Chapter 241 King Xuan Meeting a Beauty at Night
That night, moonlight shone into the gardens of Qingwei Garden. It seemed especially silent.
Most of the servants and maids had already been beaten and sold. There were not many left. Mo Xuetong would pick a few that she liked tomorrow.
Only the original cast was left in Qingwei Garden. Mo Yu and Mo Ye swept up the garden while Mother Xu prepared a few dishes in the side kitchen. Mo Lan packed up the room. It was as if they were back in the Qin Manor. Back then, the people in the manor had all looked down on Mo Xuetong.
Mo Xuetong did not have money and was not doted on. She was also a guest staying with the Qins. Even the servants could not be bothered with her. As such, Mo Xuetong’s servants had done all the tasks around the house!
Mo Xuetong sat before the window. She was not reading as she usually did and had gotten Mo Lan and the others to leave the room. She still felt sad when she thought of what happened in the day. She looked out of the window and at the sky that shone with silvery light. From her corner, she could see the shimmery lights in the sky. There was not a trace of dark clouds in the sky and the moon could be seen clearly.
The smile on her lips froze and tears slowly slid down her cheeks.
On the night of the silvery moon, it was so quiet it felt as if she were the only person on earth. She did not know why the sounds of the works on the ancestral hall that she could hear from time to time in the back courtyard were now gone. The entire world was so silent that she could hear her breathing and the sounds of her heart beating.
Everyone said that her mother and father loved each other deeply. Even the Princess Royal had once thought that her mother had married a good man. She said that her mother was blessed even though she passed away early. The painting in the study was done by her father. In the painting, her mother appeared to be young. She smiled coyly and her beautiful eyes shone. She looked full of life.
One could tell that her mother was happy then. You could see the smile lurking beneath the corners of her eyes.
A corner of the painting showed slight signs of age. It was evident that someone would look at the painting from time to time. Who else could it be other than her father!
But, since this was so, why didn’t her father seek revenge for her mother? Instead, he had let that woman off lightly.
What happened to Mo Xuetong in her past life was the best answer to how evil that woman was.
Mo Xuemin was very pleased then. She had told Mo Xuetong how her mother had killed her mother in detail. They had tortured her for their own pleasure. The amount of guilt and hate she felt now was the amount of pain she felt then. Her mother had trusted that woman so much. She had allowed the woman to serve her. However, who could have imagined that she would be so vicious? Shouldn’t a woman like that die?!
Was it not enough for her to die to avenge her mother?!
Why was the woman’s punishment for killing her mother just being sent to the Yu’s? Why did Mo Xuemin escape even though she was the one who had instigated everything? She continued to be the gentle and virtuous First Miss Mo. Mo Xuetong hated her. She hated her so much! She had died in the flames in her past life. Her body and soul burned in agony.
Her heart burned with a searing pain these days. The fire burned within her, almost wanting to burst forth! She knew that that was hatred. It was a deep burning hatred that cannot grow anymore! In the hands of the evil mother and daughter pair, the innocent Mo Xuetong had died. She had been reborn as a vengeful Mo Xuetong.
She looked up at the sky as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had once sworn during her rebirth, that she would make those who hurt her cry!
There was a slight rustling in the courtyard. Mo Xuetong looked over and saw a figure in purple under the round moon. He jumped off the walls and landed onto the ground silently. A handsome young man appeared under the moon with a devilish smile on his face. His smile was extremely seductive. Dark black hair complemented his pale face that was parallel to none.
It was Feng Yuran!
Who else other than him would dare to go to a woman’s courtyard at night? He was indeed a philanderer.
The man had come into her courtyard again and again, not afraid that he would cause her reputation to be ruined.
Feng Yuran walked up to her windows and knocked on the half-opened windowpanes. Then, he swiftly flipped over the windows and entered the room. He walked up to her confidently with a slight smile. His eyes were as clear as the waters in spring. He did not speak and just looked at her fixedly. There was a curious fire in his eyes.
Unable to bear his heated gaze, Mo Xuetong avoided him and stood up. She walked up to the table and poured herself a cup of tea to hide the redness in her face. She took a sip of it and then said impatiently, “You came here so late. Are you here for something?”
Even though the relationship between the two was not simple, nothing was happening right now. How could he enter her room again and again at night?
“Can’t I come if nothing’s the matter?” Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows. His eyes shone under the bright light of the moon. He lowered his head and looked at her without any hesitation. “I guess we can consider thinking about you these days a matter!”
“Your Highness, if there is nothing else, please leave.” Mo Xuetong felt rather annoyed after being looked at by him. Her jade-white ears were blushing lightly. This man was inappropriate. He had come to her room in the middle of the night to say something like this. She had, in recent times, thought that his frivolity was just an act.
Feng Yuran smiled lightly. He was in a good mood. It was as if he had not noticed the shyness and anger she felt. He said, “Aunt took you as her goddaughter and even asked for status for you today.”
Children of princesses all received an official permit to become monks and nuns but godchildren did not. Mo Xuetong was slightly stunned for a moment. She did not expect the Princess Royal to do this for her. Did she really treat Mo Xuetong well because she and Mo Xuetong’s mother were good friends while they were children? Then why did the Princess Royal do nothing to help her despite her tragic situation in her past life? Instead, the Princess Royal had a hand in the fall of the Fu General Manor.
