Mai Xia looked at Mu Anxiao’s still indifferent expression, then glanced at the bundle in her hand. "What are you doing? Catch it quickly," she said.
"..." Mu Anxiao took a deep breath and looked up at Mai Xia, who was urging her to leave. "I can't leave."
"You..."
"You are Mu Xiao’s mother, and I am Mu Xiao’s senior sister. Mu Xiao said to take good care of you. If I leave at this time," Mu Anxiao reached out and pushed the bundle, "then I will be letting Mu Xiao down."
"Do you know what it means to enter the palace?" Mai Xia suddenly became serious.
Mu Anxiao: "..." She frowned slightly.
Seeing Mu Anxiao’s puzzled expression, Mai Xia continued, "Entering the palace means losing your freedom. If you enter the palace, you will never be able to leave. You..."
"Do you know what you will face if I enter the palace?" Mu Anxiao interrupted, asking back.
Mai Xia: "I... don't worry about me. I have a way..."
"In a sense, you have already offended that girl Mu Hua. If I leave at this juncture, your fate," Mu Anxiao said earnestly, "will surely be very miserable."
"I know that," Mai Xia said softly.
"I know you know," Mu Anxiao said, still frowning. "What I want to say now is that I caused this matter, so I should bear the consequences."
"Don't be stubborn. This is not something you should endure. Moreover, I am the one who got you into this predicament. I should help you, so," Mai Xia continued to hand over the bundle, "you leave. If you leave, we will be even."
"You will die."
After talking with Mai Xia, Mu Anxiao had a new understanding of the Madam of the Mu Manor. She figured that if she left now, the Madam would surely blame Mai Xia entirely for everything.
And this was a result she did not want to see. Most importantly, she came here to replace Mu Xiao. If she left now, Zhang Yan would surely be angry when he returned.
Therefore, for her own sake, she had to persist.
"..." Mai Xia was stunned.
Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Xia’s stunned expression, then glanced around. She lowered her voice. "King Jin has already ordered Shen Moyun to send me into the palace. If I leave now," her eyes were firm, "you will be guilty of deceiving the emperor. And Mu Hua was the last one to see you and me. With her mouth, she will definitely talk nonsense. By then, I will become a target of search throughout the city, and you will be in danger. Don't you understand these things?"
"I am ready. This bundle contains men's clothes I prepared for you. You just need to leave here." Mai Xia felt her plan was flawless.
Conversely, Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Xia’s confident expression and felt a cold sweat for her. "You really know how to arrange things."
"I think my arrangement is very good," Mai Xia said plainly.
Mu Anxiao shook her head slightly. "I don't think so."
"You..." Mai Xia was speechless.
On the other side, Feng Qishi leaned against a tree, listening to Mai Xia's arrangements and thinking about the situation in the palace. He hesitated.
At the same time, Jia appeared in front of Feng Qishi. "What are you hesitating about?" he asked, looking up at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi looked down at Jia and remained silent.
Jia: "You still don't want Mu Anxiao to enter the palace."
"..." Feng Qishi nodded.
Jia frowned. "Mu Anxiao already dislikes you. If you continue like this, she will never speak to you again. I advise you to think it through."
"..." Feng Qishi's eyes darkened.
Jia continued, "In any case, this is the opportunity Mu Anxiao gave you."
"..." Feng Qishi looked at Jia’s serious little face and thought about King Jin's arrangements and Mai Xia’s life. His heart sank. He turned, walked around the tree, and looked at Mu Anxiao and Mai Xia, deliberately saying, "Want to leave." His tone was extremely cold.
Upon hearing this, all of Mu Anxiao’s worries instantly dissipated. "Why are you here?" She turned sideways, feigning surprise, and looked at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi: "Sneaking around." As he spoke, he glanced at Mai Xia, whose eyes were wide.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "How are we sneaking around? Don't talk nonsense, you..."
"I've heard everything you two said," Feng Qishi interrupted, walked in front of Mu Anxiao, then looked at Mai Xia. "Your idea is quite something." He then glanced at the bundle.
Mu Anxiao feigned nervousness. "What do you want?"
Hearing this, Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao, then at Mai Xia, and said, "This is my task. If this brat leaves, I will also be implicated."
