Chapter 61: Mo Cangyan’s Intoxication

Chapter 61: Mo Cangyan's Intoxication

"Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor has been assassinated!"

Xiao Feng rushed in hastily, unfortunately disrupting the intimate moment between the two about to kiss.

Hearing the commotion, Feng Xiyao quickly pushed away Mo Cangyan, lifting her head to gaze at the ceiling as if nothing had happened.

Embarrassed, Xiao Feng wished he could find a hole to hide in, but with the urgency of the matter, he dared not delay.

Upon hearing the news about the Grand Tutor, Mo Cangyan had no time for anything else and pulled Feng Xiyao along.

"Accompany me to the palace gates to investigate!"

Understanding the significance of the Grand Tutor to Mo Cangyan, Feng Xiyao swiftly followed him out.

"..."

Left alone in the room, Xiao Feng, seeing that his master had left, hurriedly followed suit.

The group traveled by carriage and soon arrived at the Prime Minister's residence. Mo Cangyan had often visited here in his childhood and was familiar with the layout. He led Feng Xiyao straight to the study.

Before they entered, they could hear sorrowful wails. Upon entering, they saw an elderly woman weeping bitterly over the Prime Minister's body.

"Wife to you since childhood, I've done all for you, how could you leave me behind like this?!"

Feng Xiyao understood that this woman before her was the Prime Minister's unfortunate wife, Madam Xu!

"This Madam Xu has labored tirelessly for the Prime Minister for years, only to find out that he had kept a mistress behind her back. Now, she has to witness his brutal murder. Her life truly has been a bitter one."

Seeing Feng Xiyao's sympathetic gaze on Madam Xu, Mo Cangyan walked over and gently patted her shoulder.

"Mother Xu, please accept my condolences!"

Upon seeing Mo Cangyan, Madam Xu embraced him emotionally, crying even more heartrendingly.

"Cangyan, you're finally here! You must avenge our old man!"

Despite Madam Xu clinging to the tyrant, tears and snot running down onto him, and addressing him by his given name, the tyrant didn't show the slightest sign of displeasure.

Feng Xiyao suddenly recalled something from a book she had read.

"The Tyrant's mother was imprisoned when he was young, and they rarely met as mother and son!"

"And this Madam Xu, because she had no children of her own, treated Mo Cangyan like a son during the time he resided in their mansion, caring for him attentively."

"She must have compensated for some of the maternal love the Tyrant missed out on in his childhood. No wonder he is so patient with her!"

Listening to Feng Xiyao, Mo Cangyan remembered how Madam Xu had sneaked into the palace to bring him food when he was being punished by his father, the emperor, and forbidden from eating.

At this thought, he held Madam Xu a little tighter.

"Mother, I will definitely find the culprit. You can rest assured!"

After comforting her for a while, finally silencing her sobs, Mo Cangyan ordered Qin Fang to take her away. With a cold tone, he spoke to Xiao Feng.

"Didn't I instruct you to inform the Grand Tutor to be cautious lately? How could this still happen?"

Xiao Feng knelt down, bowing his head.

"Master, I didn't get the chance to speak before the Grand Tutor met with misfortune. Please, hold me accountable!"

"You didn't get the chance..." A chilling frostiness seeped into Mo Cangyan's eyes. "I didn't expect them to move so swiftly!"

Feng Xiyao averted her gaze from the wound on the Grand Tutor's neck and turned to survey the splattered blood around them.

Mo Cangyan stood with his hands behind his back, gesturing for Xiao Feng to provide a full account of the incident.

Understanding that his master was genuinely enraged, Xiao Feng promptly recounted what he knew.

"After the Grand Tutor returned home, he dismissed everyone in no time. Thus, nobody knows what he was doing in his study!"

"When Madam Xu came to deliver his meal, she found him lying in a pool of blood. That's when everyone learned of the Grand Tutor's demise!"

"..."

