Chapter 225 Splitting Skin, Forcing King Chu Away
It was the time when she sent Mo Lan to Princess Royal. Mo Xuetong was slightly dazed and seemed to remember someone indeed walked past her back then. It turned out to be King Chu, Feng Yuxuan.
Mo Xuetong slightly answered, “I didn’t see Your Highness, please forgive me for my ignorance.”
Feng Yuxuan looked at her and his eyes looked dark. “Does Third Miss Mo hate to be with me or talk with me?”
Mo Xuetong rose and stepped back to curtsy. “Your Highness, it’s really inconvenient.”
Feng Yuxuan didn’t imagine Mo Xuetong to admit it so straightforwardly. He couldn’t help feeling startled, and then he smiled. “When I first saw you, I was thinking about where that girl came from. She looked so fragile and beautiful, yet so determined.”
She sent Mo Lan there and directly turned to leave without even a word! It was hard for a girl like that not to leave an impression!
Mo Xuetong’s eyes grew even colder, and she lowered her head, eyes downcast. “I was going to the capital at that time. I heard someone liked my Mo Lan. I thought even if I brought her into the capital, I might not necessarily arrange her well. So I decided to give her to someone who liked her. They must be taking good care of her.”
She was trying to stay out of his business and Feng Yuxuan could detect that. However, he still gently continued, “I heard you fell heavily ill in Cloud City. Have you fully recovered since moving here?”
Mo Xuetong looked up, her bright and watery eyes meeting Feng Yuxuan’s mild and dark ones. She was about to say her farewell. “Thank Your Highness for your concern. I’ve recovered from that past disease long ago.”
Feng Yuxuan managed to find a chance to chat her up, so how could he easily let her go? He lifted his head and smiled. “Can Tong’er keep me company for a little longer?”
The words sounded ambiguous. He should call her Tong’er, which was obviously affectionate. Mo Xuetong was slightly startled and soon added, “Your Highness is too polite.”
Feng Yuxuan seemed to ignore the anger on Mo Xuetong’s face, and waved his hand to make the young eunuch leave while smilingly saying, “After the Spring Festival, there’ll be a selection. You should be selected easily, considering your status. I will take a consort and two second consorts this time. Tong’er, how about you be my second consort?”
Second consort? Mo Xuetong’s heart skipped a beat. She stared at Feng Yuxuan in disbelief. She never thought King Chu would have his eye on her. Wouldn’t he marry Ling Fengyan? Now, what was this? Did he want to find two obedient second consorts with low ranks to drive Ling Fengyan away?
One was the assistant minister’s daughter, and now she was the other one?
“Your Highness, I believe that I can’t match Second Miss Ling or compare with her. I’m afraid I have to turn down Your Highness’s offer.” She coldly stared at Feng Yuxuan while saying those words. No matter what he wanted, she wouldn’t marry into King Chu’s manor. Indeed, with her current rank, she would be greatly promoted if she became King Chu’s second consort. However, after how she suffered for love in her last time, she never thought of marrying into a noble family again.
Love and affection were all fleet clouds. She simply wanted to find a happy family, marry a reliable man, and live a simple life. That was all…
The royal palace and the duke’s manors were the dangerous places in the world. Moreover, the royals hadn’t selected the crown prince, so there must be an imminent fight over the throne! She didn’t want to get entangled in this messy war.
Feng Yuxuan smilingly said and the affection inside his eyes was evident. “You don’t have to worry. As long as you marry me, I’ll only dote on you. As for Ling Fengyan, it won’t matter to you even if she becomes my consort. So what if she’s my consort? The person I love isn’t…”
Mo Xuetong indifferently interrupted him in case she heard some so-called “love” confessions. Feng Yuxuan was forcing her to agree, which irritated her. “Please mind your manners, Your Highness. I never want to marry into King Chu’s manor or be doted by someone. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
She refused him again and again, and thus Feng Yuxuan’s eyes looked a little cold. He was the prestigious eldest prince with high status and great power. He would get every woman he wanted. Besides, he didn’t even have to ask before many women threw themselves at him. Mo Xuetong was a flower he liked, so he wanted her to live only in his garden, appreciated only by him.
For her, he even gave up another pawn he owned!
Feng Yuxuan coldly replied, a trace of anger flashing in his eyes. “You must know that I’m now asking you out of respect. Otherwise, I could just ask Her Majesty and she’ll give you to me.” Even if it was the flower he cared about the most, it couldn’t go against his will again and again. He never expected someone to turn him down.
Mo Xuetong assumed a serious expression and elegantly curtsied, saying, “Thank Your Highness for your kindness. It’s just that I’m not good at plotting and scheming of the harem. If I marry into the manor, I might perish within days. Please spare me, Your Highness.”
Was she afraid? Right, she was young and innocent like this. She should indeed worry about that! Feng Yuxuan softened his tone a little and said, “In my manor, I’m both in charge of the business and the harem. With me by your side, no one dares to mess up with you. You really shouldn’t worry.”
He was still insisting, and Mo Xuetong’s eyes flashed with a trace of despise. Thus, she looked up, her bright eyes slightly misted. “Your Highness, I don’t want to marry into King Chu’s manor.”
Feng Yuxuan’s face fell and he asked, staring at her. “Why?”
Mo Xuetong firmly answered, “I’m just a third-grade official’s daughter and only want a good man at the same rank. I don’t seek fortune or power, only a peaceful life. So I must turn down your offer.”
Feng Yuxuan chased after her closely. “What if I just want you!”
