Reborn: Femme Fatale First Daughter

“Consort Zhao cannot just depend on Mother’s affection for her if she wants to pit herself against the consorts in the palace.” Feng Yuran said coldly. He picked out some fruits from the rack beside him while he spoke and placed them in front of Mo Xuetong. Then, he picked up the hot water that was warming on the stove and made a cup of tea for both of them. They watched as the tea brewed and fragrance filled the air. His handsome face seemed as noble as the faces of gods.

“Aren’t you afraid that He Yuxiu would come onto you!” Mo Xuetong teased him and smiled sweetly. She had been shocked by what he did earlier but felt relieved at the same time. He Yuxiu had made use of every chance she got in the past few days to show off how close she and Mo Xuetong were. If they could both serve one husband, they would get along better than the wives and concubines of other men.

If Mo Xuetong had not wanted to use her to lead Consort Zhao out, she would have exploded long ago. Even though Feng Yuran’s behavior today was uncouth, it had been very satisfying. Mo Xuetong’s lips were curled up high and she did not seem at all like she was blaming Feng Yuran despite what she said.

“I was not the one who saw through her wet clothes. Out of the ten guards in the courtyard, eight saw her. Does she want to marry all of them!” Feng Yuran smiled devilishly. He picked up his cup of tea and took a sip. His eyes glowed behind the light mist from the cup. They were full of charm.

How could a woman marry that many guards!

He was really mean.

Mo Xuetong glared at him and said, “Will Consort Zhao suspect you?”

“Rest assured, there are many people she should be suspicious of now but I am the only one she cannot show she is suspicious of!” Feng Yuran said meaningfully. He reached out to hold Mo Xuetong’s hand so much that she had no choice but to lean into the long couch.

“Anyway, I am just the arrogant and rude King Xuan. You will hear the same thing about me no matter who you ask.” Feng Yuran wrapped his arm around Mo Xuetong and pulled her into his embrace.

The direction of the winds blowing in court was mostly fixed. Feng Yuzhen might still be thinking of making use of the child in Consort Yu’s belly. However, he did not know that the child was also his weakness. He could make use of it but so could others!

Feng Yuran was very busy in the next few days. He was already gone when Mo Xuetong woke up in the morning. Sometimes, he slept at Jinwei Pavilion because it was too late.

Ling Fengyan’s funeral was very simple. Soon after, Ling Rui’er was brought into King Chu’s Manor. Less than a month had passed between both incidents.

After what happened to He Yuxiu in the palace, her reputation was completely ruined. She did not visit King Xuan’s Manor again. However, First Miss He would visit from time to time. The He Manor and the Yu family were in the talks of marriage. However, the bride was changed to He Yuxiu instead.

There was a back story to this. First, Yu Mingyong was found in an alley having an affair with a married woman. After he was beaten up for some ridiculous reason, a fuss about it was made. The He family wanted to break off the engagement. However, for some reason, the two families changed the brides after some discussion. He Yuxiu would take Hu Yufen’s place to be married into the Yu family.

The weather had turned warm. The warm and beautiful spring gradually transitioned into the verdant summer. Mo Xuetong grew more and more sleepy. Sometimes, she would feel tired even when she was sitting down. However, only those who were close to her knew about this. She was given medicine very day and Mo Xuetong drank it all obediently. She did not pour it away secretly anymore.

Only she knew that she was getting weaker and weaker!

It was noon when someone brought Nanny Ming around. Feng Yuran was usually not around at this time.

Mo Xuetong got everyone to leave the room. Mo Lan stayed outside to do needlework and would serve them tea.

Mo Lan was the most prudent out of all the maids. She was also the one Mo Xuetong relied on the most. She would not keep any secrets from her.

“Nanny Ming, did Mother know that she cannot be healed by any medicine? Is that why she did not get a physician to heal her?” Mo Xuetong put down the sachet she was holding and asked Nanny Ming lightly. The sun shone through the gauze curtains. The faint white light shone on her beautiful face, making her seem pale and sad.

Nanny Ming hesitated.

“I remember you telling me that you will tell me anything if I asked you. Does that still count?” Mo Xuetong looked at Nanny Ming’s face. There was a warm and gentle smile on the corners of her lips. However, the smile was a little cold.

“Miss, I... I...”

“Don’t worry. Even no physician can cure me, I will not give up on myself. Being able to see everyone happy is already a blessing!” Mo Xuetong said. She looked up and outside at the window. The trees were green and filled with life. Mo Xuetong sighed lightly. She really felt that she had lived a happy life!

There were no betrayals nor lies after her rebirth. Mo Lan, Mo Yu, and the others were all fine. Feng Yuran also loved and doted on her. If she died now, she would only feel regret and nothing else.

She would also feel pained and sad when she thought of what Feng Yuran would do if she were to die young. She would be sad about that.

She was worried that he would be too cold, or too warm. She was worried that he would be sad if she died.

She had thought of all that, but there was no other way. She still felt that heaven had been kind to her. She had such a doting husband who loved her so. She honestly felt that it was worth it.

