Too high to reach

Chapter 261 Do I Believe It Myself?
"It's ridiculous. They've gotten used to this trick, and now the women in their families are constantly throwing themselves into other men's arms!"

"What kind of family are they? They really don't know what shame is!"

Princess Wenfang's not-so-pretty mouth kept opening and closing, and she kept muttering with a mean expression.

Madam Liang sat behind her desk, which was filled with numerous account books and reports. She remained silent in the face of Princess Wenfang's incessant chatter, continuing to peruse the books, calculate, and ponder.

Although the current Lady Hou has changed, Lady Liang has not relinquished any of her power.

Princess Wenfang glared at her resentfully, spewing venomous words about the Mo family as she vented her discontent. It was only today that she had finally understood the situation.

“Mother.” A deep voice came from the doorway.

Princess Wenfang was startled.

Upon hearing this, Madam Liang put down her pen. "Liang You, you're back?"

Liang You slowly entered the house and bowed to Madam Liang: "Yes. I'm back today to take care of some business."

"My lord..." Princess Wenfang was somewhat embarrassed.

Madam Liang instructed the maid, "Quickly prepare some food and tea for the Marquis!"

"What is the county princess saying? I heard your voice before I even entered the courtyard..." Liang You turned around and asked.

"I was just chatting with Madam! I had nothing to do!" Princess Wenfang blushed slightly, but remained unconvinced. She stared at everything in the room.

The current Lady of Jing'an is myself! But this so-called mother refuses to relinquish any power whatsoever!

Madam Liang, annoyed, tossed her an account book. "Then I'll give you something to do. Find the mistakes and inconsistencies in this book. You have one hour. If you can do it, I'll delegate some authority to you."

"Yes." Princess Wenfang took it directly.

"You can look at it by yourself. It's in the east wing." Madam Liang said to the maid beside her, "Go and serve me the writing materials."

Is this to keep an eye on her? "This..." Although Princess Wenfang had studied housekeeping, how could she possibly be allowed to oversee these things alone right from the start?

"No..." The family assigned her an accountant... so she did it herself?

"Go quickly, I need to speak with Liang You!"

Liang You remained silent, sat down, took the tea offered by the maid, and drank two cups in quick succession.

Princess Wenfang blushed and hesitated before leaving.

Madam Liang snorted and immediately told him about the Mo family, concluding, "Dajue Temple, she was probably behind it too. It's a pity that none of the good qualities of her grandparents were passed down to their descendants."

Liang You ignored everything else, but when he heard that it was Wang Xiaowei who had made the move, his eyes turned red!

A surge of anger rose to his throat: If it weren't for this bitch, how could he have broken up with Mo Yi!?
"What happened to the Wang family?" he asked menacingly.

"Heh, I heard that the Wang family went to the Crown Prince crying and complaining, saying that their confessions were forced, that their maids harmed their young mistress, etc., which is very unreliable. But the Crown Prince, for some reason, wanted to play the peacemaker and smooth things over. As for Mo Yuan..." Madam Liang smiled, "They said she was taken away by Prince Qi and his wife. There's still no follow-up on this matter."

Liang You narrowed his eyes, wanting to ask a question, but then swallowed it back.

"Mother, something happened at the western suburban camp..." he whispered, telling her about Xu Ke and Princess Yu'an.

Madam Liang's expression turned serious. "Really?"

Liang You then recounted some details: "Later, although I didn't go with them, a princess traveling so far to the military camp. A lone man and woman in the middle of nowhere, without even a maidservant, sharing a carriage... The guards driving the carriage were acting suspiciously, and when they heard any noise from inside, they didn't dare to open the door to look."

“Xu Ke…” Madam Liang shook her head and sighed, “The Xu family is full of distinguished families. He himself is handsome, intelligent and talented, and most importantly, hardworking. Among the scions of prominent families, he is the most outstanding. I often sighed: how can someone possess all these virtues? But I never expected that he would have such a character, so absurd! If his elders knew, they would be so ashamed.”

“Mother, I had no access to these things before. Now, I only hear about the old stories of Dongfang and Princess Yu’an when I’m drinking. Is there any story behind this?”

Seeing that no one was in the house and it was quiet outside, Madam Liang spoke in a low voice about some past events.

"These matters are still unresolved. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager both fell seriously ill because of this and barely survived. Empress Jiang was previously unknown in the palace, and only obtained the rank of Consort because of her long service in the palace and the birth of her children. Consort De and Consort Wen above her were both more capable than her. Yet, she was the one who had the last laugh."

If we work backward from the outcome, Empress Jiang's faction was undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary.

However, there was no evidence pointing to her. It seemed she lacked the ability to accomplish that. After ascending to the position of Empress, her behavior was lukewarm and mediocre; she made no major mistakes, but lacked brilliance. Yet, she had steadily climbed to where she was now. The Crown Prince acted in a manner strikingly similar to hers: steady and cautious, avoiding offending anyone…

As for Princess Yu'an… I haven't paid much attention to her. However, princesses throughout history have always been different from ordinary women. It's quite normal for them to have so-called male favorites and lovers. What's abnormal is Xu Ke… sigh, I find it rather regrettable!”

“Mother, this matter concerns Mo… Princess Qi’s sister. Do you think we should find an opportunity to speak to Princess Qi about it?”

Madam Liang sighed again, "This matter involves royal secrets, so it's best not to get involved. Besides, what good would it do to tell her? She's the Empress's own daughter, who would dare to cause trouble for her? Who would dare to divorce Xu Ke? If the Xu family finds out, Old Master Xu will probably be too ashamed to even show his face in public."

It will only cause more trouble, and there might even be danger... Let's just live in this muddle-headed way. Perhaps in the future, when those two get tired of it, everything will be fine.”

