The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 150 - 149

Chapter 149

After the chaos that erupted during the competition at the Imperial Academy, the case was closed due to insufficient evidence and the culprit’s suicide. With Young Miss Zhao’s death, the investigation reached a dead end, and the rest of the Zhao family was demoted to a chief district officer position in a remote, underdeveloped area.

Mu Qingxuan took a considerable amount of time to recover fully, with her left arm eventually regaining its normal functionality. In the blink of an eye, two months had passed. These past months had been the most peaceful she had experienced in a long while. The seasons had shifted to winter, and snow began to blanket the capital, bringing a sharp chill to the air.

Despite the cold and the heavy snowfall that made many reluctant to leave their homes, the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration was fast approaching. This event allowed officials of the fifth rank and above to bring their legitimate children aged fifteen and up. As a result, the nobility was busy selecting gifts and ordering new attire for the occasion.

The women, in particular, flocked to the famous tailors in the capital, ordering fine garments. They aimed to stand out at the celebration, hoping to catch the eye of young masters from distinguished families who would also attend the event.

Wan Manor

On a path within the Wan Manor, flanked by pure white snow on both sides, a slender figure in a large white fox fur cloak walked steadily. The fox fur around her neck framed her face, making it appear smaller and more delicate.

Before long, Wan Ningtong arrived at her father’s study. She knocked on the door a few times and waited for permission before entering unhurriedly, carrying a tray with a bowl of broth.

"Father, I saw that you were busy preparing to welcome the foreign envoys, and with the weather turning colder, I thought I’d bring you some broth to warm you up,"

Wan Ningtong said gently as she placed the bowl on her father’s desk. Master Wan, her father, couldn’t help but soften at her words. He immediately took the bowl and drank.

"The weather is so cold. You could have had a servant bring this. There’s no need for you to come yourself; you might catch a cold," Master Wan cautioned his daughter with concern, his eyes reflecting unhidden affection.

"Dutifulness to one’s father is never a burden,"

Wan Ningtong replied with a smile. She walked behind her father and began to massage his tense shoulders to help him relax.

"No matter how busy you are, Father, you must remember to rest. While you are a pillar of the royal court, you are also the pillar of our family. Seeing you work so hard worries me,"

Wan Ningtong said with concern, though her eyes were discreetly scanning the documents on his desk. She silently memorized the names of the foreign envoys who would be attending the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration.

"Having a dutiful and understanding daughter like you is enough to make me happy." Master Wan smiled with genuine satisfaction. He raised his hand and patted her hand lightly, signaling her to stop.

Seeing this, Wan Ningtong withdrew her hands and walked back to the front of the desk. "Then I won’t disturb you any longer then, Father. Please take care of your health."

She then walked back to her quarters. Upon returning to her quarters, Wan Ningtong wrote a letter and instructed her trusted maid to deliver it to someone.

When she was finally alone in her room, she gazed out at the falling snow through the window with deep, contemplative eyes. A cold glint passed through her gaze.

...

..

.

The day of the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration arrived quickly. The nobles rose early, dressing meticulously for the grand banquet at the royal palace. This included the Zhuiping Residence, where Mu Gongzhen, being the Left Side Chancellor, was allowed to bring his blood-related sister, Mu Qingxuan, to the event. However, Mu Yingying, being under fifteen, could not attend.

After the two siblings finished their preparations, they boarded the carriage prepared for their journey to the palace. Upon reaching the palace gates, they encountered numerous carriages from various noble families waiting for thorough inspections.

This year, the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration was especially grand, with envoys from many foreign lands in attendance, making the event more significant than usual. Consequently, the security checks were more stringent.

Once the inspection was completed, the carriage proceeded to the inner gate, where everyone had to disembark and walk, guided by the palace maids, to the inner banquet area. Carriages were not allowed beyond this point according to palace rules. Soon, Mu Gongzhen and Mu Qingxuan were escorted to the grand hall near the imperial gardens where the banquet was held.

Inside the banquet hall, the seating was arranged in two sections: one side for the ladies and the other for the gentlemen. The seating order was determined by the importance of each individual. Mu Gongzhen was seated in the third row at the front, a position befitting his status as Left Side Chancellor. Mu Qingxuan was seated in the sixth row at the front of the ladies’ section.

