Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1287 - 403: A Hit and Taking Advantage

Chapter 1287: Chapter 403: A Hit and Taking Advantage

For Jing City, where noble and powerful families were as common as blades of grass, a mere hundred invitations were clearly insufficient. Yet, that was all the Prince’s Mansion issued, and those who didn’t receive an invitation could only lament at home with regret. The Mo Family, however, received two invitations, one for Mo Qingze and another solely for Mo Yan.

If those who had failed to secure an invitation knew about this, they would surely cry out "What a waste," wishing they could snatch one for themselves. Nevertheless, it wasn’t long before the news that the father and daughter of the Mo Family had two invitations became known. Some even approached Mo Qingze with the tactful suggestion of "grouping together" to attend, but he "tactfully" refused.

On this day, Mo Yan brought the congratulatory gifts to the Scholar Mansion and then proceeded to the Prince’s Mansion with her parents and sisters to offer their felicitations.

Cui Qingrou had also prepared a separate congratulatory gift; the two gifts combined were quite considerable. Even though they might not compare to others offering felicitations, they were not disrespectful.

The family of five rode together in one carriage, accompanied by another carriage carrying the congratulatory gifts, to the Prince’s Mansion. They presented their invitations for verification by the servants of the Prince’s Mansion, and after confirming they were correct, the Mo Family was led inside.

As a man, Mo Qingze was taken to the outer courtyard, while Mo Yan and the rest of the women were escorted to the inner courtyard, where they were received by the capable maids and older female servants of Princess Consort Liang. It wouldn’t be possible for common womenfolk, county masters, or commandery princesses to be personally received by the dignified Princess Consort Liang.

"Hejia, why did you only arrive now? You deserve a spanking!" As soon as Mo Yan and the others entered a spacious palace room, a crisp voice reached them.

Mo Yan looked up to see the Chang’an County Master clad in red standing up from her chair, striding towards her with her customary extravagant flair.

"Chang’an, you’ve wronged me there. If I had known you arrived so early, I would have been waiting outside the Prince’s Mansion gates before dawn," Mo Yan said as she quickly walked forward, her face revealing a natural smile.

"Hmph, so it’s the fault of this county master for coming early and not informing you?" Chang’an County Master asked, her delicate brows raised, looking at Mo Yan with a teasing smile.

"You said it yourself; I have nothing to do with it," Mo Yan claimed innocently, going along with Chang’an County Master’s words.

"Hmph, sly!" Chang’an County Master rolled her eyes. She really wanted to pull out the soft whip at her waist and give a lash to the brazen girl who dared to talk back to her, but seeing Mo Yan’s fair skin, which seemed so tender it might ooze water when pinched, she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do it.

So she extended her claws and pinched Mo Yan’s soft, fair cheek, only retracting her hand when she had pinched out a tinge of red to her satisfaction.

Well, it felt even better than before, so smooth, so tender. Was this creature made of water?

Mo Yan glared at the rouge-like Chang’an County Master with a face full of black lines, watching her twiddle her fingers and savor the moment. Mo Yan really wanted to pinch her back.

Since the two had become acquainted, they hit it off due to their compatible temperaments. Although Chang’an County Master was domineering in her actions, frequently becoming the subject of complaints to the Imperial Censor by ill-fated rakes she had beaten, she knew where to draw the line and didn’t make trouble without reason. She was a clever person who saw things clearly.

She couldn’t tolerate any irritants and dealt with those she found troublesome as easily as handling defenseless lambs, which was something Mo Yan envied greatly.

Even though Chang’an County Master was often reported to the authorities, even a hundred reports didn’t matter—the Empress Dowager and Emperor Huian always protected her, leaving the Imperial Censors who reported her snorting in frustration and helpless.

Chang’an County Master also admired Mo Yan’s integrity, unlike some who were hypocritical, showing one face in public and another behind people’s backs. She was still not keen on Mo Yan’s overly cautious ways, but it wasn’t a major issue and was within her tolerance.

The frequencies of their encounters were not many, yet they had a rapport deeper than many who had known each other for years, and when together, they had endless topics to discuss.

By this time, the room was already filled with many people. As they watched the two engage in banter as if no one else was present, demonstrating an unusually close relationship, they were all secretly alarmed, examining Mo Yan with keen interest, eager to know if she had some extraordinary power that allowed her to jest so freely in front of the Chang’an County Master, notorious for lashing out at the slightest disagreement.

Chang’an County Master’s reputation in Jing City was not favorable. Even with her lofty status and the affection of the most revered man and woman in the realm, few had the courage to seek her hand in marriage.

It’s not that there were none who dared to harbor such a thought; some indeed contemplated using Chang’an County Master to climb the social ladder. Once, someone recklessly expressed his admiration to her, but just as Chang’an drew her whip, he became so frightened that he fled in utter panic.