Too high to reach

Chapter 260 Continues to Ferment
The atmosphere at home was not quite right, and Consort Feng must have known.

But they didn't know what had happened.

That feeling of helplessness made her anxious and restless, yet she secretly felt a sense of joy.

Recently, the prince has had two major arguments with that person. To be honest, over the years, the prince has remained calm and indifferent, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

But she knew the prince's temper; he wouldn't tolerate anyone making mistakes.

Therefore, she has been careful and cautious all these years, doing everything according to the prince's wishes.

Even if there are any hidden tricks, they will think things through carefully and only take action when they have no evidence left.

As for Mo Yi... her petty and narrow-minded manner will eventually make the prince dislike her.

As she was thinking, the message came in; it was sent by Zhou Dong.

These days, Consort Feng gave Zhou Dong a sum of money, asking him to gather information for her and find two highly skilled martial artists to train.

He also handed over his own people from the front study to Zhou Dong.

And just like that, the road was opened.

However, Zhou Dong was cautious and didn't pass on every piece of information to her.

The message should only involve the Princess and Consort Feng, and should not involve official business or harm the Prince's interests.

That's it.

When Consort Feng received the letter, her face turned pale, her heart pounded wildly, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

Her reaction upon hearing the news was something Zhou Dong could never have imagined.

A few days ago, Mo Yi visited Princess Yu'an's residence alone.

Now, that bitch Mo Yuan is involved with the Crown Prince again...

How did we end up back here again after all this time?
……

Mrs. Zhang was out socializing when she heard about this and quickly returned home.

Uncle Zhang was at home playing with his birds when he noticed his wife's unpleasant expression: "What's wrong? It's been a long time since I've seen you with such a long face."

"Something has happened..." He sat down next to the Earl and explained what had happened.

Lord Zhang frowned, his face darkening. "This was an accident, wasn't it? How could Miss Mo be so foolish? What's the relationship between the Crown Prince and Prince Qi? They're natural enemies; it's a miracle they haven't gone to war. How could she possibly try to have her cake and eat it too? She's just asking for trouble..."

Madam Zhang nodded. "They say the Wang family's daughter and the Mo family's daughter had a grudge, and that the perpetrator was caught red-handed. But I think this is too much of a coincidence, isn't it?"
In this world, there are coincidences, but no accidents. All outcomes are the result of prior planning.

Wasn't that girl from the Wang family? She hates the Mo family girls and must have thought about how to deal with them. Once she had the chance, she struck. I think this was most likely done by the Crown Prince, deliberately trying to annoy Prince Qi.”

Uncle Zhang sighed, "But this is troublesome. What will happen if my son finds out?"

"That's right... He finally made something of himself..." Madam Zhang said bitterly, "That wretched girl looks down on our son! She pretends to be stupid and runs around everywhere! What's so great about her?"
Now she's behaving herself, isn't she?!
"What do you think our son saw in her? There are plenty of good-looking women out there, aren't there? He just inherited your good-for-nothing nature!"

Madam Zhang glared at Uncle Zhang and cursed. She recalled the old man's frivolous thoughts when she was young, which she had nipped in the bud.

"You should at least say something plausible. When have I ever liked good-looking people?" Uncle Zhang felt very wronged.

"So you mean I'm not good-looking?"

"..."

……

Mo Wen was drinking soup at home when Xu Ke walked in.

"Husband? You're back!" Mo Wen quickly stood up to greet him.

"I just came back to take care of some business, so I thought I'd come home and see you. How are you? Are you feeling alright?"

He looked at his wife; she looked radiant, and the added tenderness of her pregnancy made her exceptionally beautiful.

"You know? Who told you..." Mo Wen smiled shyly.

"...I heard about it when I came in," Xu Ke replied casually.

"I thought Mother had sent you a message. I'm perfectly fine, I'm not feeling unwell. I was worried you'd be too busy with official duties and would have to worry, so I didn't let Mother tell you. You..."

She suddenly noticed the scratches on Xu Ke's face. "Oh, what happened to your face?"

"Oh, I got caught while training with them," Xu Ke said somewhat awkwardly.

"Good heavens, who did this? So reckless!" Mo Wen was very dissatisfied. "They almost hurt his eye! This person is so careless... Did they even see a doctor?"

"I've checked, the injury is quite superficial, it'll be fine in a couple of days. Don't worry..." Xu Ke saw the concern in Mo Wen's eyes.

A soft spot appeared in my heart; the two women were so different.

For the past few days, he and the princess have been ignoring each other. But this is definitely not over...

The thought that one day he might not be able to hide it anymore filled him with annoyance and a headache. Just then, a maid came to report, "Madam, your family has sent Miss Qiu Hong."

"Oh? Let her in!"

