Fortunately, Mu Rou did not keep them waiting for long. On the eighth day of the fourth month, the Buddha’s Birthday, an unfortunate encounter with a group of bandits startled the horse carriage belonged to the third young miss of the Cheng’en Marquis Manor, causing a chain reaction that spooked the carriage of the second Mu daughter as well. Both carriages were driven by the bandits all the way to the northern suburbs, eventually tumbling down a hillside.
Coincidentally, men from the Mingjing Bureau were nearby working on a case when the incident occurred. Leading the team was Li Yining, the seventh young master from the Zhongyong Count Manor. Together with his cousin Li Yichen—who rushed to the scene after learning of the situation—they descended to rescue the two young ladies.
Though the hillside wasn’t steep, it was full of thorny bushes. By the time help arrived, both young ladies were not only injured but their clothes were also torn. They were eventually carried up the hill draped in the garments of the two Li cousins.
Brimming with enthusiasm, Zhu Nanxi visited Mu Wan to share this juicy gossip, “Can you believe it? Apparently, that Wu Zhixuan had a crush on Xie Heng and was plotting against him. Who thought he would be injured that day, allowing the seventh son of the Li family to reap the benefit? Tsk, tsk, the Cheng’en Marquis Manor has been very lively these past few days.”
Wu Zhixuan was precisely the young lady who tumbled down the hillside alongside Mu Rou. As the third daughter of Cheng’en Marquis Manor, this made her a niece of the current empress dowager. She was known to be extremely infatuated with Xie Heng, and the Wu family was equally eager to see this match happen, especially since the political upheaval three years earlier had significantly reduced the number of imperial family members, elevating Xie Heng’s status as one of the most eligible bachelors in the capital.
“The Wu family sure dares to dream,” Zhu Nanxi scoffed. “Although they have the title of marquis, who doesn’t know it’s just for show? Yet they are bold enough to dream of becoming in-laws with the Xie family.”
Even though the rank they held might seem equal, the distinction between the two houses was significant. The Wu were nothing more than a slightly wealthy merchant family three years ago, and the sole reason for their meteoric rise into the rank of nobility was because of the Empress Dowager. The Xie, on the other hand, was a centuries-old noble house that had been contributing to the country since the founding of the nation. They had continued to flourish, maintaining a duke’s title up to the previous generation, showcasing their profound legacy.
To put it in a more vivid analogy, the Wu family was like a vocational high school that was forcefully upgraded to a university due to special circumstances, whereas the Xie family was like a prestigious, longstanding institution like Tsinghua or Peking University. Although both were universities, they were definitely not on the same level.
Yet the Wu family was self-confident enough to consider themselves a match for the Xie family.
“I think Xie Heng is aware of the Wu family’s intentions, and thus deliberately pushed Wu Zhixuan towards Li Qilang1.”
‘Yes, it was indeed intentional!’ Mu Wan silently thought to herself. Recalling her encounters with Xie Heng, she was more determined than ever to marry quickly and leave the capital. She absolutely did not want to encounter that crazy guy again!
Yes, Mu Wan was there that day too. Her thrilling encounter with Xie Heng at the Funiu Mountain had shocked her enough that she had avoided leaving the manor for days. On the Buddha’s Birthday, though, she could no longer stand being cooped up and decided to go out for some fresh air. Aware of Mu Rou’s intentions, she deliberately avoided following her to Daming Temple, choosing instead to go to the northern suburbs to gather locust flowers—she had been craving some locust flower rice recently.
Just as she entered the locust tree grove, she saw someone leaning against a tree, his chest smeared with blood.
Mu Wan pretended she hadn’t seen a thing and swiftly turned to leave. She had just taken a few steps when someone called out, “Stop.”
The voice was familiar and alluring, yet it sent a shiver down Mu Wan’s spine.
Still, the owner of the voice seemed too injured to chase her, so Mu Wan decided to pretend she hadn’t heard and continued walking, only to hear him calling again, this time with a slightly colder voice, “Eldest Miss Mu.”
“…” Mu Wan let out a silent protest. ‘…How are your eyes so sharp? You recognized me that quickly?!’
Now that the person had called her by name, she had no choice but to turn around, feigning surprise, “Marquis Xie, what are you doing here? What happened?”
Xie Heng glanced at her, “Does Miss Mu bear a grudge against me, or do you always ignore someone who’s dying on the roadside?”
Of course Mu Wan wouldn’t admit the truth, so she quickly defended herself, “How could it be? My lord, This commoner girl really didn’t see you just now.”
Inwardly, however, she mused: ‘Your gold-embroidered robe is so conspicuous, how could anyone overlook it? I’m simply not foolish enough to court trouble for myself, alright!’
“By the way, my lord, why are you alone? Where are your men?” She quickly changed the topic, knowing it was impossible for Xie Heng to appear here alone.
Xie Heng seemed to see through her, yet said nothing, only commenting, “They are chasing the criminals. This marquis was unlucky enough to get a hit.” He glanced at his chest, “Give me a bottle of medicine.”
Mu Wan subtly signaled to Yunling, who quickly opened her bag. Xie Heng surveyed the collection of small porcelain bottles inside, then his gaze returned to Mu Wan. Seizing the moment to dispel the previous suspicions, she said, “You see, my lord? This commoner girl cherishes her life above all and always comes fully prepared.”
