Too high to reach

Chapter 211 Never Treating Others as Outsiders
Before even reaching the dining room, I could hear cheerful laughter coming from inside.

Upon entering, they found Li Chang there. There were also several unfamiliar men, who appeared to be quite young, surrounding Li Jing and chattering amongst themselves.

Seeing them come in, Li Chang quickly beckoned them over, "Sister-in-law!" he greeted them warmly.

The others quickly followed suit, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

“Fourteenth Brother.” Mo Yi nodded with a smile.

Mo Yuan took a look and thought, wow, she really does look like a "sister-in-law".

“Sister-in-law, these friends are…” Li Chang introduced them to Mo Yi one by one.

As the saying goes, good news makes people feel refreshed, and Li Chang had more than one piece of good news, which made him a spirited young man all of a sudden.

Mo Yi didn't remember who the others were either, but exchanged a few polite words.

Mo Yuan wouldn't waste such an opportunity. With a quick listen and a glance, she grasped the general idea and swiftly concluded: Zhang Debao was superior.

So, she lowered her eyes and followed Mo Yi very obediently.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group sat back down next to Li Jing.

Li Jing looked over, and Mo Yi, along with Mo Yuan, Zhou Jiu, and the others, curtsied.

Consort Tian was there with Qianqian and three other concubines. Shao Ge'er was sitting next to Li Jing, but Consort Feng was not seen.

After sitting down, Mo Yuan began to look around: Such a large dining room! It's almost half the size of the entire Mo family courtyard. The ceiling is high, the beams are carved and painted, and palace lanterns hang from the ceiling. The tables and chairs are made of the finest wood and even have cushions.

The cups, plates, bowls, and dishes were all exquisite, even the chopsticks were wrapped in silver...

The dishes are even more exquisite... and the utensils used for each dish are very particular!

As he was looking around, he noticed that Consort Feng had arrived, followed by several maids and servants, exuding an imposing aura.

He didn't stop when he passed his own table; he went straight in, bowed to the prince, and nodded to Li Chang.

Li Chang did not get up, but looked up and smiled, "Consort Feng."

Everything was observed by Mo Yuan, who leaned close to Mo Yi's ear and sneered, "Just now, the Fourteenth Prince came over and called you sister-in-law. Now, sitting here, he calls her a concubine... The difference in their relationship and status is crystal clear..."

Mo Yi didn't speak, but subtly tugged at her, stopping her from saying anything more. She thought to herself: It seems Consort Feng has still angered her…

Then she thought again: if Mo Yuan were in her shoes, she probably wouldn't be getting along with Consort Feng like this. Even if Consort Feng didn't provoke her, Mo Yuan would still take the initiative!
If that's really the case... what will the prince do?

It seems there really is a reason why certain people should be placed in certain positions.

The maids and servants started serving the dishes; this meal would require more than twenty people to serve.

"Hey Mo Yi, do you eat this every day?" Mo Yuan whispered to her again.

Helpless, Mo Yi could only explain, "It's a little more during the Lunar New Year, but it's about the same on weekdays..."

"Good heavens, just the food in this Prince's mansion must cost so much silver a year!" Mo Yuan continued to whisper.

Mo Yi thought to herself: I don't know. There's bound to be some waste, anyway. I wonder if there's some reason behind it, or something else...

Consort Feng sat opposite them, watching the two sisters whisper to each other, and sneered inwardly: Look at their petty behavior!
The meal lasted quite a while, and then Mo Yi accompanied Mo Yuan to see the courtyard where she lived.

The courtyard is not large, with three main rooms and a small side room. There are two rooms each in the east and west wing rooms.

The living room is in the middle of the main house, clearly intended for a young lady; it's very elegant. There's a chessboard, a musical instrument stand, and even a table and chairs specifically for drinking tea.

There is a bedroom on each side, and a side room for washing and grooming.

The bedroom was fully furnished with a bed, wardrobe, dressing table, table, and chairs, and it was also very warm.

The maids had already packed up Mo Yuan's things, and her colorful clothes were on the shelves.

Mo Yuan looked around and expressed her satisfaction. She even said to Zhou Jiu, "We can wear our nightgowns and chat, drink tea, and play chess in this middle room..."

Miss Zhou was a little tense. She didn't go into her own room, but stood to the side watching Mo Yuan.

Watching that person, with small, quick steps, wandering around inside and out, commenting, she acted as if she were no outsider. She thought to herself: Although I'm no less beautiful than Mo Yuan, my manners seem better too.

However, he lacked her unrestrained, fearless, curious, and enjoyable demeanor.

Suddenly hearing Mo Yuan speak to him, he responded almost inaudibly.

"Alright, you can rest now. I'll have the maid come and call you for breakfast tomorrow morning."

After Mo Yi left, Zhou Jiu said goodnight to Mo Yuan, went back to his room, washed up and changed, and then sat at the table to read.

Actually, she couldn't concentrate on it either.

I kept hearing noises coming from Mo Yuan's side. It sounded like she was fussing around in her room and then wandered into the main room, making rustling noises. Finally, she turned off the light in the main room and went back to her room.

