Chapter 204 - Hug Her Tightly

A group of guards rushed in and surrounded Mo Junjiu, waiting for Mo Xiangbin’s order.

Mo Xiangbin didn’t give anybody a chance to advise him and made a decision. “From today on, your title as the third prince is deprived and you will be imprisoned in the Ten-commandment Palace. You can’t get out without permission.”

The Ten-commandment Palace was also called Cold Palace where the emperor’s concubines would be imprisoned after being abandoned when it was not suitable to put them in prison.

It was cheerless and deserted.

Shi Qingxue had stayed here for several years.

Now there was nobody in the Cold Palace, while Mo Xiangbin put Mo Junjiu inside without hesitation.

He didn’t even give Mo Junjiu a chance to protest. When the latter was shocked and about to speak, a guard covered his mouth in advance and dragged him away.

Liang Jingxian didn’t make effort to defend Mo Junjiu but watched him being taken away.

All the others kept silent.

After a while, Mo Junyu stated, “Father, although we have found that Junjiu killed the colorful phenix and tried to destroy its carcass, it would be better not to spread the news. If outsiders know it, the consequences might be unthinkable.”

Mo Xiangbin was still in a rage and looked at Mo Junyu coldly.

He just responded indifferently, “I have left this case to you. You handle it.”

“Yes!” Mo Junyu replied respectfully.

Seeing that Mo Xiangbin turned around and went back to the imperial palace, he showed a smile gradually.

When he looked at Mo Junyang again, a calm and grateful expression was shown on his face. “Thanks very much, Junyang.”

Mo Junyang shook his head silently and didn’t take credit, but he was not modest.

Mo Junyu was used to Mo Junyang’s poker face and didn’t care.

He just asked in confusion, “Speaking of which, why do you know that Mo Junjiu would use corpse powder to destroy the evidence?”

Right, although Mo Junyu was the leading actor in the play, it was Mo Junyang who figured out this way.

But Mo Junyu didn’t understand how Mo Junyang guessed what was on Mo Junjiu’s mind.

“You leave first.” Mo Junyang didn’t answer Mo Junyu’s question but waved away his subordinates.

Only the two were left in the room.

Mo Junyang mentioned the hidden trouble casually. “Although you exposed Mo Junjiu easily this time and His Majesty imprisoned him, this case is not over yet. You need to be careful, Your Highness.”

Mo Junyu asked in doubt, “Be careful of what?”

“The Liang family…” Mo Junyang replied three words simply.

He pursed his thin lips slightly and pondered for a while before adding, “The empress and the families related to the royal family by marriage are entangled. Moreover, Mo Junjiu has prepared for so many years and nobody knows what secrets he has kept. You should be cautious.”

Hearing that, Mo Junyu just thought that Mo Junyang worried in case the sky should fall, so he expressed complacently, “Junyang, this time, you get the news later than I do.”

“What?” Mo Junyang was confused.

Mo Junyu showed a brighter smile but didn’t explain. Instead, he stated arrogantly, “Let’s have a bet. I bet that even if Mo Junjiu wants to do something, the Liang family wouldn’t support him anymore. Believe it or not, he is abandoned.”

“Abandoned?” Mo Junyang repeated this word playfully and looked indifferent as always. Nobody could see if he believed Mo Junyu’s words.

He just continued after a while, “Your Highness, since you are confident, I won’t say more. It’s late and cold at night. Please go back home!”

The next day, the news that the third prince Mo Junjiu was imprisoned spread among all the factions.

The reason was unknown.

But all people from different factions kept silent in unison surprisingly, as if they got some news.

Only Mo Yuzhen was anxious like ants on a hot pan and walked back and forth after hearing the news.

She could do nothing but go to the empress’ Sunshine Palace at last.

“Mother, what did Junjiu do? Why is he imprisoned? You must help him!” Mo Yuzhen was so anxious that she almost shed tears.

