Mu Hua frowned, "Your skin is really thick. You admitted it just now in the woodshed, and now you say this again. You..." She became anxious, pointing at Mai Xia, "You are truly manipulative."
Mai Xia frowned slightly, her expression and actions conveying that she didn't understand.
Mu An Xiao watched Mai Xia converse with Mu Hua, a sense of admiration blossoming in her heart.
Mu Hua was indignant, "What do you mean by that?"
"I don't understand," Mai Xia said indifferently.
"You say you don't understand, Mai Xia, you..."
"What did you just call me?" Mai Xia interrupted.
Mu Hua was startled, and then she suddenly recalled the rules set by Mu Gui for her. Her eyes darkened, and she said, "Just keep bullying me. My mother will avenge me."
"Bullying you," Mai Xia took a deep breath and said, "If you call this bullying, I think it's you who is bullying us."
"..." Mu Hua furrowed her brow slightly.
Mai Xia continued, "I came here to greet you, and the first thing you do is call me thick-skinned. Fourth Miss," she said with a fake smile, "Isn't acting like this beneath your status?"
"You've already shown me your ugly side. Now," Mu Hua sneered, "you're acting, and I doubt it will be interesting."
"Ugly side... Fourth Miss, what you're saying isn't very pleasant to hear, is it? When have I ever acted in front of you? What you're saying," Mai Xia shook her head slightly, "why can't I understand it?"
Listening to Mai Xia's replies, which were driving Mu Hua to the brink of madness, Mu An Xiao couldn't help but understand why Mai Xia had managed to stay in the Mu household for so long. She realized that Mai Xia was indeed a woman with both tactics and foresight. If she were to intervene, it would spoil the fun, so she remained silent.
Mu Hua looked at Mai Xia's expression, which seemed both feigned and genuine innocence, and suddenly lost her composure.
Thus, she shifted her gaze to Mu An Xiao's face, "..."
Mu An Xiao didn't avoid her gaze, staring directly at Mu Hua, waiting to see what she would say.
".."
The next second, seeing Mu An Xiao remain silent, Mu Hua said, "I think you quite like speaking the truth."
"..." Mu An Xiao didn't speak, deliberately glancing at Mai Xia, and said, "I do like speaking the truth, so what?" She decided to cooperate with Mai Xia.
Mai Xia knew that Mu An Xiao was also a thoughtful person, so she wasn't worried that Mu An Xiao would mess things up. She continued to stare at Mu Hua, not saying a word.
"Very good," Mu Hua smiled.
"Very good, just very good, what are you smiling about?" Mu An Xiao feigned confusion.
Mu Hua replied, "I feel like smiling, so you say," she deliberately widened her eyes, "did you and your mother bully me?"
"No," Mu An Xiao denied flatly.
"You..."
"Did I meet you?" Mu An Xiao also began to play dumb.
Hearing Mu An Xiao's words, Mai Xia lowered her eyes and smiled.
"You're playing dumb too, good..." Mu Hua said, then glanced at Mai Xia again, infuriated, "What a pair of mother and daughter, both so good at acting. Fine, I'll have Father chase you away soon."
"Chase away..." Mu An Xiao repeated, and then chuckled, "Fourth Miss, have you forgotten something?"
Mu Hua frowned, "What nonsense are you spouting now?"
".."nonsense.." Mu An Xiao repeated the word in her mouth, and smiled, "You're a young lady of noble birth, and using such words, isn't it beneath your status?"
"Mind your own business, I'm telling you, you soon..."
"I and..." Mu An Xiao glanced at Mai Xia, deliberately putting on an air of unfamiliarity with Mai Xia, and said, "I came with her... only to say goodbye to Father. I assume you're also here to say goodbye to Father."
Mu Hua had never expected Mu An Xiao to resort to playing dumb at such a moment. Looking at her, Mu Hua couldn't help but sneer, "Just keep pretending. I'll see whether you're smiling or crying later." After saying this, she glared at Mai Xia and turned towards the door.
At this moment, after Mu Hua's words, Mu An Xiao had devised a plan.
Mai Xia turned to glance at Mu An Xiao, remaining silent.
In the room.
The Madam and Mu Gui sat together at the round table, both wearing expressions of difficulty. After exchanging glances, the Madam said, "It sounds like Mai Xia and Mu Xiao have arrived."
Mu Gui said, "Don't bother."
"But..." the Madam frowned, her heart aching for Mu Hua outside, "Hua'er has been bullied by them."
