Too high to reach

Chapter 241 He's angry.
It seems that Consort Dong must be really bored in the palace.

Liu Moyi talked for a long time, but didn't talk about anything serious; she kept asking about things outside.

They even asked which restaurant they ate at and what they ate on the day the store opened.

Indeed, the Emperor is old, of average appearance, and in poor health. No matter how much favor he bestows upon such a beautiful woman, there must be many regrets, right? And these deep palace walls further block out all the warmth and life of the world.

No matter how beautiful one's face and clothes are, they can only be seen in front of these palace maids and eunuchs...

As expected, Consort Dong loved to stir up trouble. "This year, October 12th is my birthday. This time, I want a different kind of birthday banquet. Can you help me think of something when you have time?"

So, preparations started in February? "...Yes. Does Your Majesty have any thoughts?"

"Not yet, but it has to be exceptionally outstanding. I want to be remembered in history."

Mo Yi really wanted to say that this word wasn't used that way.

Moreover, if she were to cause such a commotion, she might end up being branded as a wicked concubine who brought ruin to the country.

On second thought, since she has plenty of money, it might be beneficial if she could help.

So, I sincerely agreed.

After leaving the Imperial Concubine's residence, she was going to Consort Liang's palace.

Consort Liang lived far away, and as she walked, she thought: those rare treasures displayed in the Imperial Concubine's room might have been a gift from the Emperor.

But to buy things from one's own shop like that... doesn't seem like the Emperor's style.

He must have been a passionate person... showering her with boundless affection.

I've heard that the Emperor hardly ever visits the harem these days... Where would he find the time to think of such a thing?
Could it be the Dong family?
Suddenly, the image of Prince Yong'an flashed through her mind again. She quickly shook her head and quickened her pace.

Consort Liang was in her palace, basking in the sun and doing her work. When she saw Yi Yi arrive, she smiled softly and said, "Yi Yi has arrived?"

Mo Yi bowed and asked, "Your Highness, what are you busy with?"

“Since you’re just idling around anyway, why not do some chores for the Fourteenth Prince?” Consort Liang pulled her aside and looked her over. “Have the Empress and Empress Dowager gone to their palaces?”

“I’ve been to all of them. Your Majesty, haven’t you moved to a different place since you were promoted?” Mo Yi had walked for quite a while to get here.

It's small and old here, but quite clean. However, the furnishings... are nothing compared to where the Imperial Concubine was earlier.

“According to the rules, it should be changed, but I said I didn’t want to change it, so the Empress didn’t bring it up again. I’ve lived here for more than 20 years…” She looked around, “I’m used to it, and moving is too much trouble.”

"Being made a concubine at this age isn't anything to be happy about. Now that the Fourteenth Prince has taken up a post and found a good match, more people are keeping an eye on me. I might as well stay far away; if they want to cause me trouble, they'll have to come all this way..."

Seeing her magnanimous demeanor, Mo Yi felt a pang of sadness. "Once Fourteenth Brother gets married, Yun Qing will be able to come and keep you company."

When Yunqing was mentioned, Consort Liang smiled even more sweetly, "I've been looking forward to that day! I've given all my private savings to the Fourteenth Prince so he can tidy up his house properly. Also, I've saved all my jewelry for Yunqing. It's a blessing for the Zhao family's daughter to marry the Fourteenth Prince, so we shouldn't make her suffer too much."

"Fourteenth Brother is sincere, and Miss Yunqing likes him too. That day, when we were watching the lanterns at Prince Yong'an's Jingyuan Garden, we saw the two of them together. Little Fourteenth Brother was running around trying to please her; they're really getting along well!"

"He'd definitely like such a wonderful girl!"

"Just now in the Empress Dowager's palace..." Mo Yi recounted what had just happened to Consort Liang.

Consort Liang nodded: "Your guess makes sense. The Empress Dowager's family isn't powerful enough; she has no one to recommend for advancement. Keeping this girl by her side is probably to plan for her marriage."

Whenever I go to the Empress Dowager's palace, I always see Xiao Shiwu and Xiang Qing together. It was alright a couple of years ago, but now they're both over ten, and it's not appropriate for them to continue like this. Even the Empress doesn't say anything when she sees them. This matter… in my opinion, if the Empress Dowager really continues like this… this matter is in jeopardy!

“That’s what I think too.” Mo Yi nodded. “After all, the Qian family has nothing else besides the Empress Dowager.”

"Isn't that right? It's too early to say now. Xiao Shiwu's marriage is still several years away."

Mo Yi nodded and asked, "Is the Consort's family very powerful? I was shocked by the things in her palace just now; they were all extraordinary."

Consort Liang said, "...Yes, the things she wears and accessorizes are all extraordinary. Back then, Consort Dong was the same, but they were all given to her by the Emperor, openly or secretly."

"Little Consort Dong seems quite straightforward."

“Heh…” Consort Liang looked around before saying, “It’s hard to say. Consort Dong… looks like a celestial being, but has a heart of a serpent… she’s a complete madwoman.”

Thinking of the past, thinking of my eldest son.

"How many evil deeds she committed! She even bullied our Empress. If it weren't for Qilang and Princess Ming'an... I don't know how they would have survived. In the end, when the Empress, the Crown Prince, and Princess Ming'an got into trouble, it was because of her! Although she and her son died later, and she didn't have the last laugh, her usual arrogance was still evident. Little Fourteen's brother..."

Consort Liang trembled all over and her eyes welled up with tears when she thought of the past.

"Your Majesty, I shouldn't have brought these things up."

