Somebody sighed with emotion first, and all people came back to earth, but the shock and admiration couldn’t be concealed on their faces.
It was at dusk and almost getting dark outside, and the door and windows around this room were covered with black heavy cloths, with no light from outside.
However, the room which was supposed to be dark as night shone with dazzling colorful light, which was gorgeous and brilliant, even covering all people at the door.
“Chirp…”
Suddenly the clear and long birdsong came from inside.
They saw a round bird cage in the middle of the room, and it was about three meters tall and two meters wide.
There was a big bird as tall as a grown-up man in the bird cage.
Its head was like a chicken’s, but it looked more exquisite and vivid than the common chicken. It had a long and sharp beak and a tall and thin neck like a swan’s. It was slender and delicate, with a long tail which was curved with a beautiful arc and lowered to the floor.
It was covered with colorful feathers all over and shone with every hue. It was exactly a phenix in the ancient myths and legends.
All people present had read some books about a phenix’s appearance and must have imagined what this colorful phenix looked like.
But when they saw the colorful phenix, all their imaginations and conjectures were powerless. They just felt shocked.
Mo Junyu was complacent to see that. He had specially asked the feeder, and the latter told him that the colorful phenix was unique as it had a colorful coat, able to shine all over its body in the darkness, and it would surely bring people a visual feast.
“Junjiu, are you satisfied with the colorful phenix’s condition today?” Mo Junyu asked Mo Junjiu on purpose.
After feeling amazed in the beginning, Mo Junjiu looked terrible and stared at the colorful phenix in surprise for a long time. When Mo Junyu asked him, his face was stiff. “As long as Father is satisfied.”
Mo Xiangbin was contented indeed and nodded constantly. “The colorful phenix is true to its name! Junyu, you did a good job!”
“Thanks, Father,” Mo Junyu responded respectfully and lowered his head, so his expression couldn’t be seen.
Mo Junyu was the crown prince, but Mo Xiangbin didn’t like him these years. He had been rebuked by his father for many times and had seldom heard his praise.
It was his first time to be praised with feelings shown on his father’s face, but it was because he took care of a bird.
Mo Junyu just thought it sarcastic and suddenly remembered that Mo Junyang called the colorful phenix “wild bird”.
Gee, it was just a wild bird, but these people took it too seriously.
“The crown prince is steady. Don’t worry when he looks after the colorful phenix, Your Majesty!” Ling Ruiyin praised Mo Junyu in time, and Mo Xiangbin rarely nodded to echo her.
It made Mo Junjiu furious. He glared at Mo Junyu but didn’t dare let the elders notice him. He glared secretly like a thief, which was in vain.
Mo Junyu ignored him, and it made him almost explode.
Shi Qingxue watched these people’s reactions and her joy and amazement after seeing the colorful phenix were replaced with sighing.
The royal family was the most heartless, and every member was a good actor.
“What are you thinking about?” A deep male voice appeared beside Shi Qingxue’s ear all of a sudden, and she was frightened.
She looked back, to see Mo Junyang standing behind her when she was unaware. She stepped backward by instinct and didn’t reply.
Mo Junyang noticed that Qingxue obviously tried to avoid seeing him, and his eyes darkened, but he didn’t point it out. Instead, he just asked the question again.
Of course Shi Qingxue wouldn’t tell Mo Junyang about her messy thoughts. She blushed and shook her head slightly. “Nothing.”
She wouldn’t speak out the disgraced, blind and disorderly conjectures.
Mo Junyang thought Shi Qingxue didn’t want to tell him as she still hated him. He opened his mouth but didn’t ask more. With his deep eyes, he looked at the crowd with different thoughts in front and lowered his voice, whispering in her ear, “Find an excuse tomorrow night and don’t enter the imperial palace.”
“What?” Shi Qingxue thought she had misheard and raised her head in confusion, happening to meet Mo Junyang’s deep eyes.
Her heartbeat quickened abruptly, and she lowered her head in panic, faltering casually, “Tomorrow is His Majesty’s birthday, and all the noble families and everybody in a high position have been invited.”
The Shi family would be invited every time, and Shi Qingxue had never been absent from such a party. She thought Mo Junyang said something wrong.
But Mo Junyang just looked at her with a complicated expression and seemed to see another person through her. He murmured, “It will be fine if you can remember…”
If Shi Qingxue remembered what had happened in the previous life, she would know that nothing good happened at the party of Mo Xiangbin’s 45th birthday.
Mo Junyang’s other identity was revealed at this party and he almost died. The fight between Mo Junjiu and Mo Junhao reached the peak then as they started a war.
Although in this life, Mo Junyang made a plan in the beginning and consolidated at every step so that perhaps his identity wouldn’t be exposed, Mo Junyu was added in the fight for the throne, and the envoys from the other three countries would create difficulties. It would be a mess.
Anybody who was involved would be in trouble. If Shi Qingxue remembered everything, she wouldn’t want to get involved.
However, hearing Mo Junyang’s words, Qingxue believed that he thought she was a hindrance. Her face fell, and she goggled at Mo Junyang with displeasure, responding crossly, “I am sorry that I disappoint you. I can’t remember anything.”
