The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 163 - 162

Chapter 162

“You both should be familiar with each other already, so I won’t say much. I hope you understand your duties. The matter of Shin Wang’s heir must always come first,”

The Empress Dowager reminded the two women. She understood well the rivalry between siblings within a family. The fact that the Consort’s half-sister ended up pregnant by her brother-in-law was embarrassing enough. It likely stemmed from discord between the sisters.

Regardless of what kind of war these two sisters might wage against each other, the Empress Dowager expected them to prioritize the heir of Shin Wang above all else!

She would not allow any further mistakes!

“I understand, Your Majesty. I will take care of the heir until he is safely born,”

Mu Tingge replied softly and respectfully, her demeanor humble and obedient. The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but nod in approval at the younger woman’s compliance.

Mu Luofei, on the other hand, remained silent, her lips tightly pressed together in defiance. She refused to accept any of this!

Agreeing would be akin to allowing that wench Mu Tingge to trample over her head!

She couldn’t allow it!

Seeing that Mu Luofei remained silent and showed no signs of agreeing to her words, the Empress Dowager’s face grew cold. She spoke slowly but with a chilling tone,

“Consort...do you not understand what I am saying?”

“I...I understand, Your Majesty,”

Mu Luofei forced out through gritted teeth. Despite her unwillingness, she lacked the power to contend with the Empress Dowager. The other had immense authority and could dispose of her at any time, while she was just a powerless ant.

It was infuriating!

"That’s good, then. After returning to Shin Wang Palace, make sure to prepare everything properly. There must be no mistakes. While you are preparing to welcome the sole heir of Shin Wang, Ai Jia will take care of Mu Tingge for now. However, Ai Jia cannot keep her by my side in the palace; otherwise, it would cause unnecessary gossip," the Empress Dowager said, her voice cold and commanding.

"When the time comes for Mu Tingge to move to Shin Wang Palace, Ai Jia expects you to look after her well. If anything happens to her, Ai Jia will hold you entirely responsible for neglecting and failing to care for Shin Wang’s sole heir..."

As the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Mu Luofei’s face darkened. The Empress Dowager’s words were a clear warning not to attempt anything untoward. If anything happened to Mu Tingge, she would be punished!

Even if Mu Luofei wasn’t directly responsible!

This...wasn’t just a prohibition against harming Mu Tingge; she was also expected to take care of her!

Mu Luofei couldn’t believe how many times her dignity and honor had been trampled upon. Both the man she loved, and the esteemed Empress Dowager had continuously subjected her to humiliation. They forced her to accept these indignities without any means of resistance.

She hated it!

She hated them all!

She hated that she couldn’t fight against these powerful forces!

"I...I understand, Your Majesty. Rest assured, I will go back and make all the necessary preparations," Mu Luofei replied, forcing a smile. The bitterness in her smile was evident to anyone who looked.

Seeing that Mu Luofei ultimately submitted, the Empress Dowager gave a faint smile. "Ai Jia hopes you won’t disappoint me."

Mu Luofei lowered her eyes to hide the hatred in them, failing to notice the mocking glint in Mu Tingge’s gaze that secretly glanced at her. From childhood to now, Mu Luofei had always looked down on and trampled over her. Now, seeing the sorrowful face burdened with such disgrace, Mu Tingge couldn’t help but feel immensely pleased.

"Go and rest now. This is a time when you need more rest than usual,"

The Empress Dowager said to Mu Tingge in a gentle tone, markedly different from how she spoke to Mu Luofei. Mu Tingge obediently accepted the order.

"I understand, Your Majesty."

The young woman stood, curtsied respectfully to the Empress Dowager, and then gave a slight curtsy to Mu Luofei before the attendants helped her out of the room.

Once only the Empress Dowager and Mu Luofei remained, the atmosphere grew tense again. The Empress Dowager could not help but sternly admonish Mu Luofei. “There is another matter Ai Jia needs to remind you of. You are no longer a mere young miss of the Mu family; you are now the primary consort of Shin Wang. Ai Jia hopes you understand the importance of this position. You are now considered a member of the royal family, and you must behave according to royal customs. Do not bring the actions of commoners into this palace again!”

