Chapter 89: Discussing Others
Night enveloped the land.
Patrolling soldiers passed steadily along the street outside the alley.
After several days of continuous searches, no more Sun clan remnants were found, and daily life gradually recovered.
Sounds of chopping wood and mincing meat came from the alley, with fragrant aromas scattering in the winter night.
“Is it safe to come out?” Zhang Sheng You asked in a low voice, glancing at the courtyard gate.
Mo Zheng sat by the stove fire: “Wei Jiao is not in the capital city. The others watching Duke Ding’an’s Mansion and here are not to be feared; they won’t discover me.”
“The news says Wei Jiao went to escort the Wei family members. It seems he believed what you said earlier, Young Master.” Tao Hua said.
The Young Master’s words were tightly linked and perfectly reasonable, so it was no surprise that Wei Jiao believed them.
What was strange was.
“Why is he still covering up your murder? What does he mean by this?”
Now everyone thinks it was Wei Jiao and the Embroidered Uniform Guards who killed the villain.
Even if Wei Jiao left in a hurry, it was impossible for him to have no chance to tell the government, or even tell His Majesty the truth.
So, Wei Jiao definitely had no intention of saying anything.
“Why is he so… good to you, Young Master?”
Tao Hua didn’t know how to describe it.
The Young Master had already decided not to hide his kung fu skills for killing; no one in the capital city knew her identity as Yang Luo, and no one could verify if she had practiced martial arts since childhood.
Then there would be interrogation by the government, wariness from Duke Ding’an’s Mansion’s people, and as a lady-in-waiting for a princess, strict investigation by His Majesty and the Empress, and a series of other troubles.
But unexpectedly, Wei Jiao didn’t say anything, defaulting that the villain died by his hand, directly sparing the Young Master trouble.
Because they had a narrow encounter in Zhao County earlier, afterward the Young Master had them carefully inquire about Wei Jiao’s affairs; this mad and unpredictable man.
“Good to me?” Mo Zheng said with a laugh, “Isn’t he good to himself? He got merit for free.”
Tao Hua chided: “He doesn’t care about merit.”
Mo Zheng exclaimed twice: “Sister Tao Hua has already become Wei Jiao’s confidante.”
“No big no small.” Tao Hua tapped Mo Zheng’s head with the back of the knife, “Teasing me again!”
Zhang Sheng You watched the two laughing and playing beside him, also smiling, pouring the braising ingredients into the pot and stirring vigorously.
“He doesn’t care about merit, so he doesn’t care about this matter with me.” Mo Zheng continued, “He’s not being good to me or trusting me; on the contrary, he distrusts me more. He knows I have something strange about me. Since I dared to kill, if he exposes that I have kung fu and killed someone, I would have a way to cope, so he simply doesn’t expose it. He’s just watching me, waiting for my next move, until he catches my real secret.”
Zhang Sheng You frowned: “Then isn’t this very dangerous?”
After all, this “Miss Yang” really had another identity. The Young Master would encounter not just this one attack; next time those people came back strongly and truly ran into Wei Jiao, it would be disastrous.
Mo Zheng smiled: “Danger can sometimes offset danger. With such a dangerous person watching me, others who want to cause me danger won’t find it convenient to act; they won’t dare to move lightly.”
Wei Jiao’s reputation was very useful.
It could make patrolling soldiers stop and not inquire at a murder scene, and also let her move freely among the girls.
At this point, Mo Zheng stretched lazily.
After this incident, whether it was those aiming at the previous dynasty prince or those aiming at Miss Yang, none dared to move lightly; she could be at peace for a while.
“By the way, tomorrow we have the Libationer’s class.” She said with beaming smiles.
Today she went out in male disguise; Zhang Sheng You and Tao Hua saw the youth’s eyebrows sparkling, and couldn’t help but laugh.
Tao Hua chopped the meat hard and muttered: “Why does the Young Master like reading so much? I get a headache just seeing those words.”
Mo Zheng smiled without speaking; if everything in the world gave you a headache, the words in books could give you endless comfort.
……
…….
“Father Emperor saw us again today!”
“We were originally waiting outside and weren’t allowed in.”
“But Father Emperor heard the Libationer was giving us class, so he called us in to instruct us.”
In the brightly lit Imperial Consort’s Palace, Princess Wuyang excitedly recounted.
Imperial Consort Li interrupted her: “How was your lady-in-waiting today?”
Princess Wuyang was stunned, then annoyed: “Mother Consort, I’m talking about important matters. Father Emperor saw me, but you don’t ask what Father Emperor said; why ask about a lady-in-waiting?”
Imperial Consort Li smiled and explained: “I’m just curious. After all, this Miss Yang saw the treason villain with her own eyes.”
Although unhappy that Mother Consort cared about another young lady, Princess Wuyang understood that Mother Consort was bored in the deep palace and couldn’t help being curious about such things, so she simply recounted how Miss Yang from the Yang family had described it in the school hall.
