Part 1: A Dream Within A Dream / Rebirth of Ill Fated Concubine

Chapter 050 Mo Cong

Since Nanny Zhou fainted last time, Jiang Ruan asked Zi Su and Lian Qiao to take care of her, but it was unknown whether it was a relapse of the old illness, and Nanny Zhou had not woken up for a long time. 

Hearing this news, Jiang Ruan's face relaxed a little, and said: "This is a good thing, I will go to see her."
...

That night, the capital was full of lanterns that had not been collected at the end of the year, and the originally dark sky at night was also reflected red. Many ordinary people took to the streets, and there were temporary stages built by wanderers everywhere, which was quite lively.

In the elegant seats inside the Dongfeng Tower, a purple gold bead curtain was hung heavily, covering the door tightly, leaving only a dazzling lustre flashing.

A person in the room leaned against the window, looking down at the bustling crowd downstairs indifferently, the lights shone on his handsome face like a jade carving, his eyes were as deep as the ink and water sky, and not sure what he was thinking. He was wearing a dark blue brocade robe, which made him look even colder, more distant, and unattainable.

The bead curtain was suddenly lifted by someone, and a young man in green walked in from outside. He was also handsome and dashing, with a smile on his face. He said to the young man in black: "Hey, third brother, I haven't seen you for many days. Why are you in such a hurry to come back this time?"

The man in black saw him coming and did not move. He said: "The emperor doesn't know."

"You are the only one in the world who dares to disobey the emperor's order so blatantly," the young man in green sat down at the table in the middle of the room, poured himself a cup of tea and drank it all, and sighed: "If you had come a little earlier, I wouldn't have to accompany those people in the Imperial College to have a feast." This man was Mo Cong.

The black-robed man shook his head and asked, "How was the imperial examination?"

"It was just so-so, I should be able to get into the top three." Mo Cong didn't care at all, but suddenly thought of something and said with regret, "It's a pity for Liu Min, he is a talented man. If he wasn't so stubborn, I would like to make friends with him. From what Chen Jijiu said, I'm afraid Jiang Chao will take advantage of him."

"Jiang Chao?" The man opposite frowned.

Seeing him like this, Mo Cong said, "The son of the second wife of the Minister of War Jiang Quan, Jiang Quan is really amazing. This son is so smart that I can't stand it every day. I don't know how Jiang Quan taught him. Didn't the matter of the Jiang family's legitimate daughter cause a lot of noise in the capital a few days ago? Jiang Quan still has the mind to play with his son's affairs, which is really amazing." 

Mo Cong said a lot of things, and when no one responded, he couldn't help but look up at his senior brother. Seeing that the other party seemed to be thinking about something, he said, "I heard Ye Feng say that you, the third brother, have been asking him to check a woman these days." 

He said mischievously, "Whose girl is it? Do I know her?" 

The black-clothed young man ignored his teasing, his brows became colder, Mo Cong touched his nose, his expression was embarrassed, but he kept saying: "Don't be shy, what's there to be ashamed of. You are better than me in other things, but you are not as good as me in matters between men and women. I'll take you to have some wine and dance some other day. The new Miss Ruyue in Cuiwei Tower is really gentle..." 

After saying this, Mo Cong looked at his senior brother's face again, but saw that the other party seemed not to hear his words, so he sighed: "With your personality, I really don't know who can catch your eye. I look around, the beauties in the capital are too ordinary for you, she must be the one who shocks the world." 

The black-clothed young man was slightly stunned when he heard his words, and the night in the temple came to his mind again. The girl was dressed in plain clothes, her eyebrows and eyes were surprisingly stunning under the moonlight, and she looked at the corpses on the ground with a smile, without any fear. When they met again, the red dress fluttered like a mysterious fire, and she knew all the secrets of the Shen Mansion.

Ye Feng found out that this woman was entering the Shen Mansion for the first time, so it was impossible for her to know the secrets of the Shen Mansion, but why was she so powerful? Jiang's legitimate daughter, who was rumoured to be a weak and docile person, did not seem to be like that at all. Who is she?

Mo Cong looked at him in surprise: "What are you thinking about? So absent-minded?"

The black-clothed man came back to his senses slightly, and did not continue the conversation, but said coldly: "Nothing. Old Eight has been very close to Prime Minister Liang recently, and there are many strange things about the imperial examinations. You should pay more attention."

"The pressure has been getting tighter in recent days," Mo Cong also put away his joking face and became serious: "I heard from my sister that Yang Guiren has been rampant in the palace recently. Is this the beginning? Third brother, why don't you transfer a few Jinyiwei to me? The Imperial College has been acting strangely recently, and I am worried about Jiang Chao."

The black-clothed young man was silent for a moment and said: "Okay." After a pause, he said coldly: "Pay more attention to the Jiang family."

The weather in early spring is getting better day by day, and people's mood seems to be the same. Jiang Susu and Xia Yan treated Jiang Ruan very politely. Jiang Li had not been seen since she was confined. Except for the occasional sarcasm from the second aunt, the rest of the days were spent in a dull manner, as if it was supposed to be so peaceful.

Lu Zhu poured Jiang Ruan a cup of red date lotus seed tea, adding the newly delivered locust flower honey from the kitchen, which was bright and beautiful. Jiang Ruan supported her chin with one hand and flipped the book in her hand carelessly.

"Miss, take a break too. You have been reading for half a morning." Lu Zhu smiled and said, "If you don't know, you would think that the young lady is going to take the top prize."

Zi Su laughed and scolded, "You can tease the young lady. You are getting more and more unruly."

Lu Zhu looked at Jiang Ruan and just smiled, "That's right, young lady, am I wrong?"

Jiang Ruan looked at the two maids fighting beside her and was about to say a few words when Lian Qiao walked in with a cold face. Lian Qiao is always smiling on weekdays, and this expression must be because something happened. 

Sure enough, before Jiang Ruan could speak, Lian Qiao said, "Just now, when I passed by Yanhua Garden, I was stopped by Li Madam, who was beside the lady. She said that seeing that our Ruan Residence was short of staff, the lady personally selected a few maids and would send them over later. I thought that she had been quiet these days, but it turned out that she had bad intentions and wanted to place people in our yard."

"Keep your voice down." Zi Su hurriedly said, "The walls have ears."

Lu Zhu also frowned, "This is really too much."

Jiang Ruan smiled and slowly picked up the cup. This was under the banner of doing good for her, and she couldn't refuse. You can't openly doubt the mistress of the house. Xia Yan is always like this. The rude request has a bright reason. Who knows what kind of dirty thoughts are underneath?

The words of Nanny Zhou seemed to come back to her ears: "Miss, I have something to say at the risk of my life. Madam's death was not accidental. It must be related to the woman in Yanhuayuan. I want to stay in the mansion to find evidence. I don't want to end up like this. You may not believe these words, but I have been with Madam for many years. I know Madam's health very well. The disease came strangely at the beginning, and the master didn't care... Miss, Madam was harmed by someone!"

Her fingers unconsciously clenched the handle of the fine white porcelain cup. Jiang Ruan's eyes were cold. 

Zhao Mei's death was related to Xia Yan. She believed it was true. If Jiang Quan also knew about this but condoned it until now, don't blame her for being ruthless in the future.

(End of this chapter)

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