her from her current situation. As long as you save her, her well-bred Auntie will definitely thank you. Then, you would get the opportunity to find out where Eldest Sister’s breeding came from. Oh, I’ve made a mistake. If you really marry Eldest Sister, you and Auntie Fang won’t be considered outsiders. You will be able to learn from each other then.”
Even though the status of a concubine was slightly higher than a bed maid, but in the truly powerful and noble families, they were but just playthings. Who would think that a concubine would be a well-bred person? Mo Xuetong even wanted You Yuecheng and a concubine to learn from each other. That was as good as a slap to You Yuecheng’s face and his face immediately flushed red with anger.
You Yuecheng had never been so shamed by a woman before and he was furious. He gritted his teeth and turned around, glaring at Mo Xuetong. He took two steps forward and approached her, almost pressing Mo Xuetong into the railings. “Mo Xuetong, don’t think I can’t do anything to you. So what if you have a sharp tongue? Crushing you would be as simple as crushing an ant to me.”
His expression was like steel, and his lips trembled in anger. If not for his great self-restraint, he would have strangled Mo Xuetong. He was the Marquess of Mingguo, and had never been shamed like this by anyone.
“But, don’t you like my eldest sister? Otherwise, why would you two meet secretly at night?” Mo Xuetong seemed as if she did not feel the approaching danger as she looked at him with wide eyes filled with confusion. Even though she took two steps to the side to avoid him hanging over her, she had not held back with her words. There were some people who just had ill intentions towards you, and if you avoid them, it would only make them feel even more powerful. They would really think that others were afraid of them.
You Yuecheng wanted to pretend? Then she would strip him of his false pretenses. She did not believe that he would dare to hit her in front of so many people. Duke Mingguo might be powerful, but they were in the palace. The power of a marquess was still different from that of the imperial family. The Emperor might even want to see the marquess embarrass himself in the palace.
Meeting Mo Xuemin in private? You Yuecheng was shocked and his eyes, which were red with rage, immediately cleared up. No one else knew of his private meeting with Mo Xuemin. Even Li Youmo would not expect that the person he was meeting in the shop was Mo Xuemin. A clear, murderous intent appeared in You Yuecheng’s eyes.
If others found out about it, his reputation would be ruined!
He lowered his voice and spoke coldly and viciously, “Do you really want to die?”
“Marquess You, you don’t have to be afraid of me. Eldest Sister was the one who told us about it. There are no secrets amongst us sisters, and you don’t have to push me into the water to kill me just to shut me up. We are still a certain distance away from the waters and even if you push me in, Cousin Xuan can save me. Unless you want to embarrass the Mingguo Manor and drag me into the water yourself personally, nothing will happen to me. At most, I will fall into the river.” Mo Xuetong’s expression was calm. There was even a hint of playfulness on her beautiful face as she turned to look at You Yuecheng calmly.
It was as if she were not looking at You Yuecheng who was looking at her in murderous rage but was his usual calm and gentle self. Her usually clear eyes grew cold.
She did not care about You Yuecheng’s threat at all. Her disdain and scorn made You Yuecheng’s face blotchy with anger. He had the urge to tear the woman in front of him into pieces. How could she be so calm when talking about life and death…
“Eldest Brother, come take a look. That’s King Xuan’s boat. How beautiful!” You Yue’e’s joyous laughter could be heard.
“Cousin Tong, come quickly! What’s there to talk about with Marquess You? You two look so engrossed, mind you don’t fall into the river. Come and look at this boat.” Luo Mingzhu’s voice could be heard too.
Qin Yuxuan grew impatient when he saw that she was still speaking with You Yuecheng. He jumped lightly from the side of the railings and turned over while saying loudly, “Cousin Tong, when did you become so close with Marquess You. What are you guys talking about?” He was about to approach them.
You Yuecheng hid the viciousness in his eyes but he did not let go of her. He stood in front of Mo Xuetong silently.
“Marquess You, I am not interested in finding out about what happened between you and Mo Xuemin, and I don’t wish to spread any rumors. But please remember that the truth will always prevail and what you see might not be the truth!” Mo Xuetong smiled and looked as if she were the most obedient child there ever was. However, her words were cold and distant. She turned around, lifted her skirts and then walked away, holding the railings carefully while avoiding You Yuecheng.
She really did not care about what was happening between You Yuecheng and Mo Xuemin. But she would not be so easily bullied if they were to annoy her!
Qin Yuxuan approached her just then and looked at You Yuecheng oddly, for his expression was still cold despite him having calmed down. He did not notice that You Yuecheng’s expression was deader than usual and he complained to Mo Xuetong, “Cousin Tong, why did you guys speak for so long? I have been calling for you for a long time, why didn’t you hear me?”
“I was speaking with Marquess You about what happened when we met at the city gates. He was there then.” Mo Xuetong smiled gently and left.
“Oh, that incident? It was obvious that someone was trying to frame you. They knew when you would go home and even know the route that you’d take, and then, they met you by such a coincidence. You have to ask Uncle Mo to settle this.” Qin Yuxuan’s expression softened when he heard that Mo Xuetong and You Yuecheng were talking about that.
