The next day, Mu Yunjin enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation, sleeping until late morning—something she had never dared to do before.
She had intended to sleep for a full day and night, but Zixiang, worried about last night’s events, forcibly woke her up to help her wash and dress.
Before a bronze mirror, a woman with a slight smile, bright eyes, and rosy lips was fiddling with two pearl hairpins in her hand. She gazed at the stunning reflection in the mirror, her smile deepening.
Mu Yunjin looked at her reflection, her mood brightening. She never expected that she would possess such a beautiful appearance.
“Young Miss, which hairpin do you choose?” Zixiang had finished arranging Mu Yunjin’s hair and was staring at the two hairpins in her hands.
After those words, Mu Yunjin handed Zixiang a green jade hairpin.
Just as the jade hairpin was inserted into Mu Yunjin’s hair, multiple footsteps sounded outside the door. The footsteps drew closer, and then with a “bang,” the door was violently pushed open, and a group of people entered from outside.
When Zixiang saw the visitors, her hand trembled in fear. She immediately lowered her head, a flash of terror in her eyes, not daring to look up again.
Mu Yunjin, however, remained calm. She turned around, and upon seeing the people behind her, curved her lips into a breathtakingly beautiful smile. “Oh, it’s Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister. It’s been a long time.”
…
…
The visitors were her younger sister from the same mother, Mu Lingzhu, and the daughter of the Third Madam Luo Ningyu, Mu Xiarou.
“Hello, Sister.” Mu Lingzhu approached with a forced smile, her gaze falling on Mu Yunjin. When she saw that exquisitely beautiful smile on her face, Mu Lingzhu found it unbearably glaring.
After a moment, Mu Lingzhu gathered her thoughts and spoke meaningfully, “Aunt Su drowned in the lotus pond. Have you heard about this, Sister?”
Mu Yunjin glanced at Mu Lingzhu. The unremarkable face before her indeed confirmed that saying—
“The two wonders of Minister Mu’s household: Third Young Miss Mu Yunjin with her extraordinarily beautiful features and unparalleled grace, yet completely devoid of knowledge. Fourth Young Miss Mu Lingzhu with her profound learning and vast knowledge, yet of plain and ordinary appearance.”
Though each daughter had her strengths and weaknesses, her father, Minister Mu, still preferred the knowledgeable Mu Lingzhu.
“Oh? Aunt Su drowned?” Mu Yunjin’s eyes revealed a hint of surprise as she met Mu Lingzhu’s probing gaze. Then she continued rather regretfully, “Aunt Su was getting old and her legs weren’t reliable. It’s not surprising that she slipped and fell into the lotus pond.”
As she spoke, Mu Yunjin touched her neck, deliberately pulling her collar down slightly. The fair skin of her neck immediately revealed faint bruises.
Seeing this, a strange light flashed in Mu Lingzhu’s eyes. She bit her lip, her gaze lingering on Mu Yunjin’s neck, her fingers involuntarily clenching.
Damn it, weren’t those bruises on Mu Yunjin’s neck from being choked?
By deliberately revealing them now, wasn’t she telling her that Aunt Su’s drowning in the lotus pond was her doing?
Yet, despite this, she couldn’t expose that this was Mu Yunjin’s doing.
Because it was she who had sent Aunt Su to Shihua Pavilion in the dead of night to take Mu Yunjin’s life. Who would have thought that not only was Mu Yunjin unharmed, but she had also cost Aunt Su her life.
The more Mu Lingzhu thought about it, the angrier she became. Yet she couldn’t make a big deal of it. If it reached Father and he discovered any clues, she would be the one to suffer.
This Mu Yunjin, usually as tepid as a dead person—where did she find the courage to kill Aunt Su to silence her?
Her deliberate exposure of the bruises was also a warning to herself.
Mu Lingzhu’s teeth were almost ground to pieces with anger. Just as she was about to speak, Mu Yunjin’s calm voice came again, “I really wish I could pay my respects to Aunt Su, but Father has confined me here. Without his permission, I cannot leave Shihua Pavilion.”
Upon hearing Mu Yunjin’s words, Mu Lingzhu’s face turned ashen.
At this moment, Mu Xiarou, who had been silent all along, noticed the subtle atmosphere in the room. She rolled her eyes and suddenly spoke, pointing at the jade hairpin in Mu Yunjin’s hair, “Third Sister, is that the jade hairpin that Empress Qin bestowed upon you recently?”
“What about it?” Mu Yunjin glanced at Mu Xiarou.
Mu Xiarou suddenly covered her mouth and smiled, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes. “I’m just saying, Third Sister, you’re confined to Shihua Pavilion all day and can’t go out. Wearing such a fine hairpin is a waste.”
“Why not remove it and give it to Fourth Sister? After all, Fourth Sister is a person of status in the Western Yuan Kingdom and won’t waste Empress Qin’s goodwill.”
Mu Xiarou’s words greatly pleased Mu Lingzhu.
That’s right, how could Mu Yunjin, with no knowledge and only an empty reputation for beauty, deserve the hairpin bestowed by Empress Qin?
Although she didn’t care much for things given to Mu Yunjin by Empress Qin, seeing Mu Yunjin wear it still made her feel extremely irritated.
Hearing Mu Xiarou’s words, Mu Yunjin showed no reaction and didn’t speak, continuing to wait for Mu Xiarou’s next move.
Seeing that Mu Yunjin didn’t respond, Mu Xiarou summoned her courage, walked toward Mu Yunjin, and extended her hand to remove the jade hairpin from Mu Yunjin’s hair.
“This hairpin, Fourth Sister, would look very… Ah!!”
Mu Xiarou’s hand hadn’t even touched the hairpin in Mu Yunjin’s hair when she felt something strike her in the waist. The pain was so intense she couldn’t straighten up.
“Ouch, it hurts so much!” Mu Xiarou clutched her abdomen, her face pale.
Witnessing this, Mu Lingzhu’s brows furrowed, and she instinctively looked toward Mu Yunjin.
At that moment, Mu Yunjin was also looking at her, with a mocking smile on her face, one hand adjusting the jade hairpin in her hair.
“Lingzhu, Fifth Sister has a stomachache. You’d better take her to see a doctor quickly, or if you delay too long, she might be buried alongside Aunt Su.”