The Empress particularly admired him for being not only extremely filial but also open about his ambitions. She wasn't afraid of his ambition; after all, who in the royal family didn't have a hundred schemes? Even if he ascended the throne, if he couldn't hold onto it, he would eventually implicate her.
Having schemes wasn't frightening; what was frightening was being ungrateful. The Crown Prince was a prime example. Currently, there was no such trend visible in the Fifth Prince, though people's hearts were fickle, and this was hard to say.
"How could you have such a thought?" In the Mu family, Madam Mu looked at her daughter in shock.
"Mother, stop hiding it from me. I heard someone deliberately disfigured my face. Besides Mu Yan, I can't think of anyone else who could harm me this much. Before she returned, I lived in this mansion for so many years without incident. After she returned, Mother, think about it, when have I been happy?" As soon as Mu Yan was mentioned, Mu Fei's teeth itched with hatred. In her mind, Mu Yan was the one who had harmed her.
"It can't be, does she have that much capability?" Although Madam Mu hesitated, she still voiced her doubt.
"That's hard to say. She has money, and it's easy for her to bribe a few people to do her bidding. Her courtyard used to be secluded, with the outside just beyond a wall. The servants who used to work in her courtyard often heard wild cat meows; who knows if they were their secret signals? It's a shame she was betrothed later, and Father gave her a different courtyard, otherwise, we could have followed the clues." When she spoke of these things, Mu Fei felt some regret. At the time, she had the same idea as her mother, thinking Mu Yan couldn't escape her mother's grasp, so she hadn't taken her seriously. Now she knew she was wrong; everyone was not simple.
"I listened to you and increased the number of people monitoring her, but every time she went out, she seemed very normal and didn't interact much with anyone. We couldn't catch her red-handed. Even regarding your claim that she framed you and disfigured you, your father had already sent people to search her courtyard inside and out without her knowledge, and they found nothing." Privately, Madam Mu also wished for irrefutable evidence, but the problem was that she was the matriarch of the Mu family and had to be fair and uphold justice, requiring proof.
"Are we just going to let her get away with it, knowing she harmed me this much? Just tell me, are you going to help me or not?" Mu Fei looked at her intently.
Madam Mu doted on her daughter immensely and couldn't bear to see her disappointed expression since childhood. But this time, it truly put her in a difficult position. If Mu Yan were marrying someone else, it wouldn't matter; at most, they would offend someone. But her marriage was personally decreed by the Emperor, and she was to marry into the royal family. Interfering with this would push the Mu family into an abyss of eternal damnation.
After thinking for a moment, she lowered her head and said apologetically, "It's not that I'm unwilling to help you, but my younger son and I are still in the Mu family. We don't want to die. Don't worry, once you marry into the Xu family, I will definitely not let her have an easy time. I will avenge you."
Although she had expected this outcome, Mu Fei couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Her mother always said she was very important to her, but when her younger brother was involved, she always took a backseat.
"Alright, I'll await your good news, Mother." She suppressed the discomfort in her heart and looked at her mother calmly.
Madam Mu thought she had abandoned her dreadful thoughts and was relieved. After comforting her for a while, she fled in a hurry.
"Miss, I've inquired about the matter you asked me to look into. Miss Mu Yan's family has long been protected by the Eldest Miss, and we can't find them." Seeing her mother leave, her personal maidservant hurried to Mu Fei's side to report on the progress.
"I suspected this would be the outcome. My sister is definitely not as simple as she appears on the surface. As expected, we've let a wolf into the house." Mu Fei snorted coldly. She believed her father could also guess this. The reason he wasn't helping her was probably that he saw she had no further value. That old fox is heartless and unrighteous. When I can turn things around one day, I will definitely make him wish he had never been born.
Her personal maidservant stood obediently by her side, listening silently to her self-talk, quietly awaiting instructions. She believed that given her young lady's nature, she would never let the Eldest Miss have an easy time. Madam Mu thought her young lady had given up on her plans, but as her personal maidservant, she felt her young lady must be brewing a major move. As expected, she instructed everything to proceed according to plan.
Although Mu Fei believed her actions were very discreet, Wu Caiwei still received the news. In another half a month, it would be her wedding day. She already regarded Wu Caiwei as an enemy. Putting herself in Wu Caiwei's shoes, she knew that with her impending departure from the Mu family, Wu Caiwei would definitely make a big move. Even if she made a mistake later, she would be part of the Xu family, and the Mu family would not be able to do much to her. Moreover, she had the protection of Lord Mu and Madam Mu. Wu Caiwei unconsciously heightened her vigilance, and even Yan'er became more cautious.
The days passed slowly, with a feeling of impending storm. Soon, it was the eve of Mu Fei's wedding. This was the first time the Mu family was marrying off a daughter, and Madam Mu was overwhelmed with busyness. Apart from Wu Caiwei's courtyard, everyone else was working tirelessly. Gradually, even the people in their own courtyards were pulled away to help.
Yan'er sat by Wu Caiwei's side, chatting intermittently. Suddenly, a strange old woman walked in, bowed to Wu Caiwei, and anxiously called for Yan'er to come help.
"I need to serve Miss. There are so many people in the mansion; just call anyone else." Yan'er didn't want to leave Miss's sight. Only by staying with her did she feel safe.
"Please forgive me, Miss Yan'er. There is no one else in the courtyard besides you. Something has temporarily come up in the embroidery room; please go and take a look. You'll be back soon. Such a short time won't cause any trouble." The old woman looked at her anxiously, almost begging her.
Yan'er hesitated for a moment but ultimately couldn't refuse her. She could only look at her young lady apologetically before leaving with her in a flurry. Although she didn't want to leave the courtyard, she didn't want to be criticized later. If she refused today, someone would definitely say afterward that she was too arrogant, just a mere maid. The Second Miss was too busy, and she was deliberately being lazy.
As soon as they left, Wu Caiwei vigilantly lowered her head, wiped her forehead where there was no sweat, and, concealing it with her sleeve, secretly popped a pill into her mouth.
Soon, she smelled a strange odor and then, feigning dizziness, clutched her forehead and fainted.
The next moment, several people roughly lifted her and placed her inside a hard object. If she wasn't mistaken, it should be a box or something similar. Then, with a swaying motion, she was carried away somewhere.
Only when she confirmed there was no one outside did Wu Caiwei quietly try to stand up. At this moment, she discovered that the box had been locked by someone at some point.