Too high to reach

Chapter 186 Providing Strong Support
"Your Highness!" Mo Rushan led everyone in bowing.

"Let's go inside and talk!" Li Jing's voice was deep and steady.

Fathers-in-law, uncles... none of them could put on any airs in front of him; they all bowed and scraped.

Mo Rushan glanced at his second brother, who was standing beside Mo Yi. "What's the big deal? The fact that the Prince is accompanying Mo Yi on her homecoming... that shows how influential this girl is. What else do you have to worry about?"
Look at this girl! She really has the air of a princess, tsk! To this day, I still don't understand what's going on.

Inside the house, the women, dressed in their finest attire, stood to one side, while Mo Wen and Mo Yuan carefully examined Mo Yi... Hmm, she seemed to be doing very well.

Mo Wen's thoughts were complicated, while Mo Yuan was overjoyed: she would soon be a guest at the Prince's mansion, and might even stay for a while! Could she go for the New Year? She wanted to wear that...

Mo Ruhai and Wang Shi, who was dressed in very rich attire, sat at the head of the table.

Mo Yi knelt down to offer tea.

Even the Mohists didn't dare to set up a prayer mat for Li Jing; they certainly wouldn't dare accept his kneeling.

Li Jing simply stood there and bowed deeply, saying, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law."

The sound of that cry, coupled with that bow, made Wang feel uneasy. She forced an exaggerated smile, unsure how to respond.

"My dear son-in-law, no need for formalities! Yi Yi, please get up." Mo Ruhai was more composed.

Mo Ruhai had meticulously prepared the gift for their first meeting, searching through his collection of treasures. He even wrote a poem linking the gift to his daughter's upcoming marriage. Wang Shi disapproved and wanted to offer her own fine gift, but Mo Ruhai refused.

"I'm just expressing my feelings, not trying to save face!"

The gift Mo Rushan gave was a military treatise from an unknown era, of questionable quality and rather unusual. Li Jing clearly valued it highly, even flipping through it, which was quite a show of respect.

Then, they greeted each other one by one. Li Jing was gentle and patient. Of course, no one dared to waste words with him.

He smiled and nodded to the two sons-in-law of the Mo family, showing goodwill. With Xu Ke… the two hadn't spoken before. But Li Jing knew the Xu family, so they chatted a bit more.

Xu Ke answered Li Jing's questions with ease and chatted amiably. His demeanor and bearing were far superior to those of the previous two sons-in-law!
Mo Wen watched with immense pride.

With so many happy events, Mo Da was in high spirits and behaved politely and well in front of Li Jing.

"Mo Fan, how have you been lately?" Li Jing knew that this guy had the best relationship with his wife.

"Your Highness, everything is going smoothly. Master is taking good care of Mo Fan. There will be an assessment after the New Year, but he should be fine!"

"Okay, just say what you need." Then, Li Jing saw the calligraphy.

Tsk, this little guy: delicate features, red lips, chubby and fair skin, glowing face—he looks very well-nourished and quite cheerful.

...I have a good impression of it.

As a result, Mo Xiaobao became the person Li Jing talked to the most, and even asked him about his studies.

Mo Xiaobao has two great loves in life: reading and eating. So when asked by the prince, he wasn't timid at all, and answered confidently with a childlike voice.

This surprised Li Jing, who then asked him where he went to school. Mo Xiaobao answered, but Li Jing had never heard of it.

"Never heard of it... Is it a good school?"

Mo Rushan quickly replied, "The school is just ordinary, it's just close to home. Good schools are not easy to get into. Mo Bao's studies are passable because, in addition to the children in the family going to school, my second brother and I also tutor them. Besides the schoolwork, we also assign some extra homework. Fortunately, they are quite diligent."

Therefore, Mo Da passed the imperial examination at a young age.

"Is that so..." Li Jing thought for a moment, "How about I go back and make arrangements to have him enrolled in the Imperial Academy?"

