Mu Anxiao hadn't expected Mai Liang to ask such a question. Hearing it so suddenly, she was genuinely taken aback, "What do you mean by asking me that?"
"Mu Xiao's mother is my sister, so naturally, I'm also Mu Xiao's aunt. I haven't found Mu Xiao all these years, yet you say," Mai Liang narrowed her eyes, "that she's your junior. To be honest, my sister believed you, but I don't." She shook her head.
Mu Anxiao: "You came to see me just to talk about this."
"Yes, but not entirely."
"What exactly do you mean?" Mu Anxiao feigned impatience.
Mai Liang: "First, I want the truth. Second, I want you to take me into the palace."
"..." Mu Anxiao blinked, deliberately remaining silent.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's silence, Mai Liang frowned, "Why did you suddenly stop talking? Could it be... I've made things difficult for you."
"Not at all. I'm just a bit confused. Why do you want to enter the palace? And why do you need me to take you? You could have entered the palace yourself, given that I couldn't find you either."
"I want to disrupt the plan of the entire Mu Manor."
"Plan?" Mu Anxiao had always considered the people of Mu Manor as simply 'bad people' who would stop at nothing for appearances. She had never heard of any such plan before, so when Mai Liang mentioned it, she was perplexed. "What plan are you talking about?"
"Mu Gui has an elder sister."
"An elder sister?"
"Yes. His sister was a concubine of the late king and is said to have been buried alive. But..." Mai Liang suddenly stopped speaking.
Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Liang's dazed expression and asked, "Why did you stop?"
"In short, their plan is to have Mu Hua marry King Jin, to find that sister who seems to be still alive. Afterwards," Mai Liang took a deep breath, "they'll bring her back to help them with something."
"Help them with what?" Mu Anxiao's head was spinning.
Mai Liang: "Help them find a way to solidify their status."
"..." Mu Anxiao was completely lost.
Mai Liang looked at Mu Anxiao's bewildered expression and asked, "Don't tell me you don't understand what I'm saying?"
"..." Mu Anxiao bared her teeth and smiled, "I really don't quite understand what you're saying."
"I knew it." Mai Liang curled her lips. "In short, I want to ruin their plan."
".." Mu Anxiao chuckled dryly, thinking through Mai Liang's words again, and then suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean, you don't want their plan to succeed."
"Right."
"As far as I know," Mu Anxiao thought carefully about the situation at Mu Manor over the past year, continuing, "the people in Mu Manor don't seem to rely on the one in the palace."
"You don't understand this. Mu Manor's existence relies on connections."
"Relies on connections?"
"Yes. Before Mu Gui's sister married the late king, Mu Manor didn't exist. But," Mai Liang said seriously, "after Mu Gui's sister was chosen as a concubine, the Mu family gradually gained wealth. His sister got him a position in the palace, and slowly, with his sister's help, Mu Gui reached his current standing."
"..."
"Still don't understand?" Mai Liang asked again, seeing Mu Anxiao's silence.
Mu Anxiao: "If you hadn't said anything, I really wouldn't have realized Mu Gui was such a useless person."
"He's not useless."
"Not useless... but the facts prove he also reached this point through connections."
"You're wrong."
However, Mu Anxiao, having listened to Mai Liang say so much, thought she was trying to convey that Mu Gui was useless. Unexpectedly... after they exchanged a few words, Mai Liang uttered 'You're wrong.'
It seemed her mind was completely muddled. "No, what exactly do you mean?"
"What do you mean by that?" This time, Mai Liang didn't understand Mu Anxiao.
"You told me all this, didn't you just want to explain... that Mu Gui owes his current status to his sister? So why," Mu Anxiao forced a smile, "is it now my fault?"
"Mu Gui reached today by stepping on the ladder of connections. But he can't stand on this ladder for long. Ultimately, it depends on his own efforts. However, the fact is, he has been quite successful. But," Mai Liang sighed, "Mu Gui is too easily swayed by outside gossip. When others say he achieved his current status through connections, he believes it himself. Because of this, he's been trying to find his sister."
