Chapter 364 Luo Mingzhu’s Belated Marriage
In the following days, everything went well. Because Feng Yuran was seriously injured, Mo Xuetong returned her paternal home alone the three days after their wedding ceremony. Therefore, Feng Yuran had prepared generous gifts for her, for fear that Mo Xuetong would be wronged since he was unable to accompany her there. Although Emperor Zongwen asked Feng Yuran to learn to administer affairs of state, Feng Yuran was still “injured”, and it was acceptable that he was recovering from his injury at home.
Even he did not receive any visitors. As being refused, many people knew cleverly not to come anymore, except Feng Yuran’s uncles. His two uncles brought two beautiful cousins to the manor almost every day. Even if they got the reply that the King was ill, and the King’s consort was looking after him so as not have time to receive them, they still did not give up.
The two uncles insisted every day regardless of winds and rains, showing their determination that they would not come back unless being received.
Mo Xuetong had intended to meet them, as she wanted to ask about something from the two uncles. However, a piece of news disturbed her that Luo Mingzhu and Li Youmo were about to get engaged. Li Youmo? The ruttish son of the minister of the Ministry of War? The news made Mo Xuetong unsettled.
So she took Mo Ye to the Jinwei Pavilion where Feng Yuran lived.
It was said that the vantage ground to monitor the fire that night was where Feng Yuran was living now. He did not sleep with Mo Xuetong in their bridal chamber, and had to wait till Mo Xuetong finished her observance of mourning duty. Therefore, they had to live in separate places nominally. Now, Mo Xuetong was living in the Feng Yuran’s former place, which was the main yard of the manor.
Mo Xuetong entered the courtyard of the Jinwei Pavilion. Since the guards had already informed Feng Yuran, she came to the room without any hindrance.
There were several files in front of Feng Yuran, and he was reviewing them as leaning against the couch beside the window. He took up the writing brush beside his hand and made some comments on them from time to time. He lay there casually, as the large purple robe was also casually on him. At the sight of Mo Xuetong, his phoenix eyes took on some smiles, and his handsome face brightened up.
“Tong’er, come here and sit.” Seeing Mo Xuetong come in, Feng Yuran put down the files and patted his couch. His eyes gleamed with amorous feelings, making his beautiful face brighter and more striking. How could the man be so beautiful? Mo Xuetong could not help staring at his beautiful face, and her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
No wonder someone was determined to marry him regardless of defying the rules.
Exactly, he was born to seduce women!
“I sit here.” Mo Xuetong retracted her watery eyes and said solemnly.
Today, she came to talk with him something serious and should not be disturbed by him. Mo Xuetong took an oblique at him consciously and thought she’d better stay away from him today. Thinking that he hugged and kissed her too tightly to take a breath, Mo Xuetong felt her ears were burning. “This man…”
He was never serious at any serious moment.
“I never thought that Tong’er has such a hobby.” Feng Yuran said intentionally, as his lips twitched lazily and his eyes blinked.
“What hobby?” Mo Xuetong blinked and asked with a smile.
Feng Yuran pouted his lips, pointed in her directions, and said, “Does Tong’er like to talk to me on the floor? I didn’t know it before!”
His remarks made Mo Xuetong realize that there was no place to sit in his room except the couch on which he was lying. It was completely domineering. Looking at the empty floor, Mo Xuetong flushed uncontrollably and gave him a pretty glare. And she simply walked to him and sat beside his feet.
“Come here. What are you afraid of? We are not the same as before. We don’t need to do it privately.” Feng Yuran looked at her and said with a tease.
Mo Xuetong went pink again by his words and thought Feng Yuran’s words were rather obscure, as if they two had been having some private affair. Luckily, there was no one else there. Otherwise, what would the others think about them two? He was so shameless that he dared to mock her up. Ashamed and annoyed, Mo Xuetong simply stood up, pouted her pink lips, and said to him.
“Your Royal Highness!”