"You..." Mai Xia looked up at Feng Qishi, narrowed her eyes, and said, "What does it have to do with me." Her tone was stiff.
Feng Qishi snorted, "Your face changes fast enough. You were polite to me at Master Mu's, and now you're putting on this face here, it's truly frightening."
"..." Mai Xia remained silent, casually pulled Mu Anxiao's arm, and said, "Speaking of which, you are the one who is frightening." With that, she pulled Mu Anxiao behind her.
Mu Anxiao was stunned and looked down at the back of Mai Xia's head.
Feng Qishi continued to stare at Mai Xia, retorting, "How am I frightening?"
"Without anyone knowing. Speaking of which," Mai Xia said, "you are just a guest. Wandering around this manor is probably not proper, is it?"
"Propriety," Feng Qishi turned his face and smiled. "What you say is also ridiculous. Propriety? You, an unmarried woman, are talking about propriety with me. Don't you think you are ridiculous?"
"You..."
"Shen Moyun, what you said is excessive," Mu Anxiao pointed at Feng Qishi.
Hearing this, Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao's face and said, "You are also a young lady who has only been brought back to the Mu Manor for less than a year. Do you think," he deliberately avoided the words 'wild girl,' "you are fit to speak with me!"
"Fit or not, you can't talk to my mother like that," Mu Anxiao growled.
Feng Qishi sneered, "Such deep mother-daughter affection. Your mother doesn't seem to care about you at all."
Mu Anxiao gave Feng Qishi a fierce glare and said, "I really hate hearing you talk."
"I didn't ask you to listen to me," Feng Qishi said, glancing at the bundle in Mai Xia's arms. "I won't let you slip away." With that, he effortlessly snatched the bundle from her hand.
Mai Xia was pulled forward half a step by Feng Qishi and cried out, "Give it back to me."
Feng Qishi took two steps back, deliberately raising the bundle above his head. "No," he glared down at Mai Xia.
Mai Xia looked distressed.
Mu Anxiao stepped forward, enduring the pain in her body, and took Mai Xia's arm. "Since you like it, take it. I wasn't planning to leave anyway."
"That's what you said," Feng Qishi shifted his gaze to Mu Anxiao's face.
Mu Anxiao nodded.
Feng Qishi sneered, "Fine. In that case, I will keep this bundle for you for the time being." After speaking, he glanced at Mai Xia's face and turned to leave.
Mai Xia froze.
Subsequently, Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Xia’s dejected expression, curled her lips, and said, "There's nothing I can do."
"..." Mai Xia's eyes darkened. She watched Feng Qishi walk away, then turned to look at Mu Anxiao, asking with concern, "Do you think he heard?"
Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Xia’s worried expression and smiled. "Probably not."
"If not, then not. Why are you smiling?" Mai Xia truly couldn't understand Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not smiling about anything, I just realized," she pointed upwards, "even heaven doesn't want your plan to come true. Thinking about it, you're quite unlucky."
"You... do you think he'll return the bundle?" Before Feng Qishi appeared, Mai Xia hadn't realized the seriousness of the matter. Now that Feng Qishi had snatched the bundle, she was awakened.
At this moment, she also subconsciously realized the seriousness of the matter and had cast aside her previous thoughts.
Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Xia's worried expression and smiled. "There are only clothes inside anyway, nothing valuable. Why are you so nervous?"
"There's a bag of silver I prepared for you in there."
Mu Anxiao frowned. "What did you say?" She thought she had misheard.
Mai Xia sighed, anxiously saying, "I said there's a bag of silver I prepared for you in there. If he..."
"A whole bag?" Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Mai Xia nodded. "Yes, a whole bag."
"What color?" Mu Anxiao's heart stirred.
"Red, I did it for good luck."
"Red..." Mu Anxiao said, glancing in the direction Feng Qishi had gone. "I must get that bundle back."
"What do you plan to do?" Mai Xia became curious.
"Ask him for it directly. However," Mu Anxiao suddenly remembered Mu Hua running to complain to the Madam, her eyes darkened. "Before that, you have to admit I'm your daughter."
"I have always treated you as my daughter."
"Really?" Mu Anxiao was surprised.
Mai Xia nodded. "Really. Although I know you are not my biological daughter, in my eyes, you are already my daughter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given you all my savings."
