"You don't understand what I'm saying, which means you..."
"Madam, since she's already here, you can teach her the rules directly. If there's nothing else," Mu Anxiao deliberately interrupted Mu Hua, staring intently at Madam, "my mother and I will take our leave."
"..." Madam glanced at Mu Hua, who was glaring at Mu Anxiao, and said, "Don't go yet."
"Oh? Does Madam have other matters?" Mu Anxiao asked seriously.
Madam: "I think," she stood up from the table, "you both should stay."
"Why? Madam!" Mu Anxiao feigned confusion, as she had already guessed that Madam would not let her go easily.
"My mother is the First Madam. It's not good for you to call her Madam repeatedly," Mu Hua started to find fault with Mu Anxiao from another angle.
"..." Mu Anxiao then looked at Mu Hua and asked, "May I ask, why is it not good?"
"My mother is the First Madam of the Mu Estate. You should also call her Mother. You this..."
"Mu Hua, I haven't seen you call me elder sister either. In other words," Mu Anxiao interrupted, her expression calm, "if you call me elder sister, I will immediately change my address to Mother."
"You..."
"Willing, or unwilling?" Mu Anxiao stared intently at Mu Hua's face.
Mu Hua's eyes flickered, and she said, "You're going too far."
"It's you who started trouble first, and now I'm going too far," Mu Anxiao reacted quickly.
Mu Hua was speechless.
Madam watched Mu Anxiao's triumphant demeanor as she silenced Mu Hua. Then, considering Mu Anxiao's usual handling of affairs, Madam could only swallow her anger and said calmly, "Hua'er, you should say less."
"...Mother." Mu Hua shifted her gaze to Madam's face.
Madam: "Hua'er, Mu Xiao is right, she..."
"She long ago abandoned the name Mu Xiao and changed it to Mu Anxiao, Mother," Mu Hua was still trying to save face. "She never considered us family. Also... can you stop being so nice to her? Be careful, she might bite you back in the future."
Mu Anxiao glanced at Mu Hua and said nothing.
Madam frowned slightly, "Hua'er, Xiao'er has only been back for less than a year. There are many things she naturally cannot accept. If it were you," she said seriously, "you would definitely not be as good as her."
"Madam, that's quite a statement," Mu Anxiao couldn't stand it anymore.
Madam: "Xiao'er, you..."
"Madam, don't worry, I'll say it again. As long as she is good to me, I will naturally be good to her. Moreover, the purpose of my visit is only to remind you that before entering the palace, please explain the palace rules clearly to Mu Hua, so as not to harm our family in the future, and also harm me," Mu Anxiao spoke frankly.
Madam was briefly speechless, then smiled, "Alright, since you said so, then I'll trouble you to tell her." She got to the point.
Mu Hua said awkwardly, "Mother, what are you doing?"
Madam: "Hua'er, Mother doesn't want to offend you. These words are all said by Mu Xiao, and have nothing to do with your mother. All your mother can do is see you off." After saying that, she sat down again.
Mai Xia lowered her head and glanced at Madam, then personally poured her a cup of hot tea.
Madam looked at Mai Xia without speaking.
Mu Anxiao: "Madam, since you've opened your mouth, I won't be polite."
"Do as you please, as long as Hua'er can live well in the palace." Madam lowered her head and touched the teacup.
Mu Hua saw Madam's helplessness and stopped bothering her. She turned to look at Mu Anxiao, "Mu Anxiao, you..."
"Don't call me Mu Anxiao," Mu Anxiao interrupted again.
Mu Hua was displeased with Mu Anxiao's attitude towards her, so she took a deep breath and said, "I'll call you that. What can you do to me? Could it be," her gaze fixed on Mu Anxiao's face, "you can kill me?"
"Killing you is not an exaggeration, but because of this appellation, it could very well doom our family."
"Always bringing up the family, Mu Anxiao, you... how timid you are."
"It's not that I'm timid, the facts prove," Mu Anxiao also fixed her gaze on Mu Hua's face, "I am Mu Xiao, and the people in the palace only know this name. If you call out the name I used while wandering outside in the palace, it might give someone with ulterior motives a handle. Don't you understand this logic?"
In her previous life, Mu Anxiao had watched a few TV dramas. She didn't know if what she was experiencing now was the same, but judging by Mu Gui's relationship with the benefactors and the respect they showed them, she thought it was likely the same. It might even be more dangerous.
