Too high to reach

Chapter 296 Toad on Foot
Mo Yi thought that the four children from the East would come back to the manor with her.

When they got home, they found that no one had followed them.

"Your Highness, aren't those four children coming back to our residence?"

“They will go back to their own homes first to acknowledge their ancestors. Later, I will find a place to settle them so they don’t have to come out on weekdays and cause trouble.”

"Oh……"

The prince has begun a new round of official duties.

Mo Yi went to find Zhou Jiu, "My second brother isn't back yet. The cleanup over there will take quite a while. This is something he asked me to bring back for you..."

He took out a large bag, which contained a bunch of odds and ends.

"These are all local products brought by participants from various places. They bring things to exchange, and some can even be sold for money. I heard this is a tradition..."

"There's this tradition too, it's quite interesting." Zhou Jiu looked at each item one by one, including food, jewelry, and some trinkets.

They weren't particularly valuable, but they were all quite interesting.

"Tch, my second brother didn't even let me take care of Mom! My aunt will be furious if she finds out."

Zhou Jiu blushed as she accepted it.

I picked out two more fun items and sent them to Xiangxiang.

Li Xiangling had the maid accept it, but said nothing.

After Zhou Jiu left, the maid beside him curled her lip, "These things, how dare you even show them off..."

……

The Eastern Palace. Consort Zhang's mother has arrived.

Consort Zhang is no longer fit, so the Zhang family wants to send in another daughter.

With tears streaming down her face, Madam Zhang said to the Crown Prince, "She has suffered such a serious injury. It's a pity that her two children have no one to take care of them. Originally, with the Crown Princess by her side, it wouldn't have been a problem. But Her Highness is pregnant, and now, I'm afraid she won't be able to take care of anything else for more than a year. What do you think... perhaps we could have her aunt come and look after them for a while?"

The Crown Prince smiled gently and agreed.

"This family, really..." Mo Yuan muttered to herself as she paced around.

"Our own daughter! She's not even dead yet, and they've already found someone to take over... Such a wealthy family, so heartless. No... I'm still thinking about leaving this position open!"

So she tried different ways to test the crown prince.

At this moment, although she was subtly probing, the crown prince immediately understood. He then brought up similar statements such as: "The one with the ability should be in charge..."

Mo Yuan was anxious and wanted to talk to Mo Yi about it, so she came to the Prince's Mansion again that day.

But Mo Yi went to the Zhao family's house and wasn't there.

Li Chang is at the western suburban camp and won't be able to return. His marriage to Zhao Yunqing will require everyone's help.

Seeing that Mo Yi was not there, Mo Yuan went directly to chat with Consort Tian.

The news reached Consort Feng, who was extremely annoyed. "I've never seen anything like this before. What do they take the Prince's mansion for?"

Mrs. Song chimed in with a sneer: "That's how people from humble backgrounds visit each other. Back in the day, that old hag (her mother-in-law) was just like that..."

Meanwhile, Consort Tian was delighted by Mo Yuan's arrival. She was working in the study and also having tea with Mo Yuan there.

This was Mo Yuan's first time here. She wandered around and looked around. There were account books in the cabinet, writing brushes and ink on the table, and an abacus.

"Wow, you're all so capable! Look at my sister's study, it's full of these too. Sister Tian, ​​do you run your own business?"

“Yes, I have some. Before I got married, I had my own property. When I got married, my family gave me a lot more... because I married well.”

Both men laughed.

"I do have some talent in business. So, I help the prince manage some affairs. However, I only have the maids fetch the keys and can't make any decisions. I just help look at the accounts and such. Staying in the inner quarters for too long, I don't get much news from the outside world, and slowly, I've become stupid."

"You can't go out?"

“Some of my businesses are in other places. And there are the matters between the Prince and the Tian family… It would be convenient for me to look after them and send messages. Even in the capital, I don’t have the treatment of a princess, and I can’t usually go out.”

"Does my sister manage the prince's businesses?" Mo Yuan asked curiously.

"Her Highness hasn't been married into the family for very long, and she still has to give birth and all that. Besides, she hasn't done much before, so I reckon she hasn't been taught anything yet. Moreover, the Princess Consort has her own shops to manage. Also, I'm not sure if Granny Zhao taught her anything when she left... Her Highness learns things very quickly..."

"I have some spare cash that I don't know what to do with. If you need anything, just call me later," Mo Yuan said, trying to get closer to him.

"Okay... I'll call you when I have the chance. But there's nothing to do right now."

"Is Qianqian going to class with the princess too?"

"Since we've already hired a master, let her go and listen too."

As the two were chatting, a maid came in and said, "Your Highness, your sister-in-law has sent a message."

"Please come in!"

A woman who looked like a manager walked in.

"Greetings to the Consort! Madam..." The female steward, unaware of who Mo Yuan was, also performed a bow.

