The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 169 - 168

Chapter 168

Mu Manor

Within the large quarters of the manor’s matriarch, Bai Lijun paced back and forth with a worried expression. Her heart was filled with anxiety about the recent events. News of Shin Wang’s injury from the fire at the imperial temple had spread throughout the capital.

Bai Lijun had also heard this news, along with the report of Mu Tingge’s death, whose body was abandoned at Shin Wang Palace gates. All these events made Bai Lijun think about her daughter’s recent strange behavior.

Two months ago, after Mu Luofei had recovered from being flogged, she had secretly sent a letter to Bai Lijun at the Mu family manor. The letter requested Bai Lijun to contact that person who had been supporting them from the shadows. Mu Luofei mentioned she had an important matter to discuss with that person. Bai Lijun, suspecting nothing, contacted that person and relayed her daughter’s message.

Since that day, Bai Lijun hadn’t received any further letters from Mu Luofei, only hearing that her daughter was confined to her room by Shin Wang’s orders. Until a month later, Bai Lijun received another letter, smuggled by Mu Luofei’s personal maid, asking her to procure a large quantity of anesthetic and a poison that could suppress the internal energy of martial artists.

Reading that letter, Bai Lijun had a bad premonition. She wondered what her daughter intended to do with these substances. She decided not to comply and sent a letter back asking for the reason. However, she received no reply from that day onward.

When Bai Lijun heard about the incident involving Shin Wang, she was greatly alarmed. She was now more than nine out of ten certain that Mu Luofei was involved.

If her daughter was indeed the perpetrator, this would be a serious matter!

Bai Lijun knew her daughter well. The traumatic events Mu Luofei had experienced in her childhood had left her mentally unbalanced, unlike ordinary people. She was often more intense and vengeful than normal. The continuous pressure and disappointment in her married life had likely driven her to madness, leading her to commit such acts...

As Bai Lijun paced anxiously around the room, a shadow suddenly appeared at the window, accompanied by a cold voice.

"Why have you summoned me?"

"I have an urgent matter to discuss with your master,"

Bai Lijun quickly replied, but the response she received was deeply disappointing. "The master is not here. You will have to wait."

"Not here? When will the master return?" Bai Lijun asked.

"I do not know. The master said he had important matters to handle and could be away for as short as three months or as long as a year."

Upon hearing this, Bai Lijun’s face turned pale. How could she have not known that the master would be away for so long? If Mu Luofei’s actions came to surface while the one who could protect them was now suddenly gone, her daughter would be in grave danger!

"Since when? Why wasn’t I informed...?"

Bai Lijun unwittingly raised her voice in dissatisfaction. The man in black, who had been silent, suddenly exuded a menacing aura. "Does the master need to report his whereabouts to you? Know your place! After granting Mu Luofei some men for her use, the master left immediately."

"Fei’er...she requested men from the master?" Bai Lijun asked in shock. She had no idea. Could it have been that letter...?

"Hmph! She is your own daughter. What has she done, as her mother, shouldn’t you know?"

The man in black said with a sneer, his laughter filled with ridicule and disdain, leaving Bai Lijun stunned. Her eyes widened in extreme shock. From what he just said, and considering the manpower and his demeanor, it seemed her daughter was indeed responsible for everything!

"Y...you knew? Why didn’t you stop her? Allowing her to do this is like pushing her to her death!"

Bai Lijun shouted angrily at the man in black, her eyes filled with wrath, causing him to stop smiling. "Stop her? How could I have known she would do something so insane? She merely requested men from the master to protect herself, but she used them to deceive the shadow guards of Shin Wang Palace to sneak out and carry out this plan.”

“By the time we realized what she was doing, it was too late to stop her! Now, everything is beyond fixing. Accept the reality!"

"No! You must protect us! The master promised to protect us. Now that he’s away, you must follow his orders and protect us!" Bai Lijun argued stubbornly. If these men did not continue to protect them, what would she and her daughters do?

“Hmph. The master instructed us to protect you well, but not to clean up every mess you create! What your daughter has done is no small matter. The master would never risk everything for a small pawn that is no longer useful!”

With that, the man in black gave Bai Lijun a cold glance. He let out a snort before quickly leaving, not bothering to continue arguing with this shameless woman.

Previously, his master had ordered him to protect the three women well, as they were still useful pawns. Once Mu Luofei married into royalty, her future seemed bright. The master had therefore increased their protection, complying with her requests, hoping she would become a valuable asset.

