Chapter 13 Auntie Fang's Defense

Auntie Fang didn’t dare to lift her sleeve up in front of Mo Huawen. "Ah!" Auntie Fang shoved hard, pushing the small girl away. Mo Xuetong wobbled, stumbled backwards, then fell heavily. Mo Lan moved swiftly, trying to catch Mo Xuetong, but she wasn’t fast enough. She fell forward, landing on her outstretched hand with a heavy thud. The pain in her wrist was too painful to get back up. "Auntie, what's wrong? Did I saw something that upset you?" Mo Xuetong reached over to hug Mo Lan, curling up a bit in fear. She bit her lip, tears flowing, and turned to look at Mo Lan. The maid was grimacing in pain. "Father, get the physician quickly. Mo Lan, how are you? Are you in pain? Are you alright? Auntie's arm is injured. I don’t understand how she pushed us so violently!” Mo Huawen’s expression turned frosty. "General, I..." Auntie Fang was flustered. She held out her sleeve, wanting to explain, but was silenced by Mo Huawen's sharp glare. Mo Huawen ignored Auntie Fang and went to pull up Mo Xuetong's sleeves. Streaks of blood ran down her pale skin. His glare grew more furious. She must have hit the ground hard to draw that much blood. "Father, I'm alright. Go check on Auntie...Did I do something wrong...? I've made Auntie so angry!" Mo Xuetong looked at Auntie Fang, tembling as if terrified. Her face was even paler that Mo Lan and her forehead glistened with sweat. Even her eyes were wild. Even though she could not clearly state her feelings, it spoke volumes to see the legal daughter so terrified of a concubine. He took a deep breath and shot another glare at Auntie Fang, then turned back to Mo Xuetong, stroking her hair gently. "It's alright. Auntie is not angry at you. Don't be afraid. Take Mo Lan with you. I'll get a physician for her. Everything will be alright." The maids in the study helped Mo Xuetong hold Mo Lan up. Mo Xuetong bade Mo Huawen farewell and walked out anxiously, holding back tears. Once Mo Xuetong was out of the room, Mo Huawen turned to Auntie Fang, expression dark. "Go back to your courtyard and reflect on your behavior. Unless you have something important to do, don’t go to any other courtyard, including my own.” "General..."Auntie Fang wanted to argue but was interrupted by Mo Huawen. "Maids, take Auntie Fang back." A few maids stepped forward and dragged the tearful Auntie Fang away. - In Qingwei Gardens. When Mo Xuetong returned, Mo Yu, Mo He and Mother Xu were waiting for her. When they saw Mo Lan’s injured arm, they hurried forward to help her. Before long, a physician arrived to bandage the wound and asses the damage. He told them it wasn’t a serious injury, just a sprain. Mo Lan just had to rest for five or six days and avoid strenuous movement and she would be fine in a few days. Mother Xu sent the physician away and Mo Xuetong went to check on Mo Lan. Mo Lan lying on the bed silently, her face still pale. There was a bandage around her arm and a deep frown on her face. Mo Xuetong shut the door and walked up to the bed. Mo Lan opened her eyes when she heard the door and saw Mo Xuetong. She struggled to sit up but was pressed back by Mo Xuetong. "Miss, why are you here? What are Mo Yu and Mo He doing? Why didn’t they take you to lay down!" "Why?" Mo Xuetong looked at her silently and did not answer Mo Lan’s questions. She looked at Mo Lan with a hard stare totally unlike her cowardly reputation. "Miss, what are you asking about? Your servant doesn't understand!" Mo Xuetong's voice sharpened. "Who told you to step in front of me today?" Mo Lan could not continue to pretend since Mo Xuetong had gone straight to the point. She looked at Mo Xuetong sincerely. "Miss, your health is poor, and I couldn't bear to let you get hurt. I couldn’t rest easy knowing I hadn’t tried to catch you," Mo Lan said, her eyes growing red. "Mo Lan, I thought you knew better. That's why I let you handle so many things on your own. I didn't expect you to do things without consulting me. If you’re going to act like this, it’s best if I let you go,” Mo Xuetong said, looking directly into Mo Lan’s eyes. Her words were cold. Mo Xuetong would have fallen towards Auntie Fang. She would have been injured, but not as badly as Mo Lan. Besides, it would have had far more influence on her father’s emotions if she’d taken the fall herself. "Miss, I was wrong. I won't do it again. I'll listen to my mistress in all things." Looking at Mo Xuetong’s even expression, Mo Lan understood that her mistress had planned this outcome from the start, and she’d ruined it. If she hadn’t been so furious at Auntie Fang, she would have been calm enough to play along, but she’d gotten in the way. She looked truly apologetic. "Mo Lan, we have only just got here. We will still have to go against Auntie Fang in the future. I hope that you won't all be injured because of me. Some injuries will be for me to suffer." Mo Xuetong sat down, taking Mo Lan's hand. Her eyes were gentle again, and she once again had to fight back the tears. If she could not steel her heart, then how could she stand against Mo Xuemin? "Yes, miss," Mo Lan said, taking Mo Xuetong's hands, her own eyes also filled with unshed tears. - Inside Auntie Fang's Lihe Garden. Mo Huawen sat on the nanmu wood chair. His expression was dark, and even though his voice was