"..." Mu Anxiao tilted her head slightly.
Mai Liang continued, "Let's put it this way, these words made him insecure. He's been extremely careless in his work these years, but he's never looked for reasons within himself. He's always felt that because he lost his sister's connection, the new King Jin liked him less and less."
"This has nothing to do with me." Mu Anxiao was indifferent.
"It truly has nothing to do with you, but," Mai Liang's gaze was firm, "it has to do with my sister."
"What does it have to do with your sister?"
"My sister doesn't want to marry Mu Gui. If his sister returns, my sister will inevitably have to marry him, so..."
"Wait, why doesn't your sister want to marry Mu Gui? Does she... really want to remain without status like this forever?" Mu Anxiao began to question Mai Xia's intentions.
Mai Liang: "If you marry him, you will die."
Mu Anxiao froze. "What do you mean by that?"
"Most of the late king's concubines were buried alive. Mu Gui's sister was the late king's favorite, yet she survived. Of course," Mai Liang said, "setting aside where she is now, don't you find all of this very strange?"
"What's strange about it?" Mu Anxiao felt Mai Liang was being overly dramatic.
Mai Liang: "You ask what's strange? A concubine who wasn't particularly good-looking was the late king's favorite..."
"Wait." Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Mai Liang frowned. "Do you have something to ask?"
"You said not particularly good-looking..." Mu Anxiao narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"
"Large and sturdy, with bulging eyes, a flat nose, and thin lips like paper," Mai Liang briefly described her and asked, "Do you think someone like that would be beautiful?"
"Bulging eyes..." Mu Anxiao repeated, picturing it. "Some plump girls are quite beautiful."
"I'm not talking about others, I'm talking about her. Of course," Mai Liang became serious, "most importantly, she's older than Mu Gui."
"..." Mu Anxiao began to imagine.
Mai Liang: "..." She waited for Mu Anxiao to respond.
After her imagination ran its course, Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Liang again and said, "It is quite strange."
"Yes. Clearly, there were beautiful women, but the late king didn't fancy any of them, only her. Most importantly, he never crowned her as Queen Jin."
"What is Queen Jin?" Mu Anxiao, being less experienced, didn't grasp what Mai Liang was saying.
Mai Liang: "Queen Jin is the highest-ranking woman in the palace, commonly known as King Jin's wife."
"So, are all the others considered concubines?"
"Yes, that's the idea." Mai Liang nodded.
Mu Anxiao's lips curved. "That's quite peculiar."
"Alright, can we get to the main point?" Mai Liang said faintly.
Mu Anxiao came back to her senses and asked, "Why would I die if your sister married Mu Gui?"
"His sister in the palace is specifically in charge of killing children. Any child she dislikes won't live past the next day," Mai Liang leaned forward slightly.
Mu Anxiao's eyes widened. "She killed children too?"
"Yes, this method was taught to Madam. It's done without a trace. I think," Mai Liang lowered her eyelids slightly, "this is why she doesn't compete for the position of Queen Jin."
"That makes sense. If she became Queen Jin, everyone's eyes would be on her, and then... her actions would be magnified many times over. But by remaining a favored concubine, the meaning is different," Mu Anxiao analyzed softly.
"That's what I think too," Mai Liang said. "So, it's because of this that my sister is unwilling to marry Mu Gui. Once she marries him, everything will change, and you will be killed silently."
"Silently..." Mu Anxiao chuckled as she spoke. "You're exaggerating, aren't you? How could I die so easily? If I were to die, I would have been killed three months ago."
"You're too naive."
"How am I naive?"
"Have you ever thought about why his sister didn't die?" Mai Liang suddenly asked.
Mu Anxiao was made tense by the suddenly serious atmosphere. "She... it seems... hasn't been found. Isn't it too early to say she's still alive?"
"What's early about it? She is still alive." Mai Liang's eyes were cold, her tone firm.