Therefore, in order to complete her mission smoothly, she deliberately considered everything in the worst possible light. This way, she would have enough room to develop. And before that, she had to deal with Mu Hua, this 'troublemaker'.
Mu Hua's eyes sank, "People in the palace are also people. Besides, rules are dead, people are alive. And I am a young lady. Based on this alone, nothing will happen to me."
"At this point, you still think Father can save you," Mu Anxiao saw through Mu Hua's thoughts.
"Yes," Mu Hua said firmly.
Mu Anxiao sneered, "Your father is someone who relies on connections. Many people are jealous of him and wish he would disappear," she said deliberately harshly, "Do you think someone who can't even protect himself can protect you?"
"How dare you talk about my father," Mu Hua said, grabbing Mu Anxiao's arm.
Mu Anxiao looked down at Mu Hua's weak single hand and said, "You are truly overestimating yourself." As she spoke, she endured the pain of the wound on her palm and grabbed Mu Hua's wrist.
Mu Hua was stunned and looked up at Mu Anxiao, asking, "What are you going to do?"
"Madam has already handed you over to me. Naturally, before entering the palace, I want to make it clear to you," Mu Anxiao's gaze turned fierce, "that I... Mu Xiao am not to be trifled with." As she spoke, she deliberately tightened her grip on Mu Hua's wrist.
Mu Hua's face contorted in pain.
Mu Anxiao calmly watched Mu Hua's face twist in pain and said, "So frail. I have wounds, yet my strength is greater than yours." As she spoke, she deliberately didn't let go.
Madam watched Mu Hua being bullied by Mu Anxiao with a heartache, daring not to speak.
Mai Xia looked down at Madam, who was usually arrogant but now cautious, and her lips curved upwards imperceptibly. She said, "Madam, tea should be drunk while it's hot."
Upon hearing this, Madam looked distractedly at Mai Xia, picked up the teacup, blew away the steam, and took a sip.
The maidservant looked closely at the veins bulging on Mu Hua's face from the pain and said, "Please let go, Miss is in too much pain." As she spoke, she reached out.
Mu Anxiao stared at Mu Hua without looking away and said lightly, "Maidservant, if you interfere, you will harm your young lady. So," she glared at the maidservant, "you'd better shut up."
The maidservant had never seen Mu Anxiao like this. Seeing this, she was scared.
Mu Anxiao saw that the maidservant was afraid of her, so she stopped scaring her and turned back to look at the ferocious Mu Hua, deliberately remaining silent.
Mu Hua: "Let me go." She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain.
Mu Anxiao allowed the wound to tear open and blood to seep out as she stared at Mu Hua's face, saying, "If you promise to obey me, I'll let go."
"You..."
"Don't 'you' me. If you continue to be stubborn, I'm afraid," Mu Anxiao said, "your hand will no longer be yours."
Upon hearing this, Mu Hua cried out, "Mother, save me, Mother."
Madam knew how treacherous the palace was, and Mu Anxiao's methods were incomparable to those of the empresses in the palace. Therefore, for Mu Xiang to stay better in the palace, she could only choose to ignore it.
"..." She continued to lower her head, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
At this moment, the pain had completely numbed Mu Hua. In her perception, her current voice was very, very faint, so she thought Madam must not have heard her. Thus, she began to shout louder.
Jia looked at Mu Anxiao with surprise, seeing that she was completely ruthless and had no intention of holding back. He advised, "If you continue like this, her hand will really be broken."
Sometimes it's like this, when emotions come, no one can control them.
At this moment, as Mu Hua cried for help, Mu Anxiao thought of the children who had been cruelly killed by Madam, and the harm Mu Hua had inflicted on her and others over the past year. Thinking of these, she decided to teach Mu Hua a lesson.
Therefore, with this thought in mind, she stubbornly waited for a word of surrender from Mu Hua.
"..." Her gaze was cold.
Mu Hua's hand had already turned blue.
Jia, seeing that Mu Anxiao was not speaking, became anxious, "Mu Anxiao, if you continue like this, her hand will really be broken."
"..." Mu Anxiao didn't even glance at Jia and said, "Promise to obey me, and I'll let go."
"I won't," Mu Hua shouted.
Mu Anxiao snorted coldly, allowing blood to seep from the wound, and continued to grip Mu Hua's wrist, refusing to let go.
