Wen Mohan looked at the contorted, ferocious face of Wen Moyu with great displeasure.
Cen Yu coughed to remind Wen Moyu, who then realized there were others in the room. Seeing it was Wen Mohan, her heart leaped into her throat, and she hastily sent the maid away.
"Brother, why are you here?" Wen Moyu glided forward, "I heard you were injured, is it serious?"
Wen Mohan looked at the heavily made-up woman before him and felt a sense of unfamiliarity. The sister he remembered was gentle and kind, but this opulent noblewoman before him was ruthless and cruel.
"I've come to tell you something," Wen Mohan sat down beside her, his expression cold. "From today onwards, the Prime Minister's mansion will cease all support for Prince Han, and the mansion's hidden guards will be withdrawn."
"Brother, what are you doing?" Wen Moyu was anxious. If the Prime Minister's mansion cut off support for Prince Han, her status in Prince Han's manor would be precarious. The hidden guards were her trump card. If she lost her last resort, with Nangong Cheng's temperament, wouldn't he turn against her immediately?
"You should be asking what you have done," Wen Mohan's voice was devoid of emotion. He had warned Wen Moyu repeatedly not to harm Xiao Man, but Wen Moyu had dismissed his warnings. Now, she was collaborating with the Crown Prince in a heinous attempt to assassinate Xiao Man, something he could not tolerate.
Wen Moyu instantly understood. "Brother, I am your own sister. Are you going to treat your own sister so cruelly for an outsider?"
"I warned you long ago that what happened in Prince Han's manor was the last time. Since you didn't listen, I can only take other measures. From now on, the Prime Minister's mansion will not extend any more help to you. You are on your own."
"Brother, you actually... ah!" Wen Moyu gasped as Wen Mohan slapped her across the face. The sudden movement, coupled with her injury, caused her to cry out, and Cen Yu quickly stepped forward to support her.
"Did you feed your upbringing to the dogs?" Wen Mohan was furious. "She has no grievance with you, so why do you want to kill her so cruelly?"
"No grievance?" Wen Moyu clutched her face, this was the first time she had been hit. Her brother had always doted on her, giving her whatever she wanted. Now, he had hit her for Xiao Man. "Nangong Cheng intended to scheme against her, she was the one who should have been humiliated by Nangong Cheng under him. Yet I suffered in her stead, and you still say I have no grievance with her?"
"She was also a victim."
"Hahahaha..." Wen Moyu laughed mockingly. "Victim? She is not a victim at all; she is the mastermind. If she hadn't poisoned Nangong Cheng, why would I have been humiliated by Nangong Cheng and forced to marry him? Brother, do you know how much I've suffered? Do you know how disgusting and unbearable it is every time Nangong Cheng touches me? I live in torment day and night, as if I were in hell. How can she be uninvolved!"
"She was only trying to protect herself."
"Can she hurt me just to protect herself?" Wen Moyu cried, "She ruined everything for me, stole the man I loved, and now she has stolen my beloved brother. And you still say I have no grievance with her? I will never forgive her!"
"Wen Moyu! Man'er never intentionally harmed you. What happened at Gan Ye Temple was an accident!"
"Accident, Wen Mohan, don't speak so nobly!" Wen Moyu retorted angrily. "Don't think I don't know you like that wretched woman. At that time, you must have been secretly glad, glad that it was me who was humiliated by Nangong Cheng, not her, right?"
Wen Mohan stumbled back a step, his face turning even paler. It was precisely because he felt guilty towards Wen Moyu for this matter that he had indulged her unreasonable behavior time and again. He hadn't expected her to not only refrain from mending her ways but to escalate her actions. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Yes, I admit it. At that time, I was incredibly relieved that it wasn't her, but you!" Wen Mohan turned around. "Now that things are clear, there's no need for me to hide anything. From this day forward, if you dare to harm her again, don't blame me for being heartless!"
Wen Moyu stood there, stunned, as if struck by lightning. No, it couldn't be, this wasn't real!
"Brother, you love me the most. You won't abandon me, right?" Wen Moyu rushed forward, grabbing Wen Mohan's sleeve. "You've forgotten, since childhood, you've doted on me the most and never allowed anyone to bully me. You're lying to me, aren't you?"
Wen Mohan pushed Wen Moyu's hand away and walked out resolutely.
"Brother, what kind of bewitching concoction has that wretched woman fed you to make you care about her so much?" Wen Moyu was exasperated. She couldn't afford to lose the support of the Prime Minister's mansion; it was her only reliance. "I am your own sister; she is just an outsider."
"If you weren't my sister, you would have been dead long ago." Wen Mohan's expression was cold. He didn't understand why a good, kind girl had become so venomous.
"Brother, I was wrong, I was wrong. Please forgive me. From now on... I'll never bother that wretched woman again... No, I'll never trouble her again. Brother, please forgive me." Wen Moyu immediately knelt on the ground and hugged Wen Mohan's leg. "Brother, we are siblings, blood is thicker than water. Please forgive me this time."
Wen Mohan looked at Wen Moyu's tearful face and felt a pang of softness, but he knew he couldn't be soft. Only by severing Wen Moyu's wings would she stop harming Xiao Man.
"You are on your own."
"Brother, Brother, Wen Mohan... come back!" Wen Moyu lay on the ground, watching Wen Mohan's receding back, and wailed.
She had lost everything. Her purity was gone, the man she loved didn't love her, and now even the brother who cherished her the most was gone!
"Xiao Man, Xiao Man, I will not let you go!"
A pair of feet appeared before Wen Moyu. Wen Moyu looked up and saw Nangong Cheng's unpredictable face, a sinister and terrifying smile on his lips.
"What is Wang Fei doing?" Nangong Cheng helped Wen Moyu up. Wen Moyu suppressed her emotions, wiped away her tears, and resumed her dignified and gentle demeanor, like a fiend from hell.
"Your Highness is back from court so early." Wen Moyu quickly wiped her tears, rose, and bowed.
"I did not attend court today," Nangong Cheng sat down on a nearby chair, fiddling with the jade thumb ring on his finger, his gaze fixed on Wen Moyu, a cold curve at the corner of his lips. "If not for this, I would not have known that Wang Fei detests my favoring you so much."
Wen Moyu's expression changed. She looked up at Nangong Cheng. Had he overheard her conversation with Wen Mohan? How much had he heard, part of it, or all of it? Had he heard that the Prime Minister's mansion would withdraw all support for him? If he had heard everything, what should she do to salvage the situation?