But Liang Jingxian just sat still in her seat and looked indifferent on her dignified and gentle face, asking in reply, “Did you go to the imperial study?”

Mo Yuzhen was stunned and doubt was written on her face.

She didn’t understand why Liang Jingxian knew where she had been.

But she still answered frankly with tears in her eyes, “I wanted to ask Father to show mercy and not to imprison my brother, but Father refused to see me and sent a servant to tell me that if I insist on interceding with him for my brother, I can’t see him.”

Liang Jingxian smiled knowingly and had expected Mo Xiangbin to do that.

She stretched out her fair-skinned and slender right hand and held Mo Yuzhen’s sad face, saying with love, “Stupid child, is it your first time to know how cruel your father is? You beg him at this time. Won’t you look for trouble?”

Mo Yuzhen sobbed and managed to stop crying. “But shall we ignore my brother? This is not the ordinary punishment but imprisonment.

“Think it over. Since our country was established, was there any prince imprisoned? If Father refuses to retract his order, Junjiu’s future would be ruined forever!”

How could a prince have a chance to take the throne after being imprisoned?

Liang Jingxian looked sad and sighed helplessly, “This is his destiny. What can we do?”

“You…” Mo Yuzhen paused for a while and looked at Liang Jingxian hesitantly.

She finally realized something wrong. As Mo Junjiu’s mother, Liang Jingxian always silently supported Mo Junjiu in fighting for the position of the heir to the throne behind the scenes, but she could be so calm when facing her son’s defeat.

It was strange!

“Mother, what are you going to do?” Mo Yuzhen asked with hesitation.

Liang Jingxian seemed not to notice the enquiry in Mo Yuzhen’s eyes and withdrew her hand slowly.

She cast down her eyes and replied casually, “This is your father’s decision. What can I do?”

“But Junjiu…” Mo Yuzhen got anxious as she saw that Liang Jingxian was so passive.

However, Liang Jingxian interrupted her indifferently, “I have warned him earlier that he shouldn’t be rash, but he acted willfully and even planned to harm the colorful phenix. He just courted death, and I can do nothing.”

Mo Yuzhen opened her eyes wide and couldn’t believe that the woman in front of her was her mother who always loved and indulged her.

This woman even said something so heartless.

Mo Yuzhen opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound.

Under Mo Yuzhen’s direct glare, Liang Jingxian felt awkward.

She coughed and comforted Mo Yuzhen, as if nothing had happened. “Well, I know that you feel sad for your brother, but this matter is settled. It is useless no matter how worried you are.

“You just go back first. Don’t need to worry about his case!”

Mo Yuzhen couldn’t be driven away so easily. She refused to move and looked at Liang Jingxian stubbornly, questioning, “Mother, what are you going to do to help Junjiu?”

Liang Jingxian thought, “What can I do? I have to let it be.”

But her daughter would probably go ballistic if she said so, so she responded vaguely, “We will figure out a way. It’s just a matter of time.”

Mo Xiangbin was in a rage and wouldn’t listen to anybody’s advice, but he wouldn’t lock up Mo Junjiu in the Cold Palace for a lifetime.

He would release Mo Junjiu sooner or later, so they didn’t need to be anxious.

While speaking, Liang Jingxian thought it was reasonable and nodded seriously.

“Mother!”

Mo Yuzhen shouted angrily and looked at Liang Jingxian, with queries in her eyes.

This so-called way was equal to abandoning Mo Junjiu. How could it be called a way?

Liang Jingxian turned away to avoid seeing Mo Yuzhen’s face and expressed coldly, “I have said what I should and can say. It won’t change anything even if you are here. Just go back home now!

“You have married into the She family, so you are a member of that family. Don’t come to the imperial palace frequently if there is no need to.”

She didn’t even… want to see Mo Yuzhen.

Mo Yuzhen took a big step backward spiritlessly, and her beautiful face with makeup was messy in tears.

She put on a smile but looked uglier than when she was crying.

