After exiting the back gate, Mu Yunjin quietly climbed a large tree, concealing herself among its branches while observing the figures coming and going below.
Before long, Mu Yunjin spotted Aunt Li’s suspicious figure appearing at the back gate. As she walked, she kept glancing behind her while heading toward a secluded alley ahead.
Seeing this, Mu Yunjin smiled and jumped down from the tree, silently following behind Aunt Li.
While trailing Aunt Li, Mu Yunjin discovered that she deliberately took a roundabout route. After passing through the small alley, there was a quiet, deserted path, and Aunt Li was heading in the direction of the Imperial Palace.
Seeing that no one was around, Mu Yunjin decided not to delay. She flashed behind Aunt Li and struck the back of her neck with a chop. Aunt Li had no time to react and immediately collapsed unconscious on the small path.
After Aunt Li fainted, Mu Yunjin searched her body. A moment later, she found a note hidden in Aunt Li’s bosom.
Upon reading the contents of the note, Mu Yunjin smiled contemptuously, then crumpled the note into a ball and clutched it tightly in her palm.
Indeed, that mother-daughter pair was still causing trouble!
Glancing at Aunt Li on the ground, Mu Yunjin’s eyes concealed a sharp glint. This scheming servant had followed Su Biqing in doing numerous evil deeds; it was time she had a taste of suffering!
…
…
After speaking, Mu Yunjin stripped off Aunt Li’s outer garment and tore it into several strips. She bound Aunt Li’s hands and feet together, then stuffed a cloth strip into her mouth. Afterward, she dragged Aunt Li through the back gate of the Minister’s mansion and headed toward the dog kennel.
After dealing with Aunt Li, Mu Yunjin walked toward the kitchen in the mansion…
……
That night, Minister Mu sent someone to invite Mu Yunjin to join them for dinner.
At the table, Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu were exceptionally cordial to Mu Yunjin, repeatedly picking up dishes for her and urging her to eat more.
Nearby, seeing this scene, Mu Xiarou couldn’t help but exchange glances with her mother, Luo Ningyu. Observing the situation, Luo Ningyu said nothing and silently continued eating.
“Yunjin, you’ve lost a lot of weight. Eat more,” Su Biqing said while helping Mu Yunjin with more food.
Mu Yunjin returned an innocent smile to Su Biqing. “Thank you, Mother.”
The evening meal had an exceptionally harmonious atmosphere, making even Minister Mu feel that it had been a long time since he had felt so at ease. He thought that if only Yunhan were here as well, the scene would be perfect.
“Mother, you’ve been worried lately. Please eat some too,” Mu Yunjin said, picking up a piece of spareribs and placing it in Su Biqing’s bowl.
Next, she added a piece of chicken to Mu Lingzhu’s bowl. “Sister, please eat more as well.”
Seeing this, the two exchanged glances subtly, then smiled knowingly, graciously eating the food Mu Yunjin had served them.
Witnessing this scene, Mu Yunjin lowered her gaze with a slight smile, leaned back in her chair, and casually picked at her crimson-dyed fingernails.
A moment later, Mu Lingzhu and Su Biqing, who had been wearing forced smiles, began to look uncomfortable. Their brows furrowed slightly as they uneasily rubbed their stomachs.
Soon after, their faces turned nearly pale. Su Biqing put down her chopsticks and addressed Minister Mu, “My lord, my stomach feels uncomfortable. I’ll stop eating for today.”
Mu Lingzhu also spoke up at the right moment. “Father, my stomach is uncomfortable too.”
After speaking, the mother and daughter didn’t wait for Minister Mu’s response. They hastily left the front hall, their steps urgent, with no regard for appearances.
Minister Mu, seeing this scene, slightly furrowed his brow, his expression showing some contemplation.
……
Inside Shihua Pavilion.
“Zixiang, quickly help me wipe these off. They look terrible,” Mu Yunjin extended her fingers as Zixiang used a small hairpin to scrape off the red dye from her nails.
Zixiang, noticing that the hairpin was slightly damaging Mu Yunjin’s natural nails, couldn’t help but mutter, “Miss, didn’t you just apply this dye this afternoon? How come you’ve tired of it so quickly?”
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin winked at Zixiang. “This was to conceal the croton seed powder I hid under my fingernails.”
“By now, Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu are probably near collapse. They won’t be sleeping peacefully tonight.”
Mu Yunjin spoke with a smile, her eyes hiding a hint of cunning. Since these two dared to scheme against her, she had to repay them in kind.
Hearing Mu Yunjin’s words and recalling how she had been pelted with eggs during the day, Zixiang couldn’t help but agree, “They truly deserve it!”
“This time, not only did Su Biqing and her daughter suffer, but I also avenged Aunt Zhang along the way. I wonder how comfortable Aunt Li is now in the dog kennel.”
Zixiang was startled and looked at Mu Yunjin in surprise, then gave her a thumbs up, exclaiming, “Miss, you’re truly devious!”
“This is just the beginning,” Mu Yunjin smiled, feeling somewhat refreshed.
……
Early the next morning, Zixiang ran into Shihua Pavilion, covering her mouth and smiling as she saw Mu Yunjin sitting in the courtyard eating breakfast.