Consort Liang shook her head and sighed, "It's nothing. Mo Yi, although everything seems normal now. When the palace banquet was held, everyone was dressed in their finest clothes and behaved with impeccable manners. But royal affairs are never ordinary."
Be careful with everything... Don't be fooled by Qilang's current stable position and ability to benefit his family and friends. One wrong move and he could collapse in an instant. You must always be vigilant.

Despite Consort Dong's willful and straightforward manner, she lives a life of extravagance and disregards the Empress. She even gave birth to the Fifteenth Prince… so no one knows what kind of person she truly is underneath.

No one had ever said this to Mo Yi before, and she broke out in a cold sweat after hearing it...

"Your Majesty, it was Mo Yi's carelessness earlier..."

"The prince is extremely intelligent. You should consult with him more often if you encounter any problems."

"Yes. Once I've sorted things out at the shop, I'll go check on my fourteenth brother's residence. He just took on a new post and probably won't have time for other matters. I'll see if I can be of any help."

"So young, yet so thoughtful in everything you do. No wonder the Prince insisted on marrying you! Please also tell Granny Zhao..."

"Don't worry!"...

The following day, the Liang family held a ceremony to confer the title upon Liang You.

Early in the morning, Li Jing went to the front to do some work. He should have been waiting there for Mo Yi to arrive so they could take a carriage together to the Liang family.

Having finished his work, he wandered to the backyard to pick up Mo Yi.

Upon entering the room, I saw that Mo Yi was already dressed up, but she was still looking at herself in the mirror, dawdling.

Today, Mo Yi wore an embroidered cloud-patterned bodice underneath, an embroidered belt around her waist, a long pleated skirt, and a light blue wide-sleeved jacket over it. The neckline and sleeves were all embroidered with silver thread.

Every movement is radiant with light, both magnificent and precious.

The jewelry she was wearing seemed to be much more than he remembered…

"Your Highness!" Mo Yi smiled when he saw him arrive.

As soon as she got closer, Li Jing smelled a fragrance. It smelled quite nice, but she couldn't figure out where the fragrance came from.

For some reason, he felt a mischievous urge and said in a light tone, "I was wondering why I had been waiting for the princess for so long, only to find out she was here getting all dressed up." His eyes held a hint of something else.

Mo Yi didn't catch his tone or see his gaze. She was still carefully examining herself in the mirror. "It's not that elaborate, but the color of this dress... I don't usually wear that."

“Is that so…” Li Jing’s tone was somber.

"Hmm. Your Highness, won't this color make my skin look dark? Among my sisters, I'm the least fair-skinned..."

"Heh, could you make some more powder...?" Li Jing's anger flared up.

“But… applying powder makes my skin uncomfortable. And if I apply too much, it will make me look older…” Despite saying that, Mo Yi still picked up the powder puff and pressed it onto her nose.

“You’re already married, so what does it matter if you look young or old?” Li Jing stood up with a stern face. “If you don’t leave now, the Princess Consort might miss Brother Liang You’s investiture banquet.”

After saying that, he strode out.

"Your Highness?" Mo Yi called out.

Li Jing ignored her and walked out the door in a few steps...

"Why are you in such a hurry? We were talking perfectly fine..." Mo Yi quickly put down her things and followed her out.

Upon leaving the hospital, Li Jing encountered Mo Yuan... Was she also going to the Liang family?
"Your Highness." Mo Yuan, still dressed in green, gracefully gave a slight bow.

Li Jing snorted and walked right past her to the front.

Immediately afterwards, Mo Yi came out. "Where is the prince?" she asked, craning her neck to look... but he was nowhere to be seen, which showed how fast he had left.

"They went ahead! They were in such a hurry, they must have something urgent to attend to..."

Mo Yuan came up and took Mo Yi's arm. "Hey, do you think that county princess will be there today?"

"I don't know." Mo Yi felt a little uneasy.

Could it be that he remembered what happened before? No way...

However, she did feel a little guilty.

I couldn't help but regret it; why did I dress up like that? "Let's hurry!" I quickened my pace.

Mo Yuan followed her, her face beaming with excitement: "Didn't you notice? The Liang family is really funny. They got married a few days earlier and inherited the title a few days later. Otherwise, that county princess would have had to go out and socialize as the Marquis's wife! Sigh, if that were the case, would you have gone?"

"That's not how it is, why are you bringing this up?" Mo Yi ignored her.

"Hey, what's the rush? Slow down..."

The two people passed through the gate of Changhui Pavilion and went to the front study.

Consort Feng was inside the room and saw the two of them through the window. Just now, she saw the prince come in alone and leave alone.

Look at her today, she's dressed up carefully, hasn't she?
Sometimes, Consort Feng couldn't understand this princess: the prince married her, wasn't that a marriage that fell from the sky?
She had nothing of her own and relied on the prince in everything. However, she didn't seem to care about the prince's affairs at all…

She never inquired about the prince's food and drink.

When I went out, she didn't prepare anything, nor did she see me off.

As for himself, whether in the past or present, he would know everything about the prince, everything he could possibly know.

When he's at home, there's always food that suits his taste.

When he goes out, she will take care of everything for him, whether he needs it or not.

But conversely, the prince treats the two of us so differently... It's really frustrating to think about!

At the main gate, Li Jing was originally going to ride in a carriage with Mo Yi.

But now, he's angry, and seeing Mo Yuan dressed up like that... he's going to take her with him again!
With a stern face, he immediately ordered someone to bring the horse over.

When Mo Yina's azure figure appeared at the gate, he immediately mounted his horse...

He's angry, my little rascals, don't be angry, Chapter Two...