Chapter 74 – Rebirth: The Poisonous Concubine (15)
The plan was flawless, but reality was cruel.
If everything could be meticulously planned in advance, the word accident wouldn’t exist.
As Bai Mo swiftly dodged to the side, Wei Yuyan was just about to fall into Yu Chenyi’s arms. But at the last second, a small hand grabbed Yu Chenyi’s collar and tugged him back.
With nothing left to break her fall, Wei Yuyan plunged straight into the pond.
“Splash!”
Water sprayed in all directions, drenching the shoes of the noblewomen standing nearby.
“Ah! My shoes!”
“Help! Someone fell into the water!”
“Who fell in? Is Young Master Bai alright?”
The scene quickly descended into chaos.
A young lady from Minister Chen’s household, familiar with Bai Mo, asked about him with concern. However, as the message passed from person to person, the story twisted into rumors that Bai Mo had fallen into the water instead.
With confusion reigning, no one immediately stepped forward to clarify the truth. Everyone was too preoccupied with finding a eunuch who could swim to rescue the supposed victim.
But Bai Mo wasn’t just anyone—he was a name recognized by the Emperor himself.
Saving him wouldn’t just earn the gratitude of the Bai family; it could also bring imperial favor.
Once this realization dawned on the bystanders, several opportunists leaped into the pond without hesitation, desperately swimming toward the struggling figure in the water.
The most eager and fastest among them was none other than Third Prince Lan Gaoyi.
This was the perfect chance to win Bai Mo’s favor.
Opportunities like this couldn’t be wasted—not only could he make a good impression, but he might even drive a wedge between Bai Mo and Yu Chenyi, creating an opening for himself.
With the Third Prince joining in, who could possibly compete with him?
The noble sons who had fallen into the water, along with the eunuchs who had jumped in to save someone, could only watch as the Third Prince charged ahead, grabbed Wei Yuyan, and—without hesitation—pressed his lips to hers to deliver breath.
Ew…
Though the Third Prince was officially engaged to the Prime Minister’s daughter, this was still a public setting. Even if he wanted to show affection, shouldn’t he at least consider the impact?
The noble ladies covered their eyes, unwilling to witness such an improper display.
“Watching this will give me a stye,” they muttered.
Bai Mo did the same, but before he could react further, Yu Chenyi shielded his eyes with a hand, plunging his world into darkness.
The surrounding noise grew louder in his ears as Yu Chenyì led him away from the “crime scene” to a safer distance, ensuring Bai Mo wouldn’t get caught up in the commotion.
Miss Chen from the Minister’s family slowly approached them, speaking softly, “She tried to be clever but only ended up harming herself. This matter won’t be settled easily… The Empress Dowager is quite fond of her.”
Yu Chenyi’s gaze turned icy as he watched Wei Yuyan being carried out of the water. Her soaked clothing had turned semi-transparent, but a palace maid quickly draped a cloak over her, preventing anyone from seeing anything inappropriate. Only then did Yu Chenyi release his hand from Bai Mo’s eyes.
Bai Mo glanced at the departing group, utterly unconcerned.
“What’s there to be afraid of? She was the one who threw herself at me~” he said nonchalantly.
Miss Chen, however, remained worried.
“That may be true, but if the noblewomen start asking questions, the palace servants—who wouldn’t dare offend the future Third Prince’s consort—might choose to protect themselves. We need to come up with a foolproof plan.”
As they spoke, a eunuch sent by the Empress Dowager arrived, summoning everyone inside.
The atmosphere was tense—it looked like a full-fledged interrogation was about to begin.
Miss Chen had to hurry back to the noblewomen’s ranks—it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to linger any longer. Before leaving, she whispered, “We’ll do our best to help you.”
Hopefully, that would be of some use.
As soon as she rushed off, a eunuch noticed Bai Mo and Yu Chenyi still standing there and approached to summon them.
“Brother Chenyi~”
Yu Chenyi gently squeezed the boy’s palm and gave him a reassuring smile, signaling that there was no need to worry.
The eunuch who had come for them was someone from the Empress Dowager’s faction. On the way to Cining Palace, neither of them spoke much, walking one behind the other in respectful silence.
Upon entering, they bowed their heads and greeted her properly—but before Bai Mo could lift his gaze, a teacup smashed onto the floor right in front of him.
The Empress Dowager’s stern voice rang out above them.
