Mu Hua calmly watched Mu An Xiao glare at her, then said, "What, you still refuse to accept this reality? I'm telling you, some rules don't need you to teach me. After entering the palace, I," she pointed to herself, "will definitely be better off than you."
Mu An Xiao replied, "Since you're so confident, then we'll just wait and see." As she spoke, she looked at Madam again. "Madam, if I find out you bullied my mother, then don't blame me for not showing you respect."
"You? You might not even survive a day," Mu Hua said dismissively, crossing her arms and looking at Mu An Xiao.
"Since you've said it, then fine," Mu An Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll see if you can live until tomorrow night."
Upon hearing this, Madam grew anxious. "Mu Xiao, what are you trying to do?"
At this, Mu An Xiao looked at Madam, then reflected on her actions, her heart sinking. She said, "What I'm trying to do, you don't need to know. Now, I advise you to properly teach Mu Hua some manners." After speaking, she casually grabbed Mai Xia's arm and then turned to leave with Mai Xia.
Mu Gui's eyes darkened. Thinking of their previous actions towards Mu An Xiao, he sighed, then shifted his gaze to Mu Hua's face.
Madam also turned her attention to Mu Hua.
Mu Hua watched Madam and Mu Gui staring at her, and said, "Father, Mother, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Offending her will do you no good," Madam said calmly.
Mu Hua frowned. "Mother, why are you afraid of her? She's just..." She glanced in the direction Mu An Xiao had gone. "She's just a wild girl."
"In the Mu mansion, she's a wild girl. But..."
"If I recall correctly, you were the one who wanted to bring her back, and now you're tormenting her and calling her a wild girl. Madam," Mu Gui interrupted, fixing his gaze on Madam, "what exactly do you want?"
Madam was stunned. She hadn't expected Mu Gui to speak like that, and she looked somewhat surprised.
Seeing Madam's silence, Mu Hua spoke for her. "Father, Mother thought that by bringing her back, Mai Xia would behave. Who knew," she paused, relying on her imagination, "that Mai Xia doesn't appreciate my mother at all."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Mu Gui looked at Mu Hua.
Mu Hua continued, "I mean, if a mother isn't good to her child and looks down on her own child, naturally, we would dare to bully her. Of course," her eyes darted sideways, "the main reason is, who told that Mu Xiao to be so capable every day? Why does everyone speak well of her? I just don't like her. She must have come back for some benefit."
"For benefit?" Mu Gui said, thought for a moment, then asked, "Alright, then tell me, what benefit is she after from me?"
"It's been many years since she went missing. Now that she's suddenly back, Father, don't you think there's something strange about it?"
"What's strange?" Mu Gui retorted.
Mu Hua swallowed. "It's just that she was brought back by an immortal. This means she must have given the immortal some benefits, so..."
"Yes, she was brought back by an immortal. The immortal..." Mu Gui interrupted Mu Hua, lowered his eyes, and was silent for a few seconds, muttering, "The Golden Master has only been on the throne for a few years, and at this critical juncture, Mu Xiao is brought back by an immortal. No way." He was stunned.
"Father..." Mu Hua saw Mu Gui's fear and thoughts. "She must have bribed the immortal, so... that's why the immortal is helping her. Don't overthink it."
Mu Gui looked up. "No, Mu Xiao definitely has a problem."
"What problem?" Madam couldn't understand Mu Gui.
Mu Gui glanced at Mu Hua and said, "If she didn't have some ability, she definitely wouldn't dare to speak so impolitely. Hua'er," he said seriously, "never offend her."
"Father, don't let your imagination run wild. What can that wild girl do? I'm not nervous, why are you?" Mu Hua said, reaching out to pat Mu Gui's shoulder. "Father, it's alright, don't think too much."
"Listen to Father, don't offend her again. If I'm not mistaken, the immortal raised her, which means she actually knows the Golden Master. If you offend her," Mu Gui frowned, "even Father can't save you then."
"Father, it's not that serious, is it?" Mu Hua felt a chill.
Madam, seeing Mu Gui's serious expression, also became serious. "Hua'er, listen to your father."
Immediately, Mu Hua called out, "Mother."
"The rules of the palace, I presume you are aware of them. Tell Hua'er," Mu Gui said, ignoring Mu Hua, and gave the instruction.
Madam nodded.
"Alright, you can go now." Mu Gui finished speaking and turned to enter the room.
Mu Hua glanced sideways at the room door Mu Gui had closed, then thought about what Mu Gui had said. She couldn't help but feel nervous. "Mother, is it really that serious?"
"Let's go." Madam took Mu Hua's arm.