She frowned slightly and bit her lips. She said after a moment, “Why is the Princess Royal so good to me?”
There is no love that has no rhyme or reason in this world!
Not only had she changed after her rebirth, everything happening around her had changed as well. She had thought that she would be ahead of things because of her rebirth and that she would be able to know things before they happened. However, she realized that some things had already deviated from their paths and she had no way to find out what was about to happen.
“Aunt feels that the two of you are fated. There has never been a girl whom she likes as much. You are blessed.” Feng Yuran smiled and handed her a box. “This is from Aunt. She wants you to wear it on the day for the Empress to see that she is not the only one who has stunning accessories.”
Mo Xuetong accepted the box subconsciously and opened it. There was a flash of light in the box as the items in it glittered and shone… It was an entire box of precious jewelry… They were from the Princess Royal. Why?
She had only met the Princess Royal a few times and even her being made the Princess’ goddaughter was because of her mother. Why would the Princess Royal be so nice to her? She looked up and blinked somewhat confusedly at Feng Yuran and asked, “Why?”
The moonlight shone on her beautiful and innocent face. She was a little silly and adorable in her stunned state. She was usually calm and composed, and even in her childishness, she seemed intelligent. When had she ever appeared to be dazed and silly? This expression evoked a sense of joy in Feng Yuran.
He picked out a gold hair accessory that had two pearls embedded in it and passed it to Mo Xuetong, saying, “I heard that the Empress Dowager gave this to the Princess Royal when she was young. The two pearls on it are winter pearls and they were a pair. They change colors under the moonlight if you look at them closely. They are the highest grade of winter pearls available.”
Mo Xuetong took the accessory and turned it about under the moonlight. Two rays of faint light reflected off the pearls and the lights changed color when she moved them again. There were different effects as the light hits the pearls from different angles.
Mo Xuetong had never heard of such winter pearls. Winter pearls were precious and only those the royal family had them. It was a great blessing and fortune for a regular person to be able to get one. She believed that there should not be many of this kind of treasure in the palace as well.
Feng Yuran took out another accessory. It was a white-pink floral chain for the hair that draped with pearls. “The Empress gave this to Aunt. The white and pink are not painted on. This sort of gold is more expensive than regular gold. The Empress saw that Father trusted Aunt a lot and gave this to her to curry favor with her.”
Mo Xuetong had never even imagined that such a metal existed. She looked at the box that was still half-filled with jewelry. The pieces that Feng Yuran handed her were not the most precious. Luo Xia had also left her some good things. Mo Xuetong knew that some of them were even more precious. There was a resplendent chain with tourmalines draping off it in the corner. They were all as good as the accessory she held in her hands.
Mo Xuetong placed the head accessory back into the jewelry box and pushed it to Feng Yuran. She said with a light smile, “These things are all from the palace to the Princess Royal. I do not have the status to use this.” Her father’s official grade was far from sufficient for her to use these accessories.
“Rest assured, you will use it in the future after you come to my manor. I still have some that I kept for you. Keep the jewelry from Aunt and wear it on the day.” Feng Yuran blinked and smiled. He leaned against her couch, not behaving at all like a guest.
His words, especially, implied that she would definitely marry him. She flushed red and felt a little regret. Had she known that he would become more and more presumptuous, she should not have agreed to anything in a moment of rashness. Her gaze suddenly landed on the jewelry box, and her heart skipped a bit. Her face heated up and grew red.
“Why did the Princess Royal ask you to bring these to me?”
Even if the Princess Royal wanted to give her the things, she should have sent someone with them. Why did she ask Feng Yuran to jump over Mo Xuetong’s wall in the middle of the night?
“Aunt didn’t ask me, of course. I told her I would do it. I said that my method was the fastest and no one would find out. Everyone would think that Aunt gave these to you on the day of the banquet!” Feng Yuran said carelessly.
What was the difference between the Princess Royal gifting it to her on the day of the banquet and now? Mo Xuetong pouted and looked at Feng Yuran unhappily. Her pale face flushed slightly red and she seemed even more beautiful under the moonlight. Her unhappy expression did not displease Feng Yuran. Instead, it made him laugh.
He laughed and stood up straight. He extended a hand lazily and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His long slender fingers skimmed past her pale, smooth, and shiny face. Feng Yuran could not help but touch her face tenderly.
Mo Xuetong pushed his hand away in annoyance. However, he took her hand in his.
“If the Empress finds out that Aunt has valued you since that day and is not treating you like that because of what others say, she would not look down on you so much again. She would not dare to do some things to you either.” His voice had a suffocating charm. It was sweet and thick, like mead.
Mo Xuetong understood what he meant in an instant.
The Empress might be plotting against her. Even though she was now the Princess Royal’s goddaughter, thanks to their fate, it was not guaranteed how long she would have the princess’ favor. While the princess might gift her with some jewelry, it could just be for show. However, the jewelry that the princess gifted her this time was different. They were considered the princess’ dowry. She had given her dowry to Mo Xuetong, and it was evident that she genuinely liked her.
The meaning would be completely different if Mo Xuetong received the jewelry later.