The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 109 - 108

Chapter 108

Late that same night, after Mu Gongzhen had brought Mu Qingxuan back home, Mu Yingying called her people together to give them detailed instructions for quite some time before they dispersed to carry out their assigned tasks.

"Miss, do you think this plan will really work?"

Su Su, who had been listening to her mistress’s plan all along, couldn’t help but ask. Although the plan seemed intricate, Shin Wang held considerable power. With his status and authority, he could easily silence people and cover up the matter.

Mu Yingying lowered her eyes slightly. "...It will both work and not work."

"What do you mean, Miss?" Su Su asked, puzzled, her face showing her confusion.

"Shin Wang is not an ordinary person. He is one of the two Wangs of the region and the only nephew of the Empress Dowager. Even the Emperor cannot openly deal with him, so what chance do we have?" Mu Yingying explained patiently.

The power their enemy held had always been a disadvantage she was acutely aware of. As long as the other side held such immense power, no matter how intricate her plans were, she couldn’t topple him outright!

"Shin Wang has too much power. If we want to truly deal with him, we must first strip him of his power. When the enemy is without arms and legs, how could they escape our grasp..."

Mu Yingying’s voice was cold, her big, round eyes flashing with a frosty glint. Originally, the plan she had discussed with her two siblings was not to destroy the enemy in one go, but to weaken Shin Wang’s power step by step for their next moves.

Since their opponent was Shin Wang, supported by the Empress Dowager, Mu Yingying could not afford to be careless in this game. Every move she made had to be calculated several steps ahead, because one wrong move could cost them the entire game...

...

..

.

A few days later, the royal court remained as peaceful as ever, unchanged. However, this was in stark contrast to the common folk. In the outer city and the commercial districts of the capital, people were secretly talking about certain rumors. These whispers, both in private and public, had spread widely.

Inside a medium-sized teahouse in the outer district of the capital, male customers, including commoners and scholars, frequented the place, taking breaks to sip tea. In one corner, a group of over five scholars gathered, discussing the rumors they’d heard, exchanging facts and speculations.

"Hey, have you heard that rumor about the Mu family? They say they’ve allied with Shin Wang."

"I’ve heard it too, but why do people say the Mu family has joined forces with Shin Wang? Isn’t it against royal protocol for nobles to form factions?"

"You all should speak less about such things. If someone reports you to the authorities, you could lose your heads..."

"Shh, lower your voice. I heard Shin Wang bribed the Mu family."

"Nonsense! How could someone as noble as Shin Wang does such a thing?"

"But I think it’s true. There wouldn’t be rumors if there wasn’t some truth to them. My nephew, who works at Fengkong Repository, said the Mu family owed them a huge debt, and suddenly, they had the money to pay it off all at once. Don’t you think that’s suspicious?"

"I also saw the Mu family’s carriage went to meet with Shin Wang at Emerald Lake."

"And I remember a few days ago, the eldest young miss of the Mu family had an appointment with Shin Wang at Feng Yi Restaurant. They might end up forming an alliance..."

As the scholars continued their conversation, a frustrated voice from a nearby table interrupted, "Pah! You all need to talk less. Matters of officials and royalty aren’t things you can gossip about! Do you want to die? Because we don’t want to die!"

"Yeah, take your gossip elsewhere," agreed the nearby customers.

The matters about officials were already something risky that could not be discussed carelessly; if the authorities found out, they could face severe punishment. Discussing royalty only increased the risk, potentially leading to execution.

Though the patrons in the teahouse weren’t the ones gossiping, they couldn’t help but fear getting caught in the crossfire, prompting one of them to chase the bold scholars out.

"Hmph! As long as you don’t report to the authorities, we won’t lose our heads. We’re just having a casual chat. Come on, let’s go find something else to do," retorted one of the scholars, leading the rest out of the teahouse.

"Hmm...These reckless fools. They dare to gossip about royalty. They really aren’t afraid of death,"

Muttering one customer, shaking his head in exasperation. Although they disapproved of the scholars’ reckless talk about royalty and high-ranking officials, deep down, they couldn’t help but ponder the rumors they had just heard.

Though the conversation just now seemed like mere random talk, it echoed in everyone’s minds, making it impossible to shake off what they had heard. They each silently pondered the rumors.

