Chapter 205 - The Legendary Qinglin Academy (2/2)

Qinglin Academy was in the north-western side of the capital. The Mo Manor was also in the northern area of the capital and was not too far away from the academy. It took just an hour by horse carriage.

Mo Xuetong did not know what time the Qin meeting was since it was her first time attending it. As such, she went there earlier. When she reached Qinglin Academy, she realized that there were already dozens of horse carriages parked outside the doors. The first carriage was beautiful and luxurious. One look at it and one could tell that it was no ordinary horse carriage. Mo Xuetong’s sharp eyes found the insignia of the royal family on it. She could not help but frown slightly. Which Princess did the carriage belong to?

Some young ladies who were dressed up nicely were at the entrance, getting off their carriages daintily. Mo Xuetong’s horse carriage stopped and she got off the horse carriage. She heard a loud female voice, “Isn’t that Third Miss Mo! Are you here for the Qin meeting as well?”

Mo Xuetong sighed when she heard the arrogant voice that had a hint of a challenge in it. She turned around and looked. It was indeed Ling Rui’er. The Fifth Princess was standing beside her.

“Princess, Third Miss Mo here is very well-known. She was really wild when she talked about her elder sister a few days ago.” Ling Rui’er introduced Mo Xuetong. She was a distant cousin of the Fifth Princess. When she saw Mo Xuetong’s delicate beauty, she grew more and more displeased. As such, she started to frame Mo Xuetong.

The Fifth Princess sized up Mo Xuetong with a sullen face. One could not tell if she was happy or angry.

“How dare you. You should greet the Princess.” A palace maid who was dressed luxuriously and did not look like a palace maid at all yelled sharply.

“Greetings, Fifth Princess.” Mo Xuetong sighed and curtsied deeply.

“So you’re Mo Xuetong. Were you the one who had once said that Second Miss Ling’s looks were average without feeling ashamed?” A flash of coldness appeared in the Fifth Princess’ eyes as she spoke coldly to Mo Xuetong.

“I do not dare to twist your comment. I fear that Third Miss Ling had heard wrongly.” Mo Xuetong said lightly. The Fifth Princess did not allow her to rise, so she remained in a low curtsy. She looked at the ground graciously. She did not want to fight with the Princess with her status.

“How could I have heard wrongly? You were the one who said that my elder sister looked average and that she was in a tussle with the two Princes and their relations.h.i.+p was ambiguous.” Ling Rui’er said loudly. She looked at Mo Xuetong in a pleased manner. There was no one here to help Mo Xuetong today. She was going to see what Mo Xuetong would do today.

There was a flash of anger on the Fifth Princess’ face when she saw Mo Xuetong’s distant expression. She laughed coldly, “Mo Xuetong, how dare you slander my elder brothers. You have slandered the name of the royal family. How dare you. Kneel down!”

“I have never once said something like that. If the Fifth Princess does not believe me, you can speak to the young ladies present that day. I never expected that a fair person like Third Miss Ling would lie and bully others. I wonder if Third Miss Ling will speak so confidently when you see the other young ladies again?” Mo Xuetong retorted and smiled lightly at Ling Rui’er.

However, she still knelt. The Fifth Princess was the legal daughter of the Empress. She had no choice but to kneel.

The stone floor was icy cold and there was a layer of frost on it. The coldness seeped through her knees and into her bones. But she was not in the mood to care now. Her skirt was dirtied and her legs were cold. All of this did not matter. What was most important right now was that she had to bear it!

Ling Rui’er flushed when she heard that. She seemed rather uneasy. When she thought that a few of the young ladies would be present as well, she was speechless.

“Mo Xuetong, I heard that your reputation was bad in Cloud City. You bullied your Auntie, and frame your half-sisters when you returned to the capital. You are great. I heard that you are the only daughter in the manor that remained unscathed. Were you the one who plotted everything?” The Fifth Princess was steadied by the palace maid. There was a hint of laughter on her face, but the smile made one feel cold.

The other young ladies in the distance saw what was happening and knew that the Fifth Princess was berating someone. They did not dare to say much and looked at each other before entering the Academy. The Fifth Princess was just as arrogant as King Xuan.

“Rumors cannot be believed. If I have done anything bad, my father, who is the magistrate of the capital, would not allow such a vicious woman to stay in his home. He would definitely lock up the vicious person for the safety and peace of the family.” Mo Xuetong said calmly with her head low. The people who were locked up were Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang. It was obvious who the vicious ones were.

The Fifth Princess felt extremely jealous and hateful when she saw how Mo Xuetong answered her calmly. Her eyes were clear and beautiful despite her kneeling there. She thought about how such beauty would definitely cause nations to fall in a few more years and felt like tearing the beautiful face apart. She smiled coldly and said, “You reprimanded Second Miss Ling. That is already being disrespectful. And you pay so much attention to my royal brothers. Do you want to marry them? If so, Mother has talked about you before. I can help you let her know. However, you can at most just be a concubine with your status.”

Mo Xuetong’s head buzzed. All the blood in her body rushed up to her mind.

The Empress had mentioned her? Why did she mention her? During the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the Empress had summoned her. If not for the Princess Royal meeting her, the Empress would have already met her. Also, she later heard that the young ladies who went to meet the Empress were all given similar gifts to hers.

The young ladies were all from prominent families. The Empress was interested in getting more imperial consorts for Emperor Zongwen!

Was the Empress interested in making her an imperial consort as well? But why did she not act in the end!

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