Chapter 489 Mo Huawen’s Thoughts
Mo Xueqiong had only died recently; why were the two of them so close? Auntie Qing even sent someone over to Mo Yufeng.
Mo Xuetong’s instincts told her that the two were up to something. Mo Yufeng was too old to be Auntie Qing’s son.
“Did Father say anything?” Mo Xuetong asked after some thought.
“Your Father said that Auntie Qing just lost her child and Mo Yufeng lost his mother. Perhaps her maternal instincts are strong, which is why she is so nice to Mo Yufeng.” Xu Yan said softly.
The smile slid off Mo Xuetong’s face. There were times when she felt that Mo Huawen was really naive. Mo Yufeng had already disappointed him so much, yet, he still thought the best of him. There was also Auntie Qing. Auntie Qing used to be quiet and somewhat gracious. She was completely different from Mo Xueqiong.
Others would lament that Mo Xueqiong was mean-spirited and vile and they did not know whom she resembled!
But in fact, if there weren’t any vile and mean-spirited person around Mo Xuetong, would she behave like that? She never once considered if what she was doing was right or wrong and only considered if it would benefit her. She stomped on the lives of others to build herself up without any considerations. Mo Xuetong believed that this was Auntie Qing’s character.
In her past life, Auntie Qing had just been a fuzzy figure in Mo Xuetong’s life.
Mo Xuetong had been plotted against and married Sima Lingyun not long after she returned to the capital from Cloud City. She did not know what happened to the Mo Manor after that. She only remembered that Auntie Qing did something that wronged the Mo Manor and was thrown out by Mo Huawen. Auntie Fang married Mo Xueqiong off to a bad family and she died not long after.
Mo Xuetong and Mo Huawen were on bad terms then, so Mo Xuetong did not ask him about it. Mo Xuemin would not tell her about the incident either. As such, Mo Xuetong did not know what exactly happened.
According to the situation in her past life, it seemed that what Auntie Qing did had implicated Mo Xueqiong.
This life was now on a different trajectory. In this life, Mo Xueqiong had died before Auntie Fang’s drastic change. However, given her attitude change toward Mo Yufeng, it proved that Auntie Qing was someone who was discontented with her lot in life.
“Mother, what does Elder Brother usually do?” She had not heard anything about Mo Yufeng in a while.
“What else? He says he’s studying inside the study but is surrounded by pretty maids. There are a few rotten apples in his courtyard. I can’t be bothered with it lest they say I treat him harshly. Your father though, told me some time back that he was going to find a wife for Yufeng. I considered his current status and situation and can’t find him a suitable wife.”
Xu Yan sighed and massaged her head. It was difficult to be a stepparent, especially toward her husband’s concubine-born son. She could not treat him too gently nor too harshly. Fortunately, Mo Huawen was a reasonable person and only told her to help keep a lookout for a suitable match. He would make the decision as Mo Yufeng’s father so that Xu Yan wouldn’t be criticized in the end.
Mo Yufeng’s marriage was something that had been discussed since before Auntie Fang’s departure. A decent match had been brought up then but after what happened to Auntie Fang and then Mo Xuemin, the match was scrapped. Furthermore, when the girl heard of how Mo Yufeng’s mother and sister were like, and considering that he was a concubine-born son, she turned her nose up at him.
The matter had dragged on and on and still was not settled now.
“Does Father have a suitable match in mind?” Mo Xuetong could not help but grow solemn when she saw the lamenting expression on Xu Yan’s face. She winked at Xu Yan and continued, “You are so heavily pregnant right now; where will you find the energy to deal with such things? It will be best if Father has a suitable person in mind.”
She was persuading Xu Yan to let Mo Huawen take charge of the matter.
It would be difficult for Mo Yufeng to find a match given his current circumstances and how he had admitted to having an affair once. Furthermore, given his character, he probably would only like pretty girls. He would only blame Xu Yan if he did not like the girl.
Since Xu Yan was not Mo Huawen’s first wife nor Mo Yufeng’s biological daughter, it was rather inconvenient for Xu Yan to handle this matter.
“I want to tell Old Sir that, but he will feel that I’m shirking my responsibilities. My Lady, help me keep a lookout. If there are any suitable matches, tell Old Sir about them. I want to help, but I really can’t. I do not know many people in the capital and it is inconvenient for me to go to functions in my current state.”
Xu Yan sighed somewhat bitterly.
Xu Yan was very rational while confiding in Mo Xuetong. She truly wanted to tell Mo Xuetong about the situation, which was why she did not hide anything from Mo Xuetong. She revealed her worries and the current situation and truly wanted to seek Mo Xuetong’s help. The capital was full of wealthy people and nobles. Xu Yan had only been fostered by the Fu General Manor and was a little old. As such, she had not gone out to various events. After that, she had married into the Mo Manor. She fell pregnant after dealing with the internal affairs of the manor. She did not know many people in the capital and was unable to find a suitable match for Mo Yufeng.
“Mother, don’t worry. I have to visit Father later and will mention this. Just take care of yourself. And be careful of Auntie Qing lest she should do something like what Auntie Fang did.” Mo Xuetong reminded her.
Xu Yan immediately broke into a cold sweat when she heard that.
She knew all of what Auntie Fang did now.
She had poisoned the matriarch of the family!
Xu Yan was pregnant right now and if she were poisoned, it would take the lives of both her child and herself.
A woman might be gentle, but a mother was strong. Xu Yan caressed her stomach subconsciously. A cold glint flashed in her eyes as she said, “I will keep an eye on here and will not give her any opportunities.”
