At this moment, Wanqing took advantage of Liu’s momentary distraction. With a furrowed brow, she forcefully shoved Liu aside, dodging swiftly while thrusting the silver gleam in her hand toward her, then moved toward Mu Zhenfeng.
It could be said that Mu Zhenfeng had merely taken medicine to rest, yet despite being in a deep slumber, his mind remained lucid. He could even hear Lian’er’s panicked cries early in the morning and the ensuing commotion around him.
He wanted to rise and comfort them, but his body lacked even the strength to open his eyes, let alone speak.
Later, upon hearing Liu ordering someone to poison him and using brute force against Wanqing, he found himself gradually regaining strength.
The woman who had always appeared gentle, dignified, and virtuous before him now revealed such venomous schemes and methods. Mu Zhenfeng could hardly believe his eyes. As he stepped forward to confront her, he noticed Wanqing approaching, her injured hand still worrying about him. Awkwardly, he asked,
“Surprised? Liu Qiaoyun, oh Liu Qiaoyun, you’ve deceived me so thoroughly… Qing’er, your hand…”
“Father, my hand is fine. She isn’t the real Liu Qiaoyun. Didn’t you hear her confess everything just now?”
Filled with resentment and hatred toward Liu, Wanqing had initially intended to kill her outright. But letting her die so easily would have been too merciful. So she had taken some measures. Seeing her father still calling her “Liu Qiaoyun” with grief and disappointment, Wanqing smiled faintly, shaking her bruised and swollen hand as a reminder to Mu Zhenfeng.
“You…”
Her words and reminder made Mu Zhenfeng frown deeply, his scrutinizing gaze fixed on her. He felt increasingly unable to comprehend the young woman before him, even glimpsing a shadow of someone else in her.
Recalling the words Wanqing had relayed from her mother’s letter, his expression softened slightly.
“Father, don’t be confused. I warned you beforehand—didn’t you agree to let me act out this play? I gave you a drug that would keep you asleep yet fully aware. Of course, it’s harmless—in fact, it leaves one refreshed after a deep sleep. If I hadn’t done this, you’d never have known how many secrets this woman was hiding from you.”
Under Mu Zhenfeng’s gaze, Wanqing felt a twinge of guilt for her disrespect, despite having sought his consent. Rubbing her swollen hand, she explained while casting a cold glance at Liu, who lay paralyzed on the ground after being pushed and pricked by her.
“Indeed. Without your scheme, I’d never have seen her true face. So, Qiu Xiang’s death really was your doing? Speak!”
Hearing this, Mu Zhenfeng withdrew his probing gaze from Wanqing and sighed heavily. Recalling their earlier conversation, his expression darkened. He stepped on Liu’s hand and demanded coldly,
“It seems you truly cared for her. Yet if you had affection for her, why treat her daughter like dirt? Even if you killed me to please her, she’d never forgive you for how you treated her child.”
Liu groaned in pain under his foot but clenched her teeth defiantly, glaring at the enraged Mu Zhenfeng.
“Will you speak or not? If not, I’ll crush your hand right now…” Seeing Liu still feigning ignorance, Mu Zhenfeng’s fury intensified. The realization that she wasn’t the real Liu family’s eldest daughter but had schemed her way into the Marquis’s household made his anger burn hotter. He pressed down harder.
“Fine, yes! Her death was my doing. Who told her to defy me in the manor and cling to the title of the Marquis’s rightful wife?”
Cornered, Liu, despite the sweat beading on her forehead, spat out the words stubbornly.
“You vile woman…”
The thought of that gentle, refined woman’s death being linked to Liu overwhelmed Mu Zhenfeng with grief and regret. With a furious roar, he suddenly increased the pressure. A sickening *crack* echoed as bones shattered under his foot. He then kicked her away as if discarding something filthy.
“Ah—! Mu Zhenfeng, if you have the guts, kill me! What’s the point of torturing me like this? Not only did I sow discord between her and your mother, but I also tampered with the blood test to make you and your daughter seem unrelated! She deserved it for refusing to hand over what was mine and lording her status over me…!”
As Mu Zhenfeng’s kick sent her flying, Liu crashed into a chair behind her, toppling it. She collapsed heavily, her mangled hand a bloody mess, her lips bleeding from the impact. Struggling to lift her head, she glared at him with venom.
“You…” Seeing her utter lack of remorse, Mu Zhenfeng’s rage flared anew. The thought of his beloved woman being wronged by Liu, blamed by his mother, and dying in despair made him wish he could tear Liu apart. Raising his palm, he aimed a fatal strike at her head.
“No! Don’t kill Mother! Father, please, spare her…!”
“Yes, Father, we beg you! No matter what Mother has done, she’s still our mother—your lawful wife…!”
The door burst open as Mu Wanxia and her sister rushed in, tearfully shielding Liu and pleading with their father.
“You…”
Mu Zhenfeng hadn’t expected them to intervene. Seeing them, he recalled the joy they’d once brought him. But the memory of their mother’s cruelty made it impossible to direct his hatred toward them.
His hand trembled mid-strike before he withdrew it helplessly. With a furious roar, he turned and vented his rage on a nearby stool, smashing it against a table and chair, sending splinters flying. Panting heavily, he cast one last glare at his weeping daughters supporting Liu, then stormed out.
“Mother, are you alright? Mother…!” As their father left in fury, Wanqing watched the heartbroken Mu Wanxia sisters coldly before following him out.
“Cough… cough… I’m fine, my dear girls. You… don’t resent me?”
Only after Wanqing and the maids had left did Liu, coughing weakly, allow her daughters to help her up. With a remorseful expression, she looked at their tear-streaked faces.
“No matter what, you’re still our mother. But Mother… even if you erred, Father shouldn’t have been so brutal. How could he… after all your years together…?”
Mu Wanxia, seeing Liu’s pallid, bruised face and split lip, shuddered at how close their father had come to killing her. Though they hadn’t witnessed the events inside, their mother’s screams had chilled them. Now, despite her resentment, she couldn’t help but voice her confusion.
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