Chapter 449 - Interlocked: The Empress Dowager's Plot
Chapter 449 Interlocked: The Empress Dowager’s Plot
On the opposite high building, Mo Xuetong picked the curtain, and fixed her clear and charming eyes intently on what was happening. She felt the sulk brought by Mo Xueqiong dispersed completely with the show, which made her cheer up and smile brightly.
“Okay. You’ve seen enough. Just sit down. Look at you, not like King Xuan’s Consort.” Feng Yuran reached out his hands and pulled her back with some indulgence.
Mo Xuetong touched her neck, and it was kind of stiff. But it was a good and rare show once in a century. Looking at Ling Rui’er burning with a frenzy of rage and having to give money, Mo Xuetong felt happy in her heart. Her eyes rolled smartly, and she asked cutely, “Wasn’t it you that asked people to do this?”
She still remembered the affair about Ling Yang before. It seemed that Feng Yuran was also involved in it.
“I? How could it be? Am I the person who will do it?” Feng Yuran pulled Mo Xuetong into his arms, raised his handsome eyebrows and laughed leisurely.
If he was not the person who would do it, there was not anyone else possible to do it. Embraced by him, Mo Xuetong flushed but did not struggle. She pouted secretly but still asked sweetly, “You’re not the person. But who did it?”
She did not believe that it had nothing to do with Feng Yuran. This man liked to pretend to be the weak and to defeat the strong. He had deceived all the people in the world. What else couldn’t he do?
“What if I say that it has nothing to do with me?” Feng Yuran suddenly looked at Mo Xuetong seriously and said.
“If it is true, please tell me who the person is. And let me see who is so powerful and able to tease Ling Rui’er like this.” Mo Xuetong smiled disapprovingly and pushed him.
“If Tong’er gives me a kiss, maybe I’ll tell you.” It was a pity that this sly old fox was not fooled. With an oblique glance, he saw through her and did not allow her to attain her goal.
Not fooled? Mo Xuetong’s eyes rolled flickered smartly, and she put on a look of concern. Being worried, she pulled Feng Yuran’s hands and said, “What if Ling Rui’er finds that this has something to do with you? Feng Yuxuan and Duke Ding are not the men to be trifled with.”
When he looked at her coquettish and shy face pretending to be serious, Feng Yuran’s eyes were full of smiles. He came closer to her and gave a big kiss on her pink tender face, and said with a smile, “Tong’er, how can you be so cute? No wonder I was hooked on you at the first sight of you.”
His words made Mo Xuetong flustered. How could she not know what he meant at that time!
She still remembered the first time the two met. He was clearly a playboy. At that time, Mo Xuetong just rallied from the coma and had to go out to send a message. She was thin and weak, and was dressed as a little maidservant. How could he make fun of her at that time? Was he was too hungry to choose his food? Mo Xuetong did not understand that since there were a number of beautiful women in his manor, why did he still set up the reputation as a man of pleasure outside?
Thinking of this, Mo Xuetong felt a little unwell, and her little mouth slightly pouted.
Later, he disguised himself as a masked man and rushed into the old mansion in the Cloud City and struck fiercely, showing no trace of sympathy for her. And then, the things happened in the palace indicated that he had no affection for her. The more Mo Xuetong thought, the more aggrieved she felt.
“Tong’er, you don’t believe me? Why are you so unconfident? See how beautiful you are. I was hooked at first sight, then I was determined to marry you. Obviously, your beauty was born for me.” Feng Yuran said with a serious look, but the banter in his eyes made Mo Xuetong want to directly cover his annoying mouth.
How could this person be so shameless that he spoke those words smoothly?
“If you continue to say it, I won’t answer you!” Mo Xuetong did exactly as she said. She reached out her delicate hand to cover his mouth in case any shameless words would spit out from his mouth.
Feng Yuran laughed out. Because his mouth was covered, his laughter was muffled in a low voice. He seemed to be pleased to tease her, and then actually stuck out his tongue to lick her palm.
It sent shivers to Mo Xuetong’s palm, which made her withdraw her hand immediately. Her face seemed to be burning, and she shoved him away and ignored him, ablush.
“Tong’er, are you really angry?” Feng Yuran stretched out his hand, and Mo Xuetong twisted her body to avoid it.
“You don’t want to know who framed Ling Rui’er?” Feng Yuran enticed her with a smile. Mo Xuetong tried ignoring him and bit her lips, but finally failed. She raised her eyes and pretended to be annoyed. “Then tell me quickly.”
Feng Yuran chuckled, and his smile on the lips were full of charm. Mo Xuetong could not help but sign inwardly why Feng Yuran looked so fascinating, which did make her mind unable to set at ease. She threw an oblique look at him to express her dissatisfaction. “Just say it quickly, otherwise I will go.”
After finishing the words, she postured to leave.
“Okay, okay, I will tell you. But Tong’er, you cannot go at this time, because the food will be served soon. The food here is quite good. I ask them to make the dishes milder especially for you. You should have a try.” Feng Yuran said smilingly and raised his wide purple robe sleeves with more tenderness in his bearing.
“Just tell me who!” The moment the words came out of Mo Xuetong’s mouth, she felt embarrassed, because the words did not sound imposing at all, instead, it sounded like being coquettish, and she just spoke out so smoothly.
