Chapter 78
Mu Manor, Qingzhou Region.
Behind a large wooden table sat a delicate young girl reading reports that had been sent regarding various news. Her small face remained expressionless, her calm eyes betraying nothing. She read each page slowly, without rushing. Su Su, who entered the room with an envelope in hand, stepped forward and placed the letter on the table before her mistress, saying,
"Miss, it’s a letter from Duan Wang Palace."
"Duan Wang Palace?"
Mu Yingying looked away from the report in her hand and raised her eyebrows in slight surprise. As she saw the handwriting on the envelope, a smile imdiately spread across her face. It was a letter from ng Liting, after all.
She placed the report down on the table and picked up the envelope to read its contents. ng Liting invited Mu Yingying to visit the comrcial district the next day before she had to return to the Imperial Academy in three days. Once the academy resud, ng Liting likely wouldn’t have much free ti.
Mu Yingying smiled slightly and picked up a brush to write a reply on a piece of paper. After the ink dried, she folded the paper and placed it in an envelope, handing it to Su Su to deliver to Duan Wang Palace.
"Please send this to Duan Wang Palace, Su Su," the young girl said with a cheerful smile.
In truth, she had grown tired of staying within the residence lately, so she took this opportunity to accept ng Liting’s invitation to go out the next day. After all, she intended to explore the capital once more.
"Yes, Miss," Su Su replied, placing the envelope in her sleeve before reporting further. "Oh, right, Miss. This morning, our informant at the Cheng family sent news that a few days ago, the eldest young miss of the Su family t with the eldest young miss of the Cheng family at Cheng Manor."
"The eldest young miss of the Su family?"
Mu Yingying couldn’t help but be surprised. She had heard of Su Baimiao in her previous life. With her status, birth, and beauty surpassing any other woman, Su Baimiao had beco the number one lady in the land, almost like a goddess. From what she had heard, Su Baimiao was a gentle-hearted woman, adored by all who saw her, and everyone wanted to cherish her. She was like a perfect white lotus...
But why would this white lotus lower herself to associate with soone like Cheng Fuyuan, a lotus stuck in the mud?
In both her past and current life, there seed to be no connection between the two. So why had Su Baimiao visited Cheng Fuyuan at her residence in person?
"Do you know why she went to et Cheng Fuyuan at the residence?" Mu Yingying asked, raising her eyebrows, a strange premonition stirring within her.
"Our informant only ntioned that Eldest Young Miss Su waited a long ti to et Eldest Young Miss Cheng, but in the end, Eldest Young Miss Cheng never ca out to see her. Finally, Eldest Young Miss Su went into Eldest Young Miss Cheng’s bedroom herself. They closed the door and talked for a long ti. No one knows what they discussed before Eldest Young Miss Su left the manor,"
Su Su paused briefly before continuing, "From our informant’s report, I think this matter seems quite unusual, so I had soone investigate further. It turns out that the two had never t before and had no prior interactions at all. It was as if Eldest Young Miss Su suddenly decided to visit Eldest Young Miss Cheng out of the blue."
Mu Yingying pondered quietly. How could two people who had never known each other suddenly et at the manor? Not only that, but one was like white and the other black, won who were completely opposite in nature. What could they possibly have to discuss?
Thud, thud, thud.
She tapped her fingers on the table surface rhythmically. Her big, round eyes shone like fine pearls beneath the ocean, gleaming with mysterious light. She turned and gave an order to Su Su in a calm voice,
"Send our people to keep an eye on Su Baimiao and increase surveillance on Cheng Fuyuan. Whatever they do or wherever they go, I must know everything..."
"Yes, Miss," Su Su responded quickly before turning to leave the room to carry out the orders imdiately.
When Mu Yingying was left alone in the room, she narrowed her eyes slightly, contemplating sothing. So might think she was overly paranoid, but she trusted her instincts and was sure that sothing was not right. Sending people to monitor them was a precaution to avoid future troubles...
At dawn the next day, Mu Yingying got up and dressed as usual, though she chose attire more fitting for her status rather than the simple clothes she wore at the manor. Today’s outfit was a lovely, light pink, suitable for a ten-year-old girl. Her long hair was styled into two bun-like knots on either side of her head, tied with silk ribbons with long, flowing ends. Although Mu Yingying didn’t care much about fashion, she understood the need to dress appropriately, especially since she was going out with ng Liting, who held the rank of a lady. It was only proper to dress in accordance with the other’s status.
