Wanqing’s words left Mu Wanxia feeling utterly dejected—after all her scheming, she had still fallen into her rival’s hands. What consumed her more than despair and frustration was a deep-seated hatred. Yet, she hadn’t expected Wanqing’s parting words to strike such a chord.
She managed to grasp the gist of it. “Wait—Mu Wanqing, what did you just say? That man I call Uncle Liu—what did you say he is to me? Stop right there! You—”
Her words sent a jolt of panic through Mu Wanxia. Though she found it hard to believe, seeing Wanqing about to leave, she struggled to her feet, glaring at her retreating figure. When Wanqing turned back at her question, offering only a cryptic smile before walking away, Wanxia’s fury boiled over. She shouted after her, only for Wanqing to suddenly halt, stride back, and stand before her with arms crossed. The abruptness of it stunned Wanxia into silence.
“Eager to know?”
Wanqing smirked, noting the mix of sorrow, confusion, and suspicion on Wanxia’s face.
“I…” Wanxia hesitated, acutely aware of her diminished standing in the Marquis’s household. Once the shining star of the capital, she now paled in comparison to this woman before her. Yet, as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Mu family, her pride remained unshaken.
Her plot to humiliate Wanqing at the Grand Princess’s birthday banquet had failed spectacularly. But her position as the Marquis’s daughter was unassailable—or so she thought.
Then came Wanqing’s revelation about Uncle Liu. The man had always brought her an inexplicable sense of comfort, different from what she felt with her mother or even her father. It was a warmth she couldn’t define—neither purely familial nor romantic, yet undeniably soothing.
But now, faced with Wanqing’s half-mocking smile, Wanxia felt as though she stood on a chaotic street, her mind in disarray.
“Ah, so you still cling to your status as the Mu family’s eldest daughter,” Wanqing mused. “Very well. Stay in your lane, and I’ll ensure everything you hold dear remains untouched—because frankly, none of it interests me. This is your final warning. I desire peace within this family, a united front against outsiders. But cross me again, and I won’t hesitate to destroy you. Even if it means dragging the entire Marquis’s reputation—or lives—down with me. Just like I destroyed your mother.”
Wanxia’s eyes flickered with fear beneath her defiance. Wanqing chuckled.
So this was the audacity that dared scheme against her at the Grand Princess’s feast? Pathetic. With a final icy smile, Wanqing gripped Wanxia’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “Remember my words,” she whispered before releasing her and walking away.
“You—!” Wanxia’s rage flared, but the memory of Wanqing’s demonic glare—devoid of warmth or mercy—silenced her. Powerless, she could only watch her rival depart, teeth gritted.
Once alone, Wanxia clutched her aching chest, staggering to her feet.
“No… this can’t be true. He can’t be my father. That vile girl is lying—she must be!” Yet the more she denied it, the more her mind reeled. Uncle Liu and her mother’s closeness, her father’s recent coldness—it all aligned too perfectly.
The weight of the possibility crushed her. If she wasn’t the Marquis’s daughter, everything she had—her status, her future—would vanish. A hollow ache spread through her chest as she swayed on her feet, the world spinning around her.
“No—!” Her scream tore through the silence. She whirled to chase after Wanqing, desperate for answers, only to collide with a stumbling figure emerging from a nearby door.
“Mu Wanxia!” gasped Liu Cui’er, still groggy from the drug Wanqing had used to subdue her earlier. “You—you’re not even the Marquis’s daughter? And you framed your own sister for your schemes? All for your own gain! The Princess and I thought you were loyal to her, but you—!”
Wanxia’s eyes darkened. Cui’er, the daughter of a high-ranking minister and the Princess’s close friend, had overheard everything. Fear gripped Cui’er as Wanxia advanced, her calm demeanor belying the murderous glint in her eyes.
“What do I intend?” Wanxia echoed softly, her fingers closing around Cui’er’s throat. “You’ve learned a secret that could ruin me. Do you really think I’d let you live?”
Cui’er choked, clawing at Wanxia’s hands. “Y-You wouldn’t dare! The Princess will have you executed!”
Wanxia’s grip tightened. “Let her try.”
The hallway echoed with Cui’er’s strangled gasps as the shadows swallowed them both.
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