As they waited for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to arrive, guests continued to trickle in. Palace maids served food and wine to each table. While Mu Qingxuan was nibbling on some fruit, she spotted the familiar figures of Bai Lijun and Mu Luofei entering the hall.

The mother and daughter were seated on the row just ahead of Mu Qingxuan, so the three of them had to sit close to each other inevitably. When Mu Luofei saw Mu Qingxuan sitting besides, a flash of hatred crossed her eyes before it turned to normal. Despite their animosity towards Mu Qingxuan, they were smart enough not to show it in such a public and significant event. Thus, they had to suppress their hatred and pretend that nothing happened.

Mu Qingxuan, for her part, was indifferent to their presence and did not greet them.

As she raised her cup to sip some wine, a palace maid suddenly bumped into her arm, spilling the wine all over her clothes.

"My apologies, Eldest Young Miss Mu. I did not mean to. Please forgive me!"

The maid quickly knelt and apologized to Mu Qingxuan. Because her voice was quite loud, so it drew the attention of those nearby. Mu Qingxuan looked around at the onlookers before examining the wine stains on her clothes and then the maid before her.

Was this an accident or deliberate?

Palace maids were usually well-trained—whether walking, sitting, or sleeping, they were all strictly disciplined. Such carelessness and a mistake were unlikely...

Mu Qingxuan stared at the kneeling maid for a long moment, as if trying to see through her mind. The silence that followed created an awkward atmosphere, making the maid increasingly nervous.

"My eldest sister is very kind-hearted and wouldn’t hold a grudge over a small mistake that the maid didn’t intend to make, right?"

Mu Luofei couldn’t help but revel in someone else’s suffering. Seeing Mu Qingxuan’s misfortune, she felt a twisted satisfaction.

Mu Qingxuan glanced at Mu Luofei briefly before noticing the curious and questioning gazes from those around her. In another setting, she might have acted on her own whims without concern, but this was the royal palace, and many eyes were watching. Any mistake, even the slightest, could bring gossip and scandal upon her brother.

"It’s just spilled wine. Changing clothes will solve the problem," Mu Qingxuan remarked dismissively. Mu Luofei, hearing this, discreetly curled her lips in a slight sneer before turning back to the banquet.

"Thank you, Eldest Young Miss Mu, for your kindness. Allow me to guide you to the guest pavilion to change your attire,"

The maid said. Mu Qingxuan nodded in agreement and immediately followed the maid out of the banquet hall to the guest pavilion. Fortunately, she had prepared a spare outfit for such emergencies.

When Mu Qingxuan arrived at the guest pavilion, she entered to change to her spare outfit. However, when she opened her cloth bundle and discovered that her spare outfit was enveloped in a peculiar, faint fragrance. Although the scent was subtle, her keen senses detected it immediately.

It seemed someone had tampered with her clothes!

Frowning slightly, Mu Qingxuan inspected the garment thoroughly. She spent a considerable amount of time examining it but found nothing amiss except for the additional strange scent. When she sniffed it, she detected no poison or any harmful substance.

Although she didn’t know who was the perpetrator and what was their intent, she decided to go along with it while being more cautious. Her current outfit was too stained to wear back to the banquet, and wearing it could be seen as disrespectful to the event, possibly leading to punishment. Thus, she had no choice but to wear the spare outfit.

After changing, Mu Qingxuan followed the maid back to the banquet. As they walked along the way, she kept a cold eye on the maid. This maid had spilled the wine on her; she must be under someone’s orders. Mu Qingxuan resolved to keep a close watch on her.

Before long, she returned to the banquet, but Mu Qingxuan did not notice that she had caught the attention of someone upon entering the hall. As the faint fragrance wafted through the air, it reached the nose of a certain individual, causing his blood to surge unnaturally. His throat constricted, and he found himself inexplicably drawn to her, unable to avert his gaze.

This person was none other than the Third Prince, Ming Kai, the head of the envoy delegation from the Yingjie Region, attending the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration in Qingzhou Region. He raised his cup to drink in an attempt to quench his thirst, but it was like pouring fuel on a fire. His body burned with a heat that was hard to control, and the strange fragrance, seemingly emanating from the young woman, made him dizzy and confused, with a deep-seated urge to possess her growing from his subconscious.