“Here’s an antidote pill and hemostatic powder, if you please…”
Xie Heng seemed disinterested, simply saying casually, “Just the hemostatic powder will do.”
Mu Wan found his request peculiar—Why only the hemostatic powder? Doesn’t his injury require other treatments?
Just as she handed over the bottle, several people suddenly appeared, anxiously calling out “My lord!” and looked surprised to find Mu Wan there.
Xie Heng did not take the medicine from Mu Wan’s hand; instead, he politely said, “Thank you, Miss Mu, for tending to my wound.” While speaking, he quickly covered his chest, pretending as if she had finished treating the wound just moments ago.
Then, a man suddenly rushed in, reporting that bandits had hijacked the Wu family’s carriage and urging them to rescue the victims.
Xie Heng immediately ordered, “Captain Li, take your men and go.”
One of them hesitated, “My lord, that person seems to be the former palace personnel we have been pursuing. Aren’t you going yourself?”
Xie Heng frowned at this and tried to stand, but eventually, he fell back weakly, clutching his chest, and commanded, “Then what are you waiting for?! Go now! I will follow shortly!”
Seeing his condition, the others dared not delay and quickly followed Li Yining.
Afterward, Mu Wan watched as Xie Heng, who seemed feeble enough to be on the brink of death just seconds ago, easily stood up the moment his men were gone, “There’s no chance of using your medicine, but those spices look good enough. Let’s roast a rabbit to eat.”
Thus, Mu Wan found herself reluctantly working to roast a rabbit for Xie Heng.
…
At the time, Mu Wan vaguely knew she was being used, but only after news came that Wu Zhixuan had been rescued by Li Qilang that she finally learned the whole story.
‘Thankfully, it wasn’t a serious trouble.’—Mu Wan sighed in relief. It seemed the reason she was kept around was because of her unexpected appearance, and Xie Heng probably feared she might unknowingly interfere in his plan if left unsupervised.
Now that Xie Heng had achieved his goal, he should no longer need her as a temporary prop.
Still, this second encounter left Mu Wan uneasy enough that it hardened her resolve to quickly find a job and join a company far from the capital. Having nearly completed her review of the list, it seemed the ideal moment to engage Mu Rou in a meaningful conversation.
“Yunling, where is the poetry collection I asked you to fetch earlier? Let’s take it when we visit my second sister.”
…
Compared to the big dining pavilion and flower swing in the Wutong Courtyard, Mu Rou’s Zushi Courtyard was an epitome of quiet elegance, with lush green bamboo grove, stone-paved paths, and an ink vat placed just at the entrance of the main building.
The courtyard was empty, but the house sounded lively. As Mu Wan approached, she heard the joyful laughter of Shen-shi, “Liulang is too courteous; we have our own pharmacy, there’s no need for him to send medicine.”
It turned out that Li Yichen had sent medicine. After the incident on the Buddha’s Birthday, the Li family sent a matchmaker the very next day to propose marriage, and Mu Xingde yielded.
Likely, only Mu Wan, who knew about Mu Rou’s rebirth, understood that Wu Zhixuan had been used by Mu Rou, while everyone else believed she was innocently implicated.
After displaying a pretense of reluctance regarding the situation, Mu Xingde ‘reluctantly’ accepted reality for his daughter’s sake and welcomed Li Yichen as his prospective son-in-law once more.
As a second son-in-law, Li Yichen was evidently more competent than the eldest son-in-law.
An unfamiliar voice belonging to a young woman rang, “This is high-quality military-grade wound medicine, not usually sold in the market. Our young master took a special effort to procure it.”
Mu Xingde’s laughter followed, “Liulang is thoughtful.”
No wonder the courtyard was empty; everyone was inside to entertain the guest.
Yunling scoffed and looked at Mu Wan, “Shall we still go in?”
Mu Wan was also considering whether to come back later when she heard Shen-shi’s laughter, “Speaking of which, I recall that Old Madam Li likes to soak in hot springs, right?”
The Li family’s messenger replied, “Indeed, every autumn and winter, our old madam and her daughters-in-law spend some time at Linglong Mountain.”
“Then we should also include a hot spring estate as a dowry for Rou’er, right, Master?” Shen-shi suggested.
Mu Wan raised her eyebrows. The only hot spring estates near the capital were on Linglong Mountain, but these were limited in number and held by influential people, so they very rarely appeared in the market. Mu Xingde himself didn’t own one, and the only one in the Mu family’s possession belonged to Mu Wan, secured years ago by Xu Qinglan. They were able to keep the estate partly because of the small size, and partly due to their future in-laws relationship with the Zhongyong Count Manor.
Shen-shi’s words clearly targeted Mu Wan’s estate.
‘Tsk, tsk, after tasting just a little bit of power, they can no longer hold back?’
So Mu Wan parted the decorative curtains and entered the room.
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
Ok, I was close, rather than drugging, it was “touched them” scheme. And oho, wanting to steal from Mu Wan. Can’t wait to see how she slaps that stepmother’s face.
You are so fast! 🍻
I just happened to be scrolling on my phone when I saw the update 😅