Chapter 33 - Let’s See Who Was Better in Acting

Mo Huating was indeed an excellent speaker.

He spoke of the bloody case that involved adultery merely as a blunder in which he accidentally lost his way, which absolved him of all his responsibility. In the meantime, he also admitted his mistake. This tactic indeed helped him win people’s sympathy.

“You are too polite, Marquis Jing Yuan. I really don’t dare to accept your courtesy. Yuewu was almost assassinated on the way to the capital. It’s said that those killers had set up the trap in advance, and they waited in ambush for her to arrive. Since she was just a new comer to the capital, I really can’t figure out whom she had offended. Why did that person hate her so much as to kill her? The person had actually calculated her route to the capital and ordered people to wait there, just to kill a weak girl like her.”

Lady Tu remarked as she eyed Mo Huating with a cold smile.

The effect of Lady Tu’s words was such that she totally denied what Mo Huating had said earlier. Mo Huating simply couldn’t answer the innuendo in her words!

He was a marquis after all, and had a position in the Palace. Mo Huating never thought that Lady Tu would be so disrespectful to him that every word she said was refuting him. He looked at Wei Yuewu, who watched him with cold and beautiful eyes. He became inexplicably upset.

The accident of the carriage crash had been made widely known. He had already heard about the stunning Sixth Miss Wei. He didn’t believe the rumor when he first heard about it. But as he thought about Wei Yuewu’s appearance, he didn’t have a clear memory. He only remembered a face that was full of powder and radiated with a ghostly air. Only her eyes were impressive.

Was this person in front of him really Wei Yuewu?

Mo Huating turned his gaze to Wei Yuewu. Although her face was covered by a veil with her bangs combed backward, her beautiful eyes looked extremely bewitching. In the depths of her eyes, there was a combination of a touch of coquetry and traces of coldness. The pair of eyes alone were enough to make people wonder how amazingly beautiful the girl behind the veil must be.

Inexplicably, he felt uncomfortable in his heart!

“Please, please go in first and talk.” With a dry laugh, Mo Huating stopped performing at the gate. He took two steps backward and gestured by reaching out his hand to invite the guests in.

After the group followed Mo Huating into the mansion, passers-by who remained near the gate began to whisper to one another: the ladies and the young lady from the Mansion of Marquis Hua Yang seemed not to be on a goodwill visit; besides, who knew what they meant by saying the Second Young Lady’s maid pointed the way for the Marquis?

Among them were some who witnessed the carriage accident that day. They soon started to describe the incident vividly. The explanation, together with the conversation at the gate, immediately made many people wonder: could it be that the Second Young Lady took a fancy to Marquis Jing Yuan and wanted to marry him, so that the Second Lady designed one scheme after another to murder this Sixth Miss Wei who had just arrived at the capital?

This assumption appeared more and more likely when they thought about it, and various opinions were hotly communicated among people outside the mansion…

Lady Li was still unaware that her good reputation, which she had taken so many years’ efforts to build, completely disappeared due to yesterday’s accident and today’s discourse at the gate of Mo Huating’s mansion.

Mo Huating ordered his servants to deliver fruits and other refreshments as soon as he entered the mansion’s parlor.

Following her maid, Chen Nianshan also walked out to greet the Madam Dowager.

The Madam Dowager looked at this young lady who had a good reputation outside. She involuntarily showed a big smile on her face to the young lady who appeared pretty with a delicate figure. The Madam Dowager politely gestured to help her get up and said, “Miss Chen, you’re too polite.”

For the time being, they hadn’t started talk on the matter of breaking off the engagement. Therefore, the two mansions seemed to be getting along well.

Chen Nianshan sat down on Wei Yuewu’s left. She saw Mo Huating was exchanging polite words with the Madam Dowager and Lady Tu. She extended her hand to gently grabbed Wei Yuewu by the hand. Tilting her head, she said in a low voice, “Sixth Young Lady, isn’t it? You are indeed a beautiful, goddess-like young lady. Although my cousin has never seen you, he is really devoted to you.”

Looking at the cousin who was as charming and gentle as a white flower in front of her, Wei Yuewu sighed inwardly. This cousin was obviously not someone who was contented with her lot. Otherwise, as an unmarried woman, she should in any case choose to avoid suspicion, rather than appear in public to receive guests as if she were the mistress of the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan.

However, Wei Yuewu kept her thought to herself without showing it on her face. With a smile in her beautiful glass-like eyes, she politely nodded at Chen Nianshan, but did not say anything.

“Sixth Young Lady, how about going out for a walk? There are elders here. It’ll not be convenient for us to chat with each other.” Seeing Wei Yuewu only smile at her, Chen Nianshan grew even more warm-hearted. She pulled Wei Yuewu’s sleeve as a signal to follow her.

Wei Yuewu felt it improper to reject her polite invitation.

“Madam Dowager, Lady Tu, Sixth Miss Wei and I feel like old friends at the first meeting. Can we go out for a stroll?” Chen Nianshan said smilingly to the Madam Dowager and Lady Tu.

“Of course you can!” The Madam Dowager nodded with a smile. It was better that she was the one who proposed to break off the engagement. After all, this matter involved Wei Yan’s reputation. The Madam Dowager was still having some selfish motives.

Seeing the Madam Dowager agreed, Lady Tu couldn’t say anything opposite.

