The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 147 - 146

Chapter 146

In the quiet and unnoticed quarters of the Mu family manor, Mu Jie sat reading a book leisurely on a back porch. The soft sunlight illuminated her face, revealing a gentle and delicate beauty.

Recently, she had been eating well and receiving proper care, resulting in her previously gaunt body becoming healthier and her once thin face filling out with youthful plumpness, revealing more of her beauty.

"Miss, I have brought you some tea and snacks." Lu Xin approached her mistress with a tray of prepared tea and snacks.

"Just leave them there for now; I’ll have them later," Mu Jie turned to reply with a faint smile before returning her attention to the book.

"Yes, Miss," Lu Xin responded before continuing, "Recently, there have been strange occurrences with the Furen and Lady Ping An, so we’ve been living peacefully. But just now, I heard the kitchen maids say that the lady has left her quarters. It seems things have returned to normal."

"Actually, we should be thankful for their troubles. It keeps them too busy to harass us and others in the household. If possible, I hope their issues never cease."

Mu Jie paused slightly, her eyes wavered before returning to normal. "You...Though this is our quarters, it doesn’t mean there are no spies. If the Furen’s people hear you gossiping, it will become a problem."

"I understand, Miss," Lu Xin lowered her head in immediate repentance.

Mu Jie did not intend to reprimand her close maid harshly; she only wanted to remind her to be more cautious. This was for Lu Xin’s own good. Now that Bai Lijun held power, if the mother-daughter trio sought a reason to punish Lu Xin, Mu Jie would be powerless to help. Moreover, their grandmother’s health was weakening...

Thinking of Elder Mu Furen, who had been suffering from a chronic illness for some time, Mu Jie’s face showed deep concern. Granmother had never been able to fully contend with the three mother and daughters. Now, with her health deteriorating, it was as if a great tree was about to fall. Just one more storm might topple it.

Previously, the Mu family manor had invited several doctors to examine Elder Mu Furen, but they all agreed that her illness stemmed from emotional distress. Excessive worry had weakened her body, leading to her current state of depression and illness.

Physical ailments were easier to treat, but mental anguish was far more challenging to cure!

Mu Jie knew well that the reason for her grandmother’s deep sorrow that was the cause of illness was none other than Bai Lijun’s matters. Coupled with her father’s previous transgressions, her grandmother, already burdened with worry, was repeatedly angered by Bai Lijun. Ultimately, the overwhelming grief weakened her body beyond bearable, causing her to fall ill. Her condition continued to deteriorate, and these days, if she hadn’t relied on nourishing medicines, it was hard to sustain her life.

Elder Mu Furen was like a great tree providing shade for the grandchildren who had no one else to rely on within the Mu family manor, shielding them from the storms. However, if one day this great tree were to fall, the Mu family manor would undoubtedly plunge into unending chaos!

The more Mu Jie thought about it, the more worried she became, her eyes reflecting her tension. Currently, she relied on her grandmother’s protection to avoid harassment from the mother-daughter trio. If anything happened to her grandmother, the trio would soon take over the Mu Manor as they had hoped for, and the Mu Manor would definitely turn into a living hell.

"Prepare ink and paper for me. I need to send a letter to Eldest Sister..." Mu Jie ordered her maid flatly. Soon, Lu Xin returned with the requested items.

Mu Jie began writing, detailing the recent events in the manor and her concerns about Elder Mu Furen. Once finished, she instructed her close maid to find a way to sneak out and deliver the letter to Zhuiping Residence.

...

..

Zhuiping Residence

Several days earlier, after Mu Qingxuan returned from the Imperial Academy, she immediately began researching something she had discovered. On the day she slapped Mu Luofei, she noticed something unusual about Mu Luofei’s right cheek.

After some time, Mu Qingxuan eventually uncovered what was unusual about Mu Luofei’s face. It was because she had used a cruel method to treat her facial injuries by allowing poisonous worms to eat the damaged skin and then letting them grow beneath the surface.

Once the scars healed completely, the poisonous worms remained under the skin, causing excruciating pain every full moon when they awakened and moved about.

