Too high to reach

Chapter 221 Coming Together, Going Differently
In the evening, a barbecue grill was set up in the open space in front of the dining room, firewood was piled up, and tables and chairs were arranged.

Those who stayed for dinner were mostly Li Jing's die-hard fans.

Upon entering and seeing this scene, everyone was overjoyed, exclaiming, "This dinner party is going to be interesting!"

Mo Fan also stayed behind. He was originally going to go home with the Mo family, but Zhang Debao made him stay.

Consort Feng was present, instructing servants to light a bonfire.

Mo Yi and his party came over, looked at it, and laughed, "Your Highness, if you sit by the fire wearing these silk clothes, a single spark will create a hole in your clothes."

How could men like Li Jing have thought of such things?
Everyone looked around, but if they were too far from the fire, the atmosphere wouldn't be right, and it would get cold if they sat there for too long...

“Then…” Li Jing hesitated for a moment. Indeed, it would be a pity to burn perfectly good clothes.

Consort Feng's face flushed red and then paled. She had prepared for this moment, but hadn't considered this aspect. Having been pointed out by Mo Yi, she didn't think about what to do first, but instead felt both ashamed and angry…

Seeing that she didn't speak, Mo Yi said, "Consort Feng, see if you have any unworn cloth clothes or new fabrics ready. Use them to cover her up a little."

Meng San chimed in, "Your Highness, Your Highness, the guard uniforms made before the New Year haven't been claimed yet. Why don't we take them and put them on for now?"

“Go!” Li Jing nodded.

"Let's go, let's move along." Zhang Debao and Mo Fan followed along.

“It was because I, the concubine, did not think things through…” Consort Feng felt a little aggrieved and a little frightened.

"It's alright," Li Jing said gently.

This behavior... Mo Yi thought to herself: Does she think I'm being picky?

Suddenly, I felt that this Consort Feng, the side she occasionally revealed, was quite different from her usual image. I glanced at Mo Yuan; that girl had gone to watch the barbecue and hadn't noticed us.

Mo Yuan didn't notice, but some people at the scene did. Two of them had received favors from Consort Feng, or their wives, children, and mothers had received favors from her, and they quickly helped to smooth things over, saying, "Your Highness, there's no need for this. This dinner is very interesting."

"No need to worry, we'll be fine if we keep a little distance."

"Yes, don't worry. Your Highness, you've probably eaten like this quite often in the Northwest, haven't you?"

Once the fire started, the surrounding area immediately became warm.

"Would you like to eat here or come inside?" Li Jing asked Mo Yi.

"Shall we... go inside? Xiangxiang, what do you think?"

Shao-ge had already arranged a small table and chairs. Xiang-xiang thought it was interesting and wanted to stay outside, as did Qian-qian.

"Then you can play here for a while, but don't go near the fire. Also, after you've had your fun for a bit, come inside to eat. Eating meat in the cold wind outside can easily cause stomach aches for the children," Mo Yi instructed.

Li Jing's gaze drifted in her direction; she was indeed very perceptive...

Consort Feng hadn't expected Xiangxiang and the others to be sitting outside, and now she was hurriedly sending people to prepare things. She was feeling annoyed…

Meng San and the others brought over some clothes, which at least covered the men's bodies.

The lamb has been roasting for a while now, and the aroma is wafting over...

"Hmm, it really feels like being on a military campaign in the Northwest." Li Jing raised his glass first, and everyone started toasting each other with the side dishes on the table.

Mo Yi entered the house, and Consort Tian and several others got up to greet her.

"Qianqian and the others will sit outside," Mo Yi said with a smile.

"Yes, the children are so happy, they can't be invited in," Consort Tian said with a smile.

Mo Yuan was unusually quiet tonight, sitting there for quite a while without saying a word. Zhou Jiu sat next to her, equally silent.

"Your Highness, will you be taking the Princess and Qianqian to the Crown Prince's residence tomorrow?" Consort Tian asked.

Mo Yi thought for a moment before saying, "The Crown Princess came today without her children. So the rest of them shouldn't go tomorrow. The Prince probably won't keep them for a meal either; they'll just go through the motions and come back."

"Oh, that's fine too."

"Yi Yi... take me with you tomorrow?" Mo Yuan asked softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Mo Yi shook her head. "You and Miss Zhou Jiu shouldn't go either. Just stay home and rest."

Mo Yuan's heart, which felt as if it had been boiled in water all afternoon, suddenly turned cold...

Afraid that Mo Yi would discover her thoughts, she lowered her eyes and turned her head away, saying with a hint of regret, "Oh dear... I thought I could see the Crown Prince's residence."

"The Crown Prince's residence is different from other places, so it's best to be careful," Mo Yi said quietly after taking a bite of her side dish.

"Hey, what's the relationship between the Prince and the Crown Prince?"

“I don’t think royal matters are as simple as good or bad,” Mo Yi smiled. “I don’t know the specifics. The prince didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”

Sigh. Mo Yuan sighed inwardly, the emotional turmoil making her somewhat sad...

