Chapter 400 - Ling Fengyan Died Suddenly in the Inner Yard
Mo Xuetong’s face turned serious, and she stood up and asked immediately, “When did it happen?”
“It was just now after I told the secret guard and passed the front yard, I heard people in the front yard screaming that ‘Something happened to King Chu’s Consort and some yelling that ‘King Chu was poisoned’. So she died of poison.” Mo Yu panted and paled, as she also felt something terrible.
Mo Yu went out of here, took the clothes and came into the front yard, which would at least take about 10 minutes. That was to say, Ling Fengyan died 10 minutes after Mo Xuetong left. Just now, she still talked with Mo Xuetong cheerfully, and even held Mo Xuetong’s hands forwardly. If something had happened to Ling Fengyan, and Mo Xuetong could not give any evidence to prove her innocence, it would be hard for Mo Xuetong to clear of the suspect.
A flash of intuition flashed into Mo Xuetong’s mind. She put on the clothes quickly and asked, “Where is the King?”
“The secret guard said His Highness has taken a rest in the guestroom on the left, and asked you to go there quickly.”
“My Lady, there is a small door over there, and we can go there without passing the front yard. I think, the time is enough.” Mo Lan said, as she also knew the importance of time. Since Mo Xuetong often came to the Princess Royal’s Manor, her maidservants also became familiar with all the roads and paths.
“Let’s go now.” Mo Xuetong, along with two maidservants, went out hurriedly. Because where she was now was close to the parlor, if she was found to stay there, it was hard to explain clearly. The most important thing was to leave the spot and have others as witnesses. Mo Xuetong did not worry about the clothes she had changed, because someone would take it away.
Mo Xuetong, followed by the two maidservants, headed to the place where Feng Yuran was. They did not choose the main road but the small paths instead. Fortunately, Princess Royal’s manor had been in chaos, and lots of people ran to the parlor, so Mo Xuetong did not encounter anyone on the way. After turning around several corridors, Mo Xuetong was blocked by a high wall.
“Ah, My Lady, the back door is always locked. What should we do?” Looking at the closed door, Mo Lan stomped her feet anxiously. Just now, she was too flustered to remember that although there was a back door in the Princess Royal’s Manor, it was always locked, and it was impossible to get the key right away.
“Don’t worry. Just wait a second.” Mo Xuetong gasped for breath, as she looked at the high wall and gnawed her lips. At that moment, she was also at a loss as to what to do, only hoping Feng Yuran could think that she was there. Mo Xuetong spun around with sweat oozing from her white tender forehead. She knew that if she was involved in the matter, Feng Yuran would be dragged into the water without a doubt. No matter whom Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan had planned to scheme against, or who had schemed against them, Mo Xuetong would not allow herself to fall into the trap.
Her eyes fell on the rockery beside. There was a small pool next to it. It looked not big but deep. Mo Xuetong gnashed her teeth quietly and decided that if there was no other way out, she would drop into the pool herself, because she had to squeeze out the time lag, as well as to prove what she was doing during that time.
“Why do you come so late?” The voice, like the sound of nature, came leisurely from the high tree beside. Feng Yuran jumped down from the tree, followed by Feng Yue. For Mo Xuetong, she threw herself into Feng Yuran without saying a word, as if she saw a savior.
“My Lady, you miss me so much, as we just part for a while.” Feng Yuran gave a fascinating smile to Mo Xuetong.
Mo Xuetong didn’t have time to banter with him. Besides, he was thick-skinned and finally it was she who would feel bashful and annoyed. Therefore, Mo Xuetong just ignored his words, and pinched his arms instead, motioning that he should take her away there as soon as possible.
Feng Yuran also knew that he could not afford wasting time, so he did not say more and held Mo Xuetong to jump over the wall. Behind him, Feng Yue took the two maidservants across the wall as well.
Behind the wall was the guest room in the outer yard. Because Feng Yuran did not recover and needed good rest, all in the yard were his people. When they saw Feng Yuran holding Mo Xuetong to fly into the yard, they just stood with their heads lowered, as if they hadn’t seen it at all.
Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong into the inner room, and Feng Yue disappeared with a flash. The two maidservants did embroidery in the outer room, and the atmosphere was so calm.
When they just settled, Feng Yuzhen led some people to rush into the yard, and he pushed away the guards standing outside the door and hurried in, yelling, “Eighth Brother, Eighth Brother.”
He lifted up the curtain and rushed in.
Mo Lan and Mo Yu put down the embroidery in their hands, but before they gave a salute to Feng Yuzhen, he had rushed into the room.
“Sister Mo Lan!” Mo Yu said hurriedly, ready to follow in.
Mo Lan shook her head slightly, signaling Mo Yu not to take any rash action. With some thoughts, Mo Lan took the teapot beside, made a cup of tea and sent it in.
In the inner room, Feng Yuran opened his eyes slowly as if he just woke up, and asked drowsily, “Cousin, what’s the matter?”
At the edge of the bed, Mo Xuetong stood up in astonishment and was so shocked that she dropped the book on the ground. Perhaps being frightened, she shivered, unable to say a word.
Feng Yuzhen glanced at Mo Xuetong, and a hint of astonish flashed in his eyes. But soon, he collected himself, came to pull Feng Yuran, and said anxiously, “Eighth Brother, something terrible happened to the Eldest Royal Sister-in-law. Aunt has gone there and asked us to go there, too.”
“The Eldest Royal Sister-in-law!” Mo Xuetong paled with shock and screamed. She seemed to be scared, held the corner of the table and almost fell to the ground. Mo Lan, who just came into the room, hurried to hold her.
“What’s the matter?” Feng Yuran seemed startled, sat up by the support of the coming little eunuch, and put on the robe. At that moment, Mo Xuetong also reacted to herself. She quickly took Feng Yuran’s jade belt at the folding screen and lowered her head to wear it for him. Her face turned pale with fright.
“I am not quite sure. I was so anxious to tell you and had no time to ask about the situation clearly. Was Xuetong there as well? Did she find any problems?” Feng Yuzhen turned to ask Mo Xuetong with a blank look, as if he knew nothing about it.
The descendants of the royal family were definitely not of the common sort. Mo Xuetong could not help but exclaiming inwardly that Feng Yuzhen was not only good at acting but also scrupulous and smart. He pretended to be ignorant of the matter. Obviously, he was shirking responsibility.
Just now, he stayed with Feng Yuxuan, so both of them got the news together. Even if Feng Yuxuan left in a hurry, based on Feng Yuzhen’s nature, how could he not inquire clearly? And Feng Yuzhen came to find Feng Yuran at the moment, merely wanting Feng Yuran, the coxcomb, to be a witness.
In this way, Feng Yuzhen could easily get away with any suspect, who had the same idea as Mo Xuetong.
Or there was another plan in case that Mo Xuetong appeared suddenly so that Feng Yuzhen could push the blame onto Mo Xuetong. Since Ling Fengyan died in the inner yard, it must have something to do with the people in the inner manor. Ling Fengyan had her own maidservants and nannies, so anyone was unable to approach her, except Mo Xuetong and Wang Yueyue. In other words, Mo Xuetong and Wang Yueyue had become the most suspicious people.
In order to help Wang Yueyue get rid of this suspicion, Feng Yuzhen had to prove Mo Xuetong guilty. And it would be the best proof that Mo Xuetong could not prove her whereabouts during that period. That was why Feng Yuzhen rushed in without allowing the servants to report to Feng Yuran because he wanted to catch Feng Yuran unprepared.
“Feng Yuzhen was really full of guile!” thought Mo Xuetong.
“Just now, because I had to take care of Yuran’s rest, I left there early when the two sisters-in-law were talking merrily. Unlike me, they were old acquaintances, but I even could not join in their talks.” Mo Xuetong raised her head with clear eyes and asked nervously, “Did something bad happen to Fengyan? What happened?”
Mo Xuetong looked blank and totally ignorant of what was going on, even more innocent than Feng Yuzhen looked. As a matter of fact, before Feng Yuzhen’s coming, Feng Yuran had told her all: when seeing Mo Xuetong did not appear for a long time, Feng Yuran realized that the situation changed, so he asked a person wearing Mo Xuetong’s clothes to come around the backyard into this one. And it could serve as the strongest evidence.
