Chapter 10: The Crippled Young Lady (X)

Chapter 10: The Disabled Young Lady (Part Ten)

The unfolding scene was so dramatic that everyone present shared the same unspoken astonishment.

Madam Gu took a moment to react, just in time to hear Su Kui’s self-introduction, which left her breaking out in a cold sweat.

It was no wonder—this elderly lady, who should have been enjoying peaceful family life, was constantly on edge because of Su Kui.

This was Jun Mo! The very Jun Mo who held the entire Great Yuan Empire in the palm of his hand—the true regent, the power behind the throne.

Trembling, she dropped to her knees with a thud, her voice wavering as she spoke, “I pay my respects to Your Highness. Please forgive me, if my young lady has inadvertently offended you, I beg your magnanimity in pardoning her.”

Madam Gu’s action instantly roused the crowd, and just outside the palace’s vermilion gates, a large group fell prostrate in unison.

Su Kui barely concealed a frown, thinking to herself how fortunate it was that her current body was disabled; otherwise, in this ancient society where rank and status were sharply defined, she would have to bow and kowtow everywhere.

She believed she had concealed her discomfort well, but Jun Mo caught the faintest shadow of displeasure on her face. For some reason, seeing her so unhappy stirred an uneasy feeling within him.

It was as if she was under some spell, yet unaware of it.

With a cold expression, Jun Mo flicked his sleeve and commanded, “Everyone, rise!” Turning to the still-kneeling Madam Gu, he added, “You too. I do not blame her.”

Suddenly realizing something, Su Kui’s cat-like pupils widened in amazement as she stared at him. “You’re actually a prince!”

What was this “You’re actually a prince!” supposed to mean?

Madam Gu felt as if darkness was closing in; she had hoped her young lady would have matured after the ordeal months ago, but it seemed she had only been saving up her trump card.

At that moment, a slender young woman in a green dress dashed out from the crowd and fell to her knees with a thud, bowing repeatedly before Jun Mo, her delicate face streaked with tears, evoking sympathy.

“Your Highness, my sister has clearly lost her mind! She wasn’t like this before. I don’t know what’s come over her this time, spouting nonsense. I beg you, for my father’s sake, please pardon her!”

Jun Mo’s brows knitted tightly. Who was this girl, and why was she spouting such nonsense? Had she not heard his promise to Madam Gu that he would not take it out on her young lady?

But having grown up amid the intrigues of power, he understood the situation instantly.

Casting a sidelong glance at Su Kui, who remained indifferent and unaffected, he smiled faintly, as if enjoying the unfolding drama, and watched the girl in the green dress perform her act.

Playing along with the game, he asked, “Oh? And who is your esteemed father?”

The girl’s heart leapt with hope, struggling to contain her racing pulse as she sobbed, “My father is Feng Chengzhi, the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty. Your Highness, please be merciful and spare my sister!”

Jun Mo, however, ignored her plea and turned his interest back to Su Kui. “You said she wasn’t like this before. What was she like?”

Feng Qingqing’s eyes flickered nervously, as if harboring a painful secret she couldn’t reveal.

Madam Gu had initially thought Feng Qingqing was sincere in her plea, but now she realized that a child of a concubine was still just a child of a concubine—never to be fully accepted.

Not even an imperial consort yet, and already she was hastening to cast shade on her legitimate elder sister.

Su Kui couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Coughing a few times, she shot a sideways glance at Feng Qingqing, mercilessly mocking her, “You really don’t leave any chance to smear me, do you? What is it you want to say? That I was once arrogant and domineering, harsh to servants, and disrespectful to elders?”

Feng Qingqing’s eyes brimmed with tears as she stared at Su Kui in disbelief, her voice trembling with sorrow, “Sister, what are you saying? How could Qingqing dare such things?”

(End of Chapter)