But you could faintly hear her humming a tune softly.

Zhou Jiu also got into bed, thinking: Mo Yuan must have parents who love her.

My parents are very loving...

"Your Highness..." Mo Yi finished washing up, then stepped over Li Jing with a grin and entered the bed. "So happy? Isn't it just because your sister is here?" Li Jing leaned against the headboard, lost in thought, and asked casually.

Mo Yi let out a long sigh and shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Li Jing turned his head and looked at her with a smile.

The young wife, with her long, black hair, wore a white undergarment. Her little feet were tucked under the covers…

They look very cute.

"I've lived with my older sister for so many years, and sometimes I feel like I understand her very well. But sometimes, what she says and does is always unexpected!"

"Has she considered marriage?" Li Jing asked.

“She’s too opinionated. She originally had a boyfriend, and everyone in the family thought he was great, but she wasn’t happy about it.”

Li Jing smiled, didn't ask any more questions, lay down, and pulled the covers up.

Mo Yi felt a little uneasy. Why didn't he ask me? Perfect, I'll tell him about Zhang Debao's matter; his opinion will definitely be the best.

"I told Mo Da and Mo Fan that we'll go to the Xu family together tomorrow morning, and then go to the Zhao family together in the afternoon."

Mo Yi yawned, "Okay. The New Year holiday was quite tiring..."

"Go to sleep..."

……

The next morning, after getting ready, Mo Yi sent someone to call Mo Yuan and Zhou Jiu.

The two girls in the courtyard got up early in the morning.

Mo Yuan finished dressing herself and came out of the room calling out, "A-Jiu, are you ready?"

This overly familiar manner made Zhou Jiu a little nervous, so he quickly came over to open the door, "Almost done. Miss Mo Yuan, you are so beautiful!"

Mo Yuan likes to wear green. Today, she is wearing a velvet cross-collar narrow-sleeved long shirt underneath, paired with a matching fitted skirt.

The velvet wasn't the thickest kind, but it was still quite thick and stiff. If silk floss were added inside, it would be too bulky to wear. Mo Yuan's dress only had a thin lining, which made her figure look shapely.

"I'll call you Ajiu, and you can call me Yuanyuan. We're all family, so don't be so formal." Mo Yuan could tell that Princess Wenxiu was very fond of Zhou Jiu, and in order to leave a good impression on the little girl and make it easier for her to stay at the Prince's Mansion... she tried to be friendly to Zhou Jiu.

"Okay. Yuanyuan." Zhou Jiu nodded, then looked at her: "Aren't you cold like this?"

"It's not cold, it's almost the beginning of spring. Today we're visiting relatives, it would be too hot to stay indoors with so many people. Besides, there are fur cloaks outside!" She looked Zhou Jiu up and down, "Ah Jiu, the beige color you're wearing suits you very well, it makes you look especially elegant."

"My clothes are mostly light-colored," Zhou Jiu said, a little embarrassed.

"Then you need to wear a colored hairpin. It's Chinese New Year today, and families with elderly members tend to prefer bright colors!"

Zhou Jiu realized, "Yuanyuan, you're right. I'll go look for it..."

"I'll help you find it..." Mo Yuan followed her inside.

After they finished getting ready, the two went to pick up Xiangxiang.

Li Xiangling wondered how Aunt Jiu was getting along with this talkative girl... When they arrived, she went to see Zhou Jiu first.

Zhou Jiu looked quite well today, with a bright smile, and the hairpin in her hair made her look exceptionally delicate.

"I'm all packed, let's go!" Li Xiangling said, acting like a little adult.

Mo Yi and Li Jing have arrived at the dining room. Since there are no outsiders today, everyone sits at one table.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!" Mo Yuan greeted them with a warm and natural smile as soon as she arrived.

Li Jing glanced at the group of people but didn't say anything.

Mo Yi looked at Mo Yuan's clothes and asked, "Aren't you cold wearing so little?"

"I'm not cold." Mo Yuan looked Mo Yi up and down carefully. "Your clothes and jewelry are new, right? Oh... these shoes."

Although she spoke softly, Mo Yi didn't want her to look her up and down like that... "Alright. Have a cup of tea first."

"Your Majesty, let me see what good things you have later." Mo Yuan leaned closer again...

Consort Feng did not come to breakfast.

After finishing their meal, Li Jing lingered for a while, drinking two cups of tea, before finally getting up and saying, "Let's go."

Consort Tian is not going today, but Qianqian is.

"Where is your concubine, Consort Feng?" Mo Yuan inquired again.

"She's not going to the Xu family; she'll be going to the Zhao family this afternoon." "Hey, is it because the Xu family is the Princess's in-laws' family? She'd feel awkward going there. Sigh, I think... your concubine has quite the ambition!"

Mo Yuan glanced at Mo Yi with disdain, "You're usually so dull-witted, be careful of her... People like that need to be dealt with as soon as possible!"

Mo Yi chuckled inwardly: I knew I was right...