At these words from her father, a rare blush spread across Mu Wanjun’s face. (She looked every bit like a young girl experiencing her first crush, her shyness coloring her cheeks as she glanced at her father beside her. Lowering her head bashfully, she paused for a moment before raising her eyes, filled with pleading, to beg Mu Zhenfeng.
“I… Father, could I have a say in my own marriage? When I meet someone I truly like, I’ll bring him to meet you. Would that be alright?”
“You silly girl. Fine. Your father agrees. Truly, a grown daughter is no longer of much use, and your thoughts are becoming harder to understand.”
Mu Zhenfeng’s expression turned slightly odd at Mu Wanjun’s request. His daughter’s way of thinking genuinely surprised him, but seeing her pleading eyes and the way she clung to his arm with a coquettish shyness, he couldn’t help but chuckle and nod in agreement. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but admire how his daughter had blossomed into such a lovely young woman.
“Haha, Father… you’re teasing me.”
Mu Wanjun, seeing her father’s reaction, pouted in mock anger and turned away, though she quickly relaxed and continued holding his arm as they walked forward.
“Haha…” Mu Zhenfeng’s mood lifted at his daughter’s adorable shyness. In recent days, the household had been plagued by one incident after another. His eldest daughter was a constant worry, his second daughter both commanded his respect and intimidated him, and his fourth daughter was simply too meek. Only this third daughter truly warmed his heart.
Watching Mu Wanjun’s antics, Mu Zhenfeng couldn’t help but laugh heartily—a rare occurrence for him.
But just as his laughter rang out, a sudden, sharp pain shot through his chest, cutting his mirth short. His smile vanished from his face.
“Father, what’s wrong? Father…”
Mu Wanjun turned back in alarm at her father’s abrupt silence, only to find his face pale and his free hand clutching his chest in obvious distress. Panicked, she steadied him and bombarded him with worried questions.
“Huff…” Mu Zhenfeng closed his eyes, enduring the pain until the sudden tightness in his chest eased slightly. He thought of the poison Liu Shi had administered to him—still without an antidote—and resolved not to burden his daughter with worry or fear.
With a forced smile, he reassured her, “It’s nothing. Perhaps I ate too much this morning and my stomach is unsettled. I’m feeling better now.”
“That’s a relief, Father. Let’s go wait for the others in the front courtyard.”
Though still puzzled by her father’s odd behavior, Mu Wanyu sighed in relief at his words and continued walking with him.
Wanqing and the others had changed into fresh attire and redone their appearances. Since Mu Wanyu was still suffering from the poison, she did not join them. Aside from Wanqing and her two sisters, only Mu Zhenfeng attended the birthday banquet.
Noticing that Mu Wanxia and the others had brought only two maids each, Wanqing followed suit, bringing only Honglian and Chunlan—her most trusted attendants—while leaving the rest behind in the courtyard.
“Qing’er, would you ride in the carriage with your father?”
Originally, Mu Zhenfeng’s four daughters would have paired up in two carriages. But with one missing, Mu Wanjun had already gone to join her elder sister. Remembering his fourth daughter’s illness that morning, Mu Zhenfeng turned to Wanqing and made the suggestion.
At his words, Mu Wanjun glanced at her father, clearly surprised by his request. Mu Wanxia, however, merely smirked coldly and wordlessly led her maids toward one of the carriages.
“I know you’re eager to learn the truth about Fourth Sister’s condition. But I’m neither your legitimate daughter nor your favorite. Let’s discuss everything after the banquet. I prefer to ride alone. Let’s go.”
Noticing the confusion on her sisters’ faces, Wanqing smiled faintly. She leaned in to whisper to her father before he could react, then strode ahead with Honglian and Chunlan in tow.
“Sigh…” Though they had already reconciled, Wanqing’s attitude still pained Mu Zhenfeng. Watching her retreating figure, he could only sigh softly before following after her.
“Miss, what’s on your mind?”
Chunlan, ever the restless one, noticed the cold, pensive look that replaced Wanqing’s smile as soon as she settled into the carriage and couldn’t resist asking.
“Nothing. I just hope today’s banquet goes smoothly.”
Recalling Mu Wanxia’s enigmatic smile earlier, her parents’ timely appearance, and her interactions with their father, Wanqing couldn’t shake the feeling that Mu Wanxia was up to something. Though confident in her own skills with poisons and medicine, she sighed softly, her eyes filled with wary anticipation.
“Something about the Eldest Miss feels off—sinister, even. It’s best to be cautious.”
Honglian, sensing her mistress’s unease, offered a reassuring smile and words of comfort.
“Mmm.”
Wanqing responded with a faint smile before closing her eyes in silence. She needed to sort through the morning’s events. Though she doubted Mu Wanxia would dare act against her directly—given her own expertise—she couldn’t guess what other schemes might unfold at the banquet.
When the carriage arrived at the Princess’s estate, Wanqing stepped out to find a large crowd already gathered.
Most were young men and women, all seemingly drawn by the event hosted by the Princess of Qingyang.
Amused by their obvious intentions, Wanqing smiled slightly before joining Mu Wanxia and the others, following her father inside.
Inside the estate, Mu Zhenfeng, as the family head, presented his gifts and was ushered by the steward to the front courtyard to enjoy the birthday festivities. The three young ladies, meanwhile, were escorted to the garden.
“So many people, Miss!”
Chunlan’s eyes lit up at the sight of clusters of young men and women chatting animatedly in the garden, her childlike excitement bubbling over at the implicit purpose of the gathering.
“Indeed.” Wanqing smiled in agreement, observing the radiant, bashful smiles on the young faces around her.
“The Princess of Qingyang is over there. Let’s go greet her.”
With the air of an elder sister, Mu Wanxia turned to the others before leading her maids toward a pavilion by the lake.
Following her gaze, Wanqing spotted several figures seated at a table in the pavilion—among them Song Ziqian, a few unfamiliar men, and a woman adorned with silver hairpins who bore a resemblance to the Princess they’d met earlier. Though her features were unclear from a distance, her noble bearing made her the center of attention among the gathered youths.
Several other women Wanqing didn’t recognize were also present. Having been excluded from such gatherings in the past, she was unfamiliar with most attendees. Though she had little interest in these social affairs, she initially intended to follow out of courtesy—until she noticed two familiar figures approaching the pavilion from the lakeside.
“Let’s not crowd over there. Brother Qingfeng and Prince Ning have arrived. We’ll join them instead.”
As her sisters moved toward the pavilion, Wanqing spotted Qingfeng and Prince Ning approaching. Noting that the Prince, though no longer reliant on his wheelchair, still walked unsteadily due to his prolonged ailment, she smiled faintly and led her maids toward them instead.
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