Chapter 18: Went the Wrong Way
Throughout the evening meal, even though Mu Xiang didn"t speak much, everyone could tell that Mu Xiang"s att.i.tude towards Mu Yunjin had really warmed up quite a bit.
Even after Mu Yunjin finished a bowl of rice, he would continue to follow up and ask her if she was full yet.
To the Mu Xiang who usually didn"t care about this daughter, it was already an extreme change.
Mu Lingzhu sat beside her. This meal made her lose her appet.i.te. She occasionally glanced at Mu Yunjin, her heart silently thinking over some matters.
After a moment, a memory unconsciously surfaced in her mind of the day that Auntie Su drowned and died. She had gone to Ascending Blossoms Pavilion to find Mu Yunjin.
When she went to go talk to Mu Yunjin at that time, not only had she not been even a little cowardly: she had even deliberately exposed the pinch markings on Auntie Su"s neck to suggest the reason for her death.
Yep, how could she have forgotten such an important matter?
She stopped thinking about it, biting her lips as her eyes continued to roll. She silently thought, Imperial Concubine Qin must have told this idiot some matters. Otherwise, how could this idiot change so dramatically for no reason?
Hmph, did they think Mu Yunjin could really become the Consort of the Sixth Prince?
In your dreams!
After they finished eating, they went back to their own places. Mu Yunjin"s new Listening Blossoms Pavilion just happened to also be in the same direction as Mu Lingzhu"s Pearl Building. She hadn"t walked a few steps before Mu Lingzhu halted her.
"Big Sister, wait for me." Mu Lingzhu quickly walked up to her.
Mu Yunjin slowed, casting a glance at Mu Lingzhu who walked beside her, not speaking.
"Big Sister, you just moved into Listening Blossoms Pavilion. It just so happens that my Pearl Building is on the way. Let"s go together." Mu Lingzhu laughed as she spoke to Mu Yunjin.
Mu Yunjin relaxed completely, an unknown smile creeping over her face, "Please speak directly, Little Sister."
Mu Lingzhu felt a sudden coldness emitted from the person nearby and felt that her recent conjecture was correct.
"You must have killed Auntie Su on that day, right?" Mu Lingzhu went straight to the point, stopping in her steps. She kept her eyes on Mu Yunjin, not letting any of Mu Yunjin"s expressions pa.s.s her by.
Mu Yunjin also stopped, casting a glance at Mu Lingzhu, her eyes filled with hidden laughter, "Yep, I did it."
"Sure enough it was you……" When Mu Lingzhu saw Mu Yunjin admit it, she conjured an angry expression, "I"m going to go inform Father."
"Inform him about me?" Mu Yunjin"s brows creased. She took a step forwards and walked to Mu Lingzhu"s ear, "Go, tell on me. While you"re at it, tell Father that you told Auntie Su to come to my Ascending Blossoms Pavilion in the middle of the night to attack me when you found out I was to marry Sixth Prince."
"The dead are your only witnesses. What evidence do you have that I ordered Auntie Su to kill you?" Mu Lingzhu coldly laughed, looking at Mu Yunjin with no fear.
Mu Yunjin heard this and the smile in her eyes increased. She looked back at Mu Lingzhu, glaring so hard that gooseb.u.mps began to form in Mu Lingzhu"s heart.
"You must know what happened before Auntie Su died- what she said and what she left behind, right?"
Mu Yunjin"s words made Mu Lingzhu"s face become white in an instant. She subconsciously bit her lip, her heart missing a few beats.
Mu Yunjin meant that she had evidence?
"What did Auntie Li leave you with?" She followed with some casual words, but what Mu Lingzhu really cared about was whether Auntie Su had left information that could be used against her behind.
Mu Yunjin lightly chuckled, and hugged her arms, "As long as you stay quiet, I promise that item will never come to light.
"Otherwise……
"When the world finds out that the top talented girl conspired to harm her elder sister, the entire residence will be destroyed. When the time comes, how do you think the Sixth Prince you pine after will think of you?