“Miss, the mansion sent two physicians early this morning to treat Big Madam and Fourth Miss. They say those two suffered from diarrhea all night. This morning, they were so weak they couldn’t bear it anymore and simply fainted.”
Mu Yunjin took a sip of red bean porridge, then put down her spoon and wiped her mouth. “Let’s go watch the drama unfold.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Mu Yunjin arrived first at Biluo Courtyard. At this time, Minister Mu was still at the morning court session in the palace. Besides the physicians who had come to treat them, there were only two or three little maids in Biluo Courtyard.
Su Biqing had regained consciousness after being fed some sugared water. She lay on the couch with a pale face, cold sweat seeping from her forehead.
“Physician, how is my mother?” Mu Yunjin asked the physician who was treating Su Biqing as soon as she entered her bedchamber.
The physician stood up and bowed to Mu Yunjin, then said, “Madam accidentally consumed a lot of croton seeds, which caused the continuous diarrhea. Fortunately, it was discovered early. As long as she takes a few doses of medicine and rests, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
“Thank you, physician. Well then, please go prepare the medicine for my mother without delay.”
The physician nodded and left with his medicine box.
“All of you go with the physician to prepare the medicine. I’ll stay here with Mother,” Mu Yunjin said to the remaining little maids in the room.
Hearing this, the maids curtsied and left.
Soon, only Mu Yunjin and Su Biqing remained in the spacious bedchamber.
“Just one night has passed, and Mother has become so haggard. It truly pains the heart,” Mu Yunjin said with a smile as she glanced at Su Biqing, who was glaring at her from the couch.
Looking at Mu Yunjin standing beside the bed, Su Biqing felt that her smile was particularly sarcastic. She couldn’t help but snort coldly, “You little slut, it was you who made me like this, wasn’t it?”
“Me harm you? You wronged me. Though I may not be considered a good person, I’ve never harmed anyone without reason.”
After speaking, Mu Yunjin looked around again, then her gaze returned to Su Biqing. “How strange, where is Aunt Li today? Doesn’t she usually accompany you?”
At the mention of Aunt Li, Su Biqing’s heart tensed. She suddenly remembered that she had sent Aunt Li out yesterday, and she hadn’t seen her since.
Her heart began to fear, and looking at Mu Yunjin now standing before her with that smile, Su Biqing suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
“What have you done to Aunt Li?”
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin smiled and took out a crumpled note from her sleeve, throwing it at Su Biqing’s face. She spoke coldly, “It was you who spread rumors about me in the streets, wasn’t it? And you who had people throw rotten eggs at me, right?”
Hearing Mu Yunjin’s words, Su Biqing’s gaze became evasive. Her heart was filled with resentment and anger. She never imagined that she would now be unable to deal with a mere Mu Yunjin.
How infuriating!
“What exactly have you done to Aunt Li?” Su Biqing asked again. She didn’t believe that Mu Yunjin dared to take Aunt Li’s life.
“Nothing much. She’s doing fine in the dog kennel of the mansion!”
After these words, Mu Yunjin stood up and left.
……
After leaving Biluo Courtyard, Mu Yunjin’s mood improved even more as she thought of Su Biqing, half-dead with illness on that bed.
After walking a few steps, Minister Mu was rapidly approaching from the opposite direction.
Upon seeing Mu Yunjin, Minister Mu paused and looked in the direction she had come from. “How is your mother?”
“The physician said she ate something bad. With a few doses of medicine and a few days of rest, she’ll be fine,” Mu Yunjin replied, curtsying to Minister Mu and speaking with feigned obedience.
Minister Mu nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and turned to look at Mu Yunjin. “Oh, when I was leaving the morning court session, I met the Ninth Princess. She asked me to tell you that she invites you to dine with her at Juxiang Restaurant at noon.”
“Yes, daughter understands.”
After bidding farewell to Minister Mu, Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow. Thinking of Princess Chu Qingyuan’s invitation, she couldn’t help but laugh softly. The last time she had met that girl, she had found her to be pleasant and quite likable.
At noon, Mu Yunjin arrived punctually at Juxiang Restaurant.
Upon entering the restaurant, Mu Yunjin was led by a waiter to a private room on the third floor. When she pushed open the door and saw the figures inside, Mu Yunjin was slightly startled.
In the private room, not only was Chu Qingyuan present, but Chu Li was also there.
Today, Chu Li was again dressed in purple. He sat quietly, his features as fine as a painting, emanating a dazzling and elegant air that made it difficult to look away.
“Sixth Sister-in-law, you’re here! Come sit down quickly!” Chu Qingyuan, sitting inside, waved to Mu Yunjin, pointing to a seat beside her.
Mu Yunjin nodded, her gaze inevitably falling on the purple figure nearby. Her eyes moved slightly, and then she sat down in the place Chu Qingyuan had indicated.
After sitting down, Chu Qingyuan enthusiastically poured a cup of tea for Mu Yunjin. “Sixth Sister-in-law, it’s been almost half a month since I’ve seen you. What have you been doing?”
Mu Yunjin took a sip of tea, glancing sideways at the person sitting to her right, and laughed lightly, “Household intrigue!”
Nearby, hearing Mu Yunjin’s succinct two words, Chu Li’s eyes raised slightly, his lips curving into a faint smile.
“By the way, Sixth Sister-in-law, I heard that you were pelted with rotten eggs on the street yesterday?”