Chapter 647 The Banquet Held by Marquess Mingguo’s Wife
Many people had come to the banquet held by Mingguo Manor. The smile on the corner of Mo Xuetong’s mouth grew even more elegant and beautiful as she looked at the many carriages in front of Mingguo Manor. She was wearing a light green long dress today, and the jade pendant fastened to her waist belt made her look even slender and more enchanting.
As she grew older, her features became even more beautiful. Her skin was as white as snow; her nose was tall and straight; her watery eyes looked bright and charming; and her lips were bright red. She was stunning even without any makeup. Princess Caifeng, who was standing opposite her, felt upset at the sight of her. She was considered the most beautiful woman of the Southern Barbarian Lands. However, compared to Mo Xuetong, not only was her face less exquisite, but her aura could not even be compared to Mo Xuetong’s elegance.
“Consort Xuan, the Marquess Mingguo in your country is rather powerful. Look, wasn’t it Consort Yan’s carriage that has just pa.s.sed?” Even though Princess Caifeng, who felt a little upset, no longer planned to fight against Mo Xuetong, she still felt uncomfortable. As such, she pointed to the front and said.
She had seen clearly just now that Consort Yan’s horse carriage had directly entered Mingguo Manor, but Mo Xuetong, who was also a prince’s wife, did not receive such treatment.
Mo Xuetong turned her watery eyes back leisurely as a faint smile crept over the corners of her eyes. “This is Mingguo Manor and Consort Yan is the legitimate daughter of Duke Mingguo. It is normal for her to be different from others when she returns to her own manor.”
Mo Xuetong could figure out the provocation in Princess Caifeng’s words. However, she had never wanted to fight with someone on the surface. Of course, she would not be mad. Furthermore, she had come with the intention of watching the show today. But Princess Caifeng came here just because she was bored!
Originally Princess Caifeng was about to get married, so Ling Mingyan would not give her an invitation. However, in the morning, she held an invitation card in her hand, and Mo Xuetong had no choice but to bring her here.
“That’s true. Consort Xuan, I heard that Marquess Mingguo used to be on good terms with the Mo Manor. However, he somehow started to distance himself from the Mo Manor. Did something happen?” Princess Caifeng’s eyes flashed and she suddenly looked friendly. There was no more gloom in her face. She seemed to have changed the topic casually.
“Your Highness, I’m afraid you have heard it wrong. My father has good terms with many of his colleagues. It’s all about cooperation and separation. It’s not something that women in inner courtyard should ask about.” Mo Xuetong smiled and stopped the subject.
The matter about You Yuecheng and the Mo Manor could be attributed to the relations.h.i.+p between him and Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin used to be a famous talented girl in the capital, and You Yuecheng was rather close to the Mo Manor. Ever since Mo Xuemin married into the Sima Manor, even if the two of them were in contact with each other, it was a private affair. Things cooled off on the surface. However, no matter whether they were close or not, given You Yuecheng’s character, it was impossible for others to discover many traces.
By the time Princess Caifeng arrived in the capital, You Yuecheng had already lost all relations with Mo Xuemin. Then, who told her this matter? Even though Hu Qianyue was very sly, she would not have known about it if she had not paid close attention to You Yuecheng.
It seemed that there were a lot of people who were keeping an eye on You Yuecheng and King Yan’s Manor behind him. At this time Mo Xuetong was happy to see it. King Yan seemed to be weak, but in fact, among the princes, he was really powerful. Not only did the Empress support him in the palace, but even Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen stood on his side with unknown meaning. Even the other princes could not compare with him in terms of the supporters in the imperial harem.
In addition to the supporters in the imperial harem, there was Mingguo Manor supporting him. Some people of Ding General Manor were also on his side because of the Empress and Ling Mingyan. If the power was really tangled together, it would not be difficult for Feng Yulei to ascend the throne. However, if they quarreled with each other and could not deal with others… It would be a good idea.
Seeing that Mo Xuetong did not want to talk about the past anymore, Princess Caifeng did not continue to ask. After seeing Feng Yuran’s cruelness, she was not as arrogant as before. At least, she did not dare to show off in front of Mo Xuetong. No one knew what that fearless devil would do.
In Princess Caifeng’s heart, the arrogant and enchanting Feng Yuran had already become the least person to be offended. As for the gentle and beautiful Consort Xuan in front of her, she could not offend her because of the bloodthirsty and arrogant person behind her.
“Is it Consort Xuan and Princess Caifeng’s carriage ahead?” A respectful greeting suddenly came from outside the curtains.
Mo Xuetong gestured at Mo Yu who was sitting at the door.
Mo Yu lifted the curtains and looked at an old maidservant standing outside, answering with a smile, “It’s Her Lady and Princess Caifeng.”
“Our Madam asked me to wait you here. Consort Xuan, please come with me. It’s more convenient to go in there.” The old maidservant did not dare to look around and said politely.
“Thanks to your Madam.” Mo Yu got up and leaned out of the shaft. She sat outside the shaft and drove the carriage out of the long queue. The old maidservant led the horse carriage and took a right to another gate of Mingguo Manor. Just now, Consort Yan’s carriage also went through the gate.