“A quarrel between husband and wife is normal, but running back to your natal home is disgraceful. It not only tarnishes the image of Shin Wang but also brings shame to the royal family! Ai Jia hopes you will remember that the honor and reputation of Shin Wang, your husband, are also the honor and reputation of you, the consort! If you continue to behave recklessly, do not blame Ai Jia for being merciless...”

Mu Luofei’s face turned pale instantly. From the Empress Dowager’s words, it was likely that she knew that the rumors which humiliated Shin Wang had been her doing. These words were also a warning for her not to engage in such actions of the commoners again.

If she dared to disgrace Shin Wang again, she believed the Empress Dowager would not spare her!

“I understand, Your Majesty,”

Mu Luofei responded through gritted teeth, lowering her head further in fear. The pressure from the Empress Dowager was increasing, no signs of decreasing at all, and Mu Luofei now began to sweat. Her heart felt as if it were being pressed down by a massive boulder.

Satisfied that she had made her point, the Empress Dowager closed her eyes and spoke calmly, “Now, go prepare to welcome Mu Tingge. Ai Jia will rest now.”

“I take my leave, Your Majesty,” Mu Luofei quickly stood, curtsied, and hurried out of the room.

As she walked out of the palace, her face terrifyingly darkened, and her eyes burned with undisguised hatred and coldness. She opened her palm and stared at the blood from the deep nail marks for a long while.

Despite the deep wounds on her palm, the pain was nothing compared to the humiliation she felt today!

Zhuiping Residence

After the three siblings finished having dinner together, Mu Yingying held her two older siblings back to discuss an important matter. They all gathered in Mu Gongzhen’s study, their usual place for such discussions.

"I’ve heard about what happened with Shin Wang. Was it your doing, Ying’er?"

Mu Gongzhen asked, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips, his eyes showing satisfaction with the recent events. Even Mu Qingxuan couldn’t help but laugh joyously when she heard about it; this news had brightened Mu Qingxuan and Mu Gongzhen’s mood for days.

"Yes, it was my doing. I simply gave Mu Luofei and Shin Wang a wedding gift."

Mu Yingying smiled mischievously and winked playfully, which made her older siblings smile affectionately.

"No wonder you insisted on attending the wedding of Shin Wang and Mu Luofei." Mu Qingxuan seemed to understand the situation better now. She then asked, "When did you come up with this plan? And who is carrying Shin Wang’s sole heir?"

Mu Qingxuan was quite curious, as her memories from their past life showed Shin Wang and Mu Luofei deeply in love and harmonious. There had been no hint of a childless issue or another woman’s pregnancy. Their love also seemed to have crumbled beyond repair.

There was no longer a blissful married life...

Mu Gongzhen also looked at his little sister with equal curiosity. Previously, they had been preoccupied with their plans against Wan Ningtong, and then the New Year festivities, which involved more official duties than usual. He hadn’t paid much attention to other matters. By the time he realized it, his sister had already schemed against their enemies.

"This... Actually, I only came up with the plan shortly before the New Year. At that time, my people who were monitoring the Mu family’s movements reported on the relationship between Concubine Xie and Shin Wang. I had known for a while that Concubine Xie was working for Shin Wang, but what I recently discovered was that Mu Tingge was also having an affair with Shin Wang."

Mu Yingying explained calmly. As soon as Mu Qingxuan heard this, she frowned deeply. "Mu Tingge? How is that possible?... She wasn’t even of age at that time."

“I don’t know either, but my informants reported that Mu Tingge has been secretly meeting with Shin Wang behind Mu Luofei’s and the family’s backs. Even her mother, Concubine Xie, was unaware of this. The two of them have been deeply involved, and Mu Tingge is now three months pregnant. I was quite shocked when I heard about this but soon realized it was the perfect opportunity to get revenge on Mu Luofei and Shin Wang,” Mu Yingying paused before continuing.

“Since the mother-daughter trio have mysterious protectors, we couldn’t directly retaliate against them. So, we had to change our approach to make their lives a living hell with this plan instead. I planned to use the wedding night to our advantage by sending someone to assassinate the Empress Dowager, luring Shin Wang away from the bridal chamber. Then, our people attacked him, aiming to injure him in a way that he could no longer have heirs.”

“When Shin Wang heard the news, someone as proud as he couldn’t accept it. Unable to accept the truth, he likely created stories to deceive himself and heal his wounded pride. Already hot-tempered, Shin Wang became even more irritable and violent, which Mu Luofei had to endure. Initially, she might have tolerated it due to her love for him, but her innate selfishness and unwillingness to be outdone would soon wear down her patience.”

