Shi Qingxue was surprised to hear Mo Junyang’s words. “I thought that you didn’t know it until the truth was exposed.”
Mo Junyang sneered and shook his head. “If I hadn’t known it until then, I might have died for thousands of times without knowing why.”
“So you…” Shi Qingxue pursed her lips and suddenly thought that she didn’t know what to say.
So she stopped talking and listened to Mo Junyang carefully.
“In the previous life, after King Rui’s wife died, the emperor didn’t know my relationship with him, so he just took me as a hostage to control my father and raised me in the imperial palace, telling the other princes to bully me willfully as long as they didn’t take my life.
“Those days, I lived a hard life.”
Mo Junyang just casually described his most miserable period of life as “a hard life”, yet Shi Qingxue knew that he had suffered much more than what he said.
And she didn’t even dare to imagine.
“I am sorry. I didn’t help you but even…” Shi Qingxue apologized with guilt.
She really wished that she could return to the previous life and treat Mo Junyang well, so would he suffer less?
Mo Junyang covered Shi Qingxue’s red lips with his hand and shook his head, chuckling. “I have said that you don’t need to say sorry to me, really. What I experienced in the previous life was bad, but it benefited me.”
If he didn’t suffer the hardships those years, Mo Junyang might not be like this.
So even though he didn’t like the past, he had never felt resentful at it.
After hearing Mo Junyang’s words, Shi Qingxue was stunned and then understood gradually.
Right, to them, probably there were many things unpleasant in the past.
However, because of those things, they became like this.
When she lost the memories about the previous life and became the sixth young lady who didn’t know the hardships in the world, Mo Junyang couldn’t accept it.
Wasn’t it because of this?
Shi Qingxue finally got relieved.
She hugged Mo Junyang, and a smile like the first sunshine after rain was shown on her cloudy face.
It made people feel warm like the bright and dazzling sun.
They embraced each other quietly. Although there were different kinds of unpredicted difficulties and hazards ahead, at the moment, they just needed a hug before they relaxed.
The feast celebrating the first month of the twins was held in Duke Shi’s mansion.
That day, all the influential noble families in the capital attended the feast, and even several princes drank some wine to do Duke Shi an honor before leaving.
The emperor rewarded Duke Shi with a lot of gifts to congratulate him.
These actions firmed Shi Junhe’s position as the first nobleman in the capital city undoubtedly.
Those people who had laughed at Duke Shi behind his back as he would have no heir started to feel embarrassed after seeing the fair-skinned and fat young master Shi Tianyou.
Then they began to praise the young master as he was nice, of dignified bearing and had a bright future at a glance and would surely be a talented person.
Anyway, they praised him randomly and didn’t care if it was practical to give the compliments to a baby who was only one month old.
Shi Qingxue brought Shi Qingmin to the feast. In order not to let people see the birthmark on his face, she refused the wet nurse politely and held him in her arms all the time.
The thick brocade clothes happened to cover little Qingmin’s cheek, and Mo Junyang stood beside her from beginning to end, so the people who wanted to flatter them didn’t dare to act recklessly. They glanced at Qingmin in the distance and then praised him no matter if they saw his face clearly.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say something nice.
Shi Qingxue held Qingmin and accepted the compliments calmly, expressing thanks to them on behalf of him.
The feast was held successfully, and nobody noticed something unusual. The outsiders didn’t find that the first young master of the Shi family was an “ugly” and “disabled” baby.
Even the Shi family didn’t know that there was something wrong with Shi Qingmin’s leg, except the servants who had taken care of him.
Shi Qingxue just hoped that Shi Qingmin could keep his pride and live a good life.
Unexpectedly, her action at the feast was a different sign in outsiders’ eyes.
“Is what you said true?” A petty official who came to work in the capital not long ago asked a big shot who claimed to be well-informed in this city in a low voice.
The big shot raised his chin and asked complacently, “Why would I cheat you? Haven’t you seen that Lord Shi has two sons this time? Obviously the first son is favored.”
“But I saw that the second young master showed his face in front of more people and got more compliments. It appears that he will inherit the title of nobility.” The petty official said what he had seen with uncertainty.
The big shot glanced at the petty official with disdain and almost said with his eyes that the latter was short-sighted.
The petty official hurriedly looked as if he were in fear and trepidation and listened to the big shot’s unique opinion.
The big shot’s vanity was satisfied, and he spoke in a more casual tone.
“The second young master had more chances to show his face in public, but I think that it might be a deceptive trick. Didn’t you see that he was held by a wet nurse and shown to the guests no matter how precious he is?
“The first young master is different. He was held by Lady Qingxue in person and introduced to others. It can be seen that the Shi family values this baby a lot.”
The big shot made a long speech and analyzed clearly and logically, which made the petty official look confused, yet he couldn’t fully understand.
The big shot patted the petty official’s head and stated furiously in a low voice, “Idiot, you don’t even understand this. You must know the man next to Lady Qingxue, right?”
The petty official nodded. “He is King Rui’s heir, the most influential official nowadays. I have heard that His Majesty and the crown prince rely heavily on his service.”