Mo Junyang paused for a while and then opened his mouth, trying to say something, but in the end, he didn’t explain to Shi Qingxue that he was not disappointed.
Mo Junyang just felt it was a pity that at last, she had forgotten what happened between them.
Seeing that Mo Junyang didn’t speak, Shi Qingxue was angrier. “I know you don’t want to see me, so don’t worry. If I come tomorrow, I won’t show up in front of you or greet you!”
Afterward, she felt something wrong. She didn’t get close to Mo Junyang today.
These days, Mo Junyang talked to her every time, so it was not her fault.
Shi Qingxue got bolder with sufficient reasons and raised her sharp chin, glaring at Mo Junyang with her big round eyes. She seemed to say, “It’s all your fault. Don’t put the blame on me.”
Mo Junyang understood Shi Qingxue’s hidden meaning at a glance and felt amused. Then he couldn’t help but raise his hand to touch her head.
Qingxue bent over nimbly and avoided his first move. When she was about to protest, he didn’t give up but pressed her head gently and then rubbed it with his big hand.
The sudden act with affection petrified Shi Qingxue. She looked up at Mo Junyang blankly and met his gentle eyes with love.
It was the same as what she remembered.
Shi Qingxue hadn’t seen it for a long time, and she stood still in a daze, hearing the man’s deep voice. “Right, it’s my fault, so be good and stay at home tomorrow. Don’t come, okay?”
“Be good… okay…” Such words seemed to be played repeatedly and resounded in Shi Qingxue’s brain without a stop.
The voice became louder and louder and occupied her mind.
At last, with a bang, it exploded, and Shi Qingxue felt the heat rose from her heart along her neck and spread to her face.
She felt so hot that she was going to explode.
As if she were burnt, she quickly moved aside, avoiding Mo Junyang’s hand and didn’t even dare to look at him.
“Don’t touch my hair!” She complained crossly but mostly felt shy.
Mo Junyang just smiled. “It’s great that you know.”
Shi Qingxue goggled. When did she agree not to come tomorrow?
But under Mo Junyang’s eyes like water, Qingxue couldn’t go against him like before. She stuttered for quite a while but couldn’t say anything. In the end, she replied vaguely and then ran away.
Although Shi Qingxue was displeased at Mo Junyang’s unclear attitude, she still listened to his sincere advice and planned to malinger in order not to attend the birthday party tomorrow.
Unexpectedly, next morning, before she asked Doctor Qin to examine her, the order from the Shou’an Hall came to the East House, the first master’s family should send at least two ladies to the party in the imperial palace.
There were strict rules for the noble families to attend the party in the imperial palace. Generally, a noble family would only let the first master’s lineal members join the party. If they wanted to bring the favored ones other than the lineal members, the number of them must be the same as the lineal members’.
For example, in Duke Shi’s mansion, although Shi Junhe and his two brothers were Shi Lei’s legitimate sons, Shi Lei had passed away, and Shi Junhe inherited the title of duke. So even though the Shi family didn’t divide into three families because Mo Shujun was alive, the second master Shi Junfeng and the third master Shi Juncai were not pure lineal members.
So if the second master’s and the third master’s families wanted to attend the party in the imperial palace, the first master’s family should send as many members as them. The second master Shi Junfeng was slow-witted and Mo Shujun didn’t like him, so he was always alien to such a party, but the third master Shi Juncai joined every party.
And this time, in the third master’s family, Shi Juncai and his wife, as well as the second young master Shi Baozhao and the fourth lady Shi Baoyou wanted to take part in the party. It meant that the first master’s family should send two people to meet the demand besides Shi Junhe and Wenren Chi, who was adopted by Shi Junhe and more lineal than Shi Baozhao logically. It was no wonder that Mo Shujun forcefully gave such an order to the first master’s family.
However, Dong Hui was pregnant for less than three months and was an elderly parturient woman. It was a period that the baby was not stable, and she shouldn’t walk too much and get tired at ordinary times, so she couldn’t take part in the party at this time. Then only Shi Baoning and Shi Qingxue were left in the first master’s family.
“Leng Yan, please tell Grandma that Mother and I are not feeling well, and I am afraid that we can’t attend the party.” Shi Qingxue didn’t plan to follow Mo Shujun’s order.
But Leng Yan who was always easy-going in the past suddenly got tough, and she looked cold, answering politely, “My Lady, don’t joke with me. Who dares to disobey Princess Royal’s orders? What’s more, it’s a great honor to attend His Majesty’s birthday party. Others want to join it but don’t have the qualification. Nobody would malinger randomly and refuse to go like you do.
“If you really can’t make it, I can report to Princess Royal for you. She loves you so much, so she won’t force you, but, I don’t dare to send a false message for Madam. Please understand me, My Lady.”
Leng Yang made it clear that the first master’s family must send two more people. Shi Qingxue could malinger and escape, but Dong Hui couldn’t avoid it. Then she was going to see what choice Shi Qingxue would make.