“When Mu Luofei’s patience reached its limit, their love would naturally crumble. Their remaining married life would be full of suffering. But that wasn’t enough. I gave Shin Wang a glimmer of hope amid his darkness—the child in Mu Tingge’s womb. As for Mu Tingge herself, she is not to be underestimated. My half-sister is like a dormant viper; once awakened, she’s quite formidable. Knowing Mu Luofei would become the primary consort, Mu Tingge shamelessly continued her affair with Shin Wang.”

“Do you think she did it out of shamelessness, or ignorance of the young girl who foolishly in love?”

Mu Yingying asked her two older siblings with a mysterious smile. When they were questioned, they pondered for a moment before shaking their heads, indicating their uncertainty. Mu Yingying continued to explain.

“It’s neither. Mu Tingge isn’t acting out of foolishness or shamelessness typical of a young girl. She had planned this from the start. Being merely a concubine’s daughter, she knew she would never become the principal wife of any noble family. Therefore, she decided to climb her way up through Shin Wang. Even if she could only become one of his concubines, that would still be more prestigious than being a concubine to any ordinary noble family. Besides, her mother, Concubine Xie, is already one of Shin Wang’s people, so it wasn’t difficult for Mu Tingge to approach him.”

“As for Mu Luofei, I think Mu Tingge saw it as a gamble, staking her entire life on this risk. She knew Mu Luofei would become the primary consort, and if Mu Luofei ever found out about her and Shin Wang, she wouldn’t spare her. But if Mu Tingge had the advantage of being pregnant, she could potentially secure her place in Shin Wang’s palace. The future of this situation remains to be seen.”

“Given the circumstances, what I did was essentially helping Mu Tingge. With Shin Wang having no other heir, Mu Tingge’s child is the sole heir, which means Mu Luofei can’t touch her. Moreover, this situation allows Mu Tingge to enter Shin Wang Palace securely. The Empress Dowager, who dearly loves Shin Wang, would never let Mu Luofei harm Mu Tingge.”

“So, can you imagine how humiliating it must be for someone as proud and dignified as Mu Luofei to see her husband’s adulteress carrying his only heir and being untouchable within the palace?”

“I also don’t believe Mu Tingge will stay quietly until her child is born. The hell on earth for these three has just begun...”

Mu Yingying revealed a malicious smile, her big, round eyes sparkling with amusement as if she were watching an entertaining show. Her entire scheme left her older siblings in awe. They never imagined their little sister could turn a simple situation into such an intricate plan for revenge.

Even though the plan seemed simple, its result turned Mu Luofei and Shin Wang’s married life into a living hell. Just thinking about it made Mu Gongzhen and Mu Qingxuan realize that their enemies would never find happiness again!

"Our Ying’er is becoming more formidable by the day."

Mu Qingxuan reached out to affectionately pat her younger sister’s head. Mu Yingying scrunched her nose in a cute manner.

"Don’t overextend yourself. If you need any help, just let me know," Mu Gongzhen warned with concern. Mu Yingying obediently nodded, prompting Mu Gongzhen to continue, "And the important matter you mentioned wanting to discuss with us, is it this?"

Mu Yingying paused briefly, her eyes flickering slightly. She had decided that it was time to reveal information about their mother and the hidden enemies to her siblings, so today, she had held them back to discuss this matter.

"I believe this is very important for us, and something you should know...it’s about our mother."

After she finished speaking, both Mu Gongzhen and Mu Qingxuan looked surprised, especially Mu Gongzhen, who had the deepest bond and had been the closest to their mother. He was quite taken aback that his youngest sister wanted to discuss their mother, as Mu Yingying had always been the least knowledgeable and least connected to her.

"The truth is, the hidden enemies we’ve captured and interrogated are all from the Daliang Region. From the information my people have gathered, they were sent by the royal court of Daliang and have connections to our mother,"

"Are you sure about this, Ying’er?"

Mu Gongzhen asked, his tone serious. His brows furrowed in concern, and his eyes reflected his deep focus. If their hidden enemies were indeed from the royal court of Daliang, it implied a threat to the stability of their land. And how did it connect to their mother? Their mother was from the Mu family, so how could she be involved with the Daliang Region?

What was going on here...?

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