Mu Hua stiffened, and before she could speak, Madam pulled her away.
On the other side.
Mu An Xiao walked side-by-side with Mai Xia, thought for a moment, and got straight to the point: "Do you still have thoughts of ending your life?"
Mai Xia tilted her head. "If I die, my Xiao'er will definitely be sad."
"What do you mean by that?" Mu An Xiao suddenly couldn't follow Mai Xia's train of thought.
Mai Xia explained, "I won't die. If I die, this entire Mu mansion will not acknowledge you anymore. So, for your sake, I won't give up my life. You can rest assured about this," she glanced at Mu An Xiao.
"That's good." Mu An Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "By the way, why didn't you choose to have a formal title?"
"A formal title means nothing to me."
"It means nothing to you... Then why don't you leave here?" Mu An Xiao found Mai Xia somewhat incomprehensible.
Mai Xia said, "I don't want to wander. I want stability. Here," she took a deep breath, "although sometimes, I'm very unhappy, compared to living in the open, I prefer this kind of life. So, for this kind of life, I can endure anything."
"When Mu Xiao went missing, did you look for her?" Mu An Xiao suddenly felt Mai Xia was... quite selfish.
"I thought about it, but..." Mai Xia shook her head slightly. "I didn't look for her."
"You didn't want her to go down that path?" The 'path' Mu An Xiao mentioned was being 'killed' by Madam.
Mai Xia understood Mu An Xiao's words and gave a bitter smile. "Yes, Madam's methods are extremely ruthless. However... she can't do anything to me, but the child, that's not certain. So, for Xiao'er to live well, this is the only way."
Mu An Xiao suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Mai Xia, but compared to Mai Xia, she felt more pity for the deceased Mu Xiao.
Seeing Mu An Xiao silent, Mai Xia asked, "What's wrong?"
Hearing this, Mu An Xiao snapped back to attention and looked at Mai Xia, saying, "I just feel that by doing this, you're perhaps too hard on yourself."
"I don't care. You," Mai Xia took Mu An Xiao's arm, "take good care of yourself. Everyone in the palace is treacherous. Be more discerning, don't trust others easily, and especially stay away from Mu Hua."
However, Mu An Xiao expected Mai Xia to instruct her to take good care of Mu Hua when she had time. To her surprise... she said something like this, which startled Mu An Xiao. Yet, despite her surprise, Mu An Xiao maintained her composure and said, "I know what I'm doing."
"It's good that you know. In any case," Mai Xia said seriously, "never help her contact the Golden King. If it succeeds, she won't thank you; instead... she'll get you killed." Her eyes were firm.
Mu An Xiao smiled when she saw this. "You're worrying too much, aren't you?"
"You must listen to me, don't be nice to her," Mai Xia said urgently.
Mu An Xiao didn't know why Mai Xia said this, but she knew Mai Xia must have her reasons, so Mu An Xiao nodded and said, "I understand."
"Seriously?" Mai Xia worried that Mu An Xiao was just saying that to make her feel better, so she asked again.
Mu An Xiao smiled. "Seriously. I have my own things to do when I enter the palace, and I don't have time to deal with her." She suddenly remembered the demon soul who had become a consort and asked, "By the way, what kind of consort is this consort who wants me to serve?"
"She was the Crown Princess when the Golden Master was still the Crown Prince. Everyone in the palace calls her Consort Miao."
"Consort Miao?" Mu An Xiao repeated and asked, "What does it mean to be the Crown Princess?"
"How do you not know anything?" Mai Xia was surprised.
Mu An Xiao's eyes flickered. "Before I returned here, I lived in seclusion in the mountains, so naturally, I know nothing about what's happening here. Therefore, please explain it to me."
Mai Xia looked at Mu An Xiao's ignorant expression and sighed. "The Crown Prince is the son of the former Golden Master, who is now the Golden King. This consort was his wife before the Crown Prince ascended the throne. And the Crown Prince's wife is called the Crown Princess. Do you understand now!"
"Ascended the throne?"
"Ascending the throne means inheriting the imperial throne. Anyway, after you enter the palace, there will be old palace maids to teach you the rules. At that time, remember not to ask too many questions."
"Why?"
"Because if you ask too many, they'll get annoyed. If they get annoyed, they'll undermine you behind your back. Once they undermine you, your fate is sealed," Mai Xia said calmly.
"I understand. Then I won't ask questions when I enter the palace." Mu An Xiao's only goal was to capture the demon soul. Before capturing the demon soul, she had to understand the identity of the person she was dealing with. She wasn't curious about anything else.