"Furthermore, the Prince must know something about your near engagement with Mo Yi. Getting too close to her is not a good idea."

"Yes."

"You don't need to deliberately inquire about this matter, but if you know of any major changes, it wouldn't hurt to talk about them. Although we are not involved in the affairs of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi, we are naturally on the Prince of Qi's side."

"Yes."

“Princess Wenfang, you’ve met her... Let’s just leave it at that for now.”

"Yes."

……

The Crown Prince felt confident in his composure and wanted to see how long Li Jing would keep Mo Yuan imprisoned. But Li Jing also remained calm, acting as if nothing had happened.

That day, after court, the Crown Prince and Li Jing walked together. "Seventh Brother..." he took the initiative to greet him.

"Your Highness!" Li Jing bowed solemnly. "I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

The crown prince's heart skipped a beat, and he was secretly delighted. "...Seventh brother, please speak."

“During the last grand competition, I suggested adding a team siege test, but we weren’t fully prepared at the time, so we had to abandon the idea. This time, my fourteenth brother has built the city wall. Although it’s not large, in my opinion, it’s complete. With this added, the competition will be even more interesting.”

"Adding it now might be too late, wouldn't it?"

"It is precisely because there was no prior preparation that the competition was the most realistic. In a war, you can't always fight according to the plan, can you? There are many unexpected things. Besides, this is a basic skill that every commander and soldier should know. Moreover, adding it will definitely make you stand out. When Father praised you, he said that from beginning to end, it was all your credit."

These words made the Crown Prince blush, and he was especially angry: "He, he, he wanted to say this to me?"

"Write something down, let me take a look first."

"It's already written." Li Jing took something out of the leather bag she was carrying.

"...Seventh Brother is too thoughtful." The Crown Prince calmly accepted it.

"If you have any questions after you finish reading, we can discuss them further."

"Alright."

Li Jingchong bowed to the Crown Prince and turned to leave.

"Seventh Brother!" the Crown Prince called out to him hurriedly.

"Is there anything else?"

The Crown Prince was convinced and shook his head helplessly. "May I ask, how is Miss Mo Yuan?"

Li Jing looked puzzled. "Your Highness, are you asking me about my wife's sister?"

"Don't play dumb with me." The Crown Prince thought bitterly, but his expression was frank. "Back then, you saved the Princess Consort in the same way, and later insisted on marrying her to protect her reputation. Do you remember? Father Emperor was strongly against it, and I spoke up for you a lot."

I was just thinking that this world is harsh on women. Regardless of the reason or what happened, Miss Mo Yuan did indeed fall into my arms..."

Sure enough, he saw Li Jing frown and his face turn extremely sour.

"What are you expecting Fourth Miss Mo to do now? She used to be a cheerful and talkative girl, but now she can't even leave the house. I'm saving her, not harming her. You…"

What do you want?

"At that time, I said that I would take responsibility for her. Why don't we let her come with me? Although the position of concubine is full, to be honest, she is a commoner. It is not unfair to her to be by my side. Besides, your sister-in-law has always been virtuous and kind. There are never any shady dealings in my inner quarters. She will not be wronged. Please rest assured, Seventh Brother."

He spoke with genuine emotion, but Li Jing's face was grim and his voice unpleasant: "In this matter, the Crown Prince has gained a good reputation, while Mo Yuan has borne the bad one. If she were to become your concubine again... wouldn't that further confirm that she acted improperly?"

Although the situation was urgent, you didn't think things through when you rescued her..."

The crown prince was furious. "Didn't you save people like this last time?"

"You don't need to feel guilty... I have already found several candidates for her, all good young men in the army. They only care about the girl's character and don't care about empty titles. Moreover, they all hold official positions, so it won't be difficult for them to grant her a title of nobility when she is promoted in the future."

"Then, did you ask Miss Mo what she thought?"

Li Jing hesitated for a moment, "My wife and I did it for her own good. Besides..." He glared at the Crown Prince with displeasure, "You took my wife's sister as a concubine. Those who know, it's the Crown Prince saving a beauty. Those who don't... might think the Crown Prince orchestrated this to humiliate me!"

"You!" You're just telling the truth!

The crown prince harbored resentment in his heart.

"Seventh Brother! That's not a very nice way to put it. At the time, it wasn't just me and Fourth Miss Mo there; there were so many people there! I was dragged there. Fourth Miss Mo's sick horse didn't have a designated route; it just ran wildly past me. It took me a lot of effort to save her. It was all by chance..."

Li Jing shook his head. "Do you even believe these words yourself?" With that, he left.

Yesterday afternoon and into the evening, there was a power outage in my building.

I ran to the photo shop next door to charge my phone.

When we got back, we lit a whole room full of candles—it was so romantic!

So today, Chapter Two, don't wait.

Yesterday, a reader who has been following my work all this time complained that my writing was bad and said she was going to give up on it... Moreover, she wrote a very long comment expressing her dissatisfaction.

To be honest, it was quite sad to see...

My writing ability is indeed very limited. There's nothing I can do about it; top writers don't become famous for no reason—their skill level is simply high!
Writing requires not only a solid foundation of knowledge but also the ability to synthesize and apply it. Having your own ideas is important, but talent is also crucial…

Having read so much, I was inspired to write my own thoughts.

My abilities are limited, my memory is poor, there are many typos, the sentences are incoherent, and I misspelled names. I've forgotten the plot...

All of these situations exist, and there are expert error correctors who can find many mistakes.

Writing 5,000 words a day is torture for me. I even cruelly declined several invitations from friends to play cards and have dinner.

Their spirit is quite commendable...

Every reader is a precious treasure to me. I hope you'll be understanding; since we've already come this far, let's persevere together a little longer, shall we?
The tense part is coming soon...