Jia knew that Mu Anxiao was a stubborn person, and he also knew that at such a juncture, Mu Anxiao would definitely not listen to him. So, he thought anxiously, turned, and ran towards the door.
In the next moment, Jia stopped on the steps and looked at Feng Qishi standing not far away, shouting, "Something's wrong."
Feng Qishi frowned upon hearing this.
Jia knew it was inconvenient for Feng Qishi to speak, so he quickly ran down the steps, came to Feng Qishi, and said, "Something's wrong."
Feng Qishi cautiously looked around, and after confirming no one was present, he crouched down to be at the same level as Jia and asked, "What is it?"
"Didn't you hear Mu Hua's voice?" Jia asked directly.
Feng Qishi vaguely heard Mu Hua's voice, but he hadn't paid attention. However, hearing Jia's question now, he became curious. "I heard it, what's wrong?"
"Mu Anxiao is about to break her hand."
"Break her hand?" Feng Qishi couldn't quite believe Mu Anxiao would do something so ruthless.
"It's true," Jia, seeing Feng Qishi didn't believe him, said excitedly, "Go and see quickly."
"Madam hasn't even intervened, so it's not appropriate for me to do so," Feng Qishi was more thoughtful.
Jia: "Setting Mu Hua aside, Mu Anxiao's hand is injured. She's already bleeding profusely." His expression was firm and serious.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi frowned, "Bleeding profusely."
"Yes, blood has dripped onto the carpet. Go and see quickly," Jia said, stepping aside.
Feng Qishi thought of Mu Hua's earlier cries and then looked at Jia's anxious expression. He stood up and, without a word, walked towards the room.
In the room.
Mu Anxiao's grip loosened slightly, enduring the severe pain of the wound. She said, "As long as you promise to obey me, I'll let go."
Compared to earlier, Mu Hua's wrist didn't hurt as much, so she lowered her head and stared at Mu Anxiao's hand, saying, "Your hand is bleeding." Her voice was hoarse.
Mu Anxiao: "Even if my hand is bleeding, I won't let go..."
"I'm also holding your arm," Mu Hua interrupted, tightening her grip on Mu Anxiao's arm.
And Mu Hua's sudden move happened to grip Mu Anxiao's wound. Immediately, her eyes widened, and she let out an involuntary groan. She said, "Mu Hua, with your little strength, you..."
"You're injured," Mu Hua felt that Mu Anxiao's hand holding her wrist had clearly loosened after her move.
Mu Anxiao's expression froze, and just as she was about to speak, Feng Qishi walked in, "What are you doing?"
Jia followed Feng Qishi and peeked at Mu Anxiao, saying, "Not good, her wound has been torn open."
Feng Qishi heard Jia's voice, then walked between the two of them and asked, "What are you doing?" He glanced at the sweat on Mu Anxiao's forehead.
Mu Anxiao: "Shen Moyun, you don't need to meddle." She didn't think Feng Qishi had arrived in time.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi grabbed Mu Hua's hand that was holding Mu Anxiao's arm and said, "I'll count to three, two, one, and you both let go at the same time."
"I won't listen to you," Mu Anxiao was stubborn. She just wanted to hear Mu Hua beg for mercy.
Feng Qishi: "If you don't listen to me, I'll make you..." He stopped halfway, remembering that Mu Anxiao didn't like hearing the word 'death', so he paused and said, "I'll take action."
"You..."
"Let go." Madam, seeing an opportunity, stood up.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao's heart sank. Her face turned pale as she looked at Madam, "Madam, didn't you say you wanted me to teach her rules? You..."
"With the General present, you dare to be so presumptuous, Mu Xiao," Madam narrowed her eyes. "You should learn the rules anew." After saying that, she deliberately glanced at Mai Xia.
Mai Xia's expression froze.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao's heart sank. Before Feng Qishi could even start counting, she let go.
Immediately after, with Feng Qishi's assistance, Mu Hua also let go and said, "Mother, it hurts so much."
Feng Qishi heard this, let go, and took half a step back.
Mu Hua glanced at Feng Qishi, then ran towards Madam.
Mu Anxiao, with her back to Madam, looked down at her bleeding arm and hand, her brow furrowed in resentment.
The maidservant, seeing this, quietly walked away.
After the maidservant left, Mu Anxiao glared at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi looked down at the unconvinced expression on Mu Anxiao's face and said lightly, "Madam, I will discipline her."
"Then I'll trouble you, General." Madam felt pleased.
Mai Xia's eyes sank.