When the carriage from Duan Wang Palace arrived at the manor’s gate, Mu Yingying took Su Su and boarded the carriage to go out. ng Liting took the young girl to various shops, including clothing stores, jewelry stores, and several famous restaurants, like a true guide showing Mu Yingying around the capital’s comrcial district.
The two enjoyed their ti together until the afternoon. The carriage bearing the crest of Duan Wang Palace ca to a stop in front of the Ma Jun Tea House, where Mu Yingying and ng Liting alighted and entered the establishnt.
Today, they had been out and about for quite so ti and were rather tired, so they decided to find a place to sit and relax. Ma Jun Tea House was an excellent choice, and both of them agreed to go there without hesitation. As Mu Yingying and ng Liting were about to turn towards an empty private room, a group of young won approached and greeted them warmly, blocking their way. Then, a gentle voice called out,
"Greetings, Miss Fei Yang. I never expected to et you here."
ng Liting turned to look at the owner of the voice and recognized her as the eldest young miss of the Su family. She smiled warmly and replied, "Eldest Young Miss Su, what a coincidence..."
"It truly is a coincidence," Su Baimiao replied with a smile, glancing at the small figure beside ng Liting before speaking gently, "This young miss must be the seventh young miss of the Mu family, correct?"
"Yes," Mu Yingying greeted the beauty in front of her and lowered her eyes, surprised to encounter Su Baimiao so soon.
Standing beside Su Baimiao, Jiao Fangniang’s eyes imdiately sparkled and stepped closer to Mu Yingying, engaging her in conversation with a bright smile, "So, you are the youngest sister of Master Mu and Eldest Young Miss Mu."
"How is Eldest Young Miss Mu doing these days? I haven’t had the chance to thank her and Master Mu for their help last ti."
"Oh...she’s doing well," Mu Yingying replied with the innocent face of an ordinary ten-year-old, quickly adapting to the situation.
"That’s good to hear. I’ll have to visit your sister soti," Jiao Fangniang said sincerely. Since the incident at the river, she had grown fond of Mu Qingxuan but had never had the chance to see her again.
Wan Ningtong observed her friend’s enthusiasm and chuckled softly, "Fangniang, let’s continue our conversation inside. We’re blocking the way here."
"You’re right!"
Jiao Fangniang nodded in agreent. Su Baimiao, her face still gentle and unchanged, invited them, "If you don’t mind, we would like to invite you both to join us for tea in our room."
"Well..." ng Liting looked at Mu Yingying for her opinion. When the young girl nodded, she accepted the invitation. "Sure, having more people will make the atmosphere much livelier."
Once they had agreed, the five of them walked into a private room, leaving their servants to wait outside. Only the young misses sat inside, chatting casually.
"I heard that the Seventh Young Miss has just arrived in the capital. Have you encountered any difficulties or are there still things you’re not familiar with in the capital? If there are, you can always tell . I’d be happy to help," Su Baimiao said with a slight smile, her eyes full of genuine affection and tenderness as she looked at the small figure. Since the other party was Master Mu’s younger sister, she thought it best to be kind to this young girl to foster a relationship with Master Mu in the future.
"Thank you, but I’m starting to get used to it now. My eldest brother often took out to explore," Mu Yingying replied cheerfully, her small face breaking into an adorable wide smile, her big, round eyes shining with innocence like a pure, little rabbit.
"And how about you, Lady? How have you been? The Imperial Academy is about to start soon. Are you ready?"
Su Baimiao turned to ask the other beauty, her face still gentle, though her eyes briefly showed a cold glint.
Mu Yingying, who was sipping her tea, furrowed her brows slightly. The unusual look in Su Baimiao’s eyes, though fleeting, was clearly seen by Mu Yingying. A mocking smile appeared briefly at the corner of her mouth.
It seed...this white lotus wasn’t as pure as it seed!
"I’m ready now, but if possible, I would prefer that the start of classes wasn’t so soon. I’d still like to rest," ng Liting said with a laugh, causing the others in the room to laugh as well. The atmosphere was quite relaxed.
