Too high to reach

Chapter 131 Unmarried Couples
Wang Qing quietly returned...

They retrieved the Mo Yigeng letter and said that their great-aunt already knew about the Mo family's good news and would be back in the next couple of days.

"Don't worry, madam. My aunt said she will keep quiet."

Finally, it's all over and left no trace...

Wang breathed a sigh of relief and silently found a nice item to give to Mo Ruzhen when she came, to shut her up.

After days of anger, resentment, anxiety, and fear, and before I had fully recovered from my previous illness, the fever spiked again as soon as I relaxed.

She still didn't call a doctor, originally wanting to rest properly, but too many people came to her door.

Even if it's just a facade, I have to show my face...

Sure enough, the Wang family received the news and came in full force again, this time with even more people than last time!

The laughter and chatter almost lifted the roof off.

Moreover, she showered Mo Ruhai with compliments, as if they hadn't argued at all.

The elderly couple, along with the brother-in-law, displayed even more fawning expressions than when serving the fish platter to their eldest son-in-law, showering him with praise.

Mo Ruhai finally experienced what it was like to be a son-in-law of a wealthy family, and to be honest, it wasn't a pleasant experience!
Old Master Wang patted his chest and made many promises: a banquet, more dowry...

But at the same time, it also added many wishes: "If I can visit the Prince's Palace in the future, then my life will not have been in vain..."

Moreover, whenever someone comes to the house, they have to call Mo Yi out, hold her hand and praise her for a long time, asking her many questions.

Some people even pushed their young daughters before Mo Yi, hoping she would take care of them. They also mentioned their promising sons, hoping she would mentor them...

Mo Yi was annoyed, but just smiled faintly and said nothing.

Mo Ruhai was on the verge of losing his temper; his face had turned dark...

Fortunately, Mo Yuan stepped forward, and together with Mo Fan, the two of them playfully protected Mo Yi behind them.

Mo Rushan had just taken office, and although everyone knew he had a big celebration in his family, it wasn't appropriate for him to keep taking leave. After two busy days, he went back to work.

Moda found that she couldn't concentrate on her books at all... Afraid of falling behind in her studies, she hid back at the academy alone.

Mo Rusong took the lead in handling both domestic and external affairs.

Mo Yi was so annoyed that she couldn't do her work. When Granny Zhao sent someone to pick her up, she whispered something to her father and then left.

Granny Zhao's house had several courtyards, and it was much larger than Mo Yi had expected.

Although there were no carved beams and painted rafters, the house was neat and tidy, the yard was clean, and there wasn't even a weed on the roof.

"This courtyard is where we usually have classes!"

We didn't wander around much, and went straight into a small courtyard. The main house had one large room and two smaller rooms. The large room was extremely large.

It's not like a typical house.

Along the walls were rows of cabinets and shelves, all crammed full...

There's a large table in the middle, surrounded by chairs. It looks like it gets quite crowded sometimes.

"Does the nanny usually work here?"

"Yes." Granny Zhao looked around. "It's a little messy, but everything is useful!"

"You'll be spending most of your time here from now on, so please don't be shy. Feel free to look through everything. There are various teas on the shelves; you can brew one to your liking. I have some other things to attend to, I'll be back in a bit..."

After saying that, she went out.

The courtyard was quiet.

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting wisps of dust that floated in the interplay of light and shadow.

The room was warm, and she stood alone in the light, feeling relaxed and happy...

I wish I could work in an environment like this.

She started wandering around.

The cabinet is filled with books, copied manuscripts, ornaments, vases, stone Buddhas, bronze sculptures, small paintings...

On the shelf were jars of incense, and below them were various incense burners.

When Granny Zhao went to her house, she had already lit it.

I can look at them freely... I open the jars, smell them one by one... and then carefully put them back in their original places.

On the shelf next to it were rows of tins filled with tea. The labels on them read: Longjing, Liuan Melon Seed Tea, Huangshan Maofeng, Wuyi Black Tea…

The lower shelves are filled with tea sets: purple clay teapots, porcelain gaiwans, glass teapots... copper kettles and iron kettles.

She examined each type of tea, one by one. The last one she picked up was a can of Lu'an Melon Seed Tea?

I've heard of it but never tried it... I picked out a few petals and placed them on a small plate. Before I even brought them to my nose, a faint floral fragrance wafted over.

The leaves are larger than usual, bright green, and lightly covered with white frost... Is that how it is?

Why does it smell like flowers? Was it scented?
As soon as Li Jing stepped inside, she saw...

The little girl stood in front of the tea cabinet, sunlight shining on her light mauve pleated skirt. She held a small saucer in one hand and picked up a few tea leaves with the other, examining them intently, smelling them, and even turning them over.

The entire scene evoked only the word "tranquility" in Li Jing, and the corners of her mouth softened considerably.

“Mo Yi…” He deliberately softened his voice.

Mo Yi turned her head and exclaimed, "Your Highness?!"