Therefore, she only listened to what Mai Xia said.
"It's good that you know. I won't tell you anything else. Sometimes, knowing too much isn't good either," Mai Xia said earnestly.
Mu An Xiao nodded. "Okay, I'll listen to you."
"Just be obedient. Now you can go to the General to get your luggage."
"What luggage?" Mu An Xiao had forgotten about it.
Mai Xia looked at Mu An Xiao's forgetful expression and couldn't help but smile. "After entering the palace, you can't be this forgetful." xxs壹贰
"Forgetful..." Mu An Xiao said, opened her mouth, and then realized, "Oh, Shen Moyun took the luggage you gave me."
"After entering the palace, you can't call him that anymore, do you understand?" Mai Xia said seriously.
Mu An Xiao nodded. "I understand." She then remembered the silver in the luggage and asked, "By the way, aren't you heartbroken to give me the silver?"
"I have everything I need here, so I don't need it."
"Then that's fine..." Mu An Xiao felt a bit embarrassed. "I won't be polite then."
"Don't be polite with me, go ahead."
"Okay." Mu An Xiao nodded, then turned. After taking a few steps, she stopped.
Mai Xia looked at Mu An Xiao's paused figure and asked, "What's wrong?"
Mu An Xiao blinked her eyes, turned back to look at Mai Xia, and said, "I've thought of a very serious problem."
"What problem?" Mai Xia couldn't help but feel tense at Mu An Xiao's words.
Mu An Xiao gave a dry laugh. "Where should I find him?"
Mai Xia smiled helplessly and said, "If I'm not mistaken, he should be in the guest room."
"Guest room..." Mu An Xiao repeated, pointed forward, and said, "In that direction."
"Go ahead," Mai Xia said gently.
Mu An Xiao nodded and ran off.
Mai Xia watched Mu An Xiao's retreating back, smiled faintly, then turned to look in Jia's direction. After a few seconds of愣神, she also left.
Jia stood by the tree, watching Mai Xia's departing back, muttering in confusion, "She's looking at me." Then, he shook his head, feeling increasingly uneasy, and escaped into the ground.
In the blink of an eye.
Mu An Xiao pushed open a door and arrived in front of a row of guest rooms. She hesitated for a moment and then asked softly, "Shen Moyun, where are you?"
There was no response.
Seeing no response, Mu An Xiao tutted. She glanced left and right, then raised her voice. "Shen Moyun, where are you?"
There was still no response.
Seeing this, Mu An Xiao frowned and muttered, "Huh? Is my voice that quiet?" She suddenly thought of Feng Qishi's monthly salary, which seemed not very high. Thinking of this reality, her eyes darted, and with a sense of urgency, she quickly shouted, "Shen Moyun, come out."
In the room.
Feng Qishi was startled by the door. He then looked out at Mu An Xiao standing in the courtyard through the crack in the door, took a step back, opened the door, and put on a cold demeanor. "What are you shouting for? Have some manners, alright?"
"Manners, Shen Moyun, give me back my luggage," Mu An Xiao said, stepping forward.
Feng Qishi looked at the approaching Mu An Xiao and said coldly, "Don't come any closer."
Hearing this, Mu An Xiao stopped at the foot of the steps and looked up at Feng Qishi, who had a cold attitude towards her. "Fine, I won't come over. Then give me the luggage, that should be acceptable, right?"
"No."
"Why?" Mu An Xiao's annoyance began to grow.
"No reason. I just don't want to give it to you."
"You..." Mu An Xiao became even more furious. "Feng Qishi, there's no one here, so I'll speak my mind. Inside is... a bag of silver from my mother. Give it back to me quickly."
"Silver... I know," Feng Qishi said calmly.
Mu An Xiao's body stiffened. "You know... then give it to me."
"It wasn't easy for me to send you to the palace. Later, I'll still need to help you. Based on these points," Feng Qishi said, "that silver rightfully belongs to me."
Mu An Xiao froze.
Feng Qishi looked at Mu An Xiao's frozen expression and continued to ask coldly, "What, am I wrong?"
Mu An Xiao let out a cold laugh and walked up the steps without any regard for him.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi quickly said, "You're not allowed to come closer."
"Feng Qishi, stop pretending," Mu An Xiao said, stopping in front of Feng Qishi. "Give me the money bag quickly, or don't blame me for being impolite." After speaking, she grabbed Feng Qishi's collar.
Feng Qishi was startled and looked down into Mu An Xiao's eyes. "Let go."
Mu An Xiao's eyes widened. "I won't." She deliberately pulled him tighter for the sake of the silver.