However, now she had become a useless pawn. As a consort abandoned by Shin Wang and unable to bear an heir, her future looked bleak without a doubt. By plotting such a bold scheme, she was now staring down a path of darkness and painful death!

A useless pawn was not worth the master’s investment or protection anymore!

If she dared to create such a huge mess, she must dare enough to face the consequences!

After the man in black left, Bai Lijun threw a furious tantrum, alarming the servants in the manor. It took her a while to calm down and think of how to handle the situation.

Currently, Shin Wang Palace had no news of the culprits, meaning they had not yet found any evidence. This was a small relief, as it meant they still had some time and a chance to destroy the evidence to avoid getting caught.

She needed to use this time to resolve everything as thoroughly as possible. Even if Shin Wang Palace eventually found some evidence linking to Mu Luofei, the punishment might not be severe due to the influence of Mu Gongzhen, her powerful brother...

"Prepare the carriage. I’m going to see the Consort at Shin Wang Palace!"

Bai Lijun ordered her maid sternly before quickly changing her attire. She then boarded the carriage, heading straight to Shin Wang Palace to devise a plan with her daughter to handle this situation.

Shin Wang Palace

After Bai Lijun requested to see the Consort at the palace, the guards led her to the east wing and opened the door for her to enter as she wished. As Bai Lijun stepped inside, she found her daughter sitting comfortably by the window, sipping tea with no sign of distress.

"Your Highness..."

Bai Lijun called her daughter softly. Since she was now inside Shin Wang Palace, she could not address her daughter with normal language, necessitating to adhere to the palace etiquette.

Hearing someone calling her, Mu Luofei turned to the source of the sound and found her mother. She smiled broadly before quickly approaching her.

"Mother, how did you come here?"

"I intended to see you, Your Highness. I have something important to ask." Bai Lijun took her daughter’s hand and led her to sit on the bed at the far end of the room, glancing around cautiously.

"Was the recent incident your doing?"

Mu Luofei’s eyes gleamed deeply at this question, and she smiled faintly. "Yes, it was. You should have seen Mu Tingge struggle. It was so satisfying..."

"Your Highness! How...how could you do such a thing? If Shin Wang or the Empress Dowager finds out, your life will not meet a good end," Bai Lijun warned, her brows furrowing with worry.

"I’m not afraid! I’ve endured enough! I won’t tolerate it any longer!"

Mu Luofei replied defiantly, showing no sign of worry or regret. She felt no remorse for her actions, believing they deserved what they got for the humiliation she had endured.

Bai Lijun realized she could not dissuade her daughter from her madness. She changed her question, "Have you destroyed all the evidence?"

"I hired someone to hire the monk and the novices to drug the people of Shin Wang Palace with aesthetic. The ones who kidnapped Mu Tingge were old soldiers from the black market, experts in dirty work. After the job, they disappeared without a trace. They can’t be captured for any investigation, so they can’t be traced back to me,"

Mu Luofei said confidently. She had planned this for a long time, taking great care in every detail. Bai Lijun felt slightly relieved, knowing the loopholes in her daughter’s plan were fewer than she had feared. It would be difficult for Shin Wang to uncover the truth.

"That’s good, then. I will personally take care of the intermediaries you hired. In the meantime, be very careful and watch over yourself,"

Bai Lijun warned her daughter. Mu Luofei, feeling her mother’s concern, nodded in agreement and provided detailed information about the intermediaries she had hired to approach those in the imperial temple.

Once Bai Lijun had all the information, she quickly took her leave. Wasting no time, she hurried back to deal with the remaining evidence and witnesses, aiming to eliminate all traces before the Empress Dowager and Shin Wang could uncover the truth...

Zhuiping Residence

Meanwhile, Mu Yingying’s informants, who had been closely monitoring Mu Luofei and Bai Lijun, hurried back to report their mistress after they found that Bai Lijun had visited Mu Luofei at Shin Wang Palace earlier that day.

“Bai Lijun must have gone there to discuss the recent events and likely plan how to destroy the evidence her precious daughter has left behind. The bond between mother and daughter is so strong that any harm to one would surely devastate the other...”

Mu Yingying remarked with a sly smile, followed by a soft laugh. “...Let them share in their joy and suffering together, then.”

“Take those two we captured and deliver them to the Empress Dowager,” she turned to command the servant who was kneeling behind her.

“Yes, Miss. Should I also deliver the intermediary whom Mu Luofei hired to order the temple people to the Empress Dowager?” the man in black asked curiously.