“Then, I’ll split my skin to thank Your Highness’s kindness.” Though smiling, she looked cold in the eye. She snatched something from her hair and then a sword-shaped hairpin appeared in her palm. She stabbed herself in the neck with it. Feng Yuxuan couldn’t react and only managed to grab her hand afterward. The sharp point of the hairpin had pierced through her jade-like skin, blood streaming down her jade-like neck.
“What are you doing?” Feng Yuxuan snarled while holding her hand, his heart twitching. If he should be a second slower just now, this pure girl would die before him. She was so innocent that she could make people’s hearts shake, bend, and break…
He roared. “Even if you wanted to refuse me, you shouldn’t have used such an extreme way. What if you kill yourself? Don’t you ever think about your father?”
Mo Xuetong slowly withdrew her hand from his and put on a slight smile on her face. Though pale, her jade-like pretty face made people not dare to directly stare into. “As long as Your Highness doesn’t insist any longer, I won’t hurt myself.”
The blue veins on Feng Yuxuan’s forehead bulged, and then he flung his sleeves and strode away. “You’re unreasonable!”
Mo Ye rushed to Mo Xuetong, placing a handkerchief on her neck. Luckily, she wasn’t severely hurt, and only got bruises.
Mo Ye snapped. “Miss, how could you do that? It was too dangerous.” Just now, Mo Ye stood in the distance but didn’t dare to move a bit because she was a secret guard and couldn’t be found out, especially when she was in front of King Chu. All the time, she must conform to her identity as a normal maidservant. Hence, when Mo Xuetong rushed to stab herself, Mo Ye didn’t react timely.
“It’s OK. King Chu wouldn’t want me dead.” Mo Xuetong feebly sat down with the help of Mo Ye. She didn’t pluck the sword-shaped hairpin out. It was not too sharp, and the wound wouldn’t be lethal. Now, it was the time for selecting the crown prince, and Feng Yuxuan couldn’t risk being charged with killing an official’s daughter. As long as he stopped her, it wouldn’t threaten her life.
Mo Ye lifted the cloth and saw the wound was still bleeding. She hurried to place the handkerchief back down, pressing hard against her neck to prevent the blood from oozing out.
“What should I do then?” Mo Xuetong wryly smiled. She knew she was not a tough person and couldn’t compete with Feng Yuxuan. All she could do was surrender, and if that also failed, she might probably have to sacrifice her life.
In the last life, when she kept to herself in her own room and courtyard, she died a tragic death. In this life, she should found the game of thrones close to her, so close that she got nowhere to hide. Princess Royal, Feng Yuran, Feng Yuxuan, and Bai Yihao…
Mo Ye applied medicine to Mo Xuetong’s neck and then turned up her collar. Luckily, it was in winter and the cotton-padded coat originally had a turtleneck. It wouldn’t look strange even if her collar was up. Mo Xuetong took Mo Ye to a nearby lounge.
Just when they took a turn at a fake mountain, a man rushed toward them. Mo Xuetong was startled and hurriedly took a few steps back.
“I’m sorry to startle Third Miss Mo. Please, don’t be afraid, Third Miss Mo. I’m Consort Yu’s younger brother, Yu Mingyong.”
It turned out to be Yu Mingyong. However, though he sounded polite, his eyes were fixed on her, which was simply annoying. Mo Ye stepped forward to block Yu Mingyong’s vision.
He was just a playboy, and Mo Xuetong didn’t want to get involved with him so she turned around, ready to leave.
Yu Mingyong nearly got obsessed with the beauty before her. He only thought that this girl was so much prettier than her in the portrait. He couldn’t imagine that there was such a beauty in the world. He had seen the women from the royal harem in his elder sister’s palace. However, no one could compare with her. At that moment, he could only stare at Mo Xuetong, speechless.
Seeing Mo Xuetong about to leave, he soon collected himself and hurriedly begged. “Don’t go, Third Miss Mo.” Then, stirred by some unknown emotion, he knelt on the ground with a thump and started to tug at Mo Xuetong’s dress. “Third Miss Mo, I adore you. If I can marry you, I’ll only be loyal to you and never mess around again. I hope you can have pity on me.”
At that time, Yu Mingyong only thought if he could have such a beauty in his life, he could even die now. Those famous courtesans or belles he used to chase after didn’t even deserve to be a servant of Third Miss Mo. The first miss of Mo Manor really didn’t trick him. Third Miss Mo was the real beauty.
When First Miss Mo set her up, he should have insisted that he and Third Miss Mo had an affair instead of getting entangled with Mo Xuemin, which was still a huge blemish of his reputation even now.
This time, when he first saw Third Miss Mo at the river bank, he was dumbstruck. He must approach such a celestial being, therefore, he deliberately waited on the only way to the plum forest. As expected, Third Miss Mo gracefully walked on the path. She only brought a maidservant, and there was no other soul in sight. This was a rare chance. How could he miss it? Therefore, Yu Mingyong jumped out.
Mo Xuetong thought it ridiculous. She had just put up with Feng Yuxuan, now, someone stopped her to pour out his love for her. She thought she shouldn’t have visited the princess’s manor. Avoiding Yu Mingyong’s hand, she bit her lips and turned around to leave without a word.
“Third Miss Mo, Third Miss Mo…” Seeing Mo Xuetong leaving, Yu Mingyong didn’t want to give up and shouted. Just when he tried to pour out more of his love, he felt pain in the head and could see nothing anymore, collapsing on the ground. Behind him, a purple lambskin and grosgrain platform boot, laced with golden threads, stepped on him without hesitation, as if he had only been a carpet.