However, she wanted more. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She even wanted to have a few children and to live with him happily ever after. However, these were all things that she kept in her heart. A flower would not bloom forever, and a person would not always live well. Perhaps, she was unable to live long because she was too blessed.

When she thought of Feng Yuran’s beautiful and gentle face, her heart hurt. It was as if something had torn apart. The pain made her feel as if she could not breathe. Mo Xuetong only realized then that she could not behave indifferently in the face of death. Everything had changed after her rebirth. In the past, all she had wanted was revenge.

She had already gotten her revenge!

Mo Xuemin had already turned into ashes together with the century-old courtyard of Duke Zhenguo’s Manor. Sima Lingyun was tossed out of Sima Lingyun because of his debts. The Duchess had died from anger and no one knew what happened to Sima Lingyun’s younger sister. The two concubines, Yun Yiqiu and Lan Xinru had long run away with their money.

All that should have been returned had been returned! It was as if it did not matter whether she died or not!

However, she did not want to die now. Furthermore, she wanted to live blissfully with Feng Yuran forever. Did the heavens blame her for being too greedy? Was that why she had to die?

“Nanny, sometimes, I wonder why Mother was willing to leave me behind. I was so young. How could she just leave like that? Did she not love me enough? Or was she too weak and not know how to protect herself? She could not shield me from the storms. But now, I realize that Mother couldn’t not die. She had to die.” Mo Xuetong’s eyes were red. She looked up slightly and bit her lips.

She did not like that she was too weak. That feeling reminded her of her tragic past life. It would make her hate herself!

“Miss, it’s not that. Madam loved you. She truly loved you. She wanted to leave but she couldn’t...She really couldn’t!” Nanny Ming could not help but cry when she saw how hard Mo Xuetong was trying to appear strong and smile. She knelt down forcefully in front of Mo Xuetong, tears streaking down her face. Her wrinkled face was filled with pain.

“Nanny Ming, you once told me that I will die a tragic death if you were to tell me everything. If I tell you now that I will indeed die a tragic death, do you think that Mother’s heart would ache for me?” Mo Xuetong tried to lift the corners of her lips to make herself appear warm and calm. Tears slowly rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

The flames raised into the skies, burning her skin. Every time she woke up from her nightmare, she would feel as if she had been burned. She was in so much pain she could not breathe. If her mother had used this to stop Nanny Ming from saying anything, then she had succeeded. In her past life, she had indeed died a tragic death. In this life, she would be poisoned to death. That was not a good death at all!

“Miss, that won’t happen. That won’t happen to you. There is still hope. There will be a way...Madam left a way out for you!” Nanny Ming cried so hard that she not speak. She held Mo Xuetong’s hand as she spoke, wanting Mo Xuetong to understand her. Mo Xuetong was still immersed in her pain and did not notice Nanny Ming’s erratic behavior.

“Nanny, please get up. You are Mother’s wet nurse and you watched her grow up and sent her off. I have to trouble you to send me off too now.” Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she reached out to help Nanny Ming up. Then, she used a handkerchief to wipe off her tears and made herself appear happier.

Her slightly red eyes as well as the tears on her porcelain skin coupled with the forced smile made Nanny Ming’s heart hurt even more. She had heard from Mo Lan that Mo Xuetong was poisoned. She was utterly shocked. How could that be? How did Mo Xuetong get poisoned too? Furthermore, it was the same poison that Madam had gotten. It was said that there was no cure for it.

When she looked at Mo Xuetong’s expression, she was flustered.

“Miss, you cannot die. You will be fine, you will be fine...nothing will happen...” Nanny Ming stood up with the help of Mo Xuetong. She wiped her tears and said determinedly, “Miss, there is still hope. Madam left behind hope for you.”

“Hope? Why didn’t Mother leave it for herself?” Mo Xuetong had already calmed down and wiped the tears off her face. She sighed and smiled lightly. She had suddenly felt unable to think properly today. She was feeling troubled recently and gradually felt frustrated, making her lose her composure.

“There was hope for Madam, but she could not leave. What would you do if she left? What would Old Sir do? What would everyone in the manor do?” Nanny Ming started to wipe her tears away again. Madam had thought too much back then. She had once tried to persuade Madam but she refused to leave Mo Xuetong and her father behind. She would rather be poisoned to death than to leave.

“Where... was Mother going to go?” Mo Xuetong asked hesitantly. Was there something else that she did not know about!

“It’s Madam’s elder sister. She has a way to cure the poison. She has the recipe for the antidote. However, I heard that one of the ingredients has to be put into the medicine fresh. The herb grows in the Yan Kingdom. If Madam wanted the antidote, she has to leave... Madam felt that someone was watching and she did not dare to...to just leave!” Nanny Ming’s heart ached when she thought of what her Madam was like then. She now knew that the woman, whom Luo Xia entered Mo Xuetong into a marriage arrangement with, was Luo Xia’s elder sister.