not loud, it was extremely indifferent. He seemed calm on the surface, but anyone who knew him well could tell he was deeply angry. "Kneel down!" Auntie Fang did not dare to hesitate. She lowered her head and knelt. "What has your concubine done wrong?" she asked tearfully. "You helped Tong'er prepare her courtyard and cleaned it out personally. You worked so hard you injured your arm so severely you can’t even touch it. How benevolent of you!" Mo Huawen grew angrier as he spoke. He grabbed Auntie Fang's hand and pushed back her sleeve. The only marks were the angry red of fresh burns. He flung her hand away. "You thought I’d stay out of it no matter how badly you acted? I can still tell the difference between a bruise and a burn. You pushed Tong'er away so forcefully that if her maid had not blocked her fall, you Tong’er would have taken the brunt of it. Do I need to bring in a physician to examine your arm before you'll admit it?!" Auntie Fang had already guessed that Mo Huawen would ask her these questions, and she’d had plenty of time to prepare. She prostrated herself and looked at Mo Huawen with tears in her eyes, letting them slide down her cheeks. She looked slightly resentful. "General, are you blaming for this incident?" Her voice sounded pitiful and she looked hurt. "Have I wronged you?" Mo Huawen asked, expression grave. "General, you know what happened in the past... I didn’t know she’d changed so much. I haven’t seen her for a year and I was worried something would happen would happen again. I just wanted to become closer to her, and I thought...she is naturally stubborn. Otherwise, she wouldn't... General, you can't even get close to her. How could I?" Auntie Fang cried pitifully. "What does this have to do with you pretending to be injured?" Mo Huawen looked at her, voice becoming a bit gentler. "I just wanted to get closer to Third Miss. General, you saw that back then...I just wanted to mend the bridge between us. I've ran the household for so many years while you took care of the ailing madam. I've done everything but worried that I was not doing them well enough. I was worried that I would let madam down, and I was afraid that I'd make Third Miss Mo unhappy...I did all this for our family. I want you to be able to enjoy a close relationship with third miss. I did all this for you, but I didn't expect you to be angry at me..." Auntie Fang started to cry behind her handkerchief. She looked pitiful. Mo Huawen fell silent and looked at Auntie Fang darkly. “You did this for me?" he asked. "Who else would I do this for? There’s no reason I have to make Third Miss like me! What good do I gain from this?" Auntie Fang cried and looked at Mo Huawen pitifully. She gritted her teeth and continued. "Sir, do you not believe me? If you don't trust me, then you can punish me as you deem fit. But if you expect me to say that I have other intentions, I'd rather die than be forced to claim such a horrible thing!" It was a beautiful performance. She’d explained her good intentions and implied Mo Xuetong was hard to please. She’d managed to bring up the past, something she knew was still a thorn in Mo Huawen’s heart. He looked calm now, be his emotions still overtook him when he thought about what had happened. Coupled with Auntie Fang's touching performance, he could not remain angry if he wanted to. He sighed and told Auntie Fang to get up. "Don't do this again,” he told her after a moment of thought. “Tong'er is very sensible now. Besides that, she is the legal daughter. Don't play your tricks on her. If I find out you're doing it again..." "I won't. I won't do it again." Auntie Fang replied sincerely. Mo Huawen's gaze landed on a letter on Auntie Fang's table. His voice grew cold again. "I'll sleep in the study tonight. Don't wait up for me!" He ignored Auntie Fang's expression of despair and turned to leave. Tong'er had not written to him in the past year. Could it be that all of her letters were lost on their way? Why had the letters Tong'er written to her mother's family arrived but he had not received a single letter? Mo Huawen was not stupid. He felt a lump in his throat. He didn’t believe that Auntie Fang was capable of something so cruel, but he felt like he couldn’t totally trust her either. Seeing Mo Huawen storm out, Nanny Li hurried to her mistress’ side. "Miss Fang..." "It's alright,” Miss Fang said, gripping her handkerchief in rage, “but I'm worried about Mo Xuetong’s behavior. She’s become much more competent in the last year. Even though the general believed me, he’s still angry. It's all that little bitch’s fault. Get someone to keep a close eye on Qingwei Garden. Report every single move that little whore makes." She couldn’t believe the general had just left her there. "Then what about the matter tonight?" Nanny Li asked, heaving a sigh of relief. "The Duke's son is not worthy of my daughter," Auntie Fang said frostily. "But First Miss and Sir Sima..." Nanny Li said, brows furrowed in concern. "Min'er is smart. She should have other plans. She knows the kind of life she wants. She's far more suited for a gentleman with better breeding." Auntie Fang released her death grip on the handkerchief and smirked. Her Min'er was the most distinguished miss in the capital. How could an orphaned little brat compare to her?