He looked at the chubby boy; aside from being a bit fat, he had bright eyes, a clever and intelligent look, and a calm demeanor. He was about the same age as Anian. Having him as Anian's study companion would help curb the boy's impulsive nature. Hmm, that's a good idea!

"Is this true? Thank you, Your Highness!" Mo Rushan was very excited. "Thank you, Your Highness!" Mo Ruhai also stood up excitedly and bowed.

Even Madam Wang, upon hearing this, covered her mouth with her handkerchief and almost burst out laughing...

Mo Da was extremely envious of his younger brother's good fortune. So envious, in a moment of impulsiveness, he blurted out, "Your Highness, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with..."

Everyone was surprised when they heard this and looked at him.

Mo Da blushed, "It was the student's rudeness..."

"It's alright, go ahead and speak."

"I wish to become a student of the great Confucian scholar Yang Shengqing... I have heard that there are still two spots available. However, although Mo Da has passed the imperial examination and become a Juren, he has not shown any particular talent, so I am afraid he will not be favored by Mr. Yang. I wonder if Your Highness could put in a good word with him?"

"As for matters of advancement, I will certainly offer my assistance. If Mr. Yang is not suitable, Mr. Bai Wuhuan will certainly be able to help!"

Mo Da clapped his hands in delight and stood up, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Finally, Madam Wang couldn't hold back any longer and exclaimed, "Oh my, thank you so much, my dear son-in-law! This is wonderful! You have no idea how much trouble I've been going through these past few days, not only the Mo family but even my own family has tried to pull strings. I never expected that you could resolve this with just a few words! Oh my, this is truly..." As expected, her voice rose several octaves as she became excited.

Mo Wen quickly said, "Mother, look how happy you are!" He pulled Wang Shi, who was dancing with excitement. Turning to Li Jing, he said, "Your Highness, please don't be offended. It's just that Mother has been too anxious these days. She was just pulling me aside, saying she wanted my husband to go back and ask his parents!"

Li Jing glanced at Mo Yi and smiled, "I can understand."

Mo Yi's eyes lit up; both of these things were beyond her expectations... and she was incredibly excited.

Xu Ke silently observed everything. The prince's patronage was truly significant. He crossed his hands inside his sleeves, his thumbs twirling together... Things were taking a completely unexpected turn.

The women who followed were not formally introduced.

There will be virtually no chance to meet again, let alone talk. It doesn't really matter whether we recognize each other or not.

Mo Rushan instructed, "Zhuang Shi, go and check on the stove. We'll stay with the Prince; you women can go and have your private conversation." He then turned to Mo Fan and said, "Go and check on the tea served to the Prince."

The women bowed and left.

When a married woman returns to her parents' home, her mother will definitely ask her about it.

But Wang was a little intimidated; she really couldn't handle Mo Yi.

The two big events that just happened made her so happy that she was afraid of saying something that Mo Yi wouldn't like to hear...

On the way back to the room, I casually asked, "Yiyi, is everything going well at the Prince's mansion?"

"Don't worry, Mother, your daughter is doing well."

"That's good, that's good! Judging from the prince's expression just now, I knew you must be doing very well. My goodness, now your elder brother and your younger brother are about to rise to great heights! This is truly an extraordinary thing! Oh, the prince dotes on you!"

Mo Yi smiled but didn't say anything.

"Your mother knows nothing about what happens at the Prince's residence, and she can't teach you anything. Be careful and don't displease the Prince. Also... your maternal family... will you and the Prince go?"

"The prince didn't say, Mother, please rest assured. If the prince is unable to go due to other matters, I will go anyway."

"That's fine!" Although Wang had expected it, she was still a little disappointed and didn't dare to say anything else. "Then you chat with your sisters, I'll go check on the stove. Mother bought a lot of good ingredients today, don't let them ruin them."

He rambled on for a while and then left in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)