Chapter 226 Falling in Love and a Secret Promise
Feng Yuran stepped on Yu Mingyong’s body and walked up to her, “What happened? Why are you still here? It’s getting late now. Let’s leave the manor together.” A cold smile hung on his handsome lips. He walked up to hold Mo Xuetong’s hand without any hesitation and left.
There was a strange look in his eyes which were so similar to the devil’s. His eyes shone with beauty under the sunlight and were extremely charming!
Was Feng Yuran angry? Why was he angry for no reason again…
Mo Xuetong did not understand why but knew that she should not annoy him at this juncture. She pulled her hand back slightly and said fearfully, “Your Highness, you’re hurting me.”
“You dared to cut your own neck. This barely hurts, what are you afraid of?” Feng Yuran turned around and settled his handsome gaze heatedly on Mo Xuetong. He suddenly smiled, which made him appear even more charming. However, he loosened his grip and did not pull her along.
Mo Ye backed away and tried to look as if she were not there. She seemed to understand why her master was so angry…
“It’s alright. It’s just a flesh wound.” Mo Xuetong understood what was happening and answered while biting her lips. However, she did not try to pull her hand from his grasp. Instead, she stopped at the artificial hill. It would ruin their reputation if they continued tugging around.
“Return the hairpin to me.” Feng Yuran narrowed his eyes slowly. He stretched his hand out and pulled the hairpin from her hair.
“No, you’ve already gifted it to me. You can’t take it back.” Mo Xuetong panicked and wanted to snatch the hairpin back. The hairpin was for her self-protection and it had already proven to be useful.
“I heard that the hairpin is extremely useful in cutting one’s neck.” Feng Yuran raised his brows and laughed devilishly. He continued, “You only need to jab it lightly and you’ll bleed immediately.”
“Your Highness. It was an accident.” Mo Xuetong bit her lips and said somewhat grievously. She patted down her hair, which had been messed up by him, with a pale slender hand.
Perhaps because she had done well in admitting her mistakes, Feng Yuran’s expression lightened after a moment’s of silence. He stuffed the hairpin into her hand and said with a frosty expression, “If I hear that you’re stabbing yourself with things again in the future, I will confiscate everything sharp from you.”
Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes secretly. She did not know why what she wore had anything to do with him. However, she also knew that the man was very unpredictable. She did not know what he heard and why he came to her place and acted so weirdly. She must not offend him.
She took the hairpin and pinned it in her hair, using the waters by the artificial hill to check on her reflection.
“Did Eldest Brother look you up for the consort-choosing? It has not even started and they’re all making trouble already. It is such a pity. No matter what he does, it has nothing to do with you. Even if he likes you, one has to see whether he has the ability to bring you into the King Chu Manor. “Feng Yuran smiled slightly. His expression had softened and he reached out to help Mo Xuetong tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ears.
His gaze made Mo Xuetong a little nervous. Her eyes wandered and she did not dare to look at him.
“Your beautiful dance today might have destroyed all those rumors about you, but it has also pushed you into the whirlpool that is the current situation. You will not be able to say that there is nothing going on between the two of us in the future, and you will never be able to break cleanly from the royal family. Is that what you want?” Feng Yuran leaned against the artificial hill, crossing his arms before his chest as he looked at her lazily.
That had not been Mo Xuetong’s intentions. She had just wanted to show off slightly to destroy those bad rumors about her. That was why she had revealed her achilles heal even though she could compete with Ling Fengyan and allowed Ling Fengyan to win. However, she did not expect Bai Yihao to ask her to dance.
One had to dance intently and carefully if they wanted to follow the music of his Qin. One could say that she had to follow the music and if she messed up the dance, all her previous efforts would have gone up in smoke. Now that she thought about it, Bai Yihao had had different intentions towards her since she entered the place. He had made the Fifth Princess jealous and allowed Mo Xuetong to gain the admiration and praise of everyone.
Even though she did not know what he wanted, Mo Xuetong understood that she seemed to have become one of his chess piece!
“I did not want that to happen, but it had to happen.” Mo Xuetong paused for a moment before replying lightly after having regained calmness.
“Since you cannot avoid it, and you have agreed to my request yesterday, then you’d better do as I said. You do not need to care about the consort selection and just go through with the motions.” Feng Yuran’s handsome lips curled up in a smile. The sun shone on his face. He was blindingly handsome.
Mo Xuetong paused. She felt her heart beat thunderously and she flushed for no reason. She turned her head around and refused to look at him. “What did I say last night?”
Her memory of last night was a blank. There were a few snippets that she felt so embarrassed about so she did not dare to think about them. Was that really her! It must not be.
“I wanted to leave last night but you pulled on my shirt and told me to rest. I thought that since I was going to marry you in the future anyway, it would not be a big deal to rest. Then, I thought about it again and felt that you would definitely get angry at me when you wake up, so I peeled your hands from me and pushed you away before I escaped your clutches. Say, shouldn’t I be rewarded for this?” Feng Yuran jutted his handsome face out at her as if he was looking for a reward.