Mu Qingxuan felt the intense gaze, turned to that direction, and met the eyes filled with an unmistakable desire of a handsome young man sitting among the foreign envoys. Surprised, Mu Qingxuan raised her eyebrows slightly before looking away indifferently.

"The Emperor has arrived! The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

The eunuch’s announcement echoed throughout the banquet hall, drawing the guests’ attention. Everyone rose to their feet, bowing in respect as the Emperor and Empress Dowager made their entrance. Once the Emperor and Empress Dowager were seated at the head of the ceremony, they told everyone to sit down.

"Be seated."

"Thank you, Your Majesty,"

The guests responded before resuming their seats, and the banquet officially began. The initial performance was a dance offering blessings, prepared by the Inner Palace Bureau. Following that, guests were invited to present their gifts to the Empress Dowager. Envoys from various regions presented valuable gifts and offered their well-wishes appropriately.

After the envoys had finished presenting their gifts, it was the noble families’ turn. Among the notable guests, Wan Ningtong stood out by presenting a meticulously painted auspicious picture that she had created herself, earning her abundant praise from the Empress Dowager and revealing the Empress Dowager’s genuine fondness for her.

As the banquet progressed into a more relaxed atmosphere, the guests enjoyed their meals and drinks with the Emperor and Empress Dowager. In the midst of the lively festivities, a figure rose and walked to the front of the hall, stopping before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

"I, as the Third Prince of the Yingjie Region and the head of the envoy delegation, wish the Empress Dowager longevity and continued to be a source of inspiration for the people," Ming Kai said, raising his cup in a toast according to custom.

The Empress Dowager smiled brightly at the well-wishing and the significance of his status. "Third Prince, you are indeed eloquent. Thank you for your kind words."

"In truth, there is another reason why our envoy delegation has come to attend the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration. I hope that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager might consider our request,"

Ming Kai continued with a subtle smile, his eyes shone brightly as if he was expecting something.

"If the Third Prince has a request, and it is within our power, Ai Jia shall certainly consider it," the Empress Dowager responded with a smile, waiting to hear his request.

Chen Feng Yue, who was seated beside her, remained silent, calmly sipping his wine and occasionally glancing at the slender figure who was seated not far away.

"Yingjie has always had a good relationship with Qingzhou. To further strengthen this bond, our region would like to propose a marriage alliance, Your Majesty."

"This...sounds like a promising idea. Ai Jia is inclined to agree,"

The Empress Dowager nodded. The concept of marriage alliances was an ancient and common practice, so it wasn’t strange that he brought this up. After pondering for a moment, she asked,

"Has the Third Prince already decided on a potential bride? Currently, our royal family has only one princess, and there are only a few titled ladies."

"I have already decided, Your Majesty," Ming Kai paused briefly before continuing with a wide smile, his eyes filled with undisguised desire. "I wish to propose marriage to the Eldest Young Miss of the Mu family to be my primary consort!"

At his words, the entire banquet hall fell into a silence. The guests were shocked by what they had just heard. The Third Prince wanted to form a marriage alliance between the two regions, but instead of seeking an imperial princess or a titled lady, he sought the eldest young miss of the Mu family.

Mu Gongzhen stared at the foreign prince with a cold gaze, as if he wanted to drain his blood. He had only just met this man, but did he think he could take his sister away to a foreign land?

Dream on!

Meanwhile, Mu Qingxuan looked up at the strange man in surprise. When their eyes met, she saw his burning, obsessive gaze and sensed something amiss.

He had been fixated on her throughout the banquet, as if drawn by an unseen force. His eyes were not only filled with obsession but also appeared dazed and unfocused like a mindless person, quite different from a normal person.

To say he had fallen in love with her at first sight seemed irrational. There were many beautiful women at the banquet, and he was a prince from another region; how could he lack decorum to such an extent?

Mu Qingxuan quickly considered the events in her mind, trying to piece together the unfolding incident before her. During that time, she did not notice that someone else had observed her brief interaction with the Third Prince from the high seat of honor.

Chen Feng Yue narrowed his eyes at the foreign prince with a dangerous glint before returning to his usual indifferent expression. He placed his wine cup on the table with a loud thud, drawing everyone’s attention, and spoke in a cold tone.

"I’m afraid that request is impossible."

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