Unexpectedly, the moment Mu Anxiao spoke, A Ju suddenly withdrew her hand and said, "You want to inquire about Shu'er from her, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Since you still want to inquire, give me five taels of silver." A Ju raised her palm.
Mu Anxiao was confused. "I'm asking her, not you, why should I give you silver?" She put on an expression of disdain.
A Ju: "I don't care. If you don't give it to me, I'll go in and tell them a hooligan has come to the manor."
"Hooligan," Mu Anxiao repeated, sneering. "You're really good at finding the right moment to threaten people."
"If you want to be safe, give it to me," A Ju raised an eyebrow.
Mu Anxiao was speechless.
Seeing that Mu Anxiao wasn't paying attention to her, A Ju frowned. "I'm talking to you, don't you understand, or what? You..."
"Make it clear, I'm the one giving you the money, not you. If you dare to say another word of nonsense here, don't blame me for being impolite." Mu Anxiao was angry.
A Ju glanced at Xiao Yue and said, "She is my subordinate, so naturally she must listen to me. If you want to get information from her, you must go through me, it's that simple." After speaking, she straightened her back as if to emphasize her status.
The reason Mu Anxiao acted like this was because she was unwilling to spend a lot of money on this person. Unexpectedly, she was now being threatened, and the reason was Xiao Yue. Thinking of this, she took a deep breath and said, "You mean, she is your person, is that it?" She adjusted her mindset.
A Ju nodded.
Mu Anxiao: "Just because she is your person, I have to give you an extra two taels of silver, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, your logic is very clear, but," Mu Anxiao stared at A Ju, "I want to ask you a question. Xiao Yue is your subordinate, so who is Shen Moyun to her?"
A Ju's expression stiffened. "How dare you call the General by his name! Don't you want to live?"
"Putting aside the question of whether I want to live, let's first talk about whether you want to live." Mu Anxiao decided not to mince words with A Ju for the sake of the silver.
When A Ju heard this, she narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"
"It doesn't mean anything. I just feel that this manor belongs to Shen Moyun, and Xiao Yue is also Shen Moyun's subordinate. What are you?" Mu Anxiao said, taking a deep breath. "In other words, I've discovered that you no longer see yourself as a subordinate. You..."
"Don't talk nonsense. My position is higher than hers, so naturally she is my subordinate. Am I wrong to say this?"
Walls have ears, and A Ju was anxious, fearing that someone would overhear Mu Anxiao's words.
Mu Anxiao smiled faintly. "Let's not talk about that for now. I just think you don't have a clear understanding of your own identity. Do you understand what I mean?"
"How do I not have a clear understanding of my own identity? I am her superior, and she should listen to me."
"I've only heard that a subordinate's only master is the owner of this house. What is a superior? At most, you are someone who arranges work for Xiao Yue, not someone who pays her wages. Why should she listen to you? Tell me, am I right?" Mu Anxiao said, tilting her chin up.
A Ju dodged her gaze. "Your mouth as a little thief is really formidable. If that's the case, let someone else talk to you." As she spoke, she began looking around again.
Mu Anxiao calmly watched A Ju's feigned attempt to call someone and snorted, "Go ahead and call. Let's see who you can call." Saying this, she put away her money bag and crossed her arms in front of her.
When A Ju heard this, she immediately shifted her gaze back to Mu Anxiao's face. "You think I don't dare?"
"It's not a thought, I think you're just bluffing. Of course, I admit I wasn't telling the truth just now."
"As expected, a liar."
"Say whatever you want. I just want to tell you," Mu Anxiao saw A Ju's change in attitude and sensed that A Ju was the one leading the bullying of Shu'er. So she took this opportunity to scan A Ju from head to toe and said, "Actually, Shu'er didn't write me a letter praising you."
"Your true colors are showing," A Ju said, glancing at Mu Anxiao's money bag. "If you want me to keep these things quiet for you, give me the money bag."
"I haven't finished speaking yet," Mu Anxiao said, deliberately tucking the money bag into her sleeve and continuing, "On the contrary, the content of Shu'er's letter to me was about who bullied her."
"You..."
"Don't you yet. I remember the person who bullied her seemed to be you, right?"
At the same time, Xiao Yue's eyes lit up.
Mu Anxiao happened to catch Xiao Yue's expression with her peripheral vision, which further confirmed her thoughts were correct.
The moment Mu Anxiao spoke, A Ju dodged her gaze and said, "I never bullied her, I..."
"I'm here to stand up for Shu'er," Mu Anxiao stated her purpose clearly.
A Ju was stunned.
"It seems you haven't understood my meaning. Fine, I'll explain it to you in detail. Of course," Mu Anxiao said, "I didn't realize it was you bullying Shu'er at first. I just planned to give you some silver to send you away and ask Xiao Yue. Who knew you would throw yourself into the net? Then I don't need to be polite anymore."
"...."
Mu Anxiao looked at A Ju's suddenly speechless expression and continued, "However, I think even if you leave, Xiao Yue wouldn't dare to reveal you." Saying this, she glanced at Xiao Yue.
When Xiao Yue saw Mu Anxiao looking at her, she quickly lowered her head.
A Ju also glanced at Xiao Yue and said, "What do you want to do to me?" She stared at Mu Anxiao, only feeling nervous.
"I'll give you three taels of silver. Go." Mu Anxiao was too lazy to talk nonsense with A Ju.
A Ju was surprised. "Aren't you going to punish me, or hand me over to the General?"
"What I want to understand isn't this, so it's none of your business," Mu Anxiao said, and took out the money bag from her sleeve again.
A Ju lowered her head to look at the money bag, and then no longer seemed as greedy as before. "Why are you giving me money instead of just kicking me out?"
"I'm buying peace of mind with money," Mu Anxiao said, taking out three taels of silver from the money bag and handing them to A Ju. "Take it."
Then, A Ju tremblingly extended her hand, took the silver, glanced at Xiao Yue, and reminded her, "You are very good at judging people. She really understands Shu'er." After saying this, she took back the silver and turned to leave.
Xiao Yue was stunned.
Mu Anxiao calmly watched A Ju's retreating figure and smiled. "What a greedy woman." After speaking, she focused her gaze on Xiao Yue's face.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yue avoided her gaze. "I don't know anything," she said very softly.
"Don't lie to me," Mu Anxiao said sternly.
When Xiao Yue heard this, she shivered. "I'm not lying to you, I..."
"Xiao Yue." Mu Anxiao deliberately called her name to help her regain her senses.
Then, Xiao Yue cowered, saying, "What do you want to know?" She was still afraid.
Mu Anxiao said faintly, "Does that mean you can answer anything I ask you?" She felt she had found hope.
Xiao Yue's eyes flickered. "I'll do my best." Saying this, she finally fixed her gaze on Mu Anxiao's face.
The errata chapters of "A wry smile bloomed as the wind began to stir" will continue to be updated.