A deep confusion came over Feng Yuzhen’s eyes because someone claimed to see Mo Xuetong in the inner yard when it happened, but how could she appear in Feng Yuran’s room in such a short time? Moreover, Mo Xuetong’s remarks just showed that the deep friendship between Wang Yueyue and Ling Fengyan, and that Mo Xuetong herself was just an outsider, even having no chance to talk.
“Cousin, stop saying anything more. Let’s go to see it together now.” Feng Yuran had prepared well, so he held the little eunuch’s hand and go first impatiently.
Feng Yuzhen had to keep up hurriedly. And Mo Xuetong, followed by Mo Lan and Mo Yu, walked at the end.
In the parlor, Feng Yuxuan held the pale and bleeding Ling Fengyan and cried anxiously, “Fengyan, Fengyan, wake up, please wake up.” All the Ling Fengyan’s maidservants and nannies were kneeling on the ground in the parlor. Wang Yueyue stood beside, her face pale with fright. But for being supported by her own maidservant, Wang Yueyue would have knelt on the ground with a scare.
Ling Fengyan died suddenly. The most suspicious person in this parlor was Wang Yueyue, so she had been frightened out of her wits and tried her best to pull Mo Xuetong with the hope that Mo Xuetong could serve as a witness for her. Based on her understanding of Ling Fengyan, Wang Yueyue knew that Ling Fengyan today was not normal as usual.
Wang Yueyue was always on guard against Ling Fengyan. Since Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen were incompatible like water and fire, Wang Yueyue did not dare to be close to Ling Fengyan as before. But Wang Yueyue did not expect that Ling Fengyan did not do harm to her, but instead, she was suspected of killing Ling Fengyan. But how could Ling Fengyan use her own life to frame up Wang Yueyue?
If Wang Yueyue was confirmed, she knew that she would have no way out, and not only Feng Yuzhen but also the whole Wang family would be incriminated. At the thought, Wang Yueyue felt paralyzed as if she was falling down, and twitched with a scare. Her stomach twitched in pain, but she did not dare to cry out.
She was the most suspicious, so how dare she add trouble now?
On the other side, Princess Royal frowned and nodded to the manor doctor who just came in. The manor doctor crouched down and put his hand on Ling Fengyan’s wrist. Just one take of the pulse, he knew that Ling Fengyan’s pulse did not beat any longer, so he stood up and shook his head at Princess Royal.
“Yuxuan, put down Fengyan. She has passed away. You should calm yourself down. Let me see what the matter is! No one is allowed to leave unless it is clear.” Princess Royal was rather angry with a gloomy expression. No one would be happy when such a thing happened in his/her manor. Particularly, it was Princess Royal who invited Ling Fengyan to the manor.
And Ling Fengyan just died in Princess Royal’s manor. It was impossible to say that Princess Royal had no responsibility.
“Who dared to carry out the murder in my manor? How dare! ” Princess Royal thought.
“Aunt, what happened?” Feng Yuran and Feng Yuzhen came into the door together. Mo Xuetong came behind them and got shocked at the sight in the parlor.
Feng Yuxuan stood up and tottered back. His legs were so weak that he had to take a seat beside him. His eyes were red and sadly staring at Ling Fengyan, and the corners of his lips were stained with dark red blood. He did not say a word.
“You’ve just come in time. Take a seat.” Princess Royal said grimly.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!” Wang Yueyue screamed when her terrified eyes spotted Feng Yuzhen, as if finding her reassuring medicine. She rose at once and threw herself into Feng Yuzhen. She was scared, extremely scared, not knowing what to do, because the situation was completely beyond her father and Feng Yuzhen’s calculation!
Her sharp screams rang in the cold parlor. The stupefied Feng Yuxuan finally shifted his eyes from Ling Fengyan to Wang Yueyue, and then, the eyes turned chilly. As Wang Yueyue looked at Feng Yuzhen, Feng Yuxuan said coldly, “Cousin, please serve the justice for me today.”