Shi Qingxue looked stern and immediately understood that Mo Junhao mentioned that she had defended Mo Junyang just now.
This man was narrow-minded. He couldn’t get something, and he didn’t want to see somebody else own it.
Qingxue knew much about Mo Junhao and certainly wouldn’t fall into his trap easily.
Her expression didn’t change, and she replied coldly, “What I said to the Empress Dowager is true, and I didn’t tell a lie. Your Highness, why did you say that I lied?”
Huh! He wanted to sound her out?
Sorry. It was impossible.
Annoyance flashed in Mo Junhao’s eyes, but he cheered up soon. He continued to ask in disbelief, “Yes? But why do I think it is confusing? I am afraid that it’s not as simple as you said, right?”
Every word hinted that Mo Junyang had something to do with Mo Junjiu’s death.
Even though there were only two people in the imperial garden, Shi Qingxue was annoyed as Mo Junhao beat around the bush.
But she had to cope with him cautiously.
After all, if she was careless, sometimes others would have a chance to comment.
She paused for a while. When she raised her head again, anger was shown in her eyes as she had been humiliated, but she concealed it.
So Qingxue’s lively and adorable face stiffened. She questioned Mo Junhao in a cold tone, “I have said that I didn’t lie. Why do you say such words to suspect me repeatedly, Your Highness? If you don’t believe me, we can go back to the Empress Dowager and tell her in front of you.
“Then I can ask you which words of mine are false.”
Afterward, she gazed at Mo Junhao with her clear and bright eyes.
Her gaze made him look away and avoid meeting her eyes in embarrassment silently.
Mo Junhao just wanted to get something useful with bare hand and lure Shi Qingxue to say some information. How would he have evidence to charge Shi Qingxue with lying?
But he didn’t expect that Shi Qingxue would be so calm and even offer to talk with him in front of Ling Ruiyin.
He didn’t dare to.
So he shrank back at once.
Mo Junhao smiled awkwardly. “I just said that casually. If you think it’s unpleasant to hear, just take it as a joke. Why should we go to my grandma? It would be not good if we disturb her.”
Shi Qingxue remained unmoved and snorted. “Your Highness, you said with certainty and it seems that it is true, so I don’t dare to take it as a joke. If you spread it randomly as a joke in the future and some people who don’t know the truth misunderstand me, I won’t be able to explain clearly even if I have ten thousand mouths.
“Do you think so, Your Highness?”
She left the question back to Mo Junhao effortlessly.
Mo Junhao was rebuked by Qingxue and couldn’t even force a smile.
He still wanted to talk with Shi Qingxue, but her cold attitude didn’t give him this chance.
He was reluctant to give up.
After a stalemate, Mo Junhao’s face was about to distort.
He finally snorted ferociously. “I have heard that Lady Qingxue has a silver tongue and is capable of defeating others in speech. I have witnessed that today, and you are equal to your reputation.”
Shi Qingxue seemed not to notice the sarcasm in Mo Junhao’s words.
Her lips curled up slightly and she accepted his “praise”, saying modestly, “Thanks! Your Highness, you flatter me. I always like to tell the truth and can’t make up a story. Comparing with your ability to fabricate rumors, I am much inferior.”
She sneered at Mo Junhao by the way.
She made Mo Junhao furious, and he forgot his gentleman style and gracefulness. Pointing at Qingxue, he snorted coldly. “Shi Qingxue, don’t be complacent. Mo Junyang is just the heir of King Rui anyway. What can he do even if he is favored now? The situation would change sooner or later.
“The emperor will be another person and everything will change. Who can be sure what will happen in the future?”
He even dared to say something rebellious. If Mo Junhao was not crazy out of anger, he just feared nothing with somebody at his back.
No matter which, Shi Qingxue didn’t care. She responded impassively, “Let’s wait and see.”
Seeing that Shi Qingxue was determined to go with Mo Junyang to darkness, Mo Junhao gave up the plan to win her over.
He rolled his eyes and had a vicious plan.
On the surface, he concealed his rage and turned to be indifferent, saying calmly, “Qingxue, you protect Junyang so much. Haven’t you considered your bestie, my half-sister Yuzhen’s feelings?
“You know that the man you protect has killed her brother. Or you don’t care about Yuzhen’s emotions at all?”
He said a lot and still wanted to relate Mo Junjiu’s death to Mo Junyang.
And he even wanted to ruin Shi Qingxue and Mo Yuzhen’s friendship.
He was so despicable.
Mo Junyang had nothing to do with Mo Junjiu’s death, and Shi Qingxue should spit at him and curse him boldly.
But when she heard Mo Yuzhen’s name, she still couldn’t help but be distracted.
She kept silent.
It happened to become Mo Junhao’s “evidence” against her.
Mo Junhao could hardly conceal his complacency but still pretended to be sad. “My poor sister takes you as her best friend all the time. She likes what you like and hates what you hate no matter if it is right, but you…”
He intentionally said something vague and made others lost in wild and fanciful thoughts.
Shi Qingxue got angry at once and couldn’t control herself. She retorted loudly, “The right or wrong should be clear. How can we make irresponsible remarks because of the friendship?”
Mo Junhao immediately showed that he was frightened by Shi Qingxue and waved his hand to stop her. “Right. Qingxue, you are upright and support the reason regardless of the friendship. I have nothing to say. But I don’t know what my sister would think about.”
After speaking, Mo Junhao looked behind Shi Qingxue meaningfully.