Mu Qingxuan had never thought that Luofei would be this cruel towards herself. She then relayed this information to Mu Yingying. Normally, Mu Yingying had her people watch the trio from a distance, but now she ordered them to infiltrate Mu Luofei’s quarters to hide and wait there until the next full moon to confirm the truth.

The following morning, Mu Yingying’s people reported back, confirming everything Mu Qingxuan had said. Mu Yingying now held a potential weakness of her enemy, which could be used to her advantage in the future.

Several days later, upon receiving the letter, Mu Qingxuan and Mu Yingying personally came to visit their grandmother at the Mu Manor. As they entered the main quarters, the strong smell of herbal medicine filled the air. Mu Yingying frowned slightly and quickened her pace towards the inner chamber, concerned.

"Elder Furen, Eldest Young Miss and Seventh Young Miss are here to visit," a maid announced as Mu Yingying and Mu Qingxuan entered the bedroom. The sight before them made their eyes fill with worry.

The once strong and imposing Elder Mu Furen now looked pale and frail, like an old woman gravely ill. She was leaning weakly against the headboard, her face lined with wrinkles, making her appear as if she had aged ten years.

"Cough, cough. Ying’er and Xuan’er have come to see me..."

Elder Mu Furen said with a faint smile as she looked at her two granddaughters. However, as soon as she began speaking, she started coughing continuously, making it difficult for her to continue.

"Grandmother, Ying’er has come to visit you." Mu Yingying walked over to the bed and hugged her grandmother with heartfelt affection. Her big, round eyes clearly showed her worry and concern.

She had never imagined that her grandmother would be this gravely ill. Previously, her informants, who always reported the movements of people in this household, had reported that her grandmother was depressed and unwell, but she hadn’t realized the severity of her condition.

"My dear Ying’er, cough, cough. Are you well? Let me take a look at you...cough, cough."

Elder Mu Furen struggled to raise her hand to caress her little granddaughter’s head. Her body was so weak that even this small movement left her exhausted.

Mu Yingying gave a sweet smile and gently placed her grandmother’s wrinkled hand back on the bed. "I’m well, Grandmother, but seeing you this ill breaks my heart. You must recover quickly."

"You’re still the same caring Ying’er, cough, cough. I will try to get better quickly," Elder Mu Furen said with a faint smile. Her once dim eyes briefly brightened with a smile before a look of concern took over.

She knew well enough about her own condition; even if she wanted to recover, her body might not obey...

"Eldest Sister knows some medicine. Would you let her check on you, Grandmother?"

Mu Yingying asked, half-pleading. Elder Mu Furen didn’t refuse, though she doubted the outcome would be any different from the previous examinations by dozens of doctors. How could a young girl have superior skills to dozens of skilled doctors? Still, out of concern for her granddaughters, she allowed the examination.

Mu Qingxuan immediately took her grandmother’s pulse. After a short while, her beautiful face showed concern. "It truly is a matter of the heart. Grandmother has been burdened with too many worries, weakening her body and making her susceptible to illness..."

"It’s just the way of the old, cough, cough," Elder Mu Furen said, downplaying her condition. She smiled gently at her eldest granddaughter, feeling touched by her concern.

Mu Yingying had hoped that her elder sister might find a way to treat their grandmother. But hearing the confirmation of the heart’s affliction weighed heavily on her, like a large stone pressing down on her heart.

"Grandmother...why not come stay at Zhuiping Residence with us? There, you can rest without worries. You can come back here after you recover," Mu Yingying convinced her grandmother once again with deep concern.

She had previously invited her grandmother to move to Zhuiping Residence when she moved there, but her grandmother had firmly refused, insisting on staying at the Mu family manor to be a pillar of support.

Her sense of duty to the family had led to her current state of depression and illness, especially with Bai Lijun’s constant provocations, which she couldn’t counter, ultimately causing her to fall seriously ill.