Usually, Liang Jingxian might have rushed to hug her loved daughter and comfort her softly and then cut the people who bullied her daughter into pieces.

But now, she still sat straight and didn’t give a glance at Mo Yuzhen.

She turned a blind eye to Yuzhen who was sorrowful.

Mo Yuzhen shed tears for a while and soon raised her hand to wipe away the tears from her face.

She concealed her frailty.

She gazed at Liang Jingxian and asked, stressing each word, “Mother, I just ask you for a frank answer. Are you going to abandon my brother?”

Liang Jingxian didn’t say anything, as she admitted everything silently.

Mo Yuzhen smiled sadly again.

She felt that somebody put some coptis in her mouth, which was unbearably bitter.

But she endured the pain in her heart and glanced at Liang Jingxian deeply. Then she turned around and walked out.

When she was at the door, she stopped in her tracks.

She didn’t look back but said sorrowfully, “Even after abandoning Junjiu, Father won’t agree to let the sixth prince take that position.”

Liang Jingxian stiffened all of a sudden.

She retorted subconsciously, “No way.”

Mo Yuzhen didn’t want to explain and left these words before walking out of the empress’ Sunshine Palace.

After leaving the Sunshine Palace, Mo Yuzhen went to Duke Shi’s mansion.

Shi Qingxue was surprised to see Mo Yuzhen and hurriedly took her into the bedroom.

She asked in a hurry, “Yuzhen, what’s wrong with you? Don’t frighten me!”

Although Mo Yuzhen didn’t say anything or show any emotion on her face, Shi Qingxue was her best friend for many years and found at a glance that there was something wrong with her.

Hearing Qingxue’s concerned voice, Mo Yuzhen couldn’t control herself anymore and rushed into Qingxue’s arms.

She sobbed and couldn’t make a sound.

Shi Qingxue was tightly hugged by Mo Yuzhen. She wanted to have a look at Yuzhen but couldn’t move a bit, so she had to raise her arms and hug back.

She soothed Mo Yuzhen gently. “What happened? Tell me first, okay?”

Mo Yuzhen sniffed and managed with effort to stop crying. Then she came out of Shi Qingxue’s arms.

“My father… imprisoned Junjiu!” As soon as she started speaking, she couldn’t help crying.

Big drops of tears fell down, and she felt so sad.

Hearing the news, Shi Qingxue was also astonished and looked at Mo Yuzhen, with worry in her eyes.

She knew that Mo Yuzhen was close to Mo Junjiu. Otherwise, with Mo Yuzhen’s character, she would never have admitted her destiny and married She Changfeng. Now Mo Junjiu was imprisoned, and it was natural that Mo Yuzhen was so sad.

But…

Qingxue pursed her lips and hesitated for a minute. Then she pointed out frankly, “The colorful phenix was killed by His Highness.”

Mo Yuzhen paused for a while and didn’t dare to meet Shi Qingxue’s eyes.

She just said ambiguously, “It’s just a bird. It’s no big deal that it’s dead, but Junjiu is my father’s child. Even a tiger won’t eat its cubs. How can my father…”

Before Mo Yuzhen finished her words, her mouth was covered by Qingxue hurriedly.

Shi Qingxue looked outside nervously and realized that it was her bedroom and Xia Mang was guarding at the door. Then she breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at Mo Yuzhen seriously and warned her in a deep voice, “Yuzhen, you are always more cautious than me and know what you shouldn’t say. How can you be brainless on something like this?”

Mo Yuzhen really couldn’t restrain herself. She buried her face in Shi Qingxue’s arms again and cried in a muffled voice, “I know! I know that I will give others a chance to find fault with me. I won’t help my brother but would bring trouble on myself. But I have no choice!

“Qingxue, I have no choice… How can I stand by and watch my brother suffer? But I can do nothing to help him!

“You tell me what I should do? What should I do?”

Mo Yuzhen cried loudly and couldn’t stop.