Mu Anxiao looked at Mai Liang's suddenly grim expression and asked, her voice trembling, "What's wrong?"
"Let me tell you the truth. The reason I don't enter the palace myself is because..." Mai Liang paused, then continued, "She is a demon."
"..." Mu Anxiao's eyes widened.
Mai Liang: "There are some things I don't want to explain directly to you. From the first day I learned she was in the palace, I went to find her. That day, I walked into a desolate courtyard. There was nothing inside. Then, as I was steeling myself to search further," she narrowed her eyes, "something suddenly exploded. I was startled, and just as I was preparing to fight, a black light flashed before my eyes..." She paused again.
Mu Anxiao calmly watched Mai Liang's eccentric behavior and asked, "And then?"
"Then I was knocked unconscious by that black light. When I woke up, I was already outside the palace gates."
"So, you didn't see her."
"..." Mai Liang was suddenly speechless.
Mu Anxiao frowned, waiting for Mai Liang's response.
Outside the room.
Feng Qishi stood at the bottom of the steps, observing the faint blue light before him. He thought to himself that his magic seemed to be running out.
With that thought, he raised his hand and began to try and break through it.
Inside the room.
Mu Anxiao watched Mai Liang's continued silence and asked, "Why are you not speaking?"
Mai Liang: "Am I very shameful?"
"You are a spirit soul, so your magic is naturally weak. However," Mu Anxiao smiled, "it's truly not easy for you to be this capable. So, it's not shameful."
"But I just feel I'm quite shameful," Mai Liang said in a low voice.
Mu Anxiao was speechless for a moment. "Then follow me closely this time. Perhaps you can..." She stopped midway, suddenly realizing that Mu Gui's sister was still human, but Mai Liang was different. Mai Liang was a spirit soul. If Mai Liang were to make a move against Mu Gui's sister, wouldn't Mai Liang be finished?
Thus, she asked, "What do you plan to do after you find his sister?"
Mai Liang, "You don't think I'm going to kill her, do you?" She saw through Mu Anxiao's thoughts.
Mu Anxiao: "You're not going to kill her, are you?"
"Don't worry, I won't touch her. If I were to touch her," Mai Liang looked down at her own single hand, "it would be dirtying my hands."
"Then what do you plan to do?" Mu Anxiao was curious.
Mai Liang: "It's very simple, like this." As she spoke, she extended her hand towards Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao recoiled half a step in fear, asking, "What are you doing?"
Mai Liang smiled. "Look at my palm."
"Your palm..." Mu Anxiao repeated, leaning forward slightly, her eyes fixed on Mai Liang's palm.
At the same time, Feng Qishi's eyes widened. She intended to erase Mu Anxiao's memories and drive her mad. Thinking this, he quickly pushed the door open.
Immediately, Feng Qishi rushed into the room, his gaze falling on Mu Anxiao, who was still staring at Mai Liang's palm. He shouted, "Let her go!" As he spoke, he took two steps forward.
Upon hearing this, Mai Liang jumped in fright, quickly withdrew her hand, turned sideways, muttered, "Shen Moyun." Then, just as she was about to cast a spell to escape, Feng Qishi preempted her by casting a spell to immobilize her.
Following that, Mu Anxiao looked up at the contorted face of Mai Liang and Feng Qishi, who had her restrained, and shouted, "What are you doing?"
"..." Feng Qishi had no time to reply. While moving to Mai Liang's side, he looked at Mu Anxiao and said, "I saved you."
"What?" Mu Anxiao was stunned.
"You really are an idiot," Feng Qishi said, lowering his head to meet Mai Liang's eyes.
Mai Liang, completely unable to move, looked at Feng Qishi, swallowed, and lost her courage to speak.
Subsequently, Mu Anxiao looked from Feng Qishi to Mai Liang and said, "Shen Moyun, let her go."
Hearing this, Feng Qishi looked back at Mu Anxiao. "She was about to turn you into a madwoman, and you're still defending her? Mu Anxiao," he frowned, "are you perhaps a masochist?"