On the other side of the story, while Mo Yunzhu was at Lan Wangfu, back at Mo Dajiangjunfu, in Mo Huaiqing’s Caixia Yuan.
The courtyard was filled with kneeling maids and servants, their faces tense and trembling as they listened to the continuous clattering and crashing sounds coming from the main room.
Ever since the Second Young Miss returned from the master and mistress’s quarters, she had been smashing things nonstop, as if she had gone mad.
Suddenly, someone rushed in from outside—it was Qin Shitu, the son of the general’s steward, Steward Qin.
“Second Young Miss! Second Young Miss!” Qin Shitu immediately pounded on the door of the main room and called out.
Mo Huaiqing, her eyes swollen red like walnuts, opened the door at once. Seeing Qin Shitu, she let him in, closed the door behind them, and asked urgently, “Has His Highness the Crown Prince sent me a message?”
“Yes.” Qin Shitu immediately handed a letter to Mo Huaiqing.
Mo Huaiqing was somewhat excited as she opened it, but suddenly she froze. Then, she clenched the letter tightly in her hands, her pretty face twisting into a terrifying expression.
“Second Young Miss, what’s wrong? What did His Highness say?” Qin Shitu asked anxiously, sensing something amiss.
“Back then, I asked His Highness if he would marry me as Taizifei if my sister weren’t in the picture, and he agreed without hesitation. Hah! Now he says he can only marry me as Cefei? And he even says he’ll soon be selecting a new Taizifei!”
“What! How could His Highness the Crown Prince do this?” Qin Shitu exclaimed angrily. “What is it about the Second Young Miss that falls short of the Eldest Young Miss? You are also the legitimate daughter of the general’s household—why can’t you be Taizifei?”
“How dare he!” Mo Huaiqing was nearly driven mad. She crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it fiercely onto the ground.
Qin Shitu quickly picked it up, walked to the side, and tossed it into the incense burner to burn it away.
“Second Young Miss, what do we do now? The master and mistress are also helping you choose a husband.”
Mo Huaiqing paced back and forth, her hands twisting nervously as if she were considering something. After a long while, she finally looked up.
“My parents don’t want me to marry into Taizifu, but I will do exactly that. If the Crown Prince won’t let me be Taizifei, then I will become Taizifei no matter what! Let’s see who can stop me!” Mo Huaiqing’s eyes were filled with scheming and ruthless determination.
“That’s right! The Second Young Miss is so beautiful and clever—you should be Taizifei, the future Qingyun Huanghou.”
As he spoke, Qin Shitu walked behind Mo Huaiqing and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Mo Huaiqing stiffened slightly, her eyes filled with disdain, but when she turned around, her expression had already shifted to one of shy smiles.
“My parents forced me into this, and the Crown Prince forced me into this. Then don’t blame me for being ruthless! Shitu, you must help me. Once I become Taizifei, you can stay by my side forever.”
Mo Huaiqing leaned into Qin Shitu, her hands tracing circles on his chest as she lifted her pretty face and spoke with tender affection.
Qin Shitu was instantly stirred, his body stiffening and his face flushing red. “Of course! Whatever the Second Young Miss commands, Shitu will brave all dangers and never refuse!”
“I knew you were the only one who truly cared about me.” Mo Huaiqing hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder, and continued, “I need to meet the master of Wanyaoge. My father must have people watching me. Help me arrange it without anyone knowing. Tell the master that I agree to help him obtain what he wanted before.”
Qin Shitu’s ears burned hot, his entire body filled with impulsive desire, but he dared not act recklessly. He simply savored the moment of holding the beauty in his arms.
“Alright, I’ll arrange it as soon as possible,” Qin Shitu said. “By the way, Second Miss, does the Crown Prince know about your feelings for the eldest miss…”
Mo Huaiqing pushed him away and sneered, “So what if he knows? Could he still want Mo Yunzhu? He wouldn’t dare expose me either. If things were to blow up, his carefully crafted image of being childhood sweethearts with Mo Yunzhu, deeply devoted and affectionate, would crumble.”