Shi Qingxue was astonished and followed Mo Junhao’s eyes to look back, to see Mo Yuzhen standing behind her three meters away and staring at her sadly.
Shi Qingxue was nervous and wasn’t as confident as before.
She just looked at Mo Yuzhen silently for a long time and didn’t know when Mo Junhao left.
Both of them stood face to face from far away and didn’t speak. It seemed that they were competing on willpower.
Shi Qingxue felt almost one century had passed and then finally heard Mo Yuzhen’s hoarse and depressed voice. “Did…he tell the truth?”
“What?” Shi Qingxue didn’t know since when Mo Yuzhen stood behind her or how much she had heard. She wasn’t sure what Yuzhen wanted to ask.
Mo Yuzhen stepped forward and asked in a sorrowful tone, “My brother…died…”
As soon as she spoke, tears poured out of her eyes and flew all over her face in an instant.
But she still insisted. “Did Mo Junyang do it?”
Shi Qingxue was heartbroken to see that and almost stepped forward to hold her friend in arms, but what they were talking about didn’t allow her to do so.
She looked at Mo Yuzhen and also replied seriously, “No.”
“You are lying!” Mo Yuzhen cried more loudly.
Shi Qingxue looked sad and felt pity for Mo Yuzhen, but she had to tell the princess in a firmer tone. “I didn’t lie to you. His Highness’ death has nothing to do with Mo Junyang.”
“You are a liar!” Mo Yuzhen shook her head desperately and refused to believe Shi Qingxue’s words.
Her cry was harsh and sorrowful.
Shi Qingxue wanted to comfort her but didn’t know what to say.
Suddenly, Mo Yuzhen raised her head and stared at Shi Qingxue fiercely while shouting angrily, “You lied to me! Mo Junyang killed my brother. He is the murderer. It’s him. It’s him… Why do you still cover up for him? Why do you…”
In the beginning, Mo Yuzhen shouted more and more harshly, and later she asked more and more powerlessly. She shouted herself hoarse and couldn’t make a sound while sobbing.
Shi Qingxue didn’t blame Mo Yuzhen for her improper behavior, but she refused to change her mind. She just insisted, “It has nothing to do with Mo Junyang. Even if you want to take revenge, you…”
“Why does it have nothing to do with him?” Mo Yuzhen interrupted Shi Qingxue in a loud voice.
She questioned harshly, “If he didn’t insist on chasing my brother, how would it happen later? It’s his fault. He killed my brother! I won’t let him go, ever!”
“Yuzhen, enough!” Shi Qingxue finally couldn’t control herself but yelled in rage.
As soon as she stopped, they fell into silence.
Qingxue took a deep breath and softened her tone, continuing, “Yuzhen, His Highness rebelled first. Mo Junyang just went to capture him under His Majesty’s order. Later an accident happened, and nobody wants that, but you can’t put all the blame on Mo Junyang.
“It’s too despicable!”
The word “despicable” knocked Mo Yuzhen’s heart and made her lose her momentum in frustration.
She was depressed but still reluctant and defended Mo Junjiu. “What wrong did my brother do? Why was he dead? It’s unfair. It’s unfair to him.”
“Was it fair to the people and soldiers in the country who died because of his rebellion?” Shi Qingxue coldly asked in reply.
She didn’t want Mo Yuzhen to deceive herself like this and pointed out the truth seriously and indifferently. “Yuzhen, His Highness committed the crime of rebellion. Even though he was a prince, he couldn’t go unpunished.”
But Mo Yuzhen refused to accept the truth and still shook her head arbitrarily, shouting, “I don’t care! I don’t care about anybody else. I just know that my brother was nice to me, and he shouldn’t have such a miserable ending! He never treated you unfairly, right?”
Mo Yuzhen seemed to find a savior and suddenly raised her voice. She looked at Shi Qingxue with expectancy and wanted to get a positive answer.
It seemed that as long as Mo Junjiu never treated them unfairly, he shouldn’t be blamed.
However…
Shi Qingxue just looked at Mo Yuzhen calmly and asked indifferently, “If you say so, what do you say after he sowed discord between my father and brother and almost made them die on Qingluo Mountain?”
Mo Yuzhen stiffened and looked at Shi Qingxue in disbelief, shouting automatically, “Have you regained your memory?”
Shi Qingxue opened her mouth, but before she could reply, somebody held her tightly from behind all of a sudden.
The warm and familiar breath approached her from behind and came into her ears.
She couldn’t help but shrink her neck, while she was held in arms more tightly. It seemed that the person hugged her hard, as if she were the last life-saving straw.
Shi Qingxue was held and her arms hurt, and she couldn’t move a bit.
Shi Qingxue didn’t need to look back but knew who was hugging her, but that was why she was scared and angry. She shouted in a sweet voice, “Mo Junyang, let me go.”
Thinking that Mo Yuzhen was still looking at them not far away, Shi Qingxue felt that her face was burning, and she wanted to find a hole to hide herself.
But Mo Junyang wouldn’t give her the chance.
The man hugged her forcefully and refused to let go of her. He whispered in a deep voice in her ear like swearing, “I won’t. I will never let you go.”
For the first time, Mo Junyang hugged her tightly and didn’t let her go, ignoring her feelings.
He continuously kissed Qingxue’s ear tip and hair end. It seemed that only in this way could he be closer to her.
The deep and hoarse voice came from his throat.
“You finally…come back! I didn’t think that I could see you after waiting forever…”