The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 164 - 163

Chapter 163

"Mother’s original name was Qin Wuyue before she changed it to Mu Wuyue after marrying into the Mu family. I recently inquired about her background from Grandmother. She told me that she had once helped the Qin family, and they requested that she accept Mother into the Mu family as a daughter-in-law to repay that kindness. Grandmother also mentioned that the Qin family’s origins were quite mysterious. They suddenly appeared in Qingyun City, wealthier than even the city governor at the time,"

Mu Yingying explained unhurriedly, recounting the story she had learned from their grandmother to let her two siblings know. Then she continued, providing the details she had gathered from Lu Jiu.

"Although the Qin family claimed to be scholars from another city, Grandmother, who had met them, said they all looked distinguished and elegant, knowledgeable and refined. Their noble appearance was unmatched even by the noble families in the capital. After Mother married into the Mu family and changed her surname from Qin to Mu, Grandmother noticed that soon after that, the Qin family seemed to be fleeing from some hunt. They never visited Mother again after the wedding, and a few days later, the Qin family disappeared without a trace."

Just hearing this, Mu Gongzhen instinctively felt that something was very unusual about this story. He had never known there were such details involved. Reflecting on it, he realized that Mother had never spoken about her natal family, the Qins. Whenever he asked about other relatives, Mother always said they had none.

Why was this?

"There is another important thing Grandmother told me,"

Mu Yingying looked into her siblings’ eyes before taking a deep breath to share the crucial information. "On the night Mother died, Grandmother said she had gone to see her in the middle of the night. She accidentally witnessed a man in black forcing some kind of potion down Mother’s throat, and Mother couldn’t resist...Shortly afterward, Mother passed away. The man in black threatened to kill the entire Mu family if Grandmother spoke of this. She had to keep this secret all along, and Mother’s death was officially diagnosed as a heart attack."

Crash!

The teacup in Mu Gongzhen’s hand shattered, the bright red blood trickling from his fingers, looking quite terrifying. His face turned visibly pale, and his eyes widened in shock.

Despite all the events that had transpired, Mu Yingying had never seen such a violent reaction from her brother before. She feared this revelation would affect him greatly, and she was not mistaken...

Mu Qingxuan was similarly affected, her beautiful face frozen for a while before turning as pale as she had seen a ghost. Her eyes became unfocused, as if she had fallen into a trance, and her thin lips trembled without a sound escaping.

Mu Yingying bit her lip slightly, allowing the silence to envelop the room. She knew that this truth was not something easily accepted, especially for the children who had just learned that their mother’s death was not an accident but murder!

“Is this...are you sure about this, Ying’er?”

Mu Gongzhen asked through gritted teeth, trying to contain the rage building inside him. He knew his sister wouldn’t make such serious claims lightly, but he needed confirmation.

“It’s true. Grandmother confirmed it herself.”

At her words, Mu Gongzhen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The blood coursing through his veins seemed to be surging intensely without stopping, and anger and resentment were erupting in his heart like a raging wave of fury. His fists clenched tightly as he struggled to contain his emotions.

Their mother...had been murdered in such a cruel way, and he, as her son, had known nothing.

He had been a fool, allowing the murderer to walk free for decades!

“H...how can this be? Mother was such a good person. Who would want to kill her...?” Mu Qingxuan’s voice trembled, tears starting to flow.

She still had vivid memories of her mother’s warmth and love. Every act of kindness, every gentle touch, was clear in her mind!

And now, she learned that the warmth she had received, the mother who had cared for her so tenderly, had been taken away by someone, making her lose her mother who was a light of hope. This loss had led to the tragic events that the three siblings had faced!

Why?

Why did someone as good as their mother have to be killed like that...?

Mu Yingying could feel the immense anguish and pain from her two siblings. This pain was not something that mere comfort could alleviate; it was a wound that would take a long time to heal. So, Mu Yingying decided to remain silent, simply sitting quietly.

“What happens next?”

Mu Gongzhen looked up and asked in a cold voice, his eyes icy as if covered by a layer of frost. Hearing this, Mu Yingying continued her story.