“Now, rumors outside say the Crown Prince is devastated and depressed because of the eldest miss.”
“Hah, just putting on an act of devotion to gain everyone’s sympathy. By the way, go and find out if the Crown Prince has taken a liking to someone else?” A hint of ruthlessness and jealousy flashed in Mo Huaiqing’s eyes.
She knew she couldn’t become the Taizifei; it must be because the Crown Prince had grown tired of her and had set his sights on some other young lady of equal status.
A Cefei? If it were just a Cefei position, would Mo Huaiqing have given herself to him at the age of fifteen? And carried on a secret affair for half a year?
However, she knew she couldn’t have a child before marriage, so she drank Bizitang after every encounter. After all these sacrifices and grievances, now the Crown Prince actually wants her to be a Cefei?
And one of three Cefeis at that?
Mo Huaiqing’s heart burned with hatred!
The Emperor had seventeen sons, nine of whom were adults, and three more were nearly sixteen.
She, the legitimate second daughter of the General’s Manor, had just turned sixteen. Accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework—more like a proper young lady of noble birth than Mo Yunzhu—couldn’t she marry any prince as his principal wife? Must she become one of the Crown Prince’s Cefeis? Endure the Taizifei’s disdain?
“Alright, I’ll go and find out. Second Miss, don’t be angry. Shitu will always be by your side.” Seeing her filled with such hatred and resentment, Qin Shitu’s heart ached for her.
Only then did Mo Huaiqing’s hostility fade, and she smiled gently at Qin Shitu. “Shitu, thank you. Without you, I truly wouldn’t know what to do.”
With that, she offered her red lips, planting a quick kiss on his mouth before pulling away. “Go take care of things. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Qin Shitu grinned foolishly, reaching up to touch his lips, his face flushing completely red.
“Yes, yes, I’ll go right away.” Overwhelmed by excitement and embarrassment, Qin Shitu practically fled in a panic.
Thus, he didn’t see the look of utter disgust and contempt Mo Huaiqing directed at his retreating back.
Meanwhile, in Xuanji Yuan of Lan Wangfu.
Mo Yunzhu wanted to perform acupuncture on Jun Huolan, but it required him to strip completely naked, as the poison had spread throughout his entire body.
Jun Huolan flatly refused, his sickly face filled with resistance.
“Your Highness, I’m a physician. What haven’t I seen? Besides, you’re as thin as a plucked chicken, pale with a bluish tint, like a corpse. What’s there even to look at?”
Mo Yunzhu had already laid out her silver needles, but Jun Huolan still hadn’t taken off his clothes. She had no choice but to provoke him.
“You…” Jun Huolan was infuriated.
“Your Highness, treating your illness is urgent,” Haojiang said awkwardly before joining in the persuasion.
Jun Huolan shot Haojiang an annoyed glance, then closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and removed his clothes. Haojiang quickly helped him pull down his trousers as well.
Mo Yunzhu watched as Jun Huolan’s handsome face instantly flushed crimson, as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his cheeks.
However, when she saw the scars covering his entire body, she was shocked.
There were no scars above his chest, which was why she hadn’t seen any when he had exposed that area earlier.
But below his chest, scars were everywhere—on his waist, abdomen, both legs, feet, front and back. Some were deep and prominent, while others were fainter.
Mo Yunzhu’s mood instantly turned gloomy. She believed Jun Huolan’s revenge was necessary.
If it were her, she would repay it tenfold, a hundredfold!
However, to her surprise, although Jun Huolan appeared overall thin, his figure was actually quite good—he even had abdominal muscles, and his legs were straight and muscular, exuding a sense of strength, completely unlike a weakling. It seemed this was related to his martial arts training.
As for the critical area, Mo Yunzhu glanced at it, her heart trembling, but she maintained an expressionless face and first covered it horizontally with his robe.
“I’m about to begin. Relax,” Mo Yunzhu said calmly, holding the silver needle.
Jun Huolan relaxed his body, slowly opened his eyes, and saw Mo Yunzhu’s gloomy expression. He exchanged a glance with Haojiang.