The two chatted for a while more. It was lunchtime and since Mo Xuetong was not going anywhere else, she stayed to have lunch at Xu Yan’s. The two continued chatting after lunch, and that was when a maid entered and reported, “Old Sir is back in the manor. He heard that My Lady was here and asked me to invite you to the study.”
“Mother, Father is here. I shall go and visit him. I will return later.” Mo Xuetong stood up with a smile.
“Go, remember to come back earlier. I have some fresh fruits picked from our garden. You have to try them.” Xu Yan did not ask Mo Xuetong to stay, knowing that the father and daughter needed to talk.
“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. Don’t eat all the fruits.” Mo Xuetong answered with a smile and bright eyes.
“Don’t worry. There’s plenty. Bring some back with you later.” Xu Yan said with a smile when she saw Mo Xuetong’s greedy expression.
Mo Xuetong left Xu Yan’s courtyard and headed to the study with her servants.
When she entered, she saw Mo Huawen at his desk, reading documents. When he heard Mo Xuetong coming in, his eyes flashed with excitement.
Mo Huawen felt very anxious when he found out about what happened to King Xuan’s Manor. He was afraid that what Mo Xueqiong did had angered the Emperor and King Xuan’s Manor would be on lockdown like King Yan’s Manor. He hated his fourth daughter even more then. Mo Huawen did not even enquire about Mo Xueqiong when she got into trouble later on because of that.
Fortunately, King Xuan was released after a few days. Mo Huawen received news of that early in the morning. However, he had to attend court so he could only ask Xu Yan to prepare gifts. He would visit Mo Xuetong personally later. He did not expect to hear that Consort Xuan was at his manor when he returned home. Mo Huawen was filled with joy when he saw his daughter walking into his study.
“Greetings, Father.” Mo Xuetong curtsied.
Mo Huawen managed to get a hold of his emotions. He looked at Mo Xuetong carefully and sighed with relief when he saw that she did not look better or worse. He pointed to the side and said, “Come, sit down and talk.”
“Yes.” Mo Xuetong could see the excitement in Mo Huawen’s eyes. She felt warm all over when she saw how hard he tried to control the excitement he felt and to present a calm front. She went to sit down on a chair by the side obediently.
“Tong’er, what exactly happened at King Yan’s Manor? Why did Mo Xueqiong involve you?” Mo Huawen asked even before Mo Xuetong sat down. He could not hold himself back any longer.
No matter what, he had lost a daughter. He had to ask for an explanation from King Yan. Otherwise, others would think that he was guilty.
Even if it was not for him, he had to ask for an explanation for his daughters!
However, the matter had been covered up very well and Mo Huawen only found traces here and there. He still did not know how to proceed and wanted to wait for Mo Xuetong to return to the manor before discussing it with her.
“Father, I don’t know how King Yan spurred Fourth Sister into action and led her to Puguang Temple. She said she did not want to stay in King Yan’s Manor any longer and wanted to find a quiet and peaceful place. She would pray to Buddha there every day and do nothing else. I did not want to meddle in her affairs, but I thought of you… So I brought my servants over. Who would have thought that she wanted to frame me for helping her to elope with another man?”
Mo Xuetong recounted the series of events softly. Her father was an understanding man. As the lord mayor, he had seen many plots like this.
“She didn’t just frame me. The most important thing is she used me to frame King Xuan. The secret documents and account books from King Yan’s Manor in Fourth Sister’s bag were said to be secret documents.”
Mo Huawen’s expression grew darker and darker as he listened to Mo Xuetong’s calm recounting. He seemed almost purple with rage and the veins on his forehead bulged.
His fourth daughter was not just vicious; she was also brainless.
One of his daughters eloped with a man while another daughter aided her. They were even involved in the fight for the throne. Everyone in the Mo Manor might have been implicated. All the twists and turns involved in the situation were not as simple as just a simple act of elopement. If Tong’er had really been framed successfully, she would have landed in deep trouble. The entire Mo Manor would be implicated as well and they might all be beheaded. How could Mo Huawen not be angry?
“King Yan wants to hurt King Xuan? Isn’t King Xuan just a king who doesn’t do anything nor manage anything!” Mo Huawen said, gritting his teeth. He knew very well that the matter had arisen because King Yan wanted to deal with King Xuan.
“I’m not sure either. It can be because only His Highness and King Chu are before the Emperor. And His Highness is more serious than before. That’s why he so against His Highness!” Mo Xuetong said, looking confused. She blinked and said somewhat helplessly, “Father, aren’t there any brotherly relations between the princes? Is it so difficult for His Highness to be a royal who does nothing!”
Mo Huawen’s expression darkened when he heard that.
He had served Emperor Zongwen for many years and had always been one of the Emperor’s most loyal subjects. He saw how much Emperor Zongwen loved King Xuan and always thought that Emperor Zongwen spoiled the prince. His Highness did not have any rules that he abided and tore through the capital, sowing his wild oats. As such, King Xuan would not be able to ascend the throne.
Mo Huawen did not know if he should be happy or upset about this.
He was happy because at least Tong’er would not be embroiled in the fight for the throne. No matter which prince ascended the throne, they would all show kindness and love to their royal brother who did not pose any threat to them. They would be friendly and respectful to King Xuan. However, what worried him was that King Xuan was such a philanderer. There were so many women in his back courtyard. Was Tong’er able to handle this!
This complicated feeling showed Mo Huawen did not want Feng Yuran to desire the throne. As a loyal subject of Emperor Zongwen, he did not want to see Emperor Zongwen be upset and tired because of this.