It was the desolate season of autumn when the Peony Garden was the most deserted. Fortunately, even though the Peony Garden was famous for peonies, there were also other flowers. Mo Xuetong had especially chosen a pavilion beside a lotus pond to meet with Miss Cai Rong. They had not seen each other for some time and Miss Cai Rong looked good. When she heard Mo Xuetong’s arrival, she hurriedly put down the watering pot in her hand and followed Mo Lan to the waterside pavilion.
Seeing Cai Rong come in, Mo Xuetong politely invited her to take a seat.
While looking at the lotus pond outside the pavilion, the two of them started to chat leisurely.
“Miss Cai Rong, what do you think of the lotus flowers in this pond? How is it compared to the lotus flowers in Jiangnan?” Mo Xuetong asked with a casual smile.
Miss Cai Rong relaxed when she saw that Mo Xuetong did not put on airs. She had been living a good life these days. She did not even dare to think about such a peaceful life in the past, so she was very grateful to Mo Xuetong. Upon hearing her question, she nodded hurriedly and answered, “My Lady, the lotus flowers in this garden are very beautiful. I rarely see such beautiful flowers in my hometown.”
Mo Xuetong turned around and asked gently and sincerely, “Miss Cai Rong, do you like this place?”
“I love it very much. Thank you, My Lady, for letting me stay here,” Miss Cai Rong replied very gratefully. Although she was inexplicably kept here by Young Master Li, it was Consort Xuan who made the decision. She also knew that it was Consort Xuan who asked her to stay here.
“Miss Cai Rong, you don’t have to be so polite. Have you ever thought of finding your own parents in the future and finding your origin?” Mo Xuetong poked her body out and reached out to the outside of the waterside pavilion. Then she picked a lotus flower and sniffed it before she turned to ask Cai Rong with a sweet smile on her face.
To find her origin? Cai Rong’s expression darkened. It was not that she did not want to find her origin; she had spent money to find her origin. However, no matter how hard she tried, she didn’t get any answer. As she grew older, she gradually gave up this thought. At this question, her eyes became moist and she avoided Mo Xuetong’s gaze.
“My Lady, people like me will be more contemptible if they find their origin? I will only bring shame to my parents and ancestors. How could I try to find my origin? Just take the young Cai Rong as dead in the past!”
Living in a brothel was a disgrace to her ancestors. At this moment, Cai Rong just wanted to completely forget the past. She didn’t want to think about it anymore. Let bygones be bygones.
Mo Xuetong went silent for a moment, but she still asked softly, “Miss Cai Rong, don’t you miss your parents and relatives. Maybe they have been looking for you all the time.” Her eyes landed on Cai Rong’s sad face. When she saw that Cai Rong was trying hard to hold back her tears, she felt bitter for no reason. Then she quickly turned her head to hide the tears in the corner of her eyes.
Even though she did not want to disgrace her ancestors, Mo Xuetong’s question raised infinite hope in Miss Cai Rong’s heart. She stood up excitedly and her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Mo Xuetong expectantly. Her body trembled and she asked, “My, my parents, are, are they still alive?”
After searching for so many years, she became discouraged, but after all, blood was thicker than water. How could Cai Rong’s heart not beat wildly at this moment?
“They, they have died a long time ago.” Mo Xuetong did not want to upset Cai Rong who had a hopeful look in her eyes. However, that was the truth. Her parents had already died back then, leaving behind two helpless daughters who had even been separated!
“Th-they have been dead!” Cai Rong fell heavily on the seat, and the tears in the corners of her eyes could not be held back any longer and fell down. She covered her face with a handkerchief, and choked with sobs. “When I was young, others were raised by their parents, but I grew up in a brothel. Although I had studied lyre-playing, chess, poetry, and books, I learned them because the procuress wanted more money. People around me only care about money. I can only feel my father’s love in dreams.”
“When I slowly grew up and became capable, I began to look for them. I wanted to ask them why they were so cruel to throw their own daughter into that kind of place. How could they do such a thing? How could there be such a father in the world? At that time, my heart was filled with hatred and expectation. I hoped that one day, they would appear and tell me that they were forced to do that at that time.”
“But what I waited for was disappointment after disappointment. Originally, I no longer had any hope in this life. I just thought that I was dead when I was a child. Then, the sufferings and pain I went through later were just another person’s experience. I was just a bystander. But now, now, they, I…”
Cai Rong cried so hard that she couldn’t even speak. She sobbed and wiped her tears with her handkerchief. She felt so much pain that she couldn’t even control herself.
Mo Xuetong also choked up and her eyes reddened. She did not expect Miss Cai Rong to have such a relationship with Feng Yuran. Consort Xian, who had always been known as the He family’s daughter, was deeply grateful to the He family. The fact that she had become the He family’s adopted daughter was a tragedy that the He family had plotted.
A disaster had caused a complete family to be separated. The parents had died, the elder girl had disappeared, and the younger girl had been taken away. From then on, there was no chance for them to meet again. All of this was due to the He family’s selfishness, ruthlessness, and cruelty.
Consort Xian’s surname was indeed He. Her family was comfortably-off and had two daughters. The eldest daughter had been beautiful since she was a child. The neighbors all praised her, saying that the He family had a beautiful daughter. They thought that she would be rich and powerful in the future and might become an imperial concubine. In this way, her whole family would be more wealthy and powerful.