“It’d be good to send that person as well, but first, let him taste what it’s like to be marked for death by Bai Lijun as she tries to cover up the evidence. That way, when he confesses before the Empress Dowager, she’ll understand just how deeply these two are bonded...”

“Understood,” the man in black acknowledged before vanishing without a trace.

Left alone in the room, Mu Yingying walked back to pour herself a cup of tea and gazed out the window, a faint smile playing on her lips.

She had watched Mu Luofei endure humiliation and cultivate her hatred over these times, leading her to orchestrate this audacious plan. Mu Luofei might think she had covered her tracks meticulously, being extra careful to avoid being caught, and even spending a fortune to hire assassins from the black market.

But little did she know that every move had been under Mu Yingying’s watchful eyes. Therefore, every piece of evidence Mu Luofei believed she had destroyed was actually in Mu Yingying’s possession, including the two assassins hired from the black market.

Now, all Mu Yingying had to do was present this evidence to the Empress Dowager, ensuring that Mu Luofei’s downfall was imminent...

Mu Luofei and Bai Lijun, the time to settle our scores was drawing near!

The Royal Palace

Three days later, the Empress Dowager’s shadow guards successfully gathered comprehensive evidence and witnesses. Their confessions and all the evidence pointed directly to Bai Lijun and the Consort as the masterminds behind the attack!

Upon learning this, the Empress Dowager was furious and nearly ordered the immediate execution of both mother and daughter. However, the power held by Mu Gongzhen made her pause and reconsider her actions.

She couldn’t simply execute them because it risked having a conflict with Mu Gongzhen, but she also couldn’t let the culprits who injured Shin Wang and ended his lineage go unpunished!

The two women hadn’t just aimed to destroy Shin Wang’s only heir; their confessions revealed that they intended to kill Shin Wang as well! 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

This realization enraged the Empress Dowager to the point of fainting. Although Shin Wang was fortunate enough to survive, his life was now a living death, fueling her resentment even more.

As she contemplated a suitable course of action, another major event unfolded in the capital: the announcement of Mu Gongzhen and his two sisters’ separation from the Mu family!

After the ceremonial delegation was sent to propose marriage to the eldest young miss of the Mu family at Zhuiping Residence, gifts and betrothal gifts—totaling over 500 chests—were continuously delivered to Zhuiping Residence, shocking and intriguing the capital’s residents. This also raised questions about why the Ministry of Rites sent people and betrothal gifts to Zhuiping Residence instead of the Mu family manor.

Traditionally, even if family members lived separately, marriages were still managed by the parents from the main household. And this marriage proposal and the betrothal gifts should be sent to the Mu family manor.

This anomaly sparked widespread criticism, particularly among officials. To clarify, Mu Gongzhen publicly presented the separation documents in the royal court, turning all the officials into the witness that he and his two sisters had separated from the Mu family several months prior.

After the officials knew about this, they accused Mu Gongzhen of being unfilial and separating the family without cause. However, when Mu Gongzhen unhurriedly explained the details, they quickly shut their mouths with embarrassment.

First, because their father neglected his own bloodline, favoring his concubine over his legitimate wife, resulting in the early demise of the former Furen. The three siblings were abandoned and ignored, while the children of the concubine were pampered.

Second, their father was obsessed with power and the family’s reputation, caring nothing for the survival of his three children. He failed in his duties as a father, treating them as if they were not his offspring, neglecting his responsibilities as both a husband and a father.

Third, their father was so infatuated with his concubine that he allowed her to plot to eliminate the principal wife’s children, putting the three siblings in constant danger. Yet, he remained indifferent, letting the concubine do as she pleased.

Fourth, the separation of the family was mutually agreed upon after discussions with their father, who consented to the arrangement himself. Mu Gongzhen had to pay a sum of money that his father demanded in exchange for the separation documents, which their father wrote himself. Thus, the separation was done with both parties’ consent, not as an act of unfilial conduct.

The four reasons Mu Gongzhen presented in the royal court were akin to dragging Mu Cui Ming into the spotlight to be condemned in front of hundreds of people. This left Mu Cui Ming so humiliated that he wished to disappear. The officials, both minor and major, who heard this, immediately understood the rotten state of the Mu family and the shamelessness of Mu Cui Ming, who valued money over his own son, extorting a large sum for the separation documents.

Was this what a father should be?!

Even a ferocious tiger did not eat its own cubs!

Mu Cui Ming was worse than a beast!

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