Chapter 163 A Gentle Trap In The Darkness
There was a grand feast in the palace and all the maids had their own business. She couldn’t be away for too long, or she might get herself in trouble.
Mo Xuetong’s smile was pure and glamorous. It looked like she was chatting with a warm-hearted elder sister. She glanced at the maid. “Why do you think I’m Third Miss Mo? I’m Fourth Miss Mo.”
“You’re not Third Miss Mo? It’s impossible. You and First Miss Mo were the only ones who came to Mo Manor. You sat behind First Miss Mo, so you must be Third Miss Mo. Fourth Miss Mo is not here in the palace.” The maid said, realizing too late that she shouldn’t have.
“So the one who was sitting behind my first sister must be me!” Mo Xuetong smiled and it was all clear to her. No wonder Mo Xuemin insisted that she should sit closely in front of her today. Previously, some lady wanted to sit close to Mo Xuemin but was refused because she wanted to sit with her sister, and acted as though they had an intimate relationship. In fact, she just wanted to make it convenient for others to identify Mo Xuetong in order to frame her.
The maid realized something was wrong. She looked at the dim lights that surrounded her and felt scared. She just wanted to lead her to the destination, but Third Miss Mo was too smart to follow her without a reasonable cause. “Third Miss Mo , let’s hurry…”
Before the maid could finish, she fell down on the path. The lantern flew through the air and was caught by a large hand emerging from the shadows.
“You’re too stupid to escape from a trap, even when you know you are in one.” In the shadows stood Feng Yuran, holding a dim lantern in his hand. There was anger in his eyes, which showed his dissatisfaction towards her.
Not knowing why, Mo Xuetong’s face flushed and she angrily stared at his beautiful eyes and shouted, “It’s none of your business!”
They had not seen each other since… that night. Mo Xuetong wouldn’t allow herself to admit how much she’d enjoyed it, and couldn’t help feeling angry when she thought of Feng Yuran at the moment. He just disturbed her emotions and showed up in front of her like nothing had happened .
She didn’t know how his wound was doing; he was so busy recently, he hadn’t told her about his health, and she was too shy to ask Mo Ye or Mo Feng about it.
Feng Yuran blinked and smiled widely. Mo Ye had already walked away from them and was acting as lookout. “What’s wrong? Are you angry? You shouldn’t be mad, because I came to help you.”
Seeing his handsome face, Mo Xuetong got even angrier. She turned around and felt very uncomfortable. It was a strange feeling she couldn’t describe, and she was just too annoyed to see that face. “I don’t need your help.”
Mo Ye was astonished. She used to serve Feng Yuran and knew how unbridled he was. She had never seen any girl being so rude to him!
He shouldn’t be angry with her mistress! If he really was angry, what could she do to help? She couldn’t stop him from doing what he wanted, and she couldn’t fight him, either.
While she was hesitating, Feng Yuran looked at Mo Xuteong’s firm but slim figure in the wind and felt his heart soften. “Alright, I’ll help you. Is that okay?”
Mo Xuetong didn’t know why she was so angry. She turned her back on him and said angrily, “I don’t need your help. I’ll fix my own problem. Please don’t show up like this anymore, or I may misunderstand you.”
She immediately regretted her words, and her face turned red.
But Feng Yuran just smiled. The beautiful bright eyes on his perfect face seemed to be able to read one’s mind. He held Mo Xuetong’s hand and ignored her unwillingness. He pulled her behind a tree and whispered in her ear, “Someone is coming!”
The scent of his warm breath made Mo Xuetong’s face flush. She was too shy to say a word. Her whole body was hot, as if she had got a fever. His scent contained light ambergris . She wanted to glare at him, but instead turned away, fixing her attention on what was happening in front of her.
However, Feng Yuran was quite satisfied. He held her tightly, and the smile remained on his face.
Mo Ye also heard someone coming. She quickly grabbed the fallen maid and pulled her to the other side of the path.
