Chapter 345 - The Fifth Princess Plot (2/2)

“Miss, this way.” Mo Ye pulled Mo Xuetong’s sleeve secretly. Sure enough, they saw Shopkeeper Xing talking to a person in the dark corner of the stairs. The person was dressed in a dark robe. But his face was invisible, because he stood in the shadow, facing the crowd diagonally.

“Miss, this is the man. I thought his figure was rather familiar when I noticed him come in. In the past, when Madam asked me to reconcile, I once saw him. I guess he should be a guard or something, because sometimes in the shadow is that man.” He Xia said with certainty.

“Miss, the man is very strong. Please do not come any closer. He is in a good position where he can see others clearly, but others cannot. Obviously, he is vigilant. If you come closer, he will notice you.” Mo Ye said in a low voice, as she pulled Mo Xuetong’s hand and pretended to pull her to see the embroidery beside.

Mo Xuetong pretended to glance unconsciously over the man’s side face, and it was just a common face without any special features. He was thirty years old or so, and anything else about him was rather invisible. The man did choose the right place, as if he had calculated before. He did not reveal any more information, just like a common person talking to Shopkeeper Xing.

“Miss, should we go and see clearly?” He Xia picked up a small embroidered handkerchief, put in front of Mo Xuetong, and asked in a low voice.

“Don’t go there. That person is watching here.” Mo Xuetong looked serious and sensed that there was absolutely a secret in the Xiuning Workshop. The secret was even concealed to Mo Xuetong’s closest maid. So what did her mother try to hide?

Mo Xuetong thought, “It happened more than 30 years ago. Even if my mother was King Jin’s daughter, judging from the mother’s age, she had been born for a short time, or just born. Then, mother fled away as the legitimate daughter of Fu General Manor. But there were no more details later. With mother’s age at that time, she was unable to escape alone.

“If Mother did not escape alone, who helped her? Where was the person? Why have I never seen the person for so many years!”

In other words, there was another possibility, which shocked Mo Xuetong more!

Perhaps, King Jin’s Consort had not died at that time!

If King Jin’s Consort gave birth to Mo Xuetong’s mother during her fleeing, where had she gone later?

The desolate yard flashed inexplicably through Mo Xuetong’s mind. Though deserted, it faced her mother’s yard right, from where it was clear to see every movement in Mother’s room. So, did someone spy on mother, or lean against the window to watch mother tenderly? The thought surged up as tempting as having roots in Mo Xuetong’s mind.

The King Jin’s Consort, Mo Xuetong’s real grandmother, was not dead at the time, but was just hidden.

Because of the mother’s affairs, Mo Xuetong had secretly inquired that when the King Jin rebelled and was sentenced to death by the previous Emperor, the King Jin, the King Jin’s Consort and their daughter at an early age were killed together. It was said that the King Jin’s Consort was pregnant and about to give birth to the baby. So would it be possible that the baby was Mo Xuetong’s mother?

“If my mother could survive at that time, did it mean that the King Jin’s Consort secretly escaped? But how about the King Jin?”

Mo Xuetong glanced at the guard’s face and a chill rose up in her heart. She gripped the handkerchief. Why did her second uncle show her the jade token? Was the current Emperor, Emperor Zongwen, still investigating his uncle’s conspiracy case? Was it the root cause of the fall of Fu General Manor in the last life?

Emperor Zongwen was an excellent king, so why did he still cling to the old case 30 years ago? Since the chief plotters had been executed and no offspring had escaped, why did he bring it to the spotlight now? Emperor Zongwen still cared about the old case, so in the last life, Mo Xuetong’s grandfather’s family was involved. And then, was it the reason that the jade token was needed to be found from the jade flower?

A thread of thought began to emerge.

The former Emperor knew that the King Jin’s Consort had escaped and thought the baby in her belly was a boy, so the former Emperor wanted to cut the weeds and dig up the roots, leaving no chance for hope!

But it was not right. Mo Xuetong thought. Judging from her mother’s words, her mother had been suspected and living in the panic. That is to say, someone investigated what had happened, and even tracked to mother. However, Mother was a woman and posed no threat to the current sovereignty. Why did those people not let go of her?

Mo Xuetong’s mind was in a mess, and she could not give shape to her idea. She wondered what she missed so that she could not find a thread out.

“Miss, that man is leaving!” He Xia pulled Mo Xuetong’s sleeve and said anxiously.

Exactly, after exchanging some words, the man took out of copper coins and handed it to Shopkeeper Xing. And Shopkeeper Xing smiled, took out of cloth bag from the counter and handed it to the man.

Everything seemed normal. And there was nothing unusual. It was just an ordinary business.

The man looked around at the people in the shop and took the cloth bag in hand when seeing n.o.body notice him. Then, he smiled and nodded at Shopkeeper Xing, and strode out.

“Follow him.” Mo Xuetong watched the man walk past her, winked at Mo Ye and said voicelessly.

Mo Ye nodded and followed.

Shopkeeper Xing, like a common businessman, weighed the money bag in his hands and threw it to the accountant, about to leave. But he noticed the girl in front, raised his head and narrowed his eyes. It was hard to see the face under the veil, but a pair of bright and watery eyes.

“Shopkeeper Xing, are you busy? Is there any good embroidery? I come to select some new embroideries. I wonder if it is proper.” A sweet and gentle voice came into the Shopkeeper Xing’s ears.

Shopkeeper Xing could not help tightening himself, and a trace of acridity flashed in his eyes. But he grinned to a wide smile instantly, saluted her and said, “Your Highness, this way, please. There are some new goods. I plan to send some to your manor. And what a coincidence! Your Highness, you come to my shop, and I don’t need to send them now.”

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