Too high to reach

Chapter 376 Old and Easily Becomes Demonic

"Father, what brings you here?"

"Yi Yi..." Mo Ruhai saw his daughter and hesitated to speak.

Mo Yi shook her head and smiled bitterly. Her father was always so gloomy. He looked like he had been hit by frost. He was so preoccupied with worries!

"Father, does the family know about the Prince?"

"Yes, Yi Yi, is it true?" Mo Ruhai asked hopefully, especially wanting to hear a denial or a different answer from Mo Yi.

Mo Yi pulled him into the house and pressed him to sit down. "Please don't rush. The reason I didn't tell you when I got home was because I wanted to wait until the situation became clearer. But so far, none of our own lines have sent back any such news. Nor have we heard of any official military reports being submitted to the Emperor."

Yes, but those are just rumors circulating privately, and shouldn't be taken seriously. It would be wrong of me to speak rashly and cause everyone anxiety. Father, please rest assured. The Prince is a steady and reliable man, and with the Zhao family army as his support, nothing will happen.”

"Amitabha... I hope so." Mo Ruhai breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Mo Yi: "Father is mainly worried about you. Your current situation is special, so we can't rush things or let anything go wrong. Otherwise, if the Prince returns safely, but you... fall ill, wouldn't that be terrible?"

"I know. Your daughter is doing well. She does her chores every day and doesn't overthink things. The family has the guards and maids patrolling day and night, and they've thought of everything. Father, you and the family should also be careful."

"Father knows. Your eldest uncle also said that he has been staying at home and has turned away from visitors recently. We'll talk about it again when things are more stable."

"Yes, that's good! How about our daughter joins you for dinner?"

……

"Really?!" Mo Wen sat up straight immediately.

"Yes!" Wang looked conflicted, then she realized, "Oh dear, don't get up so suddenly. Slow down every movement." She personally helped Mo Wen support her back.

"...What did Mo Yi say?" Mo Wen asked anxiously.

"Her? Humph! She didn't utter a single word!" Madam Wang complained bitterly. "And she only found out from somewhere else. That girl… don't you know her? Always so quiet and reserved… such a big thing happened, and she didn't even come back to discuss it with your uncle and father. At a time like this, she has to rely on her own family! Really…"

"That's how they dealt with that Consort Feng. Otherwise, how dangerous would it have been?" Madam Wang's expression was extremely varied.

“Consort Feng has given birth to the eldest son! Your Highness, what if something unexpected happens… that child will be the only son of the Prince Qi’s mansion! Consort Feng is in charge of the household, so dealing with Mo Yi will be a piece of cake for her, won’t it?!” Once Madam Wang started talking, her mouth started to babble again.

"Oh dear! Now that we've come this far, I'll have to send someone to remind her when I get back. We mustn't let Madam Feng take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble."

Mo Wen slowly leaned back, unable to express her feelings. She glanced at Wang Shi and said indifferently, "Such a big matter, and the person didn't say anything, which means they have their own ideas! Why did you have to go and remind them? You're just annoying people, and they'll complain that you're meddling!"

"That's true... Your father just passed away, and hmph, she only listens to your father." Wang Shi felt uneasy.

Mo Wen sneered inwardly... Let her taste what it's like to have her husband disappear without a trace!
Thinking about it, tears started flowing again.

"Oh dear, Wenwen, why are you crying! I came here to talk to you and ask for your advice, but I've made you cry! If your mother-in-law finds out, she'll scold me. How am I supposed to ever cross the threshold again?"

Mo Wen's chest heaved, clearly overwhelmed with emotion: "What good ideas could I possibly have?! Mother... I've truly suffered terribly. These past few days, I've endured a lifetime's worth of suffering. I can't move at all, my hair is itchy, I'm probably infested with lice. My back aches like it's being pricked by awls, yet I dare not move a muscle..."

“Mother knows, Mother knows… The doctor said that once things stabilize a bit more, you’ll be able to get out of bed.”

"Xu Ke, what's wrong? No one has told me anything yet... I know nothing about what's happening outside. It's driving me crazy."

"Wenwen, hang in there a little longer, you need to gain some weight..." Looking at her daughter's emaciated appearance, and feeling a strange mix of emotions... Wang thought to herself: It's good that Xu Ke isn't home, otherwise, if he saw her like this...

