Chapter 720 Madam Qu’s Unusual Movements
King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, had not been punished, but Auntie Qing, Mo Yufeng, Yu Feng, and Mdm Chen and her daughter were all punished. However, since the principal culprit King Ning wasn’t criminalized, they naturally would not be sentenced to death. Each of them had been beaten 50 times. How could an ordinary person bear the punishment from the palace? Furthermore, the torturers knew that the Emperor was angry and thus worked even harder.
Auntie Qing, Mdm Chen and her daughter were weak, and their legs were broken on the spot. Then they died soon after getting home.
Not long after Mo Yufeng who had become a bloody pulp was carried home, Mo Huawen asked the doctor to take a look at him. Then, he gave the young man some medicine and silver and asked the manservant to carry him to an inn, find a room and throw him there. Then, Mo Huawen opened the ancestral temple and deleted him from the Mo family tree. From then on, Mo Yufeng had nothing to do with the Mo Manor.
Yu Feng’s official position had been stripped. The rest of the Yu family members had returned to their ancestral home in dejection, no longer having any thoughts of stirring up trouble.
After what happened to the Empress Dowager, everyone began to restrain themselves.
However, while most of those people were restrained, some of them were restless. Mo Xuetong crumpled the note in front of her and felt a headache. Why wouldn’t her second aunt stop being restless?
What Madam Qu had done in the past few days was recorded on the paper in front of Mo Xuetong.
Madam Qu’s actions in the past few days could be considered strange. She often went to a pharmacy whenever she was free, claiming that she was picking out the right medicine for the Old Madam. This pharmacy was the one that the Sixth Princess and You Yuecheng had met privately before. In another word, it was Sima Heyan’s pharmacy.
The duchess left the shop to Sima Heyan, and the disappearance of the latter was just a cover-up. Now her real identity was Duke Mingguo’s mistress. No one could imagine that the duchess treated Sima Heyan, the First Miss, as a gift and gave her to Duke Mingguo as his mistress.
In the past life, Sima Heyan had been sold by her elder brother; and in this life, she had been sold by her own mother. A mistress could not even be compared to a concubine. At the very least, a concubine’s child could be recorded in the family tree and inherit the family property in a justifiable way. Even though a concubine’s child would get less property, the property the child got from a family like Duke Mingguo’s family was still a great fortune in the eyes of ordinary people.
However, Sima Heyan could only be Duke Mingguo’s shameful mistress!
This was also the reason why she did not show up in front of others!
No matter what, she was still Duke Zhenguo’s daughter. However, she ended up being a mistress. So she was too ashamed to see her old friends.
Now the two of them were now in close contact. Needless to say, Mo Xuetong knew that they did not have any good intentions towards Fu General Manor!
As for the matter that Luo Mingzhu went to investigate last time, Mo Xuetong felt that that missing page was torn by Madam Qu. Her eldest aunt had been in the border area all the time. Most of the time, Madam Qu was in charge of the whole Fu General Manor. Her grandmother was in bad health, so her family affairs had already been handed over to her to manage. If there was someone in the manor who could do something to the account books but would not be found, Madam Qu would be the only one.
Mo Xuetong understood it, so did Luo Mingzhu!
That day, both of them avoided talking about it. It was not because they did not understand, but was because Luo Mingzhu did not know how to say it out loud. However, they both were clear about it. That was why Mo Xuetong had sent people to keep an eye on Madam Qu. She did not expect the latter to be so impatient and even have ganged up with Sima Heyan, or Mingguo Manor.
In her past life, Mo Xuetong did not know if Madam Qu had gotten involved in the fall of Fu General Manor. Judging by what she had done so far, it was very likely that she had gotten involved in it. After Fu General Manor’s decline, her second uncle was fine. That meant that Madam Qu was fine as well. Mo Xuetong had thought that her second uncle had gotten rid of this invisible disaster because he had been sly.
Now, it seemed more likely that Madam Qu had a deal with someone that she would help others deal with Fu General Manor and protect herself.
The pot of Yuxiao Flower was sent to the manor and had been placed in the manor for such a long time; moreover, it was an important place—the study. How could Sima Lingyun find it so easily? Furthermore, how did he get it out of the manor? If no one helped him, how could he, an outsider, walk freely and find what he needed in Fu General Manor?
In the last strike, a super aristocratic family that had lasted for hundreds of years declined.
With that in mind, everything could be connected!
In her past life, even though there was no Madam Qu’s niece, her second uncle seemed to also love her mother, which was enough to make Madam Qu jealous and resentful. Besides, her grandmother had always protected her mother. Madam Qu might vent her anger on Fu General Manor. Furthermore, the fall of Fu General Manor had nothing to do with her as she was not the official madam of Fu General Manor in the first place.
They would leave the manor sooner or later!
“Mo Ye, how is Miss Yun in the back courtyard? Is she still refusing to eat?” Mo Xuetong touched her head where she felt a dull pain and leaned against the couch. She had been in labor and toil with mind and body for the past few days and had spent a lot of time and effort on the arrangement in the Mo Manor. She asked Feng Yuran to send the letters to King Chu’s Manor so that Feng Yuxuan could enter the palace with him in such a short time.
They had caught Feng Yuzhen and the Empress Dowager off guard.
“Mo Feng said that Miss Yun has been threatening to stop eating and kill herself ever since she was confined in the yard. She threw out all the food that Fu General Manor has sent to her and made a fuss about it. But in fact, she ate the food that was secretly sent by Madam Qu that night. She even was disgusted that the food was not as good as before. In my opinion, she doesn’t want to die, and it’s obvious that she did it on purpose and made a fuss to show it to others.”