"This upcoming term, I’ve heard the Imperial Academy will host the Four Arts Competition, held every three years. It seems the capital is in for so big excitent," Wan Ningtong said cheerfully, sipping her tea.
"I wonder who will take first place this ti?"
Jiao Fangniang shrugged a few tis before taking a small bite of a snack, her expression indifferent to the competition. However, Wan Ningtong had a completely different perspective. She lowered her eyes slightly, pondering the upcoming event.
This year, she would be the first place in the competition!
If Wan Ningtong could secure first place, it would significantly bolster her standing, making her a perfect candidate for the position of the Empress!
Her father had once said that when the competition was over and she had secured first place, he and his allies would seize the opportunity to submit a petition urging for Wan Ningtong to marry His Majesty and beco the phoenix on the throne!
This had always been her dream, and soon...
Very soon, she would achieve it!
On the other hand, Su Baimiao had her own ambitions for this event. If she could showcase her skills and talents, it would cent her reputation as the number one lady in the land, unmatched even by ng Liting. Moreover, if her plans succeeded...ng Liting would surely be dood!
Then, she would have no rivals left to contend with!
Su Baimiao secretly smiled coldly to herself, casting a fleeting malicious glance at ng Liting before reverting to her usual gentle expression. Little did she know that all her actions were being keenly observed by Mu Yingying.
Throughout the conversation among the misses, Mu Yingying occasionally joined in, often adopting an innocent deanor as if she were a child who didn’t quite understand the adults’ conversation. She sat sipping tea and eating snacks while discreetly observing everyone’s behavior and character. Mu Yingying was beginning to discern the personalities of the others, particularly the white lotus, Su Baimiao...
The gentle and kind deanor that Su Baimiao displayed was eerily familiar. After careful observation, Mu Yingying finally realized that Su Baimiao’s facade was very much like that of Mu Luofei in her previous life. The gentle face, the friendly smile, the caring words, and the seemingly kind expressions were all a facade!
Had it not been for the occasional cold and malicious glances that Su Baimiao failed to hide, Mu Yingying might have fallen into the sa trap as everyone else, believing Su Baimiao to be a true white lotus. But her past experiences and the inconsistencies she noticed made her quite certain that Su Baimiao was no different from Mu Luofei!
Moreover, it seed that Su Baimiao harbored considerable dissatisfaction towards ng Liting. The malicious glint in her eyes earlier had caused Mu Yingying to frown.
That look was identical to Mu Luofei’s, the look of a venomous snake planning to cunningly harm its prey. If one wasn’t careful, they could easily make a mistake and end their life!
But what reason did Su Baimiao have to be displeased with ng Liting?
Mu Yingying, while eating her snacks, pondered the connection between the incidents. No one noticed her abnormal behavior, seeing only a young girl happily eating her treats.
Her big, round eyes frequently glanced between Su Baimiao and ng Liting. Soon, sothing suddenly clicked in her mind. Although she didn’t know exactly why Su Baimiao was displeased with ng Liting, she was quite certain that Su Baimiao had no good intentions towards ng Liting. From the report yesterday stating that Su Baimiao had visited Cheng Fuyuan at the manor despite not knowing each other before, Mu Yingying could now roughly guess the reason...
It was widely known in the capital that Cheng Fuyuan was an enemy of ng Liting. If Su Baimiao truly had a grudge against ng Liting, it wouldn’t be surprising that she would approach Cheng Fuyuan, ng Liting’s enemy.
Because the enemy of my enemy was my friend!
Mu Yingying’s intuition warned her that the two must be plotting sothing, with their target being ng Liting!
The fog in her mind began to clear, revealing the truth. Mu Yingying glanced at Su Baimiao’s gentle face as she conversed with ng Liting. A mysterious smile appeared on her small face, and her big, round eyes sparkled with mischievous glee, like that of a little demon. However, no one in the room noticed any of this.
Even though it was all just speculation, the only thing she needed to do now was to find evidence to confirm it!
If the two won were indeed collaborating on a nefarious plan against ng Liting, with Su Baimiao’s cunning, Cheng Fuyuan would surely be used just like Mu Luofei had used others in the past!
And if these two wanted to stir up trouble...then she would play along!
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