That was the VIP pa.s.sage prepared by Mingguo Manor. Usually, it would not open, but today there were n.o.ble princes’ wives and princesses. No matter how n.o.ble Mingguo Manor was, it could be more honorable than the royal family. Therefore, they sent several neat old maidservants to guard there. When they saw the several princes’ wives, they took them to the gate.
“Who’s ahead? The carriage doesn’t seem to belong to a prince’s manor.” Mo Yu sat on the shaft of the carriage and chatted with the old maidservant. As the carriage turned a corner and went through the gate of Mingguo Manor, she saw a large carriage in the parking lot, and a maidservant was waiting there. She seemed familiar, but when Mo Yu looked carefully at her, she did not recognize who she was. As such, she asked the old maidservant casually.
“Those are the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess. They were a little faster than Consort Xuan’s carriage just now.” The maidservant also saw the large and luxurious horse carriage and said to Mo Yu with a smile.
“Did the two princesses come together?”
“Yeah, I heard that the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess have always had a good relations.h.i.+p. Most of the time, the two of them came together. Of course, they also came together at this time,” the old maidservant introduced, smiling.
When the horse carriage arrived at the destination, Mo Xuetong and Princess Caifeng got off the horse carriage one after the other.
There were not many horse carriages parked inside, but every one of them was s.p.a.cious and luxurious. A few young and old maidservants who did not go in with their master stood by the side. When they saw the horse carriage of King Xuan’s Manor approaching, they all lowered their heads and dropped their shoulders quietly.
Mo Xuetong’s gaze landed on the horse carriage nearest her. There was no special pattern drawn on the horse carriage. The people who came out of the palace refused to draw the palace’s symbol on their horse carriage in order not to expose themselves. The Sixth Princess was known for being approachable, so it was natural that her carriage had no special pattern on it.
The princesses’ carriage had the most maidservants standing beside it. After all, there were two princesses. If each of them left two maidservants behind, there were four. They stood respectfully in front of their own carriages with their heads slightly lowered. Mo Xuetong’s eyes were fixed on a maidservant in a pink coat.
After she cast a careful glance, her lips curved into a faint smile. Then she turned around and walked in with Princess Caifeng.
This maidservant really looked familiar. She did not notice her at first. Mo Yu said those words in order to draw her attention. After getting off the carriage, Mo Xuetong looked at her and immediately recognized that she was the maidservant who had confronted Ling Mingyan on the stairs.
Ling Mingyan looked so aggressive when she went to catch her husband with someone else! However, You Yuecheng handled it in the end!
No wonder the maidservant beside the woman when she saw her that day was also good at martial arts, and her headwear could only be seen in the palace. She was so calm that although Ling Mingyan looked tough, she could still deal with it easily. She then happened to disappear in front of Ling Mingyan. Her means was brilliant.
As for the maidservant in front of him, although she was standing in front of the carriage, her appearance made people feel that she was extraordinary. Was such a girl really just a humble maidservant who could only wait in front of the carriage even if she came to the family banquet with her master? Deliberately leaving such a maidservant was saying something.
Of course, Mo Xuetong would not say anything else right now. After all, it was someone else’s show today. Compared to exposing the maidservant’s ident.i.ty, Mo Xuetong preferred to be silent and watch the show in the dark.
There were a lot of osmanthus flowers in Mingguo Manor. It was the time of autumn, and the osmanthus flowers were fragrant. The breeze blew it gently, which made people feel relaxed and pleasant. The madams and young ladies, who had originally come to see the show, immediately felt that Marquess Mingguo’s wife was not stubbornly arrogant, but was also an elegant person.
There were all kinds of tall osmanthus trees on both sides of the small path near the lake. The wind blew and the delicate fragrance wafted. The osmanthus flowers fell and landed on people’s hair and clothes. However, it gave people a sense of distance. Stepping on the road paved with osmanthus trees and looking at the falling osmanthus flowers in front of her, Mo Xuetong could not help but slow down.
There might be osmanthus flowers in other places, but Mo Xuetong had never seen any place to have so many osmanthus flowers that they could pave an osmanthus way. She reached out to catch a fallen osmanthus flower. The delicate fragrance of the osmanthus flower wafted into her nose and made her feel very comfortable.
“Consort Xuan, there is a pavilion ahead. Shall we go there and have some tea and enjoy the beautiful scenery?” Princess Caifeng did not think that the scenery before her eyes was charming. However, she could tell that Mo Xuetong liked it. Therefore, she pointed at a pavilion not far away and asked. Anyway, it was still early and they would drink tea even if they went in.
“There’s no need. We can just enjoy it as we walk,” Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile.
“My Lady, Your Highness, don’t worry. There are more osmanthus flowers ahead of us. Today our Young Madam will hold the banquet in the Osmanthus Garden. The whole garden is full of osmanthus flowers, and it’s the best time to admire it. It’s already pleasing to the eye before we arrive at the garden. There are also osmanthus flowers falling between the pavilions.”
The old maidservant said with a grin as she pointed to the group of pavilions not far away.
“Is the Osmanthus Garden very large?” Mo Xuetong looked in that direction and asked. Even though that place was exquisite, there were not many raised eaves. There did not seem to be many buildings under the cover of trees. It seemed more exquisite and suitable.
There were so many carriages at the gate just now. Were they all enjoying the flowers over there?