Imperial Consort Li listened very attentively, her expression shifting to surprise or realization as the story went on.
“So, those villains were taken out by Wei Jiao and the Embroidered Uniform Guards at the time.” She said, nodding, “No wonder Miss Yang from the Yang family wasn’t injured; the Embroidered Uniform Guards are indeed formidable. The villains were no match for them.”
Princess Wuyang was animated: “Exactly, A Jiao is amazing.” At this, she was dissatisfied again, “A Jiao too, why did he save them? He let them boast for nothing. Miss Yang from the Yang family didn’t look afraid at all, only joyful at being saved by A Jiao. I think she’d be content even dying by the villain’s hand.”
Imperial Consort Li seemed thoughtful.
“Yes, why was Wei Jiao there?” She looked at Princess Wuyang and pressed, “Does he interact with Miss Yang from the Yang family?”
Princess Wuyang didn’t like hearing this and said angrily: “How could A Jiao interact with her! A Jiao doesn’t even know who she is! I introduced her to A Jiao, and even after the introduction, he didn’t glance at her more!”
Imperial Consort Li pressed her forehead to stop her daughter’s chatter: “Alright, alright, I know. I’m just curious how Wei Jiao appeared so coincidentally. What was he doing there in the middle of the night?”
Princess Wuyang was even more displeased: “I don’t know.”
A Jiao hadn’t told her.
But she quickly became happy again.
“But A Jiao didn’t tell Princess Pingcheng either. When Miss Yang from the Yang family spoke then, Princess Pingcheng also looked surprised.”
At this, she laughed heartily.
“So Wei Jiao doesn’t tell her everything either.”
Imperial Consort Li smiled: “Wei Jiao is working for His Majesty after all; how could he tell a princess everything? You’re not the Crown Prince.”
Exactly, exactly. Though Princess Pingcheng was arrogant before them, she was meek before the Prince of Donghai. Princess Wuyang nodded, no interest in mentioning those two eyeballs’ darlings, the Emperor and Empress.
Better to continue talking about herself.
“Father Emperor said we should listen carefully to the Libationer’s lecture. I’ve thought about it; if the Libationer asks questions, I’ll definitely answer before Princess Pingcheng, so…”
“How does Princess Pingcheng treat your companion reader?” Imperial Consort Li thought of something and interrupted to ask, “Does she bully her?”
Princess Wuyang choked: “Mother Consort, am I your daughter or is that Miss Yang from the Yang family? Why do you keep asking about her all evening? Do you like her that much? Shall I bring her in for you to question thoroughly?”
Imperial Consort Li’s eyes lit up, looking at her daughter: “That’s indeed good. I should meet your lady-in-waiting—”
How did Mother Consort become like this? Princess Wuyang shouted angrily, “I’m never speaking to you again—” and ran out.
Imperial Consort Li hurriedly rose to call her; the palace maids panicked to stop her, and the palace became noisy in the night.
……
……
Compared to the liveliness in the Imperial Consort’s Palace, the Empress’s Palace was very serene.
Princess Pingcheng was also talking about the Libationer’s class tomorrow; the Empress listened while trimming plum blossoms, not prying much into her daughter’s studies.
“For the first class, the Libationer will probably lecture simply. Don’t be impatient; listen carefully.” She only instructed.
Princess Pingcheng nodded: “I know.” Then she smiled again, “I truly read for reading, not to curry favor with Father Emperor.”
This referred to those two younger sisters.
The Empress’s hand holding the shears paused.
“Then, the Misses Yang from the Yang family—how do they treat you?” She asked.
Princess Pingcheng was stunned, originally thinking the Empress suddenly stopped to ask about those two younger sisters, which was already rare. Mother Empress never paid attention to the imperial concubines or other princesses and princes, never mentioning them.
Unexpectedly, it wasn’t asking about the two princesses, but about the princess’s lady-in-waiting.
This was even more unexpected.
Was Mother Empress worried these two Misses Yang from the Yang family would bother her like Yang Hui?
“Them.” Princess Pingcheng smiled, “They don’t yet qualify to attend to me.”
Yang Hui was one she had proposed, but those two Misses Yang from the Yang family were bestowed by Father Emperor as ladies-in-waiting to Wuyang and Nangong, having nothing to do with her. She didn’t care about them, and they had no qualification to approach her.
The Empress glanced at her: “That’s good. Ignore them.”
With that, she lowered her head, picked up the shears, and snipped the plum branch.
Princess Pingcheng looked at the plum branch full of buds falling to the ground, slightly stunned.
As Empress, Mother Empress didn’t need to curry favor or worry about anyone; those she didn’t like, she didn’t mention or pay attention to, not even giving them an extra glance.
But to specifically mention dislike for someone
That meant not just dislike, but loathing.
“Yes.” Princess Pingcheng nodded, “Daughter understands.
