“This…” It turned out to be written by Granny Liu herself, stating that her mother, Xue Qiuxiang, had been poisoned before her death. The hairpin was the very one she wore on her head before she succumbed to the poison, and the blood on it was hers.
Moreover, Granny Liu also mentioned that the one who poisoned her might be Madam Liu. At the end of the letter, Granny Liu left a final note: if anything were to happen to her, it might also be orchestrated by Madam Liu.
Though she didn’t understand the history between Madam Liu and her mother, at this moment, she vaguely felt that her mother’s so-called betrayal of her father wasn’t about emotional infidelity—it might all have been Madam Liu’s doing.
Thinking of Madam Liu’s various actions toward her, this speculation made Wanqing’s hands tremble as she held the letter.
“Miss, you…” Seeing the change in Wanqing’s expression, Honglian stepped forward worriedly.
“I’m fine. I want to go find my father.”
Her mother’s letter repeatedly emphasized that no matter what, she must not blame her father. Between the lines, her mother’s deep love for him was evident. Wanqing recalled the pain Fu Shaojun had inflicted on her before her transmigration, which had made her feel utterly devastated—only true love could leave such an indelible mark.
Despite her mother’s insistence that she blamed herself, Wanqing now believed she was nothing like the person she had previously imagined.
Honglian’s inquiry helped calm the storm raging in her chest. With a composed expression, she stood up and walked away.
“Alright, all of you may leave now. Qing’er, is something the matter?”
In the front courtyard, Mu Zhenfeng was arguing with Mu Wanxia and her sister. Hearing the maid’s report, he turned to them with a mix of irritation and helplessness. When he saw Wanqing approaching, he suppressed his frustration and asked calmly.
“Then we’ll take our leave.”
Mu Wanxia and her sister exchanged strange glances at Wanqing’s arrival but obediently lowered their heads and turned to leave. Particularly, Mu Wanjun let out a mocking snort as she brushed past Wanqing.
“You…” Honglian’s face flushed with anger at Mu Wanjun’s disrespectful provocation.
“Honglian, don’t be rude. These are the eldest and third young misses. They’ve been spoiled by their mother—no need to stoop to their level.”
Thinking that her mother and even Granny Liu might have died at Madam Liu’s hands, Wanqing found it hard to remain calm toward the sisters. She scolded Honglian quietly but introduced them with a composed tone, her words laced with thinly veiled mockery and challenge.
“You…” Though Mu Wanjun didn’t know the identity of the stunningly beautiful woman in red behind Wanqing, her words infuriated her.
“Jun’er!” Mu Wanxia quickly intervened. After exchanging glances, Mu Wanjun reluctantly backed down under her sister’s calming gaze, shooting Wanqing one last disdainful look before storming off.
Though the sisters held their tongues, Wanqing had no intention of being polite. Watching their retreating figures, she smirked lightly before turning to her father, who was staring at her in surprise, and asked nonchalantly:
“Eldest Sister, Third Sister, I thought you left in such a hurry because you had urgent matters. But judging by your attitude, it seems my maid’s words were quite accurate. Treating your own sister like this—Madam’s upbringing of you both is truly lacking. Father, can’t I just come to see you if I have nothing else to do? Or do you truly despise seeing your own daughter?”
“What nonsense are you spouting? A father could never despise seeing his own daughter. Has your injury healed?”
Mu Zhenfeng was taken aback by Wanqing’s sudden appearance and her sharp remarks, but recalling her recent popularity among several suitors, he forced a smile and changed the subject.
“Much better, thank you for your concern. I came to show you something. Father, have you seen this before?”
Though Mu Zhenfeng had never shown her much affection, his rare politeness now made Wanqing respond with a faint smile. She then produced the hairpin her mother had worn before her death.
“This… This was your mother’s favorite hairpin. I thought she had lost it. I didn’t expect you to have kept it.”
Mu Zhenfeng’s eyes locked onto the hairpin in Wanqing’s hand. His expression shifted from surprise to shock, then confusion. Wanqing remained silent, simply watching him.
After a moment, his face regained composure as he spoke calmly.
“Yes, at the time, Qing’er couldn’t protect herself, so she had no choice but to hide this hairpin. Father, do you know how Mother died?”
Wanqing couldn’t decipher the rapid changes in his expression but nodded faintly before posing her question.
“Your mother… she died of illness.”
Mu Zhenfeng’s voice was low and heavy with guilt as he answered after a long pause.
“But I’ve examined this hairpin. There’s blood on it—blood laced with poison. Granny Liu’s final letter to me also mentioned that Mother was poisoned before her death. Did you know about this?”
After speaking, Wanqing pressed her lips together, watching as Mu Zhenfeng’s eyes filled with sorrow, regret, and even resentment as he stared at the hairpin.
“What? Your mother was poisoned before she died… This…”
Her words struck Mu Zhenfeng like a physical blow. He staggered back, staring at her in shock. His grip on the hairpin loosened, and it clattered to the ground as he collapsed into a chair behind him. In an instant, he seemed to age decades, his face a mask of devastation, regret, and disbelief.
Seeing him like this, Wanqing couldn’t help but envision her mother—gentle and elegant—lying in bed, enduring the agony of poison, coughing up blood but forcing a smile, desperately hoping for even a single glance from the man she loved. Yet he never came.
The thought made her chest tighten painfully, her breath hitching. She closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the fury rising within her, and forced herself to remain composed as she asked:
“So, Father knew about the poisoning? Then why did you lie to me, saying she died of illness?”
“I… Granny Liu told me repeatedly that your mother was gravely ill. I went to see her, heard her coughing outside her room, even Granny Liu’s cries when she coughed up blood. But every time I thought of what she had done to me, I… Qing’er, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Wanqing’s relentless questioning seemed to age Mu Zhenfeng further. His face etched with remorse, he spoke haltingly before a tear slipped down his weathered cheek. He turned away, discreetly wiping it, then looked at her and asked softly.
“Had I told you, would you have believed me? Would you have mourned her death even a little? No, you wouldn’t. A man as heartless as you could never appreciate a woman’s unwavering devotion. And one more thing—I believe Madam Liu was the one who poisoned my mother.”
Wanqing’s icy gaze bore into him as she fired off her questions. Mu Zhenfeng’s lips trembled, but no words came out. Tears welled in his eyes, but she turned away in disgust, her words sharp as needles.
With a furious spin, she recalled another detail from Granny Liu’s letter and whirled back, her eyes like frost as she enunciated each word:
“Madam Liu? This… Qing’er, wait—”
Her words jolted Mu Zhenfeng to his feet. Stunned, his voice shook as he called after her, reaching out to stop her as she turned to leave.
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