Too high to reach

Chapter 266 The world is awake
Despite her strain, Granny Zhao handed over a few tasks to Mo Yi.

"It's mainly for month-end accounting. We'll also give you the staff information, so you can check it against the records. My brother knows a lot about these things too. If you don't understand anything, just ask him."

"Okay. Don't worry."

"Your Highness, Your Highness, Miss Mo Yuan lives in the courtyard next door. Things have been in disarray at home lately, so why don't you take her back with you?"

Li Jing nodded, "Alright. I'll go back and write a few letters, and have Zhao Zuo take them with him. Someone will take care of him along the way."

"Thank you, Your Highness. You should return home soon."

"Okay." Li Jing nodded and left, so the Zhao family could get things done quickly.

Zhao Mama's son and eldest grandson saw the prince and his entourage off.

Seeing someone heading towards the small courtyard next to the Zhao family's house, Mo Yi said to Li Jing, "Your Highness, I'm going to fetch my sister."

"Hmm." Li Jing responded expressionlessly, then turned to talk to Zhao Mama's eldest son.

Mo Yi hurried into the courtyard, not because she was in a hurry to see Mo Yuan, but because she needed to keep an eye on things. The Zhao family was going through a period of mourning, and even the Prince was deeply saddened…

She shouldn't come out dressed up in a flashy, cloying, and seductive way.

Upon closer inspection, it was a two-courtyard house, not large, simply yet elegantly furnished, with little sign of daily life. It was probably a temporary lodging for relatives or friends visiting Beijing.

Sure enough, before even entering the house, they heard Mo Yuan's excited voice: "Wrap this and this up, we don't need the others, hurry up!"

Mo Yi stood at the door with a cold expression.

Mo Yuan wore a light pink cotton mini skirt with narrow sleeves, and gestured with her hands, revealing the bracelet on her fair wrist.

She was having the little girl help her pack her things.

Turning her head, she saw Mo Yi, and especially after seeing her expression, Mo Yuan immediately became more obedient.

"Yi Yi! I'll have them pack their things and change their clothes before they come," she said, somewhat ingratiatingly.

"No need to pack, I'll arrange for someone to come tomorrow. You don't need to change your clothes either, just put on a cloak and go."

"Going out dressed like this?" Mo Yuan stretched out her hands to look at her sleeves, somewhat reluctant.

Mo Yi took two steps closer. "Granny Zhao's daughter has passed away. Everyone is very sad. Don't make a fuss."

"Really?! When did this happen? I'll go and comfort Granny Zhao..." Mo Yuan really didn't know.

"No need. Hurry up!"

"Then where are you taking me?" Mo Yuan had been locked up for several days, well-fed and cared for, but she just couldn't leave the house. She knew nothing about the outside world. Even with all her abilities, she couldn't find out anything from the maid!

"Let's go back to the Prince's residence first, we'll talk about everything tomorrow! The Prince is still waiting in the carriage outside, hurry up." Mo Yi was getting impatient.

"Huh? Riding in the same carriage as the prince..." Mo Yuan looked constipated.

Mo Yi ignored her and took the cloak from the maid, tossing it to her. "Let's go!" She turned to the side and pointed towards the door.

"Oh." Mo Yuan had no choice but to put on the cloak herself, tuck the stray hairs behind her ears, and tuck the roots of her hair into her hair.

As I passed by Mo Yi, I felt that she was being very unfriendly to me, so I tilted my head, snorted, and went out.

Li Jing traveled light and simply on his journey. Therefore, on his return trip, there were four people in one carriage.

Li Jing and Consort Feng had already boarded the carriage. Consort Feng gently explained, "Your Highness, I was just trying to share your burdens, not to compete with the Princess for power. As you know, I've served Granny Zhao for many years and have assisted her."

"I am certainly more suitable than the Princess to take over. Besides, it's not that I look down on the Princess, but she is still young and hasn't done much, and I'm afraid she might hinder your plans."

Li Jing nodded: "I understand. But you have a lot to do too. Granny Zhao has left some people to take a look first, and we'll see if it's not satisfactory."

Consort Feng could only respond softly, but inwardly she lamented that she had missed such a good opportunity.

If she could win it back, she would find a way to avoid handing it back...

Just then, Mo Yi led Mo Yuan into the car.

At this moment, Mo Yuan appeared quiet and obedient, and softly called out, "Your Highness."

He then turned to Consort Feng, his eyes flashing: "Your Highness, Consort Feng."

Li Jing didn't even lift his eyelids.

Consort Feng remained silent, giving Mo Yuan a half-smile.

"How cunning is Mo Yuan?" She immediately saw the contempt in Consort Feng's eyes, and her anger flared. "Who do you think you are? How are you any better than me? Daring to give me that look…you just wait!"