No one dared to discuss it openly for fear of punishment from the authorities, but it was like a raging fire, hard to extinguish.

Before long, the rumor spread throughout the capital, from commoners to merchants, from merchants to scholars, and from scholars to officials, eventually reaching the royal court...

Shin Wang Palace

Crash!

A teacup was swept off the table with such force that it shattered on the floor, the sound reverberating throughout the room, followed by an enraged shout.

"What madness is this!"

"Your Highness, from the reports, it seems that someone must be pulling the strings behind these rumors. That person surely aims to implicate you and the Mu family," Hu Tian, Shin Wang’s confidant, replied in a stern voice.

For these rising rumors, he had never expected anyone to dare act in such a manner. Although using rumors to attack an enemy was common, it was certainly not typical for Shin Wang and the Mu family, who were as formidable as tigers with wings.

The enemy must be incredibly bold to play such a game...

"It’s clear that the enemy intends to smear my name and the Mu family’s. They likely believe the Mu family has joined forces with us."

Shin Wang pressed his lips together to suppress his anger, contemplating who the enemy might be and what their intentions were.

"Now that the Su family has been uprooted, our only enemy is His Majesty." Shin Wang paused, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"...Could it be His Majesty’s doing?"

Hu Tian remained silent for a moment, considering the possibility his master suggested. Seeing that it made sense, he nodded in agreement. "It could be, Your Highness. Previously, His Majesty sought to bring the Mu family to his side. If he now believes the Mu family has joined you, he would certainly want to eliminate them."

"If that’s the case, it would be beneficial for us because the Mu family would truly become our allies." Shin Wang smirked slightly, his sharp eyes reflecting satisfaction, before his expression turned serious again.

"And what should we do about these rumors? It’s likely that those annoying, corrupt officials will petition His Majesty to investigate the matter. If an investigation does occur, we might not be able to hide our secrets."

"Your Highness need not worry,"

Hu Tian reassured, continuing, "Petitioning to investigate a royal is not an easy matter. Without substantial evidence, how could they possibly investigate a royal family member?"

"Furthermore, I have already ordered our people to destroy any evidence. The financial records have been meticulously rewritten. If an investigation occurs, there will be nothing suspicious to find, Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Shin Wang’s eyes lit up, and the weight on his heart lifted almost entirely. "That’s good."

"Send our men to investigate who is behind this. Even if it is indeed His Majesty, we must uncover who is responsible. Whoever dares to challenge me, I will not let them go unpunished!" he declared, his face revealing a menacing expression, looking intimidating. His eyes gleamed with a fierce, almost demonic intensity.

"Understood, Your Highness."

After the rumors had been spreading widely for over five days, the royal court began to debate the rumors. Many virtuous officials wrote petitions requesting the Emperor to investigate the matters to clear the air and restore the royal court’s dignity.

Meanwhile, a considerable number of officials opposed this, arguing that such actions were reckless and akin to disrespecting the royal family. The two sides argued fiercely for two days until the Emperor finally intervened, addressing the virtuous officials:

‘The affairs of the royal family cannot be treated lightly, especially without any evidence. How can you demand to investigate the royal family’s finances based on mere rumors? If there were rumors about Zhen[1], would you not all demand to inspect Zhen’s finances too?’

‘The country has laws. If you want to request an investigation, you must first provide supporting evidence!’

After the Emperor’s words, the virtuous officials fell silent and began working together tirelessly to gather evidence as the Emperor had decreed. Their relentless efforts caused significant stress for Shin Wang...

Zhuiping Residence

Night had fallen over the capital, enveloping the sky in darkness. A shadowy figure moved swiftly within Zhuiping Residence before kneeling to pay respects to the young mistress before him.

"Miss, Shin Wang’s men are closing in on our people."

"Very well."

Mu Yingying nodded as she completed the final stroke of her brush. She placed the brush on its stand unhurriedly and picked up the paper, blowing on it gently to dry the ink quickly.

"Order our people to retreat and hide thoroughly. Erase all traces so that Shin Wang’s men cannot track them any further," she instructed calmly, before folding the paper she had just written on, placing it in an envelope, and handing it to him. "Deliver this to our people infiltrated within the royal court. It’s time for them to act."

"Understood, Miss."

