Too high to reach

Chapter 331 What is she after?

Inside the shop, Mo Ruhai was drinking tea and chatting with Manager Zhao.

"Father, why are you so free today?" Mo Yi walked in. She had gone out to visit someone and stopped by the shop on her way back.

"Yi Yi's here?" Mo Ruhai's smile immediately widened when he saw Mo Yi. "Come on, sit here..."

Mo Yi sat down, craned her neck to look around, and smiled; there were quite a few customers in the store today.

“Father has finished his work and can rest for a few days. Come to the shop and chat with Manager Zhao.”

Manager Zhao smiled and said, "Your Highness, Lord Mo, please continue your conversation. I'll have them bring you another pot of tea."

After he left, Mo Ruhai asked in a low voice, "Yiyi... have you finished dealing with things in the manor? Your father is always thinking about you, but I can't go to the Prince's manor."

Mo Yi smiled and said, "It's basically all done. I've just handed over the recovered assets to my daughter, as well as the housework. So, I've been running around like crazy and haven't had a chance to come home and tell you yet. You don't need to worry."

"Yiyi... tell your father the truth, is it really just about money?" Mo Ruhai asked in a very serious low voice.

"Yes." Mo Yi certainly couldn't tell her father the truth. "That brother-in-law of Feng Liniang is still lending money at exorbitant interest rates. This is no small matter! If people find out, they will definitely impeach the Prince, and the Emperor will certainly punish him severely. That would be too shameful!"

Mo Ru also deeply abhorred the heinous act of lending money at exorbitant interest rates, her face darkening. "That woman... she's simply awful! What is she after? She doesn't know how lucky she is!"

Mo Yi also gave a cold laugh.

"Moreover, Your Highness has been far too indulgent with her! Fortunately, it was discovered in time..."

“Exactly!!” Mo Yi echoed.

“Yi Yi… things aren’t that simple; we need to investigate further. That woman can’t be kept locked up like this forever. She has a son, and once he grows up, she’ll still have a chance to rise in status through her son. We need to find a way to cut off that possibility… Besides, she’s been in the mansion for many years; she must have a few people on her side. As long as the benefits are enough, there will always be people who follow her in doing bad things.”

Mo Yi stared intently at her father. Well, Dad has become much more shrewd.

Mo Ruhai continued speaking earnestly in vernacular Chinese: "Having fallen from such a high place, who knows how much hatred she harbors in her heart. We must be careful that she doesn't do anything malicious. Money is a small matter; safety is the most important. We must be careful in the mansion, in the kitchen, and with the fire, etc., lest something serious happens."

Seeing his daughter nodding in approval, Mo Ruhai felt a great sense of accomplishment. He then thought for a moment and said, "Also, you mustn't get involved with her son! If you raise him well, no one will praise you; if he's even slightly unwell, people will start gossiping. You also need to tell the people below to make sure nothing goes wrong, otherwise it could easily be blamed on you. And you also have to... Hey? Yiyi, your sister is pregnant again, you know that, right?"

Mo Yi was somewhat surprised. "My daughter doesn't know yet."

"It's been two days since the message came in. What, she didn't tell you?"

"Perhaps it's still early. Besides, with the experience from last time, she'll be more careful this time," Mo Yi said frankly.

"Hmm..." But Mo Ruhai still looked at Mo Yi: "You two sisters, you haven't had any disagreements, have you?"

"Dad, we're all living our own lives now. I'm busy with my own things, and my sister has her mother-in-law's, so we don't see each other as often. What's there to argue about?"

"That's true... Yi Yi, when are you going to have a child?"

Mo Yi was taken aback. She'd been so busy; she hadn't really thought about this. But... why wasn't she pregnant?

The prince has been staying in his own room all the time... and there's been quite a bit of that stuff going on. Could it be that there's something wrong with him?

Go back and have the doctor take a look...

However, recent events have made her feel uneasy. Being alone is fine; she can decide what to do and leave immediately. But if she's pregnant… then the situation becomes complicated.

"My daughter isn't in a hurry."