Chen Nianshan kindly led Wei Yuewu out of the parlor by taking her hand. Jin Ling also followed her mistress. But no one noticed that an old maidservant beside the Madam Dowager quietly moved a few steps toward the outside, and seeing that no one noticing her, she sneaked out.

She must report the situation to the Second Young Lady as quickly as possible…

“Sixth Young Lady, what about going to my yard and sit there for a while? The scenery there is pretty good. We don’t have guests very often. Now I see you are beautiful as a fairy, I’m really glad. No matter for what the Madam Dowager has come here today, I think you’re a good lady anyway.”

Chen Nianshan was obviously a good speaker. She took Wei Yuewu forward hand in hand while speaking so sincerely to her guest, as if she really found such a good friend in Wei Yuewu.

“You’re too polite, Miss Chen. I also feel that I like you very much when I first saw you, just like I’ve met you before.” Wei Yuewu smiled faintly, showing the bashfulness a girl would have when coming to an unfamiliar mansion.

“You’re too welcome. When my cousin gets married, I’ll leave the capital and never come back. It’s my good fortune in the capital indeed to know such a remarkable young lady as you before I leave.” Chen Nianshan led Wei Yuewu forward warm-heartedly.

A maid following Chen Nianshan took two steps backwards and hurriedly headed towards a small path beside her. Wei Yuewu slightly tilted her head, with a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes: Chen Nianshan had sent her maid to get prepared…

The two of them kept walking and talking, and turned around a moon-shaped entrance. Suddenly, a maid bumped into them as if she didn’t expect anyone to come hither. As a result, what was in the maid’s hands was pushed forward. Wei Yuewu was already on guard and was pulled back by Jin Ling. She took one big step back, but then stopped there!

With a cry of “Ouch”, the maid from the opposite side knocked Chen Nianshan back a few steps. More than half of the dish in the plate in her hands fell onto Chen Nianshan’s body, while a small portion splashed onto the dress of Wei Yuewu, whose hand was still clasped by Chen Nianshan...

The maid on the opposite side saw that she had bumped into two young ladies. She dropped to her knee immediately and begged in panic, “Please forgive me, ladies. I … I really didn’t mean it. They asked me to serve the dishes quickly. And I… I walked too fast to see you.”

The maid kowtowed continuously as soon as she finished her explanation, her face filled with panic and fear.

“Never mind, you can go. Be careful next time.” Although Chen Nianshan look displeased, she was gentle in manner. She waved her hand as an order for the maid to retreat.

Seeing that the young lady didn’t pursue the matter, the maid left with gratitude.

“Sixth Young Lady, I’m really sorry. Why don’t you go to my place and change your dress?” Chen Nianshan said apologetically.

Seeing that Chen Nianshan was first concerned about her despite that half of her own dress was made greasy by the broth on it, Wei Yuewu couldn’t show anger at this time even if she was angry. After all, Chen Nianshan’s dress was made dirtier than hers.

The dish was probably a bowl of broth. The rich smell of meat floated out from their bodies right now. However, the soup was not very hot, although it was about to be served. Not only she herself didn’t feel the splashes on her dress was hot, even the half of Chen Nianshan’s greasy dress did not seem to be scalded.

Wei Yuewu slightly narrowed her eyes, and her long eyelashes twitched twice. A trace of inadvertent coldness was hidden beneath her eyes.

“I’m afraid your dresses don’t suit me.” Wei Yuewu looked at Chen Nianshan in embarrassment and said.

There was indeed much difference between their figures. Wei Yuewu was just a little girl who hadn’t grown up yet, whereas Chen Nianshan was at the prime time of her physical development, like a flower in full bloom. It was absolutely impossible for the two of them to share dresses, whether in terms of shape or height.

“Then … did you bring some dresses with you here, Sixth Young Lady?” Chen Nianshan was also in a dilemma. Looking at Wei Yuewu’s figure, she also felt that her solution was not the best.

Wei Yuewu had come today to break off the engagement, not to attend a banquet. It was impossible that she had brought any additional dresses with her.

However, it was clearly not suitable for Wei Yuewu to meet people in her current state.

“I didn’t bring any other dresses.” Wei Yuewu shook her head. She hitched up the corner of her greasy and wet dress, appearing evidently at a loss.

“Sixth Young Lady, your mansion is not far from here. Why not ask your maid to go back and fetch a dress right away?” Perceiving Wei Yuewu’s helpless expression, Chen Nianshan smiled in a much warmer and gentler way. She completely ignored her own dress, most of which was stained with oil, and focused her attention whole-heartedly on Wei Yuewu.

Wei Yuewu only had Jin Ling with her today. If Jin Ling left, Wei Yuewu would be alone in the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan. Though the engagement issue between the two mansions had not been settled yet, she was sure for one thing that they were definitely not here to deepen the friendly ties with the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan. Thus it would certainly be inappropriate for Wei Yuewu to stay alone at the mansion.

Wei Yuewu looked increasingly awkward. She dragged up the corner of her clothes and looked quite indecisive. She stammered, “Miss Chen, I... I’m fine. You go change your dress. As for me, I’ll be leaving soon anyway.”

She lowered her head slightly and appeared totally at a loss. However, she sneered in her heart. She was going to wait quietly for Chen Nianshan to take her next move. She had chosen not to completely avoid the splash just to create a chance for this play to continue…