“Because the enemies we captured were from the Daliang Region, I had our people investigate clues from there. Since Daliang is a distant region, it took a long time to gather information. My informants discovered that over twenty years ago, there was a major bloodshed during a dynastic change in Daliang. Since there was no appointed crown prince, the former emperor, before he died, wrote a decree naming the second prince as his successor. The Qin family, who were the royal tutors and the most powerful family at the time, were entrusted with this decree.”

“However, when the former emperor passed away, the eldest prince rebelled and seized the throne. He killed the second prince and all his supporters, including the Qin family. For a long time, the Qin family had to flee from the royal court where the eldest prince had ruled and disappeared. For years, the current emperor has been sending people to search for the decree held by the Qin family to destroy the last piece of evidence proving his illegitimate claim to the throne.”

“When combining this information with everything else, it starts to make sense. The Qin family, who disappeared from Daliang, and the Qin family that appeared mysteriously in Qingyun City and then vanished again. Mother’s mysterious death, and the hidden enemies not attacking us directly but trying to invade and search for something in our possession...”

Although Mu Yingying did not state it explicitly, her siblings understood everything clearly. They both displayed tense expressions, realizing the severity of the situation. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

If their hidden enemies were searching for something in their possession, it meant they hadn’t found the decree yet, and it was possible the decree was with them. If that were the case, the Emperor of Daliang would never let them go!

Previously, their enemies were ministers or people close to them, whom they could manage to deal with. But now, their hidden enemy was the emperor of a distant region, making it both difficult to confront and contend with...

"I plan to secretly send a number of people to infiltrate the Daliang Region, to gather information and establish a base there for future use. The enemy doesn’t know that we are aware of this yet, and we are not ready to confront them. I think it’s best to send people to infiltrate Daliang first,"

Mu Yingying proposed her idea. Currently, she had very little information about the enemy. If they could send people to gather more intelligence and meddle in Daliang’s internal affairs, it would be beneficial.

However, this plan might take some time before it would yield any tangible results that could be used to counter their enemy in the future.

"I agree. I’ll also send more people to infiltrate. We’ll have our people spread out across various areas in Daliang to avoid suspicion. It will take significant time and resources to infiltrate seamlessly and establish a power base," Mu Gongzhen concurred.

"Don’t worry about the resources. We surely have enough funds to establish a power base in Daliang. But we need to deal with our nearby enemies quickly. We must protect ourselves from simultaneous attacks from both near and far. Otherwise, we’ll be in serious trouble,"

Mu Yingying warned, and Mu Gongzhen agreed. The three siblings continued discussing this crucial matter for several hours until they reached a conclusion. Then, they each returned to their respective quarters, the two older siblings’ hearts heavy with the chilling reality they had just uncovered.

Although winter had already passed, they felt a deep, penetrating coldness...

Shin Wang Palace

After returning from the royal palace, Mu Luofei summoned her mother to meet her at Shin Wang Palace. When Bai Lijun arrived, Mu Luofei tearfully recounted everything that had happened.

Upon learning that Mu Tingge was Shin Wang’s adulteress and was carrying his only heir, Bai Lijun was just as shocked. How could Mu Tingge dare to do such a thing right under her nose!?

Initially, Bai Lijun suggested dealing with Mu Tingge and the child in her womb, but Mu Luofei relayed the Empress Dowager’s threats, forcing them to abandon such plans. Bai Lijun, at a loss for what to do to help her daughter, proposed dealing with Concubine Xie to pressure Mu Tingge.

However, when Bai Lijun returned to the Mu Manor, she found that Concubine Xie had been taken by the Empress Dowager’s people shortly after she had gone to Shin Wang Palace. Thus, Bai Lijun’s plan was thwarted.

It took Mu Luofei more than five days to prepare the rooms and staff to take care of Mu Tingge. Eventually, Shin Wang himself brought the five-month-pregnant Mu Tingge back from the Empress Dowager’s residence to his palace. Seeing her husband’s gentle demeanor toward Mu Tingge, Mu Luofei’s heart burned with anger and jealousy.

“Ge’er, from now on, you will stay by my side. If there is anything you need, just let me know. The most important thing is to take good care of the child in your womb. Do you understand?”

Shin Wang said softly, his eyes filled with warmth as he looked at the young woman. Mu Tingge, who was held by him, shyly lowered her head, “I understand, Your Highness. I will take good care of the child.”

Mu Luofei watched the two with cold eyes for a while. Despite their arrival, they showed no sign of acknowledging her, the consort, leaving her to sit on the other side as if she were invisible.