Before Mo Xuetong spoke more, Feng Yuran stretched over his hand to hold her slim waist and pulled her to the couch. He leaned his body and asked her, displeased, “What are you calling?”
“Yuran, my husband.” Mo Xuetong immediately understood what he meant and answered obediently as her face was flushed with embarrassment.
Feng Yuran rejoiced with her words. His slim lips fell on her face, and then, her curved-up cherry lips. He tasted them carefully, as if she were the worthiest treasure.
Mo Xuetong did not expect his fast movement. She clung to his warm and thick chest, and got burned by his kiss before he did anything else. She could feel nothing but his flexible lips just dipping into her lips and teeth and sucking peremptorily her sweetness, enjoying the red lips.
After a long time, Mo Xuetong was allowed to take a breath. She shoved away his red lips which were about to come again and said in annoyance, “I have something serious to say.”
“We’re doing the serious thing. The thing about human relations!” He said seriously. But for his handsome face as amorous as the spring ripples, and his narrow eyes gleaming with ecstasy, his words sounded real.
“I come here for a serious matter.” Mo Xuetong covered her red lips and rolled her watery eyes, with a lovely look of fearing his one more movement.
“More serious than our affair?” Feng Yuran said with an enchanting smile, as he did not come closer this time but just blinked his eyes and tucked Mo Xuetong’s hair behind her ears.
“I won’t tell you anymore.” Mo Xuetong pouted and murmured, depressed.
“Okay, okay, okay, you keep saying and I’ll listen to you.” Feng Yuran said with a smile. Looking at her smart watery eyes and florid face, and the flush on her tender and jade-white face, he could not resist his desire to kiss her and hug her into the arms to let her melt into him. He reached out his hands to embrace her tightly. “Oh, it’s still one more year ahead! Why has the time not arrived?” thought by Feng Yuran.
“Is Li Youmo really a rakish dude? What happened to his former wife?” Seeing him did not make fun of her, Mo Xuetong collected her thoughts and asked.
She had never thought that her grandmother would become relatives with Minister Li by their children’s marriage. How could Mo Xuetong rest assured for Li Youmo’s fame and his deeds? Knowing Feng Yuran was a good source of information, she came to find him immediately.
“Li Youmo’s former wife was not killed by him. The girl had been in poor health when they got married. But they had been gotten engaged since childhood. It was said that she was sick before their marriage. Minister Li wanted to retract the engagement, but Li Youmo thought the girl would die definitely by the withdrawal of the marriage, so he just married her. But unexpectedly, she died soon after their wedding ceremony. And it badly affected Li Youmo’s fame, and Minister Li rather regretted about it.” Feng Yuran made the matter clear as he hugged her gently.
Mo Xuetong’s eyes flickered, and she asked in puzzlement, “If so, Li Youmo is not a rakish dude, but a righteous person?”
If a woman was forced to break off engagement by a man, she almost had no way out in such a condition. To Mo Xuetong’s surprise, Li Youmo insisted on marrying that girl, even if he had to bear the name of losing his wife afterward. It was undeniable that he was a righteous man. But why was he so bad in other’s words?
Mo Xuetong really couldn’t figure it out.
Feng Yuran smiled but did not reply. Instead, he took up the cup of tea on the table and took a sip, then, handed it to Mo Xuetong.
Mo Xuetong responded quickly this time. She immediately took the teacup, turned her head one side, and snuggled up to him fawningly. Then, she said sweetly, “Just tell me. Why did the rumor go like this?” She had to sell her charms for the sake of her cousin’s happiness.
Seeing her clinging snugly in his arms, Feng Yuran was in a good mood and decided not to keep her guessing. He held her slender waist with a smile and answered her leisurely, “Doesn’t your elder sister enjoy a good reputation? And You Yuecheng also enjoys a good one? But how about the fact?”
He squinted at her with some amorous feeling and boasted finally, “Your husband has a bad reputation, but what do you think now?”