It was evident to all that Kong Lu was behind this. Mo Cangyan's anger swelled, his fists clenching tightly.

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiyao glanced at where the Grand Tutor had fallen – the opposite direction of the entrance, with a vase standing nearby. She felt puzzled but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Your Majesty, if the Grand Tutor saw someone, wouldn't he rush towards the entrance? Why would he run here?"

"Or could it be that the murderer entered to kill him, and in his panic, he fled to this spot?"

Surveying the study, there were no signs of struggle or chase. Although the servants had been dismissed, they were still guarding the entrance. If anyone had entered, the Grand Tutor's cry for help should have been heard!

At this thought, Mo Cangyan's gaze darkened. He walked up to the vase and reached inside.

Sure enough, his hand touched something. Pulling it out, he found a stack of envelopes!

"There was indeed something in there!" Feng Xiyao commented with intrigue.

Mo Cangyan opened the envelope, revealing aged letters. From their content, it was evident that these were secret correspondences between Kong Lu and the Grand Tutor.

There was also a letter hastily stashed away with ink still damp. Apparently, the Grand Tutor had been in the study to pen this very message.

Reading on, the Grand Tutor confessed to conspiring with Kong Lu, deceiving Mo Cangyan, exploiting the common folk, and jointly suppressing talented, low-born scholars.

Each incident, every detail, was meticulously documented in the letters, each word sincere.

Feng Xiyao read the letter on her tiptoes, and by the time she reached the last line, tears involuntarily streamed down her cheeks.

"I do not seek forgiveness from Your Majesty for my actions; I only hope that Your Majesty will spare my family."

"Lastly, I sincerely hope that Your Majesty will not grieve too deeply. Everything I have done deserves the most brutal punishment, but whenever I think of causing Your Majesty distress, I feel that I am deserving of death a thousand times over!"

Upon reading this, Feng Xiyao stole a glance at Mo Cangyan's expressionless face.

"As expected, a teacher truly understands their student, knowing the stubborn nature of this tyrant!"

Mo Cangyan nonchalantly put away the letter and instructed Xiao Feng, "The funeral arrangements for the Grand Tutor... shall be conducted as a state funeral. He has done me the great favor of educating me, and I wish to avoid the stigma of being an ungrateful child in the future!"

"You hear that? More contradictory talk. He clearly wants to do it himself, yet he still seeks an excuse!"

Mo Cangyan was currently troubled and had no desire to argue with Feng Xiyao. He turned around and left for the palace.

Mo Cangyan had been pretending to be ill and abstained from court for several days, not seeing anyone, not even the Empress Dowager.

Concerned about her son's health, the Empress Dowager specifically asked Feng Xiyao to check on the situation.

Given the tyrant's volatile temperament, Feng Xiyao was reluctant to go. However, she dared not defy the Empress Dowager's command.

Arriving at the Zijin Hall, she saw Eunuch Hai enter to announce her presence. Feng Xiyao secretly hoped that the tyrant would refuse to see her.

Contrary to her wish, Mo Cangyan, who had been avoiding everyone, unexpectedly allowed her in.

Meeting Eunuch Hai's excited gaze, she hesitantly stepped inside.

This was the first time Feng Xiyao witnessed Mo Cangyan in such despair and desolation. He was sprawled on the ground, his image utterly ruined, surrounded by shattered bottles and jars.

Seeing him attempt to continue drinking, Feng Xiyao rushed over to stop him.

"Mo Cangyan, don't drink anymore! Don't you know it's harmful to your health?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Mo Cangyan slowly lifted his bloodshot eyes, a hint of confusion beneath their haziness. His once stern demeanor was now disheveled, with tousled hair. His face was flushed from alcohol, and his lips were reddened.

This was a side Feng Xiyao had never seen before. Good-looking people remained attractive in any situation.

The sight of him so vulnerable stirred her heart, making it beat faster.

Mo Cangyan simply watched her in silence, and neither of them spoke a word.