With that, the shadowy figure accepted the envelope, kept it securely, and used his lightness skill, swiftly vanished from the room as if he had never been there.

Mu Yingying, now sitting alone in the room, poured herself a cup of tea with a relaxed demeanor and sipped it slowly. Her previously calm face now displayed a mysterious smile at the corners of her mouth, and her big, round eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.

Ah...the prey had finally taken the bait.

Based on the reports from her people that came in periodically, it seemed that Shin Wang’s men were falling into the trap she had set. They were likely wandering aimlessly in the dark, unable to find a way out anytime soon.

Earlier, Mu Yingying had instructed her people to leave just enough evidence to lure Shin Wang’s men into the trap. Once the goal was achieved, she ordered them to withdraw and erase all traces. This tactic was essentially to toy with the enemy!

Just when Shin Wang thought he was close to finding the mastermind, all leads would suddenly vanish as if they had never existed. This would leave him disoriented, causing considerable confusion.

Mu Yingying’s strategy was to confuse and mislead the enemy, stirring the water. The murkier the water, the harder the enemy to see the truth through the murky waters she had stirred up.

Gently running her finger along the rim of her teacup, Mu Yingying looked out into the darkness outside the window. Her eyes gleamed with a malevolent light, like a night demon.

Letting the enemy experience a bit of being manipulated was not a bad thing at all...

Shin Wang Palace

Since the debate among the officials in the royal court, the atmosphere in both the royal court and Shin Wang Palace had become noticeably tense. Especially in Shin Wang Palace, the eunuchs and maids kept to themselves, not daring to roam around the palace as they usually did, aware of their master’s simmering anger.

Inside the innermost study of the palace, Shin Wang was reading a report from his shadow guards, who had been sent to investigate the mastermind. His face grew darker with each word. Soon, the report was crumpled into a ball, nearly indistinguishable from garbage.

"Gone? All traces just disappeared?"

"Nonsense!"

Shin Wang growled through gritted teeth, his chest tight with rage. The virtuous officials in the royal court had already been causing him considerable irritation these past few days. Now, finding that the crucial lead that was about to be discovered had suddenly vanished was like his last straw was broken.

"Your Highness, I originally sent someone to secretly follow that official, but he suddenly disappeared without leaving any trace or clue to follow..."

The shadow guard mustered all his courage to report to his master, bowing his head low in anticipation of the wrath to come. As expected, as soon as he finished speaking, Shin Wang hurled the inkstone at him with all his strength, causing the guard’s head to split open and blood to trickle down his face.

"Useless! How could you let an entire person just vanish?!"

Shin Wang stormed to the window, gripping the windowsill tightly to vent his anger. "If you can’t even handle a simple task, then get out and receive your punishment!"

"Yes, Your Highness," the shadow guard accepted the order with a calm voice and quickly exited the room.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed, the room was engulfed in silence, allowing Shin Wang’s anger to subside somewhat. As he turned back to his chair, he noticed another figure standing quietly in the room all this time.

"What do you think of this matter?" Shin Wang, now more composed, asked his confidant.

"I believe something is very wrong with this situation, but I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is..." Hu Tian responded truthfully.

Even though the truth was almost within reach, everything had disappeared in the blink of an eye as if it had never existed. So, were the clues they had painstakingly gathered true or false?

If they were true, then who was the person behind this?

"Based on all the clues we’ve gathered, it seems that the official must be one of the remnants of the Su family. But now that the Su family has been eradicated, what could be the reason for these remaining lackeys to target Your Highness?"

Hu Tian expressed his thoughts and doubts. Reflecting on it, it felt like a thick fog was spreading and shrouding the truth, making them no different from disoriented people who could see nothing clearly.

"If it’s not because the Su family’s power faction still remains and they’ve planned something, then someone must be pulling the strings behind this remaining Su family lackey."

Upon hearing Hu Tian’s words, Shin Wang’s face immediately grew stern. If the Su family’s power hadn’t been completely destroyed, that would be too terrifying. It meant he now had a hidden enemy, placing him at a great disadvantage.

"Send someone to investigate this again. If the Su family still has any hidden power, eradicate it completely!"

[1] The emperor referred to himself as ‘Zhen’ (朕), the original Chinese first-person singular pronoun, functioning as an equivalent to the royal we.

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