His glance seemed to claim the credit, as his eyes glittered with charms. Mo Xuetong immediately understood it. She raised her small face and glanced at him who was waiting for her reply. Then, she nodded her head dramatically and praised turgidly, “My husband is naturally the best. No matter how the rumors go outside, I just know that my husband is the best.”
The words were favorable to Feng Yuran’s ears. He blinked his eyes and pinched Mo Xuetong’s pink face, then, burst into a laugh, “Sure enough, Tong’er knows me the best!” After saying it, he could not help kissing her flushed mouth.
Well, the rumor was not credible. Li Youmo was a pearl that had not been found. But Mo Xuetong still had a question, so she pushed his head away, took a breath and continued to ask, “My senior uncle is a commander to lead the soldiers. Now, my cousin is going to marry the son of the minister of the Ministry of War. Will your royal father fear it?”
Since ancient times, seldom exchanges were allowed to make among promising officials, especially those with the military power of different political parties, otherwise, it would induce calamities. Take the Ding General Manor as an example, the manor held a quarter of the military power of the Qin Kingdom, so he could support the childless Empress Dowager to the throne as the first person in the harem.
Then, he sent the Empress into the palace to ensure her to be firmly in the dominant place just second to the Empress Dowager in the harem, though the Empress did not have a child. No one would believe that it could achieve without the Duke King’s holding military power.
Now, Mo Xuetong’s senior uncle also held a quarter of the military power. If he became relatives with the Minister of the Ministry of War through their children’s marriage, would the Emperor not know the underlying meaning? Would the Emperor not fear it? Merely with a strange jade, the Emperor had seen the entire General Manor as a thorn. At present, Fu General Manor was going to become related to Minister Li of the Ministry of War. Would Fu General Manor be accused of rebelling in collusion? What’s worse, it was the crucial moment of fighting for the throne. No one could tell whether a common marriage would become an excuse for the Emperor to deal with Fu General Manor.
Thinking of the fall of Fu General Manor in the last life, Mo Xuetong was rather uneasy, afraid that any carelessness would irritate the Emperor. She opened her watery eyes round and pulled Feng Yuran’s sleeves.
Seeing her nervous and coquettish look, Feng Yuran laughed brightly. Then, he raised up his beautiful eyes, cuddled her and said to her ears gently, “Tong’er, just feel assured. It is my royal father’s decision to make them related through marriage.”
“The Emperor’s decision?”
As for that the Emperor deliberately arranged Mo Xuetong’s cousin to marry Li Youmo, it was not discussed firstly whether the Emperor cared about if Li Youmo would ruin Mo Xuetong’s cousin’s lifetime happiness, but it looked strange that the Emperor purposely linked the Mo Xuetong’s senior uncle and the minister of the Ministry of War together. “Was the Emperor integrating military forces?” thought Mo Xuetong.
As for the military force of the Great Qin, one quarter was in the Duke Ding’s hands, one was in Fu General Manor’s, one was in the King of Xian’s, and the rest were scattered. The three took the largest share, equally. Among them, Duke Ding and the Fu General were both old and well-known families enjoying hundreds of years. Only the King of Xian had the royal blood. But nowadays, Lady of Xian and the Empress Dowager were too close, so it was possible that the King of Xian had become members of the Empress Dowager’s part.
At this time, the Emperor arranged the marriage between the families of the Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of the Ministry of War, and the underlying meaning was not so simple! Mo Xuetong’s eyes blinked, and she fell into silence. “What does the Emperor mean? At this point in fighting for the throne, King Yan failed, and only King Chu and Feng Yuran are left. Of course, King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, whom the Empress Dowager supports secretly, is not counted in. But if Feng Yuzhen wants to be the Emperor, he has to prepare the military forces as well!” thought Mo Xuetong.
Would the Emperor know that King Ning was going to rebel, so he deliberately integrated the military forces?
She had a bold assumption, but she didn’t know whether to speak it out!