Mo Yanran sat alone by the window, silently reflecting on all the experiences she had had since marrying into the Eastern Palace, and an endless sadness welled up in her heart.
She sighed inwardly, realizing that she only loved him. But why was it that Li Yan's heart belonged only to that venomous woman, and he wouldn't even glance at her?
Perhaps he had long forgotten her, but she could never forget the scene of their first meeting.
Mo Yanran loved playing with weapons since she was a child and often followed her father and brothers to guard the frontier.
Two years ago, during a fierce battle, the enemy, cunning as ever, burned their marching supplies. At this critical moment, Li Yan personally escorted the supplies to reinforce them, while Mo Yanran and her second brother went to meet them. At that time, Mo Yanran was at the tender age of a young girl in love.
Li Yan arrived, escorting the grain supplies. Dressed in a silver-white armor, he sat on his horse, looking dashing, at the head of the column.
Mo Yanran, who rarely returned to the capital, had never seen such a handsome and extraordinary man before. She was instantly captivated and from that moment on, he was on her mind.
Liu Lü, the maid who had always been by Mo Yanran's side, understood her thoughts best and knew her mistress's affection for His Highness the Crown Prince.
So she stepped forward and gently comforted him, "Your Highness, there is plenty of time. His Highness the Crown Prince is only temporarily captivated by Consort Yun's beauty. You are so kind and virtuous, he will eventually come to his senses and return to your side."
"Shut up!" To everyone's surprise, Mo Yanran slapped Liu Lü across the face, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.
"You idiot! How dare you spout such nonsense! Do you think I'm not as beautiful as that slut? Or are you implying that the Crown Prince is obsessed with beautiful women and favors his concubines over his wife?" Mo Yanran glared angrily at Liu Lü.
The two things she hated most in her life were: first, Yun Qing's unparalleled beauty, which made her seem ordinary when the two of them stood together; and second, Li Yan's lack of love for her.
Although Liu Lu's words were meant to comfort her, they struck a nerve with Mo Yanran, so how could Mo Yanran be happy to hear them?
Liu Lü covered her face, not even realizing what was happening before she was slapped. She was so frightened that she couldn't say a word, and could only keep kneeling and begging for mercy.
At this moment, Chunhong walked over. She was a maid assigned to Mo Yanran by the General's wife as part of her dowry. It was because of Chunhong's assistance that Mo Yanran was able to gradually gain a foothold in the Eastern Palace and control a portion of the household affairs.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. In my humble opinion, as the Crown Princess, you are of noble status and will one day become Empress. Dealing with a mere Consort Yun would be a piece of cake. She is only now relying on her youth and beauty to disregard Your Majesty. But if her beauty were completely ruined, do you think His Highness the Crown Prince would still favor her as he does now?" Chunhong said softly.
"This..." Mo Yanran hesitated for a moment, a hint of doubt appearing on her face. "Isn't this method a bit too cruel? What if the Crown Prince finds out that we did it?"
"What's so difficult about that? Don't forget, there's far more than one woman in the Eastern Palace who hates her. She eats meat every day, while others haven't even seen a sip of hot soup. Does she really not utter a single complaint?"
Mo Yanran clenched her fists tightly, the scene from earlier that day flashing through her mind. Yun Qing, in front of everyone, showed no respect for her, the Crown Princess, and severely humiliated her.
She closed her eyes tightly, thinking: Don't blame me for being ruthless; you only have yourself to blame for all of this.
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was filled with ruthlessness: "Then do as you say, and don't leave any trace."
"Yes, ma'am."
Chunhong accepted the order and withdrew. Before she could even step out of the room, a commotion suddenly arose outside the courtyard.
Mo Yanran was disturbed by the noisy commotion. She frowned slightly and looked displeased. She thought to herself: Do these people even respect me, the Crown Princess? How dare they make such a racket so late at night!
She turned to Liu Lü beside her and instructed, "Go and see what's happening outside."
At that moment, a young eunuch rushed in, looking flustered and panting, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! His Highness's imperial guards have surrounded the courtyard, saying they want to arrest Miss Chunhong for interrogation!"
"What?" Mo Yanran's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged into her heart.
"Has His Highness the Crown Prince mentioned what offense Chunhong has committed?" she asked, trying to remain calm.
The young eunuch hurriedly shook his head and said, "Your Highness, this servant is unaware of such a thing."
Before he could finish speaking, the commander of the Eastern Palace's imperial guards strode to the door.
His face was grim, and he stared at Mo Yanran expressionlessly, saying in a stiff tone, "Crown Princess, please do me this favor."
Upon seeing this, Mo Yanran felt a surge of anger. Her eyes widened, and she said sharply, "How dare you be so rude! Do you even respect me, the Crown Princess? If you want to interrogate someone, you must have a reason."
Upon hearing this, the commander bowed slightly to Mo Yanran. However, his gaze remained firm: "Your Highness, please calm your anger. His Highness has already ascertained that Miss Chunhong is connected to the rumors circulating throughout the Eastern Palace recently. Surely you would not wish for your reputation to be tarnished because of her."
After he finished speaking, he straightened up and quietly gazed at Mo Yanran.
Mo Yanran's heart sank. She knew this matter was unlikely to end well. But how could she easily let the Imperial Guards take Chunhong away? The rumors were one thing, but if Chunhong confessed to tonight's plans, they would face utter ruin.
She sneered and said, "To arrest my personal maid based solely on rumors is going too far! Unless you produce solid evidence, don't even think about taking her away from me!"
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