“You…” Madam Liu’s face turned awkward as she heard her speak these words in front of Mu Zhenfeng.
“Madam, what is going on here?”
Mu Zhenfeng’s thoughts stirred upon hearing this. A few days ago, Wanqing’s complaints had been trivial, something he could easily overlook. But now, hearing about such actions, his eyes narrowed slightly, filled with deep confusion and disbelief. He coldly questioned Madam Liu.
“My lord, there’s no such thing. It was all those wretched maids like Xiangmei… I’ve already punished them. I never expected this girl to target me like this. My lord, you must believe me.”
Under Mu Zhenfeng’s interrogation, the fury in Madam Liu’s eyes toward Wanqing vanished, replaced by indescribable panic and nervousness. She looked at Mu Zhenfeng with a pleading gaze, as if she herself was wronged and misunderstood.
“That’s right, Father. It was all those maids scheming behind Mother’s back…”
Mu Wanxia and her sister wore expressions of confusion, while Mu Wanjun quickly snapped back to attention. She rose coquettishly, looking at her furious father and chimed in.
“Yes, Father.”
Mu Wanxia also stood up, shaking Mu Zhenfeng’s arm playfully.
“This doesn’t concern you. Go back. I’m asking you—what exactly happened?”
In other matters, Mu Zhenfeng might have turned a blind eye, but anything threatening the reputation of the Marquis’s household unsettled him. Faced with the coquettishness of his two beautiful daughters, his expression softened slightly, but he still regarded them coolly. Watching them reluctantly return to their seats, he turned his gaze to Wanqing and Madam Liu.
“I know you’ve disliked me since I was very young, but today, I hope you can give me an explanation and handle this fairly.”
Wanqing cast a cold glance at Madam Liu, who was visibly flustered but tightly gripping her handkerchief to mask it. She looked at Mu Zhenfeng with hopeful eyes. Seeing him nod slightly, she recounted the events of the afternoon, her expression growing increasingly pained and distressed.
“Today, you had Mother arrange for me to stay in my birth mother’s courtyard, and I was genuinely happy. But I never expected that when Chunhong and I arrived, we saw Xiangmei and several maids fooling around in the room with a man who often comes to our estate to collect night soil. I…”
She paused, calming her anger before continuing.
“If only a few of us knew, it might have been manageable. But the worst part is that Sister Hongyan, sent by Eldest Brother to protect me, also witnessed it. Mother was furious and ordered them beaten nearly to death, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt something was off. So I saved Xiangmei from Mother’s hands. To my shock, Xiangmei told me everything was arranged by Mother—targeting me. Father, am I really so worthless in your eyes that I deserve to be matched with such a man?”
After speaking, Wanqing watched as Mu Zhenfeng’s expression darkened further. She suppressed a smirk inwardly but maintained a look of despair and sorrow as she turned to Madam Liu. She discreetly pinched her thigh and lifted her sleeve to wipe away tears.
“…Madam, how do you explain this?”
Seeing Wanqing’s sudden burst of emotion and tears, Mu Zhenfeng felt an inexplicable pang of sympathy. He swallowed the words of comfort he had intended to say and instead turned his questioning to Madam Liu.
“My lord, it was all that wretched Xiangmei causing trouble. You know how close Xiangmei and Xianglan were since childhood—their bond was indescribable. After Xianglan’s death, Xiangmei repeatedly begged me to help her seek revenge, but I always stopped her. I never imagined she would go this far in the end. I…”
Under Mu Zhenfeng’s questioning, Madam Liu avoided his gaze but forced herself to explain.
“Is that so? If you knew of her intentions, why didn’t you stop her sooner? And now this mess. Thankfully, Qing’er is unharmed. If something had happened, how would others view you as her stepmother? What would they say about the Marquis’s household? Where is that maid? Bring her to me. I will personally interrogate her and hear her explanation.”
Recalling the incident with Xianglan, which had been unavoidable at the time, Mu Zhenfeng coldly retorted at Madam Liu’s explanation, noting her nervousness and panic. He reprimanded her for failing to prevent this despite her knowledge. Watching Madam Liu bow her head in repeated acknowledgment, he then ordered the servants to fetch Xiangmei.
Wanqing stood composedly beside Chunhong, smiling faintly as she observed Madam Liu, who had been scolded but remained relatively calm despite her visible grievance.
“I hope Father will judge this matter fairly once Xiangmei arrives.”
Noticing the steadiness and smugness in Madam Liu’s gaze, Wanqing responded with an innocent, sweet smile before addressing Mu Zhenfeng with rare courtesy.
She had only intended to gauge Madam Liu’s reaction but was surprised to see this side of her father. When it came to threats against the Marquis’s reputation and interests, he acted decisively. Since he was being so accommodating, calling him “Father” a few more times was nothing. She also wanted to see how he would choose between familial bonds, the Marquis’s reputation, and Madam Liu.
Wanqing’s calm and righteous demeanor unsettled Madam Liu, who had sent people during dinner, confident they might have already dealt with the situation by the time Wanqing and her maid arrived.
Just as Madam Liu steadied herself, the maid Mu Zhenfeng had sent for earlier returned.
“My lord, Xiangmei has been brought, along with Miss Hongyan from the Crown Prince’s household.”
As the maid stepped aside, several people entered from outside. Leading them was Xiangmei, followed closely by Hongyan, who was dragging a stumbling black-clad man behind her.
Seeing the sudden pallor and panic on Madam Liu’s face at Xiangmei’s arrival, Wanqing smiled sweetly and cast a mocking glance at the visibly shaken Madam Liu. She then turned to her stern-faced father and spoke before approaching Hongyan with delight. Spotting the black-clad man, she asked in surprise:
“Xiangmei is here. Sister Hongyan, I’m so glad you’re safe. Who is this…?”
“You should ask the Marchioness. This man was sent by her to kill Xiangmei. I happened to capture him. Speak! Repeat everything you told me earlier!”
At Wanqing’s question, Hongyan gave her a cold glance, recalling how the girl had supposedly fainted earlier yet was now here. Turning her icy gaze to Madam Liu, she kicked the black-clad man and barked an order.
“I…”
The man staggered to his knees from the kick and instinctively looked at Madam Liu.
“Speak! Who sent you to kill Xiangmei?”
Despite their marital bond, the mounting evidence enraged Mu Zhenfeng. He stepped forward, cold fury in his voice, and pressed the tip of his sword against the black-clad man’s throat.
“Go ahead and kill me if you dare…” The black-clad man, a young fellow, met Mu Zhenfeng’s glare. Noticing Madam Liu’s despondent expression, his eyes flickered before he gritted his teeth and sneered. Suddenly, he flicked his sleeve, and a sharp arrow shot straight at Mu Zhenfeng’s face.
“Watch out!”
Wanqing had been observing the interaction between the black-clad man and Madam Liu. What had been mere suspicion earlier now solidified in her mind—Madam Liu was indeed far from simple. But she never expected the man to attack Mu Zhenfeng upon receiving Madam Liu’s signal.
There was no time to intervene. She was the closest and cried out in alarm, lunging forward.
“Miss—!”
“Young lady—!”
As Wanqing rushed forward, she managed to dodge the fatal strike, but the arrow still pierced her shoulder. At the same moment, Mu Zhenfeng’s sword slashed the man’s throat. Behind her, Hongyan and Chunhong rushed to her side, supporting her with urgent concern.
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