"How do you know it's Hua'er who has been bullied?" Mu Gui picked up his teacup and put it down. "I know what you and Hua'er have been doing for the past three months, but I didn't want to say anything."
"My Lord, what do you mean by that?" the Madam became nervous.
"What do I mean..." Mu Gui let out a soft snort, "You know yourself. Now, you must think of a solution for me."
"A solution..."
"Aren't you good at thinking of solutions? Hurry up," Mu Gui interrupted, pointing a finger at the Madam.
The Madam's expression froze, and she lowered her head, beginning to wipe away tears, "My Lord, I know. You just dislike me."
"This is not the time for you to feign grievance. You know Hua'er's personality best. If she causes any trouble in the palace, the consequences," Mu Gui said seriously, "you should be aware of."
"What trouble can Hua'er cause? Speaking of causing trouble," the Madam curled her lips, "you should think about Mu Xiao."
"You..."
"Let's not even mention what happened in the past three months. From the day she arrived here, she was particularly good at dealing with the servants. If I hadn't stopped her, those servants would surely be listening to her now," the Madam said calmly.
Mu Gui frowned, "Why are you saying this?"
"Once she enters the palace, she will inevitably build good relationships with the eunuchs and maids there. By then..."
"This is a good thing. Now that King Jin has specifically requested the General to send her to him, it means our family has a chance to turn things around. What worries me most now is Hua'er. So, quickly think of a way to make her restrain her young lady's temper and not bully Mu Xiao."
That's right. The solution Mu Gui wanted the Madam to think of was how to make Mu Hua restrain her temper. Mu Gui knew that Mu Hua had always had a fiery temper since childhood, and she was undoubtedly the most troublesome young lady. He thought that if Mu Hua hadn't interjected today, Mu An Xiao wouldn't have impulsively spoken the truth.
Therefore, Mu Hua was the person causing him the most headaches right now.
Conversely, the Madam had always felt that Mu Hua was the most like her among her daughters. She had always regarded Mu Hua as her pride.
However, now that things had happened, she couldn't go against Mu Gui. If she angered Mu Gui, and he married Mai Xia and divorced her, what would she do then?
Helplessly, she could only comply with Mu Gui, "I understand."
"It's good that you understand. Hua'er is outside right now, we'll talk to her later," Mu Gui said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip of tea.
The Madam frowned and glanced towards the door, saying, "Mu Xiao and Mai Xia are both here. If I talk about Hua'er in front of them, it might hurt Hua'er's self-esteem."
"If you say the wrong thing in the palace, the consequence is either a beating or death. The time for Hua'er to enter the palace is getting closer and closer. If you don't say it now," Mu Gui said angrily, "Hua'er will go in walking and come out horizontally."
"..." The Madam was stunned.
"If you don't want to see this, you need to make it clear to her before she enters the palace," Mu Gui said in a low voice.
The Madam swallowed hard, picked up her water cup, took a sip of water to calm her nerves.
Seeing the Madam's frightened expression, Mu Gui said again, "Hurry up and think."
"..." The Madam's eyes darkened, she put down the water cup, thought about Mu Gui's words from before, and said, "If King Jin really fancies Mu Xiao, then my Hua'er will be in trouble."
"So, at this time, you should know what to do, right?" Mu Gui glanced at the Madam.
In less than a year, the Madam had never given Mu An Xiao much of a good look, and often she had wrongly accused Mu An Xiao, causing Mu An Xiao to be beaten many, many times.
She wouldn't admit these things verbally, but she knew them in her heart. Putting herself in Mu An Xiao's shoes, she knew she wouldn't choose to forgive the person who bullied her.
So now, hearing Mu Gui say this, she didn't know what to do?
Therefore, she lowered her head.
Mu Gui said, "Don't know how to say it?" He could see the Madam's thoughts.
The Madam nodded slightly.
"Apologize. Just consider it for Hua'er. Of course," Mu Gui said, "it would be even better if the patron doesn't fancy Mu Xiao. That way, Hua'er might have a chance."
Hearing this, the Madam's eyes lit up, and she looked at Mu Gui and asked, "My Lord, do you have any ideas?"
"You have to leave a way out. Please Mu Xiao first. Maybe she'll even help Hua'er in the palace," Mu Gui said calmly.
"Help..." the Madam uttered the word, thought for a moment, and said with insufficient confidence, "Will she really help Hua'er?"