Qiu Hong was much calmer than when she first entered the door. "Grandma, Grandpa."

"Why are you here? Is something wrong, Mother?"

"Madam sent me to tell you something about our Fourth Miss."

"What's wrong with her? Is the marriage arranged?" Mo Wen asked.

"No, it's not..."

Seeing that Qiu Hong was hesitant, Xu Ke stood up and said, "I'll go check on my grandmother and mother first."

After he left, Qiu Hong quietly recounted Mo Yuan's story.

Mo Wen was quite surprised and frowned as she asked, "Was it Wang Xiaowei who did it? Did you find out?"

The prince has already spread the news that Wang Xiaowei framed someone, and he even specifically sent word to the Mo family.

"Yes, we found out. Madam said that when the princess fell at Dajue Temple last time, it was her who did it."

Mo Wen recalled, "At the time, we did suspect the sisters, but we had no evidence."

"Yes, Madam said she harmed Fifth Miss, but Fifth Miss turned out to be a blessing in disguise and became a princess. She must be even angrier. So, this time, she had someone find the medicine beforehand, and it was her maid who administered it. The prince found out all of this. Caught red-handed! I wonder what the Wang family will do!"

"But..." Mo Wen still couldn't quite understand.

Wang Xiaowei made the move; she believed it.

But it's too bizarre that the prince saved Mo Yi and the crown prince saved Mo Yuan.
It sounds like a joke!

Moreover, Mo Yuan fainted in the Crown Prince's arms... Isn't that even more outrageous?

Mo Yuan fainted from fright?
Ha, with her audacity and shamelessness, she must have done it on purpose!

The Crown Prince's residence is full; why would she become a concubine?
Is the Mo family now the same as it was a year or so ago?
What a fool!
"Madam also told me to tell you... well, the Princess Consort is furious. When she came home that day, she said that if the Fourth Miss really goes to the Crown Prince's residence, she will sever all ties with the Fourth Miss. Moreover, Master even told Madam to pack her things and find a place to move."

"Huh? It's that serious..." Mo Wen blinked and thought for a moment: That's fine too.

If the Xu family finds out about this, I'll lose all face!
"and after?"

"Granny Zhao took the Fourth Miss away. She said the Prince and Princess wanted to seek justice for her. There's still no news."

After sending Qiu Hong away, Mo Wen thought for a moment, put on his cloak, and went to Madam Xu's room.

Madam Xu was talking to Xu Ke when she said, "Why are you here? Please sit down."

"Mother-in-law, husband, something has happened at home," Mo Yuan said, explaining the situation.

Madam Xu was genuinely unaware of this matter, and upon hearing it, she frowned...

Upon hearing this, Xu Ke felt somewhat nervous. He had a gut feeling that this was the Crown Prince's doing!

Seeing that her mother-in-law remained silent, Mo Wen became somewhat uneasy. "My wife doesn't quite understand this matter. What will happen next?"

Madam Xu was quite patient. "In my opinion, the Prince and Princess's approach is prudent. If it turns out that Wang Xiaowei was the one who harmed the person, Mo Yuan's reputation won't be greatly affected."

If Mo Yuan is taken away again, it will be unlikely that the Crown Prince will be able to bring her into the mansion in a sedan chair. The next step is for the Crown Prince to show sincerity and offer conditions for bringing her into the mansion.

"Or perhaps we could just drop the matter, since the culprit has already been caught. However, with this incident, it will be difficult for Mo Yuan to find a high-ranking marriage. After all, no respectable family would dare to test the Crown Prince's limits. Most likely, the Prince will find a suitable husband for Mo Yuan from the army."

Madam Xu looked at Mo Wen and said, "You're pregnant now, so you don't need to worry about these things. For now, it's not a big deal."

"Yes."

"You go back first! I'll talk to Xu Ke for a bit more."

After Mo Yuan left, Madam Xu said, "Now, your career is going smoothly. You must be even more careful with your words and actions. At present, it seems that the Crown Prince is reliable, the Emperor is willing to delegate power, and the court officials value him... It seems that he has the upper hand."

But the King of Qi's status is undeniable; his temperament and methods should not be underestimated. Moreover, he holds military power. What else he wields, others do not know.

Because of the connection between our family and Prince Qi, our family naturally became closer to him.

However, we must also try our best to remain impartial and uninvolved. You were too young then, focused on your studies, to know the cruelty and bloodshed of the royal power struggles… During those days, your grandfather and father were constantly anxious…”

Xu Ke clutched his collar, speechless.

"His intuition told him... this was the Crown Prince's doing!"

Crown Prince: Your intuition is very accurate. Don't rely on your intuition next time.

"Look, it's probably the Crown Prince who did it."

Crown Prince: I think you all like to frame me.