"A letter from your wife." With that, she handed over the letter with both hands.

Consort Tian said thank you for your hard work and opened the letter. "Madam said that there has been heavy rain in Pingzhou recently, which has affected river transport, so the letter is a little late."

Consort Tian glanced at it briefly, then placed it on the table. "Tell them I understand. The Prince will be going out these next few days, so things will proceed as planned. If there's any more news, send it over immediately."

"Yes." The steward left.

Consort Tian and Mo Yuan started chatting again.

Mo Yuan spoke of Dongfang with great enthusiasm, describing him as someone unparalleled in heaven and earth.

Consort Tian's eyes lit up. "I've heard so much about him! Oh my, he might be coming to our residence soon! I'll have to see him for myself!"

"If I say it looks good, it can't be wrong!"

"No wonder Princess Yu'an has been so devoted to him all these years."

"Exactly! It's just a pity this time... I was watching, but I didn't dare to laugh, I almost choked..."

The two of them were laughing and sighing at the same time.

"Yuanyuan, why don't you stay for lunch?" Consort Tian and she had a lot in common.

"it is good."

By noon, Mo Yi still hadn't returned.

In the dining room, only Consort Tian and her daughter, Zhou Jiu with Xiangxiang, and Mo Yuan sat at one table.

Li Xiangling didn't like Mo Yuan very much, and habitually kept a straight face and didn't say anything.

But Zhou Jiu liked her, and the two sat next to each other, close by, whispering to each other.

The two were chatting and laughing quietly as the food was served. Turning around slightly, they saw the dishes and soup spilled from the maid's hands, getting Mo Yuan and Zhou Jiu covered in it…

"How can you do this job?!" Mo Yuan immediately became anxious.

This pale yellow shirt is made of exquisite silk gauze, a specialty of Yunzhou, a gift from the Crown Princess. It's the fabric she just put on.

Now, with a large amount of fish soup spilled over, it was all over.

Zhou Jiu's clothes were also light-colored, making him look equally disheveled.

The girl quickly put down the plate, knelt down, kowtowed and begged for mercy, tears streaming down her face.

Normally, Zhou Jiu felt like he was living under someone else's roof, which was a bit troublesome, so he didn't want to argue or get entangled with them. He didn't want to end up not only getting away with it but also losing face.

As for Mo Yuan, she is usually easygoing and not a mean person.

But... she glanced around and saw that there were only a few people sitting at such a large table.

Do we really have to serve the dishes between her and Zhou Jiu?

That girl did it on purpose.

Enraged, he pointed at her and shouted, "Tell me why the food was served from here! You deliberately spilled it on me? What are you trying to do? Who told you to do this?! You'd better tell me the truth today..."

"Oh dear, what happened?" Song's mother appeared just in time.

Mo Yuan narrowed her eyes...

"Your Highness, what has happened? This...and this is..." Mama Song seemed not to recognize Mo Yuan. "Oh my, is this the Princess Consort's sister? You are a distinguished guest. If she has any complaints, tell me, and I will punish her severely!"

She deliberately pointed out that Mo Yuan was a guest.

When you're a guest at someone's house, who would yell and order around like that, directly ordering around their servants?

What an inconsiderate person that must be!

Unexpectedly, Mo Yuan rolled her eyes and said, "Mom? Whose mom are you?! Get out of my sight!"

Song's mother, who had been shaking her head and sulking, was suddenly stunned by the scolding.

"If you can't summon someone who can speak to me, then shut your mouth! I'll sit here and wait for my sister to return. Let her see what happens when she's not home—my sister gets her food thrown at her!"

She sat there, crossed her legs, and looked incredibly arrogant.

Why is she behaving like this?
Mrs. Song didn't know what to say, "You..."

Zhou Jiu quietly pulled Mo Yuan aside, but Mo Yuan stubbornly ignored her.

Consort Tian quickly said, "Mama Song, please go and fetch Consort Feng!"

With a flushed face, Mrs. Song hurriedly went out.

Consort Feng is waiting for news across the street.

"Your Majesty!" Mama Song entered. "This man is not to be trifled with; he's shameless. Let's not make a scene..."

She's a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong, but she's also incredibly cunning.

Consort Feng was also surprised and did not answer for a moment.

Mother Song quickly recounted the scene from earlier, "If we're going to nitpick, that little girl's actions were indeed far-fetched... That slut was sitting with Zhou Jiu, with a huge empty seat next to them..."

However, that wretched woman's pale yellow silk gauze... heh heh, it really looks like it's been covered in dung, a yellowish-black mess. It's been utterly ruined, making her look extremely pathetic, and Zhou Jiu too. It's like a toad jumping on their feet, it'll disgust them to death!

"Fine... I'll go apologize!" Consort Feng stood up in a good mood.