“Lady Qingxue is this man’s future wife, and their marriage was granted by His Majesty. She is deeply loved by the man. Didn’t you see that he stayed with her almost all the time today?”
The petty official was still puzzled. “So what?”
“You are incurably stupid.” The big shot was angry as the other party was disappointing and stressed, “With His Excellency’s support, Lady Qingxue stands for the attitude of Duke Shi’s family to a great extent. In this case, can’t you guess which young master is more favored and more likely to inherit the title of Duke Shi?”
The petty official looked suddenly enlightened. “So the first young master is more hopeful.”
“Of course. After all, he is the first legitimate son, so he is more favored logically, but the Shi family tries to cover it up. Perhaps they are afraid that the first young master will bring trouble on himself easily if he is too famous, so they push the second young master out.
“I have to say that the noble families are insidious and will reach a goal by hook or by crook.” The big shot sighed with emotion in a feigned manner.
The petty official also sighed.
The two thought that they knew the Shi family’s secret, so they started to look scared, as if they were afraid that they would be killed to cover up the secret as the witnesses after being found.
Even they made such conjectures, and what would the other noblemen who considered things more deeply think about?
Shi Qingxue didn’t know the misunderstanding.
After the feast celebrating the first month of the twins, Shi Qingxue didn’t live in Duke Shi’s mansion but brought Shi Qingmin back to the Lanxun Villa at night.
Shi Junhe considerately made arrangements for Shi Qingmin’s food, clothes and daily necessities as he had promised. He wouldn’t make little Qingmin suffer from injustice materially.
Because he felt guilty, he even gave Shi Qingmin more things than what should be given to the first son.
Shi Qingxue accepted these things on behalf of Shi Qingmin.
She noticed Shi Junhe’s guilt and worry, so she wasn’t mad at him anymore.
Even so, Shi Qingxue didn’t move to the house with Shi Qingmin that Shi Junhe prepared for them but still lived in the Lanxun Villa.
Firstly, the Lanxun Villa was not worse than the house Shi Junhe prepared, and it was better because of the excellent location and convenient transportation.
Secondly, Shi Qingmin had lived in the Lanxun Villa for nearly one month, and he was accustomed to it, while Shen Luo advised them not to change the baby’s living environment easily.
The last reason was that Mo Junyang had changed the Lanxun Villa a lot these days, which was customized for Shi Qingmin, so Shi Qingxue would live up to his kindness.
Therefore, she lived with Shi Qingmin in the Lanxun Villa at ease.
It was the Clear and Bright Day on April 5th.
It was a good time for a spring outing besides sweeping tombs to pay respects to the dead on this day every year.
Generally, a princess would organize a spring outing on Moon Mountain at this time in former years.
Shi Qingxue had been invited by Mo Yuzhen to Moon Mountain for several times.
However, since the third prince Mo Junjiu passed way, Mo Yuzhen always stayed in her mansion and seldom went out.
Shi Qingxue had sent letters to the princess’s mansion for a few times and asked to visit her, yet she failed.
She knew that because of Mo Junjiu’s death, their friendship came to an end.
The other princesses in the imperial palace were unwilling to take the job to organize a spring outing this year.
Qingxue thought that it wouldn’t be arranged, but the Empress Dowager Ling Ruiyin took up the matter in the end unexpectedly.
Ling Ruiyin personally decided to have the spring outing on Moon Mountain.
Shi Qingxue had to take care of Shi Qingmin, so she wanted to ask for leave and avoid attending it.
However, before she had time to put her intention into practice, the Empress Dowager’s personal maid Mammy Chang came to the Lanxun Villa in person to forward the oral instruction.
“My Lady, Her Majesty invited you to the spring outing on Moon Mountain on April 5th.”
Shi Qingxue smiled in embarrassment under Mammy Chang’s stare. “Her Majesty’s invitation has been sent to me. Why did you bother to come personally, Mammy Chang?”
Mammy Chang showed a warm smile and told the truth frankly. “Her Majesty cares about you a lot, so she told me to come, in case that you forget it because you are busy with something else.”
Gee, Shi Qingxue didn’t plan to go.
However, she couldn’t tell Mammy Chang something like this.
Shi Qingxue had to say with a serious expression, “How dare I refuse Her Majesty’s invitation? Please tell her that I will be on Moon Mountain on time.”
While speaking, she gave a little money bag to Mammy Chang in private and didn’t allow her to refuse.
Mammy Chang could serve the Empress Dowager for so long, and she wouldn’t be tempted by so little money. She even disdained some people who flattered her at ordinary times.
Nevertheless, it was given by Shi Qingxue, so Mammy Chang accepted it happily, with a sincerer smile on her face. “My Lady, it’s great that you remember it. I will tell Her Majesty. If there is nothing, I have to say goodbye.”
After seeing Mammy Chang off, Shi Qingxue couldn’t help but murmur.
Although Ling Ruiyin always liked her, it was the first time for her to tell Mammy Chang to specially send a message in private.
There must be something wrong as it was unusual.
What did the Empress Dowager want to do this time?