“Peace? How can I be at peace when my future granddaughter-in-law has suffered such a grievance? Bai Mo, shouldn’t you be giving me an explanation?”
The kindly old woman from before had disappeared—now that her pride was at stake and she had been humiliated, she was utterly ruthless.
Standing beside her was Wei Yuyan, now dressed in fresh, dry clothes, looking delicate and pitiful. She leaned into the Prime Minister’s wife’s arms, sobbing softly, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Lan Gaoyi’s expression wasn’t much better. He had assumed he was saving Bai Mo—only to realize it was Wei Yuyan instead. And to make matters worse, he had kissed her in front of a crowd. Now, whether he liked this engagement or not, he had no choice but to accept it.
Bai Mo lifted his gaze slightly, his tone calm as he explained:
“I was carrying some pastries to bring to my mother and Madam Yu. Then suddenly, Miss Wei rushed out, startling me. I didn’t even bump into her. Somehow, she lost her balance and nearly threw herself at my man. Could I just stand by and let that happen? Of course not! Miss Wei is the future consort of the Third Prince, while Brother Chenyi and I are engaged. If she had touched him, it would have been a complete mess. So, I simply pulled my Brother Chenyi out of the way…”
At Bai Mo’s words, Wei Yuyan’s sobs grew louder.
Meanwhile, Bai Mo felt just as wronged. Why was it that when the female lead played the victim, everyone went along with it, but when he tried to protect himself, it was suddenly unacceptable?
What kind of double standard was this?
The boy lifted his head, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears, long lashes damp as large crystal-like drops slid down his pale cheeks.
Crying? Anyone could cry.
But in this ancient world—where men were taught that “real men don’t shed tears”—seeing a young man cry had far more impact than Wei Yuyan’s delicate sobbing.
Between a pitiful beauty and a tear-streaked boy with an ethereal charm, the crowd couldn’t help but waver. Judging by the sympathy now directed at Bai Mo, it was clear—
the outcome had already been decided.
Bai Mo lowered his head, communicating with the system in his mind. “Where did you even get this onion juice? It’s too strong—my eyes are about to go blind!”
The system puffed out its chest proudly. “Products from the system are always top-tier! The effect is excellent and completely free of side effects!”
By “side effects,” it meant any harm to the body. The onion juice had been carefully extracted by the system itself—pure, natural, and completely pollution-free.
Yu Chenyi gently embraced the sobbing boy, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears with heartfelt tenderness.
“Be good, don’t cry anymore. This isn’t your fault.”
His deep, gentle voice carried warmth and reassurance, but Bai Mo only buried himself further into Yu Chenyi’s chest, his cries growing louder.
“Enough! Enough!” Bai Mo mentally screamed at the system. “Stop squeezing onion juice! My eyes are really about to go blind!”
The system was crying just as much, sniffling as it stammered, “Really? Is that enough? O-okay, I’ll stop… Wuuu…” It quickly threw away the onion and ran off to wash its hands.
With both Bai Mo and the system sobbing, even the Empress Dowager couldn’t maintain her stern demeanor. Just as she was about to speak, the Prime Minister’s wife let out a wail and knelt before her, pleading for justice on behalf of Wei Yuyan.
Losing an argument was one thing, but losing face? Never.
Yet after listening to the entire story, it was clear that Bai Mo had done nothing wrong. Seeing her precious child being wronged, Madam Bai also knelt before the Empress Dowager, begging her to clear Bai Mo’s name.
“Your Majesty, I know how important a young lady’s reputation is, and I have always taught Mo’er to be respectful and follow etiquette. Yet now, this has somehow become his stain? This is all my fault—I failed to educate my child properly. To appease the Prime Minister’s wife and Miss Wei’s anger, I am willing to atone for my mistake with my life. I only beg the Prime Minister’s wife to spare my son!”
As soon as those words left her mouth, the way everyone looked at the Prime Minister’s wife and Wei Yuyan changed.
Was it really that serious? Were they truly forcing someone to their death?
And it didn’t stop there.
Just as the Empress Dowager was about to soften her stance, Madam Bai suddenly rushed forward, pushing Yu Chenyi aside and pulling Bai Mo into a tight embrace.
With a voice choked with tears, she sobbed, “It’s all your mother’s fault. When I’m gone, have your father and brother resign from their positions and return home. I don’t ask for anything else—I just want you all to be safe.”
