The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 152 - 151

Chapter 151

Zhuiping Residence

While the banquet at the royal palace was underway, Mu Yingying, who hadn’t attended, continued her own tasks late into the night. Deciding to relax her weary body, she opted for a warm bath behind a screen, seeking both comfort and warmth in the chilly weather.

The snow was falling heavily tonight, and the temperature had dropped so low that she didn’t want to step outside at all. This made her think of the longevity noodles she used to eat. It had been over a year since she last tasted Lu Jiu’s longevity noodles.

Eating such noodles in this cold weather would be wonderful...

Mu Yingying closed her eyes, imagining her favorite food. If Su Su was still awake after her bath, she might ask her to order some longevity noodles from the kitchen. But she doubted they would taste as good as the ones Lu Jiu used to make.

After soaking in the warm water to her satisfaction, Mu Yingying got out of the bath and dressed in the thick garments Su Su had prepared to protect herself from the cold drafts coming inside her quarters. Once dressed, she walked to her study, looking for Su Su, but there was no sign of her close maid.

Instead, as Mu Yingying looked around, her eyes fell upon a bowl on her desk. Steam was rising continuously from it, and soon, a familiar aroma wafted to her nose.

This aroma, could it be...?

Mu Yingying quickly stepped towards the bowl on the desk. As she expected, it was indeed the longevity noodles she had just been craving!

Her big, round eyes sparkled instantly. She sat down, grabbed the chopsticks, and eagerly prepared to eat the hot noodles in front of her. Su Su always knew her so well, so she must have ordered the kitchen to prepare the noodles in advance.

However, when Mu Yingying tasted the noodles, her eyes immediately wavered. Her initial thought that Su Su had arranged this vanished completely. That’s because the flavor of this longevity noodles was her favorite dish that she remembered vividly.

Despite trying longevity noodles from many places and many cooks, none matched this taste. Only one person could make them this way, a taste deeply embedded in her heart.

Mu Yingying slowly put down the chopsticks and spoke in a calm voice, "Since you’re here, aren’t you going to say hello?"

As her voice faded, the room was enveloped in silence once again. There was no sign of anyone. Still, Mu Yingying remained confident, waiting quietly with her heart pounding in excitement.

"I could never hide from you, could I...?"

A gentle voice suddenly emerged from the corner of the room. When Mu Yingying turned to look, she saw a young man stepping out of the shadows. He had a tall and athletic build, and his face was still covered with a familiar silver mask, unchanged. His eyes, like endless swirling water, were mesmerizing and hard to look away from.

Although they hadn’t seen each other in over a year, Mu Yingying recognized him immediately. Her big, round eyes shone with undisguised joy, and a small smile appeared on her face without her knowing.

"I knew it. Only you could make such delicious longevity noodles...Lu Jiu."

Lu Jiu stepped forward and stopped in front of her, gazing at the young girl with genuine gentleness. After over a year apart, he was surprised to see how much she had grown. The once chubby, round face had now become slender, revealing hints of her beauty.

If he didn’t see her for another few years, she would surely grow into an unrivaled beauty.

"How did you get here? Have you finished your business?" Mu Yingying asked curiously as she picked up her chopsticks and continued to eat her longevity noodles.

"Actually, my business isn’t finished yet. However, I had a reason to pass through here this time, so I took the opportunity to visit you,"

Lu Jiu replied with a slight smile. What he said was entirely true. This time, because of the Empress Dowager of Qingzhou Region’s birthday celebration, he took the opportunity to blend in with the delegation from the Basui Region to find a chance to visit the young girl. Upon arriving in the capital a few days ago, he had to spend some time gathering information before waiting for the banquet to start, then sneaking into Zhuiping Residence.

Seeing that it was snowing heavily tonight, and the weather had suddenly turned cold, Lu Jiu decided to make longevity noodles to keep the young girl warm during the night. Initially, he only intended to check if she was still safe and sound. However, the reports from his informants over the past few days revealed that Mu Yingying hadn’t had an easy life.

Surrounded by old and new enemies ready to attack her at any moment, she was only eleven years old but had not lived a normal child’s life at all. This pained Lu Jiu strangely. He immediately decided that after returning to the Basui Region, he would quickly resolve his remaining issues and come back to support Mu Yingying by her side.

At the very least, when she faced problems or danger, he was confident that he could ensure her safety!

"Is that so? No wonder you could visit me like this," Mu Yingying didn’t question his words at all. It was probably because of the trust she had in him. The trust she had before remains the same now, unchanged.

Lu Jiu, with practiced ease, poured tea into a cup for the young girl, saying, "...Aren’t you curious about where I’ve been and what business I had?"

"Do I need to ask?"

Mu Yingying looked up to meet his gaze, her big, round eyes clear and bright. "I believe that even if I don’t ask, you’ll tell me eventually. It’s just that now might not be the right time. When the time is right, you’ll tell me."

Her words, though seemed to be casually spoken, revealed deep trust in Lu Jiu, a trust that was quite firm, causing the listener like Lu Jiu unable to control his lips from smiling warmly.

Despite the cold weather, Lu Jiu felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart...

After finishing her noodles, Mu Yingying leaned back in her chair, rubbing her full stomach contentedly. It had been a long time since she had eaten so well, especially longevity noodles, which no one else could make as deliciously as Lu Jiu.

"Earlier, I noticed people from Daliang mingling with the populace in the capital. Did you know about this?"

Lu Jiu asked as he gathered the dishes to one side, so that the young girl could use the space on the table conveniently.

"Daliang?"

Mu Yingying raised her eyebrows, but then recalled the hidden enemies she had captured a few days ago. Her brother had tried every possible way to extract information from them, and now they had learned one more thing: those people were from Daliang, not Qingzhou!