"Thus, you better think well on it."
When she finished, she left.
Behind her, Mu Lingzhu"s fingers slightly clenched, as she frowned. Upon seeing this scene, her personal servant, Hong Xia softly said, "Miss, this time, Third Miss has actually held back. What shall we do now?"
Mu Lingzhu took a deep breath and turned around towards Blue Sky Pavilion.
When she had taken a few steps, she stopped again, as a flash of poisonous fierceness flashed in her eyes. To Hong Xia, she softly said, "Go, and call Cao Pan over."
"Yes, Miss."
—
The moment she stepped into Listening Blossoms Pavilion, Zi Xiang immediately closed the door and curiously asked, "Miss, did old servant Su really leave some evidence behind for Miss?"
Mu Yunjin heard this and immediately laughed as she spoke, "I was speaking some nonsense, to scare her. Look at how scared she was, her face all white.
"From one glance, I could tell she was as guilty as a thief. That Mu Lingzhu. At such a young age, her heart is already so dark. Fortunately she still reads so many books. Her mind is completely on things she should not be worrying about."
Zi Xiang heard Mu Yunjin"s words and smiled as she pointed at Mu Yunjin, "Miss, you"ve become worse and worse."
"You"ve overpraised me." Mu Yunjin made a fist with her hands as she made a "you let me win" face.
Zi Xiang laughed, as the pair of master and servant continued to mess around in Listening Blossoms Pavilion.
—
The next day, Mu Yunjin who was dreaming, was softly awoken by Zi Xiang. With drowsy eyes, she only heard Zi Xiang support her little face and say, "Fourth Miss is to go out of the residence to partic.i.p.ate in a Poem Recitations a.s.sembly. She especially asked the Master to bring Miss along and the Master agreed."
Mu Yunjin yawned, full of impatience, "What the f*ck is a Poem Recitations a.s.sembly?"
"This servant does not know either, but Miss should still quickly get up. Fourth Miss"s people just came over to notify us. If we were to let them wait longer, that would not be too good." Zi Xiang spoke, helping Mu YUnjin pick the clothes she was to wear out of the residence.
Mu Yunjin nodded. Even though this Poem Recitations a.s.sembly was not too interesting, getting out of the residence to walk around was pretty great.
After Mu Yunjin finished getting set and went to the anteroom, Mu Lingzhu was already waiting for her there. When she saw Mu Yunjin"s figure, she lightly laughed, "Today, I"ll have to trouble big sister to accompany me there."
"There"s no harm in doing so." Mu Yunjin curved her lip and glanced at Mu Lingzhu. She just so happened to see an artificial light in Mu Lingzhu"s eyes.
After a pause, Mu Yunjin understood something in her heart, and turned to Zi Xiang, "Today, you should stay in the residence. As we just moved into Listening Blossoms Pavilion, you should go clean up that place and organize it, and I can go with my little sister to the Poem Recitations a.s.sembly."
Zi Xiang drew a blank. She was a bit suspicious, and she even was about to speak, but she saw that Mu Yunjin made a meaningful glance with her eyes and so she could only close her lips and nod.
Mu Lingzhu saw that Mu Yunjin was not bringing her servant out, and the smile in her face became richer, as she pretended to intimately take Mu Yunjin"s hand and drag her out the door.
It seemed as if she had already forgotten her conversation with Mu Yunjin last night.
On the carriage that was to go out of the residence, Mu Lingzhu was extremely close to Mu Yunjin. She cast her eyes down and said to Mu Yunjin, "Big sister, I"ve thought it through. The things I did in the past were all my fault. I apologize to you now. As such a great, magnanimous person, can you forgive me?"
Mu Yunjin already no longer knew how to mock this Mu Lingzhu. She was a girl who had yet to marry out, but how come she had so many plots on hand?!
Even though she thought this, Mu Yunjin still cooperated with Mu Lingzhu"s act and shook Mu Lingzhu"s hand, "You are my blood-related sibling. We have the same blood flowing through our veins. How would older sister blame you?"