Mo Wen sighed and wiped away her tears: "How is Xiao Zhou Shi?"

"It's alright!" Wang said nonchalantly. "She doesn't compete with your sister-in-law for power; the two sisters-in-law get along quite well. Your aunt is satisfied with her. Little Zhou did mention wanting to come and see you, but I stopped her."

Wang pursed her lips. With Zhou Jiu's newlywed demeanor, he would probably only provoke Wenwen...

"Let me tell you..." Madam Wang suddenly remembered something, her eyes lighting up immediately: "Mo Yi, you must have said something to the Prince. At first, Zhou Jiu's dowry wasn't impressive at all. Hmph, the only legitimate daughter of the fifth branch of the Zhou family, her dowry is hardly worthy of her title!"

But later, a lot more was added. Judging from the tone, it seemed that it was the Prince Qi's mansion that added it. Wasn't that Mo Yi's idea?! She and Mo Fan were the best of friends, and she was always scheming for him! This is such a meddlesome thing! Zhou Jiu, such an outstanding girl, marrying Mo Fan, she must be blind..." No one could control Wang Shi's mouth.

"Hmph! Your father always complains that I'm not good to Mo Yi. But look at what she's done! You have an older brother! Your older brother is about to take the imperial examination. But what she sent were just ordinary things... I've never seen any real gold or silver, or any property."

"Mother! What are you thinking?! The eldest brother taking property from his married sister? Does he have no shame?!" Mo Wen was furious.

"You child... how can you talk like that!" Wang scolded, her face slightly flushed. "I'm just chatting with you! Wenwen, any new news from Xu Ke?"

"Why do you keep asking? If I had something to say, wouldn't I have told you?!" At this moment, Mo Wen's impatience, tone, and expression... were truly inherited from the Wang family.

Facing her most beloved daughter, Wang couldn't utter a single harsh word, only managing an awkward smile, "I just care about you!"

Then, she sighed and said, "...Wenwen, your mother is really worried about the Prince's matter... You think about it, our family has been able to live like this all thanks to the Prince. Now, many things are going to be at a critical juncture: if your eldest brother passes the imperial examination, he will immediately face the selection of officials... Whether or not he has someone to back him up makes a world of difference!"
And his calligraphy... I heard he was going to study at Bailu Academy for a year, but now I wonder what's going on..."

Wang nervously pounded her left palm with her right fist: "My heart is breaking!"

"These are things my daughter can't help with, so please don't tell me!" Mo Wen said angrily.

……

The Empress was overjoyed to have a grandson of her own flesh and blood, and she went to tell the Emperor the news herself.

Upon arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Chief Eunuch Liu hurriedly came forward to greet her, whispering, "Your Majesty the Empress..."

"Chief Steward Liu, how is the Emperor right now?"

The door leading to the inner room was closed.

"His Majesty has just taken his medicine and is conserving it..."

"Did you eat anything...?"

The two spoke in hushed tones before the Empress announced, "The Crown Princess has given birth to a son, and His Majesty has gained a new grandson!"

Steward Liu smiled broadly and offered his congratulations repeatedly, saying, "This old servant will go in and tell His Majesty."

"Thank you for your trouble..."

Even after Steward Liu went in, the Empress's smile didn't fade. She was in a good mood and wouldn't be affected by anyone or anything!

After a while, Chief Steward Liu said, "Your Majesty, this servant has relayed this good news to the Emperor. The Emperor is very pleased and has ordered this old servant to take the reward to the Eastern Palace!"

The Empress was not invited in.

The Empress smiled sincerely: "I sincerely hope this good news can cheer up His Majesty's illness. The Crown Prince also said that he would like His Majesty to give him a childhood name when he has some free time..."

She left the palace and headed towards the inner palace.

So many days have passed, and there's still no news of Li Jing! While we can't be certain he's dead, he's certainly suffered a severe blow. If the Emperor were to also pass away at this point… well, let's just say it's a different story!
Heaven has already bestowed much good fortune upon the Crown Prince; let's show him even more mercy.

Not long after returning to the palace, a eunuch quietly came over and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has gone to see the Emperor!"

"You let her in?"

"Yes."

The Empress pursed her lips... She was increasingly unable to fathom the Emperor's thoughts.

"Really... old and prone to getting weird. I wonder what he's up to?! And that old hag... I wonder if they found that thing yet?" Her thoughts were a jumbled mess...