Outside the courtyard, Feng Qishi leaned against the wall, arms crossed, staring ahead. He began to worry about Mu Anxiao’s safety. However, due to his status, he knew that if he went in at this moment, it would only burden them. What's more, in their tense state, they might not be able to speak freely.
But Mu Anxiao was different. Her current identity was that of a servant, and they wouldn't have any reservations in talking to her.
With these thoughts, he abandoned his own superfluous concerns and sighed.
Inside the room.
Mu Anxiao and the others found themselves in an awkward predicament. She knew that if she spoke now, they would surely suspect her. There was no other way; the best course of action was for them to remain silent, and she would remain silent too. It was a game of who could outlast whom in the awkward silence.
Finally, after minutes of stalemate, the fourth servant couldn't hold back any longer. "Why is no one speaking?"
Upon hearing this, the first servant breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at the fourth servant. "Did you see anyone else just now?"
"I only saw her," the fourth servant said, pointing at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao gave them a sheepish grin.
"Shouldn't you be with the General?" the second servant asked, feigning ignorance.
Mu Anxiao understood that the second servant was testing her, so she replied, "The General sent me here to find a place to stay." She spoke, glancing sideways at the neatly arranged wooden bunk beds lined up against the wall behind her. "This place looks good."
"They're all full. Don't even think about it," the third servant said flatly.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao quickly turned to look at the third servant, who had clearly refused her entry. "But the General sent me here to live. If you don't let me stay, where will I go?"
"There's a single room next door. That would suit you," the fifth servant offered proactively.
"I see you're having a lively chat. Why not all join in?" Mu Anxiao hadn't actually heard anything. She said this now with the intention of bonding with them.
Unexpectedly, the moment Mu Anxiao uttered these words, all of them revealed expressions of surprise.
Then, the fifth servant said, "You truly were sent by the General to check up on us."
"How much do you want? Just say it," the third servant boasted.
Mu Anxiao's eyes lit up at the third servant's words. "Are you offering me hush money?"
"Yes, as long as you don't say anything, we'll pool together the hush money for you."
The other servants were displeased after the third servant spoke these words.
Mu Anxiao didn't notice the change in their expressions. Instead, she was captivated by the third servant's words. "You want to use money," she said, leveraging their tense mood, "to silence me, is that what you mean?"
"Yes," the third servant nodded.
A sly smile played on Mu Anxiao's lips. "Thinking about it this way, this is a good deal."
"How much do you want?" the third servant asked, each of them glancing at the reluctant servants around them.
Mu Anxiao seized the opportunity and hugged her arms across her chest. "I'm not greedy. Your money is probably not much, so just give me..." She trailed off. Suddenly, she remembered that her purpose for entering was to find out news about Shuer from them. If she took the money now, they would undoubtedly become wary of her.
Thus, she suppressed her greed, retracted her previous thought, and said, "Just kidding, brothers. You all took it seriously." As she spoke, she naturally walked up to the third servant and patted him on the shoulder.
In an instant, with a few clever words, Mu Anxiao managed to blend in with them. She was now sitting next to the fourth servant, incessantly badmouthing Feng Qishi.
They remained silent, which made Mu Anxiao’s rambling awkward. "What's wrong? Why is no one saying anything?" she asked, casually picking up a cup and taking a sip of tea.
The third servant gave Mu Anxiao a sheepish grin.
Mu Anxiao glanced at the third servant, put down the teacup, and said, "What are you smiling about? I'm telling the truth. That guy is just pretending; he's not scary at all."
"The General has been good to us. It’s not right to speak ill of him like this," the first servant defended Feng Qishi.
The other servants chimed in with similar sentiments.
Mu Anxiao felt a wave of awkwardness. She cleared her throat, slowly placed the teacup on the table, and looked at each of them. "It was my fault. Please be magnanimous and don't tell the General what I said."
"Hush money," the fourth servant suddenly interjected.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao slowly turned her head and stared at him. "Brother, talking about money makes us strangers," she said, forcing a laugh.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, the fourth servant also put down his teacup and fixed his gaze on her. "I learned from you." After saying this, he even smiled at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao was thoroughly embarrassed. "No, weren't we strangers just a moment ago? Besides, I didn't ask you for money." As she spoke, she subtly glanced at them, trying to find someone to back her up.
To her surprise, the moment Mu Anxiao said this, they all lowered their heads.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao’s heart sank. "You're all really ruthless."
"You spoke about the General first. If you want to continue living here, pay the hush money. If not," the fourth servant said with a serious expression, "then don't blame me for being heartless."
"Are you going to report me?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
The fourth servant nodded. "Yes."
"You..." Mu Anxiao had always thought that after talking a lot, they would become her own people. Who knew she was too naive? But this was also good. This way, she could openly bring up what she wanted to say. "Fine, consider me unlucky. I can give you money, but!" She stood up.
The fourth servant looked up. "But what?"
"But I don't think just saying this much warrants payment," Mu Anxiao said deliberately.
The fourth servant frowned.
The first servant watched Mu Anxiao with interest and said, "What else do you want to say?"
"I want to say," Mu Anxiao began, guessing that their nervousness when she first entered was due to Shuer. Thinking this, she continued, "Shuer." She said it intentionally.
Upon hearing this, they all fell silent.
Mu Anxiao smiled. "This way, paying money will be worthwhile," she said, glancing down at each of them.
Immediately, the fourth servant spoke first. "Shuer is a good girl."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao quickly looked down at the fourth servant.
The fourth servant looked up at Mu Anxiao simultaneously. "What do you want to ask? Ask away," he said, gesturing to a chair.
Mu Anxiao looked down and then consciously sat down.
《An Xiao Feng Qi Shi》will continue to be updated without errors.