Despite the turmoil in his heart, he remained low-key and docile on the surface.

Upon arriving home, Li Jing said, "You should all go back now!"

Mo Yi didn't say much, bowed to Li Jing, and then led Mo Yuan to the back.

Consort Feng stayed until the end, knowing that it was impossible for her to invite the prince to her room to taste the aged wine again today.

I sighed inwardly at my bad luck; all my efforts had been for nothing!
"Your Highness, you must still have many things to attend to. I'll keep the osmanthus wine for now. We can drink it in a couple of days."

"Okay. You can go back now." Li Jing's mind was no longer on this.

As soon as Mo Yi arrived at the backyard gate, she saw Hongyan and Lvyi waiting for her with lanterns.

Seeing that Mo Yuan had also arrived, Hong Yan hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, is Fourth Miss still staying in the same courtyard as before?"

"Okay. Have someone tidy it up."

The woman responded and left.

Lvyi led the way, and Moyuan leaned close to Moyi and whispered, "Yiyi, how's my situation? Granny Zhao locked me up and has people watching me. I don't know anything about it!" She put on a pitiful and indignant look.

"What's it to you?" Mo Yi asked coldly.

"Oh dear, it's about the Crown Prince! How far have we gotten in the discussion?"

Mo Yi glanced at her: "My eldest uncle and third uncle went to the Eastern Palace to express their gratitude with gifts. The prince also expressed his thanks to the crown prince. That's all."

"Huh?" Mo Yuan was a little incredulous. "That's it?!"

"What do you think?"

They arrived at the main courtyard. Mo Yi glanced at her and said, "Get some rest!" before turning and entering the courtyard.

Mo Yuan stood there, watching her retreating figure, her pretense completely fading. She was a little worried; so many days had passed, and still no results?
Just now, I couldn't see anything amiss between the prince and Mo Yi.

Could it be, as Mo Yi said, that this is the end of it?

Then why lock yourself up?

With a confused mind, she walked forward and arrived at the courtyard where she and Zhou Jiu lived.

There was no one in the main room, but there were people talking in her room. Looking in from the doorway, she saw Zhou Jiu and several maids helping her tidy up.

"A-Jiu..." Mo Yuan's voice was soft and pitiful.

"Yuanyuan, you're back!" Zhou Jiu came over and pulled her up and down, looking her over. "I was so happy to hear you were back."

"Good Ah Jiu...you've heard about my bad luck?"

Zhou Jiu pulled Mo Yuan to sit down in the main room and poured her a glass of water: "This is freshly brewed rose petals. Smell it, it smells so good."

Mo Yuan listlessly took it, smelled it, and said, "Hmm, it smells good."

"Don't say you're unlucky and that being rescued is a stroke of good fortune. Otherwise, what if you had really hurt your face, broken your arm or leg...? There's a young man in my family who had an accident while riding a horse. Don't ride anymore!"

"Hmm..." Mo Yuan pouted and leaned closer to Zhou Jiu: "Have you heard anything about my situation?"

Zhou Jiu shook his head. "No one in the family has spread the word. But that day... your second brother and Young Master Zhang came to see the Princess."

"Huh?! They're here? What did they say?"

"I don't know. They probably left shortly after they arrived."

"Ugh……"

“I noticed that Young Master Zhang doesn’t look well. He was in a hurry to ask me if you live here, and he wants to see you.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Yuan felt a lump in her throat and a slight pang in her heart.

Previously, she didn't care about Zhang Debao.

She took his care for granted, believing that she had never done anything for him and that everything was of her own free will.

But I didn't deliberately keep the proper distance from him; deep down, I considered him my fallback plan.

But... that was my previous idea.

After she did this, when she thought of Zhang Debao again, she felt uneasy and empty.

I am often torn between regret and not regretting.

He's at the western outskirts camp; he probably just heard the news. He must be very sad...

She sighed and told herself: "Mo Yuan, stop thinking about these things, it's no use."

“Yuanyuan, actually… I think that people like your second brother and Young Master Zhang are the kind of good husbands…” Zhou Jiu said softly, her face slightly flushed.

Mo Yuan was surprised by Zhou Jiu's words, looking at her shy appearance in the candlelight.

A thought flashed through her mind: Could it be that she also liked Zhang Debao?!

No, it's not. Is it my second brother?

She leaned closer and whispered in Zhou Jiu's ear, "You've taken a liking to my second brother?"

Zhou Jiu quickly covered her mouth, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

At this moment, Mo Yuan completely forgot about her own mess and stared intently at Zhou Jiu.

"Tsk tsk! How come I never thought of that? I wish I had such a beautiful sister-in-law..."

"Yuanyuan, if you keep doing this, I'll get angry!" Zhou Jiu's face was as red as a cloth.

"You silly girl, who am I? I'm your best friend who used to share a room with you, a confidante. I tell you everything. You should tell me what you're thinking too."