“It’s over. Not much damage was done, but I have worried my cousins.” Mo Xuetong smiled as if she did not mind. Then, she poked out her tongue, looking rather mischievous. Her mood, which had soured because of You Yuecheng, turned for the better. Her eyes shone brightly and captivatingly.
The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked away. Behind them, You Yuecheng’s eyes shone and then darkened.
On the highest point of the boat, Feng Yuran laid on a couch. There was a clear glass that had been imported from the west that was fitted right in front of him. His handsome eyes looked through the glass windows, staring at Mo Xuetong and You Yuecheng. He lifted his hand and drank all the red wine in the glass in his hand.
“Get Youmo to visit the brothels less these days and check on You Yuecheng instead.”
“Yes!” Feng Yue, who was standing behind him answered immediately. Then, he turned away quickly and left. It had been hard for him over the past few days. He did not know what had made His Highness unhappy and he had been tortured over the past few days. Feng Yuran had made him run errands after errands and had not let him stop. Sometimes, His Highness would even stare at him with his beautiful eyes and then he couldn’t even be angry.
The mental pressure was too intense. He wanted to leave His Highness’ side especially badly. He sighed heavily when he left the cabin. The sky was especially blue, and for the sake of his life, leaving His Highness had been the right decision. This was especially when His Highness was angry for no reason. Feng Yue felt that he would rather be ordered to kill someone than be stared at by His Highness. What had he done for His Highness to do that to him? He did not understand.
He touched his head, which felt lighter than it had in the past few days and could not help but look at a slender figure on the little boat further down the river. He had a sudden epiphany and his mouth opened widely. That day, he seemed to have mentioned Third Miss Mo. Could it be… He carefully glanced at the glass window and saw His Excellency staring at Third Miss Mo with his deep dark eyes. This, could it be…
“Feng Yue, are you not certain of your orders?” Feng Yuran’s lazy voice rang from the boat. His voice was charming and seductive.
Feng Yue shuddered violently and answered, “Yes, I am clear!” Then, he did not dare to take another look and sped away, jumping from the third floor to the hall on the second floor. He could not anger His Highness because of the same matter. It would make him furious.
The large luxurious boat was different from the little boats surrounding it. The word “Xuan” emblazoned on top of it said everything. The Emperor did indeed dote on King Xuan, he had been spoilt. He did not do anything serious all day and hosted shows and dances in his home. Even though he was grounded, it was not much different from when he was free. Fortunately, His Majesty turned a blind eye to it and others did not report to the Emperor about it. Who would be so dumb to tell him that when they knew the Emperor did not want to punish King Xuan?
However, everyone liked it when King Xuan behaved like that. A lazy King Xuan who did not attend to his duties was better than a King Xuan who would want to climb up to a higher spot! If he was truly capable, the Emperor might even give him the throne.
And because of that, in order to let King Xuan continue being derelict in his duties and to please the Emperor, not only did the Empress dote on him, King Yan and King Chu would send him all sorts of good food and toys. The arrogant Fifth Princess who did not allow anyone to get one over her would let King Xuan have first dibs on all the good stuff.
The boat was a gift from the Empress, who had one custom made for him. It was the only one in the palace. The Empress did not even give one to the Fifth Princess, who was her biological daughter. One could see how doted on King Xuan was from this.
The people on the tiny boat leaned against the railing. They admired the lake and the mountains while chatting about the beauty and shape of the boat. They did not speak of anything else in detail. Those present were all at least major officials, third-grade and above. Everyone was politically aware. The fight between the Princes for the Crown Prince position would eventually lead to deaths. It was unfeeling and if one were not careful, they might implicate their entire family.
There were some things that could not be said.
You Yuecheng followed Mo Xuetong. He stood by the side and did not say anything. He had always been distant, so nobody noticed that his dark and deep gaze would land on Mo Xuetong from time to time. They chatted for a bit and the ladies got off at the island on the right. They walked onto the island, chatting and laughing while the boat rowed towards the island on the left.
“That’s the Third Miss from your family who is known to be cowardly outside but arrogant and rude at home?” A girl pointed at Mo Xuetong and asked from a high pavilion on the right side.
“Third sister is a good person, but she used to stay alone in Cloud City…” Mo Xuemin smiled and tried to defend Mo Xuetong. However, the other ladies in the pavilion all laughed sharply. Even though Mo Xuemin was speaking up for her, it could not change the fact that she was ill-bred.
Because while Mo Xuemin seemed to be defending Mo Xuetong, she was actually belittling her. There were not many who bothered themselves with Mo Xuetong. Meanwhile, Mo Xuemin stood with the other ladies comfortably and she spoke gently and graciously. When others mentioned Mo Xuetong, she would defend her warmly.
She seemed like a good elder sister trying to protect her younger sister.
Fortunately, they had only spoken for a while before the banquet started. Everyone sat down. The seats were predetermined. The Lords were seated according to their ranks. And if they were of the same rank, where they sat would be determined by the number of strokes in their names. Mo Huawen was a third-grade official and was considered one of the officials with the lowest rank. Coupled with the fact that there were many strokes to the character “Mo”, Mo Xuemin and Mo Xuetong were seated the furthest away from the main seat. Fortunately, the lights were bright and it did not make a difference even though they were far away. They could still see the imperial consorts seated at the main seat.