Her words struck a deep chord in everyone’s hearts. Even those just watching the scene felt their eyes sting with emotion.
For a while, mother and son clung to each other, crying bitterly.
Then, with a resolute expression, Madam Bai released Bai Mo, bowed deeply to the Empress Dowager, and suddenly turned toward a nearby carved pillar, preparing to slam her head against it.
“Mother—!”
“Madam Bai—!”
“Ah—!”
“Why would you do something so foolish? There’s nothing that can’t be resolved—you still have to see Mo’er get married!”
Just as Madam Bai was about to slam into the pillar, Yu Chenyi caught her in time. Meanwhile, Madam Yu, overcome with grief, held onto her tightly, refusing to let her act recklessly again.
“It’s my fault for failing to educate my son properly—I am guilty. I should never have let him study or taught him to keep his distance from women. If he hadn’t dodged and had caught Miss Wei instead, she wouldn’t have been humiliated tonight. As for Mo’er, who is now being accused of ruining a lady’s reputation… In the end, it’s all my fault—it’s because I was a bad mother!”
Tears streamed down Madam Bai’s face as she cried uncontrollably, looking as if she had completely lost the will to live.
Seeing his mother weep so desperately, Bai Mo, who had only been pretending to cry earlier, suddenly found himself crying for real. If, because of him, an innocent mother truly lost her life, how could he live with himself?
“Mother… It’s my fault… I was disobedient…”
The boy, genuinely frightened, crawled over to Madam Bai and clung to her tightly.
With a loud wail, Madam Bai hugged Bai Mo even tighter, and both mother and son wept together.
Some tried to console her, others tried to pull her away, but the entire scene was utter chaos.
Nobody had expected Madam Bai to react so dramatically, and her breakdown left many unsettled. Some even began to suspect that the Prime Minister’s wife had somehow coerced or threatened her.
After all, Madam Bai was the wife of a First-Rank Minister of Justice—a woman of such standing should not have been driven to such despair so easily.
And then, considering what she had just said—that Minister Bai and General Bai would resign and return to their hometown, seeking only peace—it was impossible not to read deeper into the situation.
Had political forces from the previous dynasty been involved? Was the Prime Minister leveraging his power to suppress them?
With these suspicions planted, many were already convinced that this was a case of blatant abuse of power.
After all, there was Miss Wei’s punishment of a servant, which had indirectly led to Madam Yu’s abduction, and now, Miss Wei’s staged accident, framing an innocent Bai Mo and driving a respected minister’s wife to the brink of suicide.
Was this not the definition of tyranny?
Madam Prime Minister’s expression darkened with rage.
What was the meaning of all this? Was her precious Yuyan supposed to have fallen into the water for nothing?!
The Empress Dowager struck her cane against the floor and shouted sternly, “Enough!”
Silence fell over Cining Palace, so still that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. Madam Bai stifled her sobs, gripping Bai Mo’s hand as they both knelt and bowed their heads.
“Please quell your anger, Your Majesty,” the gathered crowd pleaded, following suit and kneeling.
This situation had spiraled far beyond the Empress Dowager’s intentions. She had only thought of how Wei Yuyan was the future consort of the Third Prince, and since Bai Mo had caused her disgrace, it was equivalent to humiliating the prince himself. However, she had overlooked the fact that Bai Mo’s father was the Minister of Justice, a high-ranking First-Rank official who could not be easily trifled with.
Now, with all this commotion, the one who appeared in the wrong… was her.
“Yuyan, apologize to Madam Bai immediately.”
The Empress Dowager had no intention of further investigating the matter. After all, Wei Yuyan hadn’t been taken advantage of by just anyone—it was by her future husband. The priority now was appeasing Madam Bai. Minister Bai and General Bai were both highly valued by the Emperor—offending them was not an option.
Wei Yuyan, full of reluctance, tear-streaked face still damp, hesitated before stepping forward.
Meanwhile, Madam Bai quickly declined the apology, lowering her head until it touched the cold ground. Yet, hidden from view, a mocking smirk curled at the corner of her lips.
Trying to frame her son and then playing the victim? Wei Yuyan wouldn’t get away with this so easily.
Madam Bai was done playing nice.
What was reputation in comparison to her son’s life?
If they thought a simple apology would make everything go away, they were gravely mistaken.
Until Wei Yuyan suffered the consequences of her actions, Madam Bai would not stop.