“Father, I heard you were stabbed. What happened? Are you alright?”
Just as he was lost in thought, two figures fluttered in like butterflies, one on each side, asking him in sweet, concerned voices.
“I’m fine. It’s so late—why aren’t you two asleep yet?”
Looking at his two daughters, who had just returned after arguing with him earlier, Mu Zhenfeng answered calmly, surprised they had come to see him at this hour. He couldn’t help but wonder about their motives.
“Father, Elder Sister and I have discussed this at length. Second Sister is engaged to Young Master Sun, yet she’s entangled with Prince Ning and Cold Shizi. No matter how you look at it, this is unfair to Young Master Sun. We hope you’ll ask her what she truly thinks. If she really has feelings for Young Master Sun, she shouldn’t be involved with others—isn’t this just toying with him?”
Mu Wanjun noticed that although their father’s hand was bandaged, his expression remained unchanged. Relieved, she brought up the matter they had argued about earlier.
“That’s right, Father. Young Master Sun may have said he had no interest in Second Sister before, but now he treats her quite well. You must know that Prince Ning and Cold Shizi are not men to be trifled with. If she’s serious, you should talk to her, lest she provoke these two and bring disaster upon our entire marquisate—or even Young Master Sun.”
Mu Wanxia had already struck a deal with Wu Qingyang. But upon returning, she heard from the servants that Sun Fengyu had taken Wanqing shopping, spending over two hundred thousand taels on gifts—an event that nearly shook the entire capital. Her heart was anything but calm, so she and her sister came to gossip with their father.
When Mu Wanqing arrived, the two sisters had left, but the more they thought about it, the more resentful they became. Hearing their father had been attacked, they seized the opportunity to revisit the topic under the guise of checking on him.
Mu Wanxia echoed her sister’s words.
“I’ll find time to ask your Second Sister about this. If there’s nothing else, you should go back now. I’m tired.”
Their endless complaints about Wanqing grated on him. If not for that daughter tonight, he might already be dead.
Mu Zhenfeng didn’t understand how she had known he was in danger, but he was grateful for her saving his life. Hearing these two ostensibly visit him only to rehash old grievances, he grew uncharacteristically irritable and stood to retreat to his bedroom.
“Father, you must ask her soon! Princess Wuyang has already hinted that Shizi treats Second Sister differently. If we wait until Young Master Sun and our marquisate suffer, it’ll be too late—”
Mu Wanjun had a fiery temper. Seeing her father’s dismissive nod, she thought of how her sister’s bond with Young Master Sun had changed because of that girl. Even though her father said he needed rest, she stomped her foot and called after his retreating figure.
“Enough, Jun’er. Can’t you see Father is injured and in no mood for this? Can’t it wait until he’s better? Come, let’s go.”
Mu Wanxia noticed their father pause slightly at her sister’s words. Though he didn’t turn around, his hand clenched tightly on the door handle. Knowing he was angry—despite their concerns for the marquisate’s stability—she grabbed her sister’s hand and quietly pulled her away.
“Sister, isn’t Father always so concerned about our family’s reputation? How can he stand that wretched girl causing such trouble? Don’t you resent her stealing Young Master Sun from you?”
Outside, Mu Wanjun thought of their father’s past affection for them, now replaced by irritation when they criticized that girl. Seeing Mu Wanxia shake her head helplessly and pat her hand in comfort, she stopped arguing but couldn’t hide her confusion.
“How could I not resent it? That wretched girl—what right does she have to deserve Young Master Sun? But the way he treats me now, and Father’s attitude… Jun’er, what kind of spell has she cast on them? Why have they all changed?”
Mu Wanxia’s voice dripped with bitterness. Thinking of Sun Fengyu’s changed behavior and their father’s strange demeanor tonight, she muttered in frustration.
Her words struck a chord with Mu Wanjun.
“Sister, don’t dismiss it—Father and Young Master Sun might really be under some spell. Remember when Xianglan and the others mysteriously fell ill in Qiuxiang Garden? And I’ve heard that girl openly heals people on the streets. Her skills are terrifying.”
She recounted rumors she’d overheard from the servants.
“Such things? Jun’er, are you sure it’s true? Is her medical skill really that formidable?”
Upon hearing about Wanqing’s public healing, Mu Wanxia reminisced about her own upbringing in the art of poison under their mother’s tutelage. The more she pondered the peculiar events since Wanqing’s transformation, the more unsettled she became.
“I just casually asked after overhearing the servants’ gossip. Sister… you’re not planning to challenge her in the art of poison, are you?”
Seeing her sister’s unusually grave expression, Mu Wanjun regretted her loose tongue. Watching her sister’s face harden with resolve, she asked cautiously.
“If she truly has such power, I’d like to test her. No wonder Father and Young Master Sun suddenly defend her. It must be true. Let’s go back.”
Her sister’s words, combined with thoughts of the upcoming princess’s birthday banquet and Wu Qingyang’s hostility toward Wanqing, filled Mu Wanxia’s eyes with rare ruthlessness. She turned away coldly.
“Sister, I know you take pride in Mother’s teachings, and poison arts have served you well. But Mother warned us not to act recklessly. If you provoke her, I fear—”
Though her sister said nothing, Mu Wanjun sensed the killing intent radiating from her. Knowing her obsession with Young Master Sun and their mother’s warnings, she tried to dissuade her, despite her own anger toward the girl.
“Mother is too cautious, too concerned with her reputation among noblewomen. That girl has stolen Father and Young Master Sun’s hearts—even Cold Shizi and Prince Ning are bewitched. If we don’t act, all of Daqi’s talented young men will flock to her. We’ll be left with nothing.”
Mu Wanxia’s jealousy burned at the thought of the men she desired—and even her father—being enchanted by that formerly worthless girl. Her sister’s warnings fell on deaf ears as she strode coldly to her room.
“Sister… Ah. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. But perhaps it’s for the best. Let them fight—we’ll see who’s truly stronger.”
Mu Wanjun watched her sister leave, sighing in feigned helplessness, though a sly glint flickered in her eyes.
“Leave me. I wish to rest.” Back in her room, Mu Wanjun dismissed her maids.
Alone, she opened a hidden compartment beneath her jewelry box and withdrew an old handkerchief, its corner stained with long-dried blood. Cradling it tenderly, her face softened with bittersweet longing, lips curving in a secret smile. The stain did nothing to diminish her fond memories.
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