"That's good. She's still just a little girl..." Whenever Mo Ruhai looked at his daughter, he always thought she was a little girl. "Your mother, because Wenwen is pregnant, is still trying every trick in the book to ask her father for money..."

Mo Yi smiled; her mother hadn't changed at all. "Please give me some, Father. After this busy period, I'll take you to a hot spring; it's so relaxing." "Ah! Father, you should enjoy your daughter's blessings too."

"Dad, are Li Qi and the others doing well?"

"Everything is fine. The Song family has a new house and has moved out with their wives. Old Mr. and Mrs. Song will go and stay there for a couple of days when they have some free time. This family is finally settling down."

The two started talking about the Song family and business again, and they talked non-stop for a long time.

……

After the morning court session, a eunuch was waiting for the Crown Prince at the palace gate. "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence."

The Crown Prince went to the Empress's palace. "Mother, did you look for your son?"

"How is your wife?" The Empress was working behind her desk when she saw the Crown Prince arrive, so she turned to look at him and asked.

After the Crown Prince paid his respects, he sat opposite the Empress, and a palace maid served him tea.

"Her pulse is stable, and she's eating and sleeping well. She keeps saying she'll come to pay her respects, but her son stops her." He was casual in front of the Empress, indicating that the mother and son had a good relationship.

Lately, the Crown Prince has been in high spirits and looks even more handsome. The Empress, seeing this, is also very pleased.

"Mother, has Yu'an come recently?"

"Sigh..." The only thing that bothered the Empress was this daughter. "She didn't come. I've sent her so many things, but every time she comes back, she says that she's throwing a tantrum at home."

"My son has someone following Dongfang from a distance, but he's quite mysterious, always coming and going with a lot of people around him. Those little brats are also being protected by the Zhao family, so they haven't found an opportunity yet."

The Empress frowned: "Relieving your anger is important, but the important matter is more important! Don't lose sight of the bigger picture... You lot, get out!" She dismissed everyone in the room.

"Mother, is something the matter?" The Crown Prince's expression also turned serious.

"Hmm. A few days ago, that old woman... let a few people from the Qian family in to talk... This kind of thing happens quite often. There are a few people who come regularly. This time there was a stranger, and after a while, she sent the people in front of her away." The Empress's expression was also mysterious.

"Is the old woman just being deliberately mysterious? She's done this all the time before..."

The Empress snorted before saying, "I suspect this person came from Western Shu. The Qian family is from Shandong, but she was born in Western Shu while her father was in office. Later, she followed her father to various posts. Finally, she arrived in the capital at the age of fourteen or fifteen."

"Did someone recognize the accent?"

The Empress shook her head: "They did bring some food from outside the palace. Among it was something called houttuynia cordata. That thing has a very strange taste, and ordinary people are not used to it. It only grows in the south, and people from Shu (Sichuan) are most fond of it. You know, the things people eat when they are young are always the most memorable. Therefore, I am certain that they came from there..."

"You mean...we were going in the wrong direction before?"

"Yes. We've searched the old woman's hometown and maternal family, the hometown of that divine being, and even the place where she was exiled. I think that perhaps she has hidden people and things there."

“Once we have a direction, it will be easier to find.” The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes. “I will go and investigate the places the Qian family has been, and then send people over.”

"Alright. Remember, it's better to not find her at all than to alert her... That old woman is practically dead, and she has no descendants of any worthwhile. What is she afraid of? But what about us? We are both precious. So, we are afraid to act rashly!"

The prince responded, then said with annoyance, "That old hag, she's been pretending to be crazy all day long, what do you think she's after?"

"Who knows what else she's after? What honors can a proper Empress Dowager enjoy that I haven't given her? She's so annoying!"

“Mother, sometimes I feel you are too cautious. What would be the point of killing her directly? Her family has no power or influence. Even if she had that thing, who could help her present it to the Emperor? Even if there are some old acquaintances… with my current status, who would dare to help her? I'm afraid she would be killed before she even had a chance to produce it… the end result would be the confiscation of her property and the extermination of her entire clan. Who would dare?!”

"Where is Li Jing?" the Empress asked coldly.

The crown prince was immediately speechless...