Hearing Mai Xia's words, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but feel touched. But when she thought of 'all my savings,' a strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart.
So, she asked, "If I take the bundle and leave, how will you handle the subsequent matters?" She observed the change in Mai Xia's expression.
Mai Xia's eyes darkened, and she deliberately remained silent.
Mu Anxiao: "Speak, don't be silent."
Hearing this, Mai Xia sighed faintly and said, "To be honest, after you came, I thought a lot. I feel... it's not a solution for me to continue like this, so I wanted to..." She suddenly choked.
Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Xia's strange expression, thought for a moment, and said directly, "You want to commit suicide."
"..." Mai Xia lowered her eyelids.
Mu Anxiao: "It seems I guessed correctly."
"Actually, thinking about it, there's no point in me living anymore," Mai Xia looked up at Mu Anxiao and said softly.
Mu Anxiao had seen too many deaths and too many regretful demon souls after death.
And now, she saw hesitation in Mai Xia's eyes. However, she had never tried to think from Mai Xia's perspective, nor had she truly understood Mai Xia.
Therefore, she offered no further comfort to Mai Xia, just watched her silently, saying nothing.
"..."
Subsequently, Mai Xia fell into her own emotions. "I couldn't even protect my own daughter. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have gotten lost. Just like you," she raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes, "if I hadn't said that, the Madam wouldn't have targeted you like this, you..."
"Even if you hadn't said anything, the Madam wouldn't have let me go," Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Mai Xia began to cry.
Mu Anxiao: "Don't blame yourself. Just as you said, the Madam found Mu Xiao to eliminate future troubles and pave the way for her own daughters. So, this matter was already decided, and it has nothing to do with you. Besides," she reached out and supported Mai Xia's shoulder, "Mu Xiao said she doesn't hate you. She just hopes you live well. If you die, she won't forgive me. So, for now, just play the role of my mother well, and don't think about anything else."
"Do you really not resent me?" Mai Xia asked again.
Mu Anxiao smiled faintly. "I don't resent you, as long as you let me continue to be Mu Xiao."
"Okay, then you also have to promise me to take good care of yourself," Mai Xia said softly.
"I will, don't worry."
"Mhm." Mai Xia nodded, wiping the tears from her face.
Next, Mu Anxiao thought for a moment and then said, "By the way, don't be nice to me in front of Mu Hua. Later, you just need to cooperate with me. It's okay to even hit me at the right time."
"You..."
"Listen to me, I'll protect you," Mu Anxiao interrupted.
"..." Mai Xia nodded slightly, then said, "Then take that bag of silver. In the palace, there are many places where silver is needed. But remember, you must put the silver in your shoes."
"Shoes? That would be uncomfortable!"
"In any case, you must hide it well," Mai Xia instructed again.
"I know. Then I'll go find Shen Moyun."
"Wait," Mai Xia said, her eyes firm. "You come with me."
"Come with you?"
"This time I offended Mu Hua, so I should bear the consequences. Just follow me." With that, Mai Xia turned and walked ahead.
Mu Anxiao's eyes darkened. She couldn't figure out Mai Xia.
In the blink of an eye.
Mu Anxiao followed Mai Xia and stopped outside Mu Gui's room. However, to Mu Anxiao's surprise, Mu Hua was still standing outside, not having entered.
Mai Xia looked at Mu Hua's back and deliberately said, "Miss Mu Hua, you are here too."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao and Mu Hua were both stunned. Then, Mu Hua turned around, and together with Mu Anxiao, shifted their gaze to Mai Xia's face, remaining silent.
Mai Xia smiled. "Why aren't you talking to me?"
"Your skin is really thick," Mu Hua walked up to Mai Xia. "It's too late to apologize to me now."
"..." Mai Xia continued to smile, not speaking.
Seeing Mai Xia like this, Mu Hua couldn't help but frown. "What do you mean by this?"
"Why should I apologize to you?" Mai Xia suddenly said.
Mu Hua was stunned. "Why do you ask? You and your daughter conspired to bully me, you..."
"You can't talk nonsense. When did we bully you?" Mai Xia interrupted, deliberately raising her voice this time.
Mu Hua looked at Mai Xia's brazen lying expression in disbelief and let out a cold snort. "Keep pretending."
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Mai Xia said softly.