Speaking of Miss Yun, Mo Ye felt speechless. First Miss Yun really thought of herself as someone important. She claimed that You Yuecheng would come to save her while threatening that she would die in Fu General Manor and asked the manor to pay for life with life. She even tried to hang herself from time to time, which made people panic.
Madam Qu had gone to the Old Madam’s place to cry and plead a few times, but she failed. Then she gave up, but she would secretly send some food to Miss Yun every day.
In fact, Fu General Manor did not really do anything to Yun Ya. She still lived in the courtyard where she lived previously. It was just that the door of the courtyard had been sealed and there were only two servants who came with her left to serve her. The others had all left the courtyard. The Old Madam had two old maidservants guard outside and did not allow anyone to see her.
Madam Qu could only send some food to her right now. She was the first person that the Old Madam didn’t allow to meet Yun Ya.
“Did anyone from Mingguo Manor appear there?” Mo Xuetong tilted her head and thought about it. There was a hint of doubt in her bright eyes. Of course, she knew that You Yuecheng could not be sincere with Yun Ya. However, it was impossible for him to ignore the latter. According to what she felt, Yun Ya was now a pawn that could testify against You Yuecheng. Why did he believe that Yun Ya would not reveal his true colors?
Or…
Mo Xuetong’s mind suddenly froze, and she could not help but frown slightly. She always felt that You Yuecheng would not forget this point.
“My Lady, Madam Qu went to deliver food the day before yesterday. Although she didn’t go in, she said a few words to the wet nurse beside Miss Yun at the door. She seemed to say that Miss Yun’s mother had something to do at home and couldn’t come. She asked Miss Yun to wait a little longer. She could convince the Old Madam and then Miss Yun could come out. She also said that it was just in a few days and asked Miss Yun to rest assured.”
“To convince Grandmother?”
Mo Xuetong was stunned as something flashed through her mind. She suddenly sat up, and her eyes moved slightly. It was impossible for Madam Qu to convince her grandmother. It was definitely impossible to release Yun Ya for the time being. “In a few days”? Could it be that Madam Qu would take action in the next few days, or that You Yuecheng would take action in the next few days?
If Madam Qu and Sima Heyan were in close contact, then it meant that Madam Qu and Mingguo Manor were on the same side. Of course, they were plotting against Fu General Manor. In her past life, had Fu General Manor been plotted against like this? If something happened to Fu General Manor, Mo Xuetong’s grandmother would be busy enough with her own affairs. Of course, no one would care about Yun Ya’s matter. It would be easy for Madam Qu to release Yun Ya at this moment.
“Mo Ye, go and get Mo Feng to keep a close eye on Madam Qu. No matter what she does, he has to see it clearly. He should especially see what Madam Qu brings with her the next time she goes to the pharmacy. Try to get that thing replaced.”
Mo Xuetong’s expression darkened, with a wave of cold mist in her eyes. No matter what Madam Qu wanted to do, she should have not succeeded yet; otherwise, she would not have especially gone to inform Yun Ya. It was a secret signal that she asked Yun Ya to wait for a few more days. How could Madam Qu be so heartless just for Yun Ya?
Mo Ye knew the seriousness of the situation. Afraid that Mo Xuetong would be worried, she promised immediately, “Yes, I will tell Mo Feng right away. My Lady, don’t worry. Mo Feng is good at martial arts. Even if Madam Qu wants to send something out, he will definitely make it.” She had trained with Mo Feng and knew that Mo Feng was good at martial arts. Besides, he was very fast and could take things from others without anyone noticing.
The robe and “private letters” that had been changed in Qingwei Garden were all done by him.
Auntie Qing and Mo Yufeng had been staring there, but they did not find anything.
After making a promise to Mo Xuetong, Mo Ye did not stay any longer and went to discuss it with Mo Feng. One of them stayed by Mo Xuetong’s side while the other stayed outside, so they usually had a way to contact.
Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and said to Mo Lan, “Mo Lan, bring me the brush and ink.”
No matter what, Luo Mingzhu was Madam Qu’s daughter, and her eldest cousin would be the future Fu General. As the Old Madam’s granddaughter, she was a little distant from them. They had to see on their own and figured it out by themselves so that they would not have a knot in their heart. Mo Xuetong cherished the bond with the straightforward Luo Mingzhu and gentle Luo Wenyou.
She didn’t want the relationship to grow apart because of some people.
Mo Lan did not say anything and prepared the brush, ink, paper, and ink stone in a short while. Mo Xuetong stood up in front of the window and thought for a while. Then, she picked up the brush and began to write the letter. Soon she finished writing two letters and put them into the envelopes of King Xuan’s Manor before sealing them. After that, she asked two servants to send the letters to Minister Li’s Manor and Fu General Manor.
The two letters soon reached Luo Mingzhu and Luo Wenyou.
After receiving the letter, Luo Wenyou let out a long sigh. He held the letter in his hand and walked out of the study. By this time, his second uncle should have left the court and was dealing with works in his study.
Luo Mingzhu hid in her room and cried after she received the letter. Li Youmo was extremely worried. He thought he had done something wrong and offended his wife. He had been scratching his head outside the room for a long time. The moment he saw that Luo Mingzhu had finally come out, he was overjoyed and hurried over to pull Luo Mingzhu. Then he patted his chest and asked her.
“What happened? Did someone offend you? If you meet something bad, tell me, I’ll help you vent your anger!”
Her words were extremely sincere. When Luo Mingzhu looked at his sweaty face due to anxiety, the gloom in her heart was swept away and she felt bitter in her heart. Ignoring the people around, she burst into tears in Li Youmo’s arms…