She appears gentle and affectionate, but is actually quite cold-hearted. Prince Qi, Liang You, Xu Ke, and Zhang Debao are all among the elite of the capital. Xu Ke's beauty and demeanor, in particular, momentarily bewitched her, but she quickly regained her composure.

It would be great to be able to climb up to them, of course. But if she didn't have the chance, she wasn't too disappointed. For example, Liang You... a marquis, she just watched him walk right past her. She never tried to get close to him, but she didn't have any particularly deep regrets.

Take Zhang Debao, for example. His heart and soul are completely devoted to him... and Madam Zhang's resigned probing is something she understands perfectly well. Marrying him would probably be quite a good choice.

But she refused.

She could bear losing someone who loved her so much because of this.

But the impact and shock brought by the Crown Prince were completely different from those of the others… Suppressing his excitement, he knew this matter must not be known to anyone else.

Mo Fan and Zhang Debao each brought in two plates of grilled meat, saying, "Eat it while it's hot!"

"Why are you guys doing the work?" Mo Yi laughed.

“This is very interesting…” Zhang Debao looked at Mo Yuan, but she didn’t look up at him…

Mo Fan placed a plate of roasted meat in front of Zhou Jiu, saying, "Miss Zhou Jiu, this slightly charred meat smells especially good!"

Consort Tian interjected, "Really? Let me try it..."

The meal was quite lively. When they came out, the men were still drinking, so Mo Yi and the others went back to their rooms first.

Mo Yuan went back and took a hot shower. With her hair still wet, she walked back and forth in the house and then went to the main room.

After Zhou Jiu finished tidying up, he heard Mo Yuan making a commotion in the main room again, so he went out to see what was going on.

"Yuanyuan...aren't you going to sleep yet?"

Mo Yuan quickly called to her, "A-Jiu, come and sit for a while. Are you sleepy?"

"I'm not sleepy. Although today was just a day, I didn't do much. I didn't say much either; I just listened to everyone."

"Your aunt came today, but your mother didn't?" Mo Yuan asked.

"Yes. My mother dislikes crowds..." Zhou Jiu answered. She knew that her aunt hadn't allowed her mother to come. She felt a strange sense of relief, and couldn't help but feel ashamed, thinking: I'm so unfilial.

“My mother didn’t come either…” Mo Yuan sat cross-legged next to Zhou Jiu and sighed softly, “She only gave birth to me…”

“My mother was the same.” Zhou Jiu realized that the two of them really did have something in common: their mothers only gave birth to one daughter, and both of them came to the Prince’s Mansion to seek opportunities and a future.

"Really? That's quite a coincidence! My parents don't get along."

Zhou Jiu nodded slightly.

“My dad ran back to his hometown early this morning and didn’t come back for many years. He came back last year for Chinese New Year, but he brought back a concubine and two sons, which made my mom very angry…”

Zhou Jiu nodded helplessly again.

"Oh my god, really? Your house is like that too?"

"Yes. My aunt gave birth to a son."

"My mother has a bad temper and is very sensitive. She and my father are always arguing..."

Zhou Jiu smiled wryly. It wasn't exactly the same. In his family, his father scolded his mother, and his mother harassed him.

"She guessed right again? Sigh! My mother, she only cares about me, whether she's right or wrong, it's all for my own good..."

Now, Zhou Jiu couldn't nod. His mother only cared about her own feelings...

“Zhou Jiu, I want to make something of myself! What about you?” Mo Yuan asked steadily.

Zhou Jiu was stunned. "I hadn't thought about that. Yuanyuan, what does it mean to stand out from the crowd?"

"I don't know! But if it falls right in front of me, I have to seize the opportunity..."

Zhou Jiu thought for a moment, "The Empress treats you very well. She invited you to stay at her home because she's looking for an opportunity for you."

Mo Yuan smiled bitterly to herself: It's not that simple.

"Ah Jiu, what are your thoughts on the marriage?"

Zhou Jiu pictured Mo Fan's warm smile in his mind, then shook his head... He was afraid neither of the two families would agree.

Looking at Mo Yuan, who was asking about everything, she said somewhat helplessly, "What could a young lady like me possibly think about? I'm already very grateful that Her Highness the Princess brought me here, took me out, and attended the family banquet..."

"Oh, don't think so much. My sister is the most decisive. She only does what she can and is willing to do! In that case, you should just stay here! You're better than me. I had to threaten and beg to move in!" Mo Yuan chuckled.

Zhou Jiu blushed. "I really envy your mindset."

Mo Yuan didn't take it to heart. "You guys are just too concerned about saving face. You have to remember: face is important, but it's not everything. If you can't let go of it, you'll limit yourself. No matter what, your own interests are the most important."

"Yuanyuan, if I may be so bold as to ask, what about that young master Zhang..." Zhou Jiu asked shyly.

Mo Yuan sighed deeply, "He is a very good person, and he treats me very well. Marrying him should bring me a stable life, but it's not what I want..."

Zhou Jiu sighed inwardly: A peaceful life, and being treated well... that's what I've always dreamed of.

Chapter Two hasn't been written yet. One chapter for today.