What he said was too embarrassing and Mo Xuetong’s face burned. This person was really shameless. However, she knew that while he was exaggerating, what he said was the truth. She recalled that she refused to let him leave so she felt ashamed and annoyed. She could not help but glare at Feng Yuran angrily and said, “Your Highness…”
“You don’t have to say that so loudly. I can hear you. You were much nicer last night, and the way you hugged me…” Feng Yuran smiled like a fox.
Mo Xuetong was furious. She flushed and wanted to cut his tongue off. This person was never serious. He was indeed a loose person.
She was not as thick-skinned as he was and would lose in a verbal spat. She could not continue and did not know what other embarrassing things he would say. Mo Xuetong turned her head huffily and pouted, ignoring him.
Feng Yuran suddenly felt much better when he saw her pouting childishly. She looked like a little girl. He had been so frightened that he abandoned Bai Yihao and turned around when he heard Mo Feng say that she had stabbed her neck with a hairpin. However, he now felt much better because of her childish anger and embarrassment. He decided to overlook her small “mistake”.
He knew that she was easily embarrassed and that she was going to get angry if he continued. As such, he decided to change the topic. He said seriously, “It’s okay if you don’t remember anything else. But you promised me that you will come to my manor and help me. I shall tell Father that tomorrow.”
Mo Xuetong could not help but panic when she saw how serious he was. She knew he was speaking the truth and she hurriedly turned around and stuttered, “Your Highness… how can you decide on your own marriage… Furthermore, I’m still young…”
She was only 13 years old, alright!
“It would take a long time for the entire procedure to become a legal royal consort. By the time that’s over, you’d have grown up.” Feng Yuran said carelessly. “Furthermore, it doesn’t matter even if you are young. I can provide for you even if you enter my manor now. You are young, but you are already so eye-catching. If I strike any later, I won’t be able to get anything.” You are young, but you are already so eye-catching. If I strike any later, I won’t be able to get anything.”
Even though he was rather irrational, it was the truth. Mo Xuetong could not help but remain silent.
She had no other choice now. Bai Yihao had forced her to the front of the stage. If she wanted to protect herself, she had to have the ability to do so. She was just the daughter of a third-grade official. To others, she might be considered someone from a wealthy and powerful family. However, to the descendants of the royal family, she was nothing.
If she wanted to protect herself, she had to find a backer. Marrying into the royal family was her best option.
Even though she could not say that she liked Feng Yuran, she did not dislike him either. While there were rumors that he was a licentious person, Mo Xuetong did not believe that he was someone like that. Or perhaps, that was how he protected himself. His birth mother died many years ago and he had almost died. He would not have survived if he did not protect himself.
There were so many princes in the palace, but only three lived. One could see how powerful the struggles were in the palace. To live, they all had to wear a mask. When she thought about that, her heart hurt for him. A reputation like his was just a way for him to continue living. What right did she have to criticize him?
She was a hypocrite too!
“Alright, I will marry you.” Mo Xuetong said, gritting her teeth!
She had never been one to wait for death. Since the heavens had given her a second chance to live, she had to treasure it and live well. She had to live well for those she cared about. There was revenge that she had to take and there were people she would never let off. Her life was destined to be full of turmoil and she hoped that she could continue on strongly.
Her face still burned for some reason. She lowered her lashes to hide the shyness in her eyes. She had never once imagined that a secret promise of love like this would happen to her. She had not secretly promised herself to Feng Yuran. If others found out about it, her reputation would truly be ruined. She had always been so careful, so why had she done what he wanted and promised herself to him!
They had not been match-made, and their parents had not agreed to it. Was this really right! However, why did she feel happy and why could she not bring herself to say that she regretted it!
Feng Yuran’s eyes lit up with joy when he saw that Mo Xuetong had finally agreed to promise herself to him. He smiled happily and reached out, wanting to hug her. However, he saw her shiver and was afraid of annoying her. He folded his hands in front of him and said lightly, “This is a real promise this time. Go home and prepare your dowry.”
“The Princess Royal asked if I wanted to be her daughter just now!” Mo Xuetong looked elsewhere with a flush on her face as she tried to avoid the awkward topic.
“Aunt wants you to be her daughter?” Feng Yuran was startled. Then, he laughed happily.
“What’s the matter?” Mo Xuetong looked up in confusion.
“If you become Aunt’s daughter, things would be much easier for me. Father would not be able to stop me with this again.” Feng Yuran’s mood was great and he could not help but reach out to hold her hand. Her hand was soft and smooth and she did not avoid him. It made his heart hurt for her. His beautiful lips curled up and he did not look devilish at all.
It meant that he had already told Emperor Zongwen that he wanted to marry her.
Mo Xuetong’s eyes widened. She was shocked, surprised, and a little touched. It would have been very generous of him to make someone of her status a concubine. However, he had asked Emperor Zongwen to make her his imperial consort. Feng Yuran had hidden everything for a reason, and this reason would not be simple.
He should have married a lady with a powerful family as his imperial consort, not the daughter of a third-grade official like Mo Xuetong. That way, he would be able to hold more chips in his hands and be prepared for his future plans. However, he had given her the position despite knowing that Emperor Zongwen would not be pleased.
Mo Xuetong bit her lips and allowed him to hold her hands in his slightly calloused ones. She knew that this was inappropriate. However, it felt right with him. An odd feeling caused her mind to blank out and she felt that right now, his hands made her feel very safe…