"Who will take care of your other siblings if I leave?...Cough, cough...I can’t go, Ying’er...Cough, cough...I still have so many worries,"

Elder Mu Furen said through heavy coughing. Her face changed color from the severity of the cough. Seeing this, Mu Qingxuan quickly stepped forward and pressed an acupressure point to help alleviate the coughing, then turned to her sister. "Grandmother needs to rest; she can’t strain herself any further today."

Mu Yingying nodded while looking at her grandmother’s pale face. Once Mu Qingxuan had eased her coughing by pressing an acupressure point, Elder Mu Furen, exhausted, closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly.

The two sisters walked out of the quarters with tense expressions, especially Mu Yingying. If their grandmother continued to stay at the Mu Manor, she would undoubtedly suffer more distress caused by Mu Cui Ming and Bai Lijun, worsening her condition. Though she had invited her grandmother to move, the invitation was again refused. Forcing her to leave would only add to her distress, worrying about the affairs of the Mu family.

"Is there really no way to cure Grandmother, Eldest Sister?"

Mu Yingying asked softly, her once bright eyes now dull, unlike usual.

"Ailments of the heart, even doctors could hardly treat. All we can do now is provide nourishing tonics to sustain her strength," Mu Qingxuan replied truthfully.

Mu Yingying felt a deep sense of helplessness. She couldn’t do anything to help her grandmother...

As they walked along the path, preparing to go back to their Zhuiping Residence, a figure suddenly blocked their path. The two sisters looked up and immediately frowned.

"It was you, wasn’t it? You sent people to assassinate us!"

Mu Luofei said through her gritted teeth in resentment, her eyes blazing with anger. The past few days had been incredibly tough for them, living in constant fear of being attacked, sustaining multiple injuries, and teetering on the edge of paranoia.

When she tried to think of who could be behind the continuous assassination attempts, she could think of no one else but their long-time nemesis, the three siblings. If anyone wanted them dead, it would undoubtedly be the three siblings they despised!

After a maid informed her that Mu Qingxuan and Mu Yingying had come to visit Elder Mu Furen, Mu Luofei decided to confront them, hoping to vent the anger that had been building up inside her.

Mu Yingying was in a foul mood, her gaze icy as she stared at the person in front of her. Her eyes seemed to have layers of frozen mist, so cold that the person being stared at felt a chill down their spine.

Mu Luofei, under such a terrifying gaze, felt her heart quiver. She reassured herself that nothing would happen; after all, the other party wouldn’t dare act openly against her in the Mu Manor.

"I’ll tell you this: the more you want me dead, the longer I’ll live! Just to wait for the day when I can crush you into the dirt!" Mu Luofei said coldly, meeting Mu Yingying’s gaze challengingly.

Mu Qingxuan, initially irritated and ready to retort, was stopped by her younger sister’s small hand. Seeing the cold expression on her sister’s face, Mu Qingxuan knew that Ying’err was now extremely angry.

"Oh, really?" Mu Yingying stepped closer, her voice icy as she said, "Aren’t you afraid that standing here, you might not make it back to your quarters?"

"You dare? If you dared, you wouldn’t have sent so many people to assassinate us in the first place." Mu Luofei narrowed her eyes at the small figure in front of her, then smirked mockingly.

Mu Yingying let out a scoff, then continuing with a cold voice that made the listener feel chilled to the bone, "Dare or not, it doesn’t matter. Even if I can’t kill you today, it doesn’t mean you’ll always be lucky. The day your luck runs out, your end will be inevitable. I won’t need to spell it out for you, right?"

"You..."

"I suggest you spend your time praying for mercy from the heavens. Maybe they’ll continue to bless you and your mother with luck. Because when your luck runs out, so will your life!"

Mu Yingying’s words were laced with a murderous intent, causing Mu Luofei to involuntarily step back, fear gripping her heart, as if she were facing a vicious demon.

Mu Yingying cast a final icy glance at her before walking away, indifferent. Mu Qingxuan followed closely behind.

After the two sisters left, Mu Luofei regained her composure. She bit her lip so hard it bled, the taste of blood filling her mouth. She stared after their retreating figures with a ruthless glare.

You could assassinate me, but didn’t you think I could do the same to you?

This grudge...I would repay it in full!

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