When Mu Gongzhen and Mu Yingying learned this, they became quite worried. Mu Gongzhen had to prepare defenses to ensure the region’s security. Normally, just having spies from another region in the capital was already a big issue. This time, enemies from Daliang had infiltrated the capital in large numbers, almost like a small army, without anyone noticing.

Meanwhile, Mu Gongzhen and Mu Yingying continued to investigate the motives and targets of these infiltrators. Daliang was a large region, not neighboring Qingzhou. Thus, it was unlikely they were interested in a smaller region like Qingzhou. The most probable target seemed to be the three siblings themselves.

However, no matter how hard Mu Yingying tried to find a connection between them and the Daliang Region, she couldn’t figure it out...

"Daliang Region is quite far from Qingzhou, so my people don’t have much information. Do you know anything about Daliang?" Mu Yingying turned to ask, her curiosity piqued. Although she didn’t know where Lu Jiu had been, she believed he would have considerable knowledge.

As expected, Lu Jiu was well-versed in the affairs of Daliang. Though Daliang wasn’t adjacent to Qingzhou, it bordered Basui to the north. Both regions were large and had existed for nearly a millennium.

"Daliang is a large region with a long history. About twenty-five years ago, there was a succession war. It is said that before the previous emperor passed away, he did not officially appoint a crown prince. He wrote an imperial decree appointing the next emperor, but due to certain events, the second prince was assassinated. Most of the noble families supporting the second prince were eliminated, and the eldest prince ascended the throne instead," Lu Jiu explained slowly.

Mu Yingying frowned deeply, realizing that the succession war must have been quite fierce.

"What happened after that?"

"My informants in Daliang’s capital reported internal problems within the royal court. Initially, the previous emperor’s decree appointed the second prince to the throne. However, due to the internal strife, the eldest prince rebelled and seized the throne from the second prince. The main family supporting the second prince was the Qin family, the former emperor’s royal tutor’s family. At that time, the Qin family was the most powerful noble family. It is said that the imperial decree was under their protection. However, due to the current emperor’s purge, the Qin family had to flee and disappeared without a trace."

"Five years ago, the remaining supporters of the second prince and those dissatisfied with the current emperor rose up to rebel, causing unrest in various cities. They sent people to search for the Qin family to reveal the former emperor’s imperial decree and expose the illegitimacy of the current emperor’s reign. Their goal was to install the son of the deceased second prince, who would rightfully inherit the throne. But it wasn’t only the rebels, the emperor’s faction was also searching for the Qin family to destroy the decree before the rebels could obtain it."

"I don’t know if the appearance of people from Daliang in Qingzhou be related to this..."

As Lu Jiu finished speaking, Mu Yingying felt like the fog obscuring many truths in her mind was starting to lift. Previously, the enemies in the shadows had been searching for something from her family all along. Could it be the imperial decree?

However, they had no connection to the Qin family. Why were the enemies so convinced that the decree was with them?

If the enemies weren’t confident that they had the decree, they wouldn’t have invested so much in creating pawns and meticulously planning to infiltrate her residence. But how could they be related to the Qin family? Furthermore, she was quite sure that neither she nor her two siblings had any knowledge of this decree.

And if it turned out that they indeed possessed the imperial decree of the former emperor of Daliang, wouldn’t they be holding a hot potato...?

The more Mu Yingying thought about the possibilities, the heavier her heart became. She had yet to deal with the nearby enemies, and now distant enemies were emerging. Moreover, these enemies were from the royal court of the great Daliang Region!

Seeing the worried look on the young girl’s face, Lu Jiu spoke gently, "You can tell me everything, Miss. No matter the issue, I am always willing to help you, just as I promised."

Mu Yingying looked into his determined eyes for a moment, and her worries and burdens eased considerably. She was no longer alone. She had her eldest brother and eldest sister, and now she also had Lu Jiu to rely on.

Although she foresaw a chaotic future surrounded by near and distant enemies, realizing she wasn’t alone, and that there still was Lu Jiu who had been helping her for the past six years, she no longer felt as afraid or anxious about the uncertain future.

Without realizing it, Mu Yingying had come to see Lu Jiu as her pillar of support... 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Previously, we were constantly harassed by hidden enemies. They often find an opportunity to search for something in our three siblings’ old quarters. Recently, they managed to infiltrate the residence, but fortunately, my people caught them. These mysterious individuals were highly skilled, even my people had difficulty handling them. After much interrogation, we found out they were from Daliang, but their purpose remains unknown,"

Mu Yingying explained the recent events to Lu Jiu in detail. As Lu Jiu listened, he began to form a hypothesis. His eyes showed a hint of deep contemplation. From the looks of it, the young miss might indeed be entangled in the internal strife within the Daliang Region.

He realized he would need to send more people to keep an eye on Daliang.

"If they were rebels, they would have approached you directly to negotiate. They wouldn’t have acted so secretly. Therefore, it’s likely these people are from the current emperor’s faction in Daliang," Lu Jiu shared his thoughts.

"But how can they be so sure that the imperial decree is with us? After all, I am from the Mu family and have no connection with the Qin family," Mu Yingying still found this point puzzling. No matter how she tried to think it through, she couldn’t understand.

Lu Jiu lowered his gaze, deep in thought, before suggesting another possibility he had guessed.

"You might indeed be a Mu, but what about your mother? What family did she belong to?"

Mu Yingying was taken aback momentarily. She had no memories of her mother in either her past or present life, as her mother had passed away when she was very young. She couldn’t even remember her mother’s face or name.

Because her father was a Mu, she was naturally considered a Mu as well. But what about her mother?

Who was her mother really...?

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