“It had better be so. I hope you really take good care of the child as you say because if anything happens, I will not escape the blame!”

Mu Luofei’s sarcastic tone interrupted them. Shin Wang immediately cast a harsh glare at his consort. He hadn’t forgotten the rumors that had led to his punishment by the Emperor, which left him resentful toward Mu Luofei. Consequently, he had no intention of showing her any kindness.

“I...I understand, Your Highness,”

Mu Tingge replied, her voice trembling as if frightened by Mu Luofei’s words. This only heightened Shin Wang’s displeasure, feeling as though Mu Luofei was threatening Mu Tingge.

“Consort! Watch your words! Ge’er is pregnant. What if she gets startled and it affects the baby!?”

Shin Wang’s stern shout made Mu Luofei flinch in shock, which quickly turned into anger. Her beautiful face darkened with resentment as she retorted, “Do you really think mere words can affect her and the baby? Please, Your Highness, consider carefully! I was only reminding her to take good care of the child. Otherwise, if anything happens, the baby will be in danger. Don’t be so biased in her favor!”

“You!”

Shin Wang glared at her furiously, but Mu Tingge, still in his arms, quickly interjected, “Calm down, Your Highness. The Consort is right. In this palace, she is the mistress of everyone. I must obey her as well.”

Hearing this, Mu Luofei’s expression softened slightly. At least this harlot understood who the true mistress of the palace was.

“As per etiquette and tradition, since I’m now living in this palace, I must show proper respect to the mistress to avoid disgracing you, Your Highness. I should follow the customs,” Mu Tingge spoke gently before standing up and walking over to Mu Luofei.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

Mu Luofei frowned deeply. The other woman’s slight curtsy was far from respectful, and standing over her made it seem like she was looking down on her. At that moment, Mu Luofei noticed a mocking smile and a challenging gleam in Mu Tingge’s eyes, igniting her fury instantly.

“What are you doing? You’re just a lowly woman. How dare you stand over me!”

Mu Luofei shouted, then turned to call for the maid standing nearby. “Someone come and make this lowly woman kneel! I will teach her proper manners!”

“C...Consort, please,” Mu Tingge displayed a shock expression, stepping back in apparent fright.

Seeing this, Shin Wang quickly stepped forward to support her. Feeling her trembling body in his arms, his expression grew even darker. His icy gaze turned to Mu Luofei, filled with coldness.

"What are you planning to do!? How dare you bully Ge’er and ignore my presence entirely? If you make her kneel, what will happen to the child in her womb!?"

Shin Wang’s voice was filled with an unprecedented fierceness. However, Mu Luofei did not back down. She stood up and walked towards him, facing him with defiance while glancing coldly at the woman in his arms.

"Bullying her? Where did you see that, Your Highness? I haven’t even touched her! She took it upon herself to greet me but failed to follow proper etiquette. I merely wanted to teach her. Or do I, as the consort, not even have the right to instruct this lowly concubine!?"

Mu Tingge bit her lip slightly at the term lowly concubine but continued to feign fear, trembling like a frightened bird in Shin Wang’s arms.

Slap!

Shin Wang’s hand struck Mu Luofei’s face with full force, turning her head with the impact amidst the stunned silence of the surrounding maids. Mu Luofei was equally shocked, never expecting him to slap her in front of so many people for this wench.

The smell of blood filled her mouth, and she could taste the salty blood from a cut inside her cheek caused by the slap.

"So insolent! How dare you speak to me like this! I am your husband and the patriarch of this palace. How dare you, as the consort, disrespect me!"

Shin Wang shouted, his tone severe. He felt no remorse for his action, believing it was deserved. He then turned to his guards and ordered, "Take the Consort and confine her to her quarters. She is not to leave unless I give permission!"

"You..."

Mu Luofei glared at the man she once loved with burning hatred, a wicked smile spreading across her face like a malevolent demon. She cast one final, fierce look at the woman in his arms before being taken away by the guards to be confined.

Mu Tingge, nestled in Shin Wang’s embrace, secretly glanced at the disheveled Mu Luofei with mocking eyes. A malicious smile briefly appeared at the corner of her lips, unnoticed by anyone.

Mu Luofei...your hell had only just begun!

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