"I have no idea what to say to you!" Zhou Jiu wasn't as thick-skinned as Mo Yuan, and he became somewhat embarrassed and angry.

“If you really mean that…” Mo Yuan didn’t care about her emotions, but instead narrowed her eyes and started to calculate, “Let me tell you, A-Jiu, the Mo family’s background is really not good. Although my eldest uncle has been promoted quite a bit and my second brother has also gotten into trouble, it’s only better than before. Compared to wealthy families… we can’t compare.”

Zhou Jiu lowered his head and listened quietly without saying a word.

Mo Yuan turned her head to look at the room, pointing and saying, "Look at where you live, look at the pajamas you're wearing... and these furnishings, the tea and roses you're drinking... and the jewelry and cosmetics in the room. Even if your Zhou family isn't as good as this place, it's not that much worse."

But if you go to the Mo family home... their small courtyard, their tiny house. What do we wear at home? And my aunt, she spends every day calculating her meager savings to ensure everyone eats and drinks well. She manages a few servants, and worries about her children, trying to prevent her sisters-in-law from arguing. She's spent her whole life doing these trivial things... My second brother's wife will be her successor.

Can you handle this? Look at yourself! You were raised to be a refined woman, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and this is the result? Do you think the Zhou family will be happy with this? A lifetime of mundane chores, can you endure it?
Even I, disregarding my reputation, tried every possible way to escape that kind of courtyard. You've never experienced that kind of life; I'll take you there later, and you'll see how tough it is.

"But... what about the atmosphere at the Mo family's home?" Zhou Jiu asked.

"Hey, it's the same as your house! Don't always think that it'll be better if you just go to another house. Let me tell you, every house is the same! It's just a difference in how things are expressed and how much stuff is fought over, but the essence is the same."

So… when Mo Yi told me about the inner quarters of the Crown Prince's residence, I found it amusing. Did she think other families weren't like this, and this Prince's residence wasn't? Then what about Feng…”

Mo Yuan stopped speaking when she saw there were maids in the room. "Every family has its disagreements and struggles. When there are big interests, there will be big struggles. When there are no interests, who has the mood? It's common to want to bully someone you don't like."

It's infuriating that some people have it, and it's laughable that others don't. It's the same everywhere you go. Don't be foolish!

Her words really stunned Zhou Jiu. "But I think you and the Princess get along very well, like sisters."

"Good my ass... Didn't you see how she gave me the cold shoulder just now! She's always been so mean to me... Even back when we were still young. Before, I thought it was because I was so capable, always taking advantage of her and always putting her down. But I later found out she's just a sly thug."

"With my fiery temper, it's been very difficult for me to hold back." Mo Yuan thought of Mo Yi's awful behavior just now and felt a burning hatred.

Zhou Jiu laughed, "That's good too. Sincerity. Not pretending to be friendly to your face but tripping you up behind your back."

"Why not?" Mo Yuan was about to speak, but then she shut her mouth.

Besides, I'll have to reveal everything about my family.

"Sigh, she said that if I enter the Crown Prince's residence, she will ignore me."

"Her Majesty was just saying that out of anger; she wouldn't do that."

"No, you don't know her, she's very hard-hearted. Hey Ajiu, I like you, so I'll give you some advice: if you want it to work out, I'll talk to Moyi. My second brother and Moyi are best friends! Humph, ever since they were little, the food he brings back from outside is only for Moyi."

"They're doing this behind our backs...do they think I don't know?! My second uncle treats my second brother better than his own eldest brother. Whenever he mentions him, he's full of praise. You know, it's not easy for my second uncle to praise someone!"

"Only if Mo Yi agrees can we persuade the Prince. Only with the Prince's intervention will the Zhou family possibly agree... No, no, no, you should go to the Mo family first. In a couple of days, when I can go out again, I'll take you home to see them. That way you'll have a better idea of ​​what to expect. If you're still willing, I'll help you with the arrangements..."

Zhou Jiu's eyes lit up as she listened, and she didn't dare to interrupt, hoping that she would say more...

As a result, she was disturbed by the maids: "Miss Yuanyuan, everything is ready. Please tell us if you need anything else."

"Thank you for your hard work, sisters!" Mo Yuan immediately said in a sweet and coquettish voice. "Ajiu, quickly lend me some tips. I don't have anything on me right now." She patted herself and said, "If you sisters work for nothing all day, you'll scold me for being stingy when you leave the house."

She was urged by Mo Yi and didn't even bring her purse.

The maids grinned, clearly fond of Mo Yuan: "Miss Yuan is teasing us again! Since you say so, you'll owe us for now, and we'll make up for the three portions later!"

"okay!"

The whole room was laughing...

Four thousand words in one chapter. I hope I won't get scolded.