Chapter 291 - The Change in the Fu General Manor (1/2)

Politics underwent a large change following that. First, Emperor Zongwen was incensed and immediately sent someone from the inner court to investigate the matter between the two factions. Then, he immediately got rid of the most powerful figures. They were either all killed along with their families or banished from the country. Some were demoted or fired. A large number of positions became empty in court.

The inner cabinet was directly affected by Emperor Zongwen’s ire. They were all fearful and afraid that they would cause even greater trouble should they make the slightest mistake. The three adult princes were all in trouble, especially Emperor Zongwen’s favored son, the eighth prince, King Xuan. He still had not awakened.

Emperor Zongwen unleashed his frustrations and anger on his officials.

King Yan was affected as well. He knelt in the great hall and was harshly berated. He did not even know how a maid in his inner courtyard had died and dared to drink with others. The next time he got that drunk, someone might cut his head off!

King Yan felt that he had been scolded for no reason but did not dare to complain. He knelt in the hall and then was ordered to go home and study. This meant that he could not go anywhere and had to stay at home. If he was to go anywhere and make trouble again, the consequence would not be as simple as this.

King Yan was just collateral damage in this incident.

A huge reversal occurred in court and one could not tell whether Emperor Zongwen was supporting King Yan or King Chu. More and more people stopped to watch.

The trouble out there, however, had nothing much to do with the Mo Manor. Xu Yan finally married into the Mo Manor!

The wedding was very successful. Other than Mo Yufeng behaving like a mad man after drinking too much and saying something, nothing else happened.

Mo Xuetong handed over the household matters to Xu Yan on her second day of marriage. Mo Xuetong could relax and do what an unmarried young woman should do. The matters of the household would have to be handed over to Xu Yan in the end. Even though Xu Yan might not say much right now if Mo Xuetong took charge, it was not right as time pa.s.sed.

Mo Huawen had already portioned out her mother’s dowry for Mo Xuetong. This was her portion and she would manage it herself. After the new year, she would manage that portion. When it finally reached her hands, she realized how great her mother’s dowry was. She had to admit that she had been weak in her past life and there was a reason why Auntie Fang and her daughter had plotted against her.

On the surface, the villages and lands were not shocking. It befitted her mother’s status as the legal daughter of the Fu General’s Manor. It was also said that Fu General Manor doted on their only legal daughter. However, when she looked at the situation carefully, Mo Xuetong realized that there were quite a few mysteries surrounding her mother’s dowry.

For example, there were 10,000 acres of land in her mother’s dowry. This was not especially high amongst n.o.ble ladies. However, if these 20,000 acres of land included ten villages and some of them had hot springs, the significance changed completely. These sorts of holiday villages took up several hundred acres. What was rare was there were hot springs, they were near mountains and waters. They were all very valuable.

However, this was just one part of the dowry. All of these exceptional dowries all meant that her mother’s dowry was very generous. It surpa.s.sed its surface value. Did her grandparents know her mother’s ident.i.ty or did her maternal grandmother prepare this for her mother?

Mo Xuetong could not guess what the truth was. However, when she thought of her past life and how she did not even have silver to give to the servants and had to sell some of her jewelry to maintain the Duke Zhenguo’s Manor, she knew that Auntie Fang had swapped out her dowry.

Those villages had disappeared without her knowing. Now that she thought about it, she was really stupid. She believed when Auntie Fang had said that the lands were a little far, and took her suggestion to sell those and buy new ones. She had thinned out her generous dowry and then, Mo Xuemin had taken away a large chunk of it.

In the end, what was left behind could not even support her. She had never thought how much Auntie Fang had taken from her. She only realized in this life that while she had so much wealth, she had no power to protect it. How could she not have ended up so pathetic in her past life?

Life settled down after Xu Yan married into the Mo Manor. She visited Xu Yan every morning to pay her respects. Then, she would stay in Yanyu House to chat with her before returning to Qingwei Garden to have lunch. After that, she would rest a little. No matter how great the trouble brewing outside was, it did not affect the Mo Manor much.

Mo Xuetong loved those days. However, she did not expect the peaceful days to pa.s.s by just like that.

In the morning, the Fu General Manor sent someone to pick Mo Xuetong up. They said that the Old Madam had fallen ill last night and was making a fuss about seeing her granddaughter.

Mo Xuetong immediately got onto the horse carriage and went to the Fu General Manor. However, it was not her grandmother who was waiting for her in her grandmother’s room, but her second uncle.

“Second Uncle, what happened?” Mo Xuetong’s heart skipped a beat and she asked anxiously when she saw Luo Bin’s expression. She thought of how her grandmother was getting old. Did something… Her hands shook slightly.

“There’s nothing wrong with your grandmother, she just caught a cold. She just took her medicine and went to bed.” Luo Bing frowned. His expression was grave as he looked at Mo Xuetong with his deep dark eyes. He pointed at the room to their right and said, “Tong’er, let’s speak there.”

He wanted to avoid others! Her second uncle had tried to stop others from watching them and used her grandmother’s name to get her here. There must be something going on, and it was something that he could not speak with others. Mo Xuetong suddenly thought of her mother’s background and her eyes darkened. She followed Luo Bin into the room at right.

The room on the right was not large. Mo Xuetong followed Luo Bin into it. She sat down on a chair while Luo Bin sat near the window. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon him. It cast a shadow on his face, making it hard to see his expression. His gaze landed on Mo Xuetong and there seemed to be something in his look.

“Tong’er, the betrothal your mother made for you…” He said with some difficulty as if he had not known what to say. Then, he reached out to touch his head, creases appearing on his forehead.