"Hmm." Li Jing stepped inside, pulled up a chair, sat down, and casually placed the box he was carrying on the table.

"You wish to see me?"

The Prince Qi before me wore a black python robe, the pythons embroidered with silver thread and interspersed with silver strands, causing them to shimmer and undulate with every movement. Above were cloud patterns, below were water ripples. Exquisitely magnificent…

He wore a silver crown, a silver carved belt, and a piece of yellow jade... Ah... the color of that object was exquisite, lustrous and translucent. The carving... at first glance, it was of extremely high skill. Seeing this, I couldn't help but think of what was in my own purse.

Earlier, almost without thinking, I brought along two things I had made. Although I didn't intend to actually give them to him, I felt I should prepare something...

Look at what other people are wearing, what am I even wearing that's presentable?

"Yes... I only found out you were going out after I told Granny that day. There's nothing urgent for Mo Yi here."

Li Jing's demeanor was casual, but his inherent arrogance and ever-present stern expression almost made Mo Yi, who was smelling tea leaves with a saucer, laugh: Yes, she wanted to see him.

But when I actually met him, I didn't know what to say.

"How about we brew a pot of tea for His Highness first?"

"Okay," Li Jing replied and then ignored her. He took a booklet from the box and began to read it carefully.

……All right.

"Want some Lu'an Melon Seed Tea?"

"Okay." The person was engrossed in looking at something and responded unconsciously.

There was a copper kettle next to the charcoal stove, and a water jar on the ground by the door.

I filled the kettle with water, added two pieces of charcoal, and put the kettle on the shelf.

What should I say to him...?

She chose a teapot and cup she liked and rinsed them with water. She put the tea leaves into the teapot, gently placed it on the table, and waited for the water to boil.

Standing all the time wasn't a good idea, so Mo Yi quietly sat down in the chair next to Li Jing.

Li Jing turned to look at her again.

Mo Yi then realized that she hadn't bowed yet.

Somewhat embarrassed, he stood up and curtsied, saying, "Your Highness, sometimes when I'm nervous, I forget the rules."

"Sit down!" Li Jing didn't comment, put down what he was holding, and silently looked at the "little girl" in front of him.

What's remarkable about her eyes is that they are black with very light blue sclera, making them very bright and expressive.

His gaze was simple and easy to understand.

Unlike Zhou Li, who is always carrying various emotions and feelings.

Simple is good!

He is satisfied.

Seeing that he was only looking at her and not saying anything, Mo Yi nervously clenched her hands. "I heard from Granny Zhao that the Prince is going out?"

"Yes."

The two fell silent again.

After a while, Li Jing slowly explained, "After I return from the Northwest, I should be able to settle down in the capital. However, I need to go to the Cangzhou camp that I'm in charge of. But if nothing happens, I can be back in two days. This time, though... it might take longer."

Mo Yi nodded silently; these were things she didn't understand either.

After a while, Mo Yi asked softly, "Your Highness, how did you persuade the Emperor to agree to this marriage?"

"You feel we're not a good match?"

"Yes, the Mo family is very poor, I didn't have a dowry!" she blurted out, then regretted it: "Uh... once, I saw a noblewoman carrying her dowry on the street, a truly magnificent procession of ten miles of red bridal procession, stretching as far as the eye could see, dazzling to the eye. My family..."

The water boiled, and Mo Yi took the pot and brewed tea.

Li Jing thought about it and realized it was true!
Although he didn't care how much his wife's dowry was, it seemed to be quite important to the woman.

According to the previous plan, there would be some compensation for the Mo family and for her.

Why not choose some properties for her as her dowry?

The Empress Dowager's dowry was originally intended for Anian. Perhaps we should start by finding it here. It's under Zhao Mama's management, so it'll be convenient for her.

"I'll discuss this with Granny Zhao later and see what we can give you..."

"Ah? Your Highness, I, this humble woman... that's not what I meant." Mo Yi quickly shook her head.

"Then what do you mean?" Li Jing asked directly.

Her face was burning. How did it become that she was complaining about being poor and directly asking her fiancé for a dowry?
How embarrassing...

"What Mo Yi means is: the Mo family's low social standing will be reflected in many ways. For example, Mo Yi shouldn't have said these things..."

“It’s alright. Speak your mind, that’s fine,” Li Jing replied.

Mo Yi poured tea. "I heard from the nanny that there will be a lot of betrothal gifts when the engagement is made. My uncle and father said that they are all mine."

Li Jing smiled but didn't say anything.

One person holds a cup of tea and drinks it by themselves.

Li Jing slowly finished drinking and put down the cup.

Mo Yi was about to fall again when he stopped her with his hand... "Is there anything else you wanted to see me about?"

Mo Yi blinked. "We haven't said anything yet, have we?"

"Gone."

“Alright. Granny Zhao is a trustworthy person and has some authority. You can speak directly to her if you have any issues. If she can't handle something, she'll come to me for help.”

"Yes……"

(End of this chapter)