"Many thanks elder sister, for disregarding our former enmity." Mu Lingzhu laughed, as her smile gradually increased.
Mu Yunjin nodded, and opened the curtains of the carriage. Looking at it from afar, the carriage was currently weaving through the city center of Flowery b.u.t.terflies City, with no intent of stopping, "Little sister, where is this Poem Recitations a.s.sembly?"
"At the West Waters Pavilion in the outskirts of town."
"All right." Mu Yunjin"s eyes flashed as she put the curtain back down.
Nearby, at the Fragrant Thea Sinesis tearoom, two figures sat near the second floor window, their eyes focused on the red sandalwood carriage.
"Your Highness, wasn"t the Third Miss of the Mu family in that horse carriage?" Ding Xian thought about the graceful glance from the person within the carriage after she had pulled the curtains up. Then, he turned towards Chu Li who was kneeling on a jade colored mat with flowery and elegant clothing.
Chu Li"s gaze had also landed on the carriage that was already far away now. When he thought about the face that was so familiar to him, he carelessly spoke, "Where do you end up if you keep heading north?"
"They"re heading in the direction of the northern outskirts of town. That"s where all the bad guys in Flowery b.u.t.terflies City are." Ding Xian spoke.
Chu Li nodded, and did not speak further.
—
Mu Yunjin did not know how long she had been sitting in the carriage before the carriage slowly stopped. Outside, the sound of Hong Xia cursing the carriage driver came in……
"You"re such a useless thing. How did you even do things? You don"t even recognize the roads?!"
"Miss Hong Xia, I am sorry. I went on the wrong road just now. I"ll turn back this instant." The carriage driver opened his mouth, full of apology.
Mu Lingzhu lifted the curtains and furrowed her brows. She looked at Hong Xia who was outside, "What happened?"
"Reporting to Fourth Miss, this driver went the wrong way, wasting our time." Hong Xia stamped her feet.
When Mu Lingzhu heard this, she turned her head and smiled to Mu Yunjin as she spoke, "The driver went the wrong way."
"Then let"s return. Otherwise, if we arrive late at your Poem Recitations a.s.sembly, that won"t be too good." Mu Yunjin slightly curved her lip, a dagger hidden in her sleeve starting to stir.
The next second, things happened exactly as she had thought they would. Outside, the sound of many horse hooves were heard. Almost immediately, Hong Xia"s screams came in.
"Hahaha, today our luck is not too bad. We actually found a red sandalwood carriage. There must be many valuable treasures inside!"
When she heard the coa.r.s.e sounds, Mu Lingzhu was so scared that she began to pull back from the carriage. She nervously said to Mu Yunjin, "Big sister, I think we"ve encountered some robbers. What shall we do?"
Mu Yunjin didn"t even lift her eyes, her heart silently cursing, Didn"t you bring these robbers over? What are you pretending for?!
"This lady looks pretty fine. Let"s bring her back so that our brothers can have some fun." Outside the carriage, Hong Xia"s screams and the laughing from the robbers drifted in.
Mu Yunjin saw this scene, her face indifferent, with a careless manner. Compared to the nervous and scared Mu Lingzhu, it was a sharp contrast. It seemed as if she was the one who had found the robbers instead.
As she thought about this, the curtain on the carriage was ripped open, and she immediately heard cries of happiness, "Big brother, in here there are even two excellent ladies!"
"Quickly, quickly get out and let our big brother look at you two." As he spoke, Mu Yunjin and Mu Lingzhu were dragged off the carriage.
After sitting in the carriage for a long time, and suddenly being dragged off of it, Mu Yunjin"s eyes were painfully stimulated by the light outside. She rubbed at her eyes, focusing on her surroundings.
She sighed again. This Mu Lingzhu was so generous… she had actually found more than ten people to go up against just one of her.
Translated by tranzgeek the T_T
Edited by Ely