"I think... she will, but it depends on how you say it," Mu Gui placed all the matters in the Madam's hands.
The Madam nodded slightly and fell into thought.
Outside.
Mu An Xiao lowered her head to look at her injured arm, then raised her eyes to look at the empty door, deliberately saying, "Could it be that Father and Mother are not here."
Hearing this, Mu Hua frowned, turned to look at Mu An Xiao, and said, "They're not here, let's go." She waved her hand.
Mu An Xiao snorted, "I wouldn't have thought of leaving if you hadn't said that. Now that you've said it, I don't want to leave."
"You..."
"What do you mean 'you'? Your parents are truly strange," Mu An Xiao said deliberately, looking towards the door again. "Normally, they can't wait for people to serve them all day. But now, there isn't a single servant. Could they be discussing something important and don't want others to know."
Hearing this, Mu Hua suddenly thought of her own situation, and couldn't help but lower her eyes and smile, "I know."
Mu An Xiao frowned, "Oh, you know what?"
"Father and Mother definitely can't bear to let me leave, so they're thinking of ways to talk to King Jin." Mu Hua was full of expectations for everything.
Mu An Xiao calmly looked at Mu Hua's self-absorbed expression and sneered, "You really know how to think."
"It must be like that," Mu Hua said firmly.
Mu An Xiao looked at Mu Hua's firm expression and nodded perfunctorily, "You might as well have a daydream." As she said this, she turned her head to look at Jia, who was standing by a tree not far away, and smiled.
At the same time, Mu Hua followed Mu An Xiao's gaze to look over there, perplexed, "What are you smiling about?" She was startled by Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao replied, "I'm not smiling about anything." She withdrew her gaze and looked at Mu Hua, stretching, "Alas, it seems your parents are struggling in vain."
"Mu Xiao, you're just jealous of me, aren't you? Who else..." Mu Hua glanced at Mai Xia, "doesn't have a capable mother."
Mu An Xiao remained silent.
However, Mai Xia, who hadn't intended to speak, smiled faintly when she heard Mu Hua's words and said, "King Jin's mind cannot be easily changed. I advise you," she smiled at Mu Hua, "to stop thinking about these things."
"..." Mu Hua's heart sank, and she looked at Mai Xia angrily, "You have no right to speak here."
"I know, but I just want to say it. Of course," Mai Xia continued to smile, "I am not as capable as Madam, nor do I have Madam's intelligence. But I know that the rules set by King Jin cannot be changed casually."
"You... you'd better not be too arrogant," Mu Hua pointed at Mai Xia's face.
Mai Xia chuckled softly, her eyes fixed on Mu Hua's finger, and said, "You are going to serve the Empress in the palace. If you continue like this, you might harm yourself."
"Mind your own business."
"I'm not minding your business," Mai Xia said, then shifted her gaze to Mu An Xiao's face, "Mu Xiao, remember this, when you enter the palace, speak less and do more. If you don't listen, you could lose your head."
"What?" Mu An Xiao feigned surprise, raised her hand to touch her neck, and said, "Got it."
"It's good that you know," Mai Xia said, casually looking at Mu Hua, who was glaring at her, and smiled faintly, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"You're deliberately trying to scare me."
"Am I trying to scare you," Mai Xia said, feigning surprise, "Speaking of which, I'm not just saying this to you. How can it be considered scaring you? Of course, since you said it, then I'll remind you of one more thing. When you enter the palace, you mustn't throw tantrums like a young lady. If you dare to throw tantrums, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Will it implicate me?" Mu An Xiao asked intentionally.
Hearing this, Mai Xia looked at Mu An Xiao and said, "Yes, so it will depend on yourself then."
"I know, I'll stay away from her," Mu An Xiao said calmly.
Mai Xia frowned slightly and said, "Your mother doesn't mean that. Later on, you'll have to supervise her. She's your sister, after all."
"I don't need her to supervise me. My parents will definitely save me," Mu Hua still held hope for Mu Gui and the Madam.
Immediately after, Mu An Xiao and Mai Xia exchanged glances and fell silent.
Mu Hua looked at both Mu An Xiao and Mai Xia, excitedly saying, "Don't try to scare me." After saying this, she turned her back.
Mu An Xiao looked at Mu Hua's hopeful back and sighed.
Mai Xia believed that Mu An Xiao would be fine, so she closed her mouth for the time being, waiting for the Madam and Mu Gui.