“Tong’er, you have really wronged your husband this time. It was clearly King Ning, Feng Yuzhen who did it. How can you link it to your husband? As your husband, I am really sad!” Feng Yuran stood up, walked beside Mo Xuetong, lowered his head and squeezed gently on the tip of her nose. And he complained.
“King Ning?” Mo Xuetong blinked her glittering eyes, patted away Feng Yuran’s reaching hand, and asked in surprise.
“Except King Ning, who would do it?” Feng Yuran came back to take a seat, took a sip of the tea at hand, and asked with a smile, “Tong’er, do you want to know why Feng Yuzhen framed Ling Rui’er?”
Recently, Feng Yuzhen kept in a low profile, as if he really did not want anything. But Mo Xuetong knew that he had been waiting. Without the support of Grand Secretariat Wang, Feng Yuzhen turned to Consort Yu’s belly. The baby in Consort Yu’s belly carried all his hope. As long as Consort Yu could give birth to a baby boy, Feng Yuzhen was able to support the little prince as the emperor.
With the contribution to support the little prince as the emperor, and being his natural father, Feng Yuzhen was completely able to bypass Emperor Zongwen and return to the throne.
This outflanking scheme was not only simpler but also nominally more proper than he plotted to usurp the throne, because he could totally avoid the infamy of being a usurper. So it could kill three birds with one stone.
“Is it… for Consort Yu?” Mo Xuetong’s lips lifted slightly, with some soft smiles in her eyes. But she was not quite sure, and looked at Feng Yuran hesitantly.
“Why is it Consort Yu? Not the Empress Dowager?” Feng Yuran’s narrow eyes reflected the sunlight, and he said leisurely and glanced at her naturally.
The Empress Dowager?
Mo Xuetong was enlightened, and her eyes shone immediately. She nodded her pretty chin and said, “I see. Ling Rui’er offended the Empress Dowager in the Cining Palace, and also made Consort Yu and Consort Zhao lose face, which stirred up ill feelings between the two. So of course, the Empress Dowager did not like the initiator of evil. Then, Ling Rui’er’s brother competed with Yu Mingyong, which also disgraced and embarrassed the Ding General Manor. Therefore, the Empress Dowager seized the chance to set up the trap.”
“Oh, if the Ding General Manor is damaged, what good is for the Empress Dowager?” Feng Yuran’s enchanting eyes curved, and he asked with a smile.
“Of course it’s good. Our Empress Dowager will never do things for nothing.” Mo Xuetong said prettily. Although she was taunting, her voice was sweet and cute. “Recently, the Ding General Manor is not obedient. The Empress Dowager wanted to seize it and teach a lesson to Ding General Manor. But she could not act in her own capacity, so she used Consort Yu as a scapegoat. Even Duke Ding would not think that it was the Empress Dowager behind the scenes.”
“By doing so, it could not only help Consort Yu revenge and make her happy, but also give a slap on Duke Ding. Although Ling Rui’er is King Yan’s consort, she is not the Duke Ding’s legitimate daughter. Besides, the thing happening today would dishonor Ling Rui’er completely. The people of the Ding General Manor will shift the sail with the wind at last. No one knows who will have the larger backer in the end. Feng Yuzhen considered himself to have set a perfect trap.”
“Why do you say he considered himself to?” Although Feng Yuran asked the question, a look of complacency appeared on his face. His handsome face raised slightly, waiting proudly for Mo Xuetong’s praise. He indicated so obviously through his movement but not his words that he also promoted the whole affair.
His eyes were so bright that they could attract others’ attention firmly. Along with his childish expression, he looked as if waiting for the praise sincerely. With his superior status, when was he craving for praise like now? Mo Xuetong felt a stream of soft water flowed through her heart.
At that moment, Mo Xuetong raised the corners of her lips simply and gave him a sideways glance archly. “Yuran, have you messed up in it again?”
If Feng Yuran had not known it before, he would not have found a tea house here in advance and taken her here to enjoy the show while drinking tea.
“How could it be possible? The Empress Dowager’s plot is perfect which can both humiliate King Chu and Ding General Manor. However, Ling Rui’er is a married daughter and not a legitimate daughter of Duke Ding. So even though the Ding General Manor is involved, it is not a big deal. But King Chu is different. Ling Rui’er is his legitimate consort. Now my elder brother suffers such a loss without any cause or reason, and how can he tolerate it? As his young brother, I should leave a clue for my elder brother to help him investigate it easily.”
Feng Yuran’s half-narrowed eyes gleamed with smiles, even his tone sounded attractively merry. But a glimmer of coldness flashed in his enchanting eyes. He could not love his Tong’er too much. How could others bully her at will? No matter Ling Rui’er or the Empress Dowager, they must pay for their conduct.
Looking at his expression, Mo Xuetong felt her eyes blurred, but then she stretched out her white tender finger to scrape his handsome face, “You are really thick-skinned and narcissistic.”
Would he help Feng Yuxuan? It would be strange that Mo Xuetong believed. With Feng Yuran’s astuteness and resourcefulness, he could deceive all the people in the world, so he might make something else out of it.