Just after they hid, three figures showed up at the end of the road. One of them stood far away to keep watch. The other two slowly walked towards the place where Mo Xuetong hid. There was no lamp, and they saw, under the dim light which came across the shade, that they were Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun.
“Min’er , do you really want me to go there?” Sima Lingyun asked, frowning.
He was interested not only in Mo Xuetong’s status but also in her. He didn’t care if he was found with Mo Xuetong, but not now when he was suspected because of the poetry incident. If something bad happened again, he would never have a chance to be a duke.
“Maybe we should find another man to go there, then it will be him and Mo Xuetong who will get caught. With the accusation of secret dating in the imperial palace, Mo Xuetong will never get married.” Mo Xuemin was angry that something which should have gone smoothly had been ruined by Sima Heyan’s interruption.
Mo Xuemin had the same concern as him. The accident had already connected them together. If Sima Lingyun did something wrong now, she would also be involved. She just wanted to stay out of trouble and let the incident be forgotten.
Sima Lingyun hesitated, eventually asking, “But who could we find with so little notice?”
“Just find someone with low status and a bad reputation. Even better, someone who already has plenty of wives and concubines. Thus, even if Mo Xuetong marries him, she would be a second wife, at best. By then, there would probably be rumors that she was a legitimate daughter who doesn’t respect herself and has improper relations with others. Mo Xuetong would be very disgraced and may end her own life, which would be for the best.” Mo Xuemin smiled, and her face looked eerie in the moonlight.
Sima Lingyun kept silent for a while and finally asked, “But won’t this be bad for your reputation, too?”
“So what? You feel sorry for her? Or you want to play this scene with her and make her marry you? It’s such a pity that we have planned it like that, but your stupid sister ruined everything. If you get into trouble again, there will be nothing left for you.” Mo Xuetong said, glancing at Sima Lingyun.
Thinking about the position of duke, which he was so close to obtaining, Sima Lingyun decided to that in front of everything else. It was indeed difficult to run into such a beauty, but he didn’t have to risk his whole life for her. Besides, Mo Xuetong would be married to a horny, useless man. He could get her back after he had sorted out his career.
A smile emerged on Sima Lingyun’s face. He hurriedly said something to Mo Xuemin and left through the path.
Mo Xiu approached from the darkness and asked nervously, “Miss, is this okay?”
“What’s the matter?” Mo Xuemin stared at Mo Xiu viciously and said, “This time, Mo Xuetong will either die or marry a useless man and she will not even be the main wife. She won’t be able to manage what happens in Mo Manor. Then the Yu’s will have to take over, and my father will forgive the concubine for the sake of me and my younger brother. When Auntie Fang gets the position of the main wife, I’ll be the legitimate daughter and have Mo Xuetong kneel down by my feet to beg for forgiveness.”
She hated Mo Xuetong so much that she would trample her if she had the chance.
A grim smile appeared on Mo Xuemin’s lips. “Let’s go and see how my younger sister would seduce a man shamelessly in the imperial palace!”
She wanted Mo Xuetong to feel the same pain she had. In Mo Xuemin’s mind, Mo Xuetong deserved to live in the darkness forever.
Seeing Mo Xuemin gently hold Mo Xiu’s hand and walk away, Mo Xuetong came out from behind the tree and frowned. The fact that Mo Xuemin was framing her was expected and unexpected at the same time.
That maid didn’t seem normal and must have quite a status in the palace. Mo Xuemin didn’t have such influence, but maybe there was someone supporting Mo Xuemin…
Feng Yuran leaned in to ask, “Do you want to go to Qingfang Pavilion to have a look?”
“What kind of place is Qingfang Pavilion?” Mo Xuetong was not a bit familiar with the palace. In her last life, she had no connection with the imperial palace and was locked in the duke’s manor until her death.
“Qingfang Pavilion is a good place. Um, it’s quite a great place.” Feng Yuran suddenly smiled, and he was even more attractive in the moonlight. As she looked at him, her heart raced. Reminding herself that she was still mad at him, she turned and ignored him.