This was supposed to be a joke, and He Suxian’s parents also took it as a joke. After all, when they heard people praising their daughter, they were happy, but no one took it seriously. Their daughter was only eight or nine years old then, and was still a child, so why should they think about that kind of thing? Children had their own happiness. What would happen in the future depended on her luck.
However, when He Suxian’s parents didn’t care, it didn’t mean that others didn’t care. The He family, which was in the same sect as He Suxian’s parents, saw her and found that she was not only beautiful, but also smart and gentle. If such a girl was sent to the palace, she might be seen by the Emperor.
It was at that time that the He family had such an idea. But no matter what they thought, the girl was the daughter of another family. None of their own daughters could compare with her. Even if one or two of their own daughters looked beautiful, they were not as pretty as her. They thought that it would be great if He Suxian was their daughter.
If she could enter the palace and gain the Emperor’s favor, they could enjoy untold glory and wealth!
With this idea in mind, they began to think of a way. Then, they colluded with robbers who went down the mountain and killed He Suxian’s parents. Her parents died in that disaster. Her little sister, who had just been born, also disappeared. He Suxian, who was still a child, was adopted by her eldest uncle’s family. Others would only say that the He family was kind and adopted an orphan girl.
Who knew that the murder was all caused by the He family behind the scenes? Their purpose was to get He Suxian and send her to the imperial palace so that the He family could enjoy the wealth and glory. And from then on, the He family also developed the habit of adopting beautiful girls. Of course, the girls they later adopted were young prost.i.tutes in brothels.
He Yufen, He Yuxiu, and He Suzhao all came from those places. The He family did not dare to murder others again and again. As such, the matter was buried so deeply that no one knew about it now. If He Yufen had not gone to the He family, and investigated this matter on purpose under Mo Xuetong’s instructions, she would not have deduced the truth from what Old Master He said when he was drunk.
Otherwise, no one would ever know about this.
Mo Xuetong believed that in the past life, Feng Yuran must have known about it. That was why he had gotten back at the He family in such a fierce manner and gone to the Southern Barbarian Lands in a desperate mood. He did not even care what Emperor Zongwen wanted him to do the most. First, it was Consort Xian’s matter, and then, it was Consort Xian’s birth parents. All these matters had hurt Feng Yuran again and again and stabbed daggers in his heart.
Even if he killed them in the hall, so what? Mo Xuetong felt that even if all the He family members died in front of her, she would not blink her eyes. How could they be so vicious? How could they stain their way to wealth with others’ blood for personal gain? There was no need to keep the He family.
However, in this life, she did not want Feng Yuran to be so desperate. So, she hid the matter from him.
The He family had completely cut off all ties with Feng Yuran. Furthermore, they had declined because of Consort Zhao. It would not be a problem to kill the He family in the future. However, it would definitely not be Feng Yuran to do that. There were some things that the He family did not dare to reveal, and Mo Xuetong did not want them to reveal them.
Therefore, some things could only be carried out in the dark.
Mo Xuetong had already sent people to Jiangnan when she got He Yufen’s letter. She had to take revenge. The hatred for killing He Suxian’s parents was irreconcilable. Furthermore, there was so much blood involved. After experiencing the tragedy of her past life, Mo Xuetong would no longer think that she was a soft-hearted person.
She could not remain calm when she thought of how Feng Yuran had lost his mother since he was a child and how Consort Xian trusted the He family but did not discover that the He family was the real murderer of her parents even before she died. The He family was so vicious that she would not spare them.
However, she did not want Feng Yuran to fall into a dejected state because of this matter. She did not want those who were looking at him covetously to use this as an excuse to attack Feng Yuran. The situation in the capital had been changing recently. Even though Feng Yuran was extremely smart, he had to be careful. Sometimes, he would only come back to sleep late at night. Mo Xuetong saw it and felt pain in her heart.
Miss Cai Rong should be Consort Xian’s lost younger sister. However, after so many years, Mo Xuetong would not say it rashly. Even if she would say it, it would not be the best time. Besides, she had to hide Miss Cai Rong well. She could not allow others to discover the inside story and expose the relationship between Feng Yuran and Cai Rong.
It was bad for Consort Xian’s and Feng Yuran’s reputation.
Therefore, she came here specially to ask Miss Cai Rong so as to see what kind of person this woman was. In this way, she could decide what to do next.
Now, seeing how sad Miss Cai Rong was, she couldn’t help but feel sad and shed a few drops of tears.
After a long time, Miss Cai Rong wiped away her tears and asked sadly, “My Lady, how did you know about my story?”
“His Highness investigated a case of robbery and found that those people had committed a b.l.o.o.d.y crime. At that time, all the adults of that family were dead, their money was stolen, and their youngest daughter was sold to a brothel. Later, I found out that it happened to be the one where you were sold!” Mo Xuetong told her part of the story.
“Are those people all dead now?”
“Yes, such sinful people had been beheaded at that time!” Mo Xuetong said softly. “What are you going to do in the future, Miss Cai Rong?”
“I… I don’t know either. I just want to live a quiet life for the rest of my life,” Cai Rong answered in a hoa.r.s.e voice. Her eyes were filled with sadness. Her parents, whom she had been searching for so many years, had already pa.s.sed away. Was there anything more desperate than this? She stood up slowly, walked up to Mo Xuetong, and was about to kneel.
Mo Xuetong hurriedly stood up and helped her up. Then she said sincerely, “Miss Cai Rong, if you need anything, just say it. If I can help, I will definitely do it.”
