Just thinking about what had happened earlier made Shen Yiru break out in a cold sweat. It was obvious that the Third Prince had truly intended to kill. If he had acted on his impulse and killed Mu Fengqie, it was entirely possible.
"Is this the good show you were talking about? Why on earth did you provoke the Third Prince? If he hadn't let go just now, you wouldn't be standing here now!"
The mere thought of that scene filled Shen Yiru with dread. However, Mu Fengqie, who had just walked on the brink of death, showed no sign of fear. Instead, she seemed quite pleased. What a strange woman!
Mu Fengqie gave a calm smile. She was certain that Yuan Yuze wouldn't be able to bring himself to kill. Now it seemed her gamble had paid off. Yuan Yuze was still inexperienced compared to her.
"I'm fine, aren't I? If I didn't have full confidence, I wouldn't have taken you all to enjoy the delicacies. Now that we have the silver notes, how about going to the Wanbao Pavilion to buy you some jewelry?"
Mu Fengqie could be considered quite well - off. The jewelry in the Wanbao Pavilion was well within her reach. Seeing Shen Yiru looking like a frightened rabbit just now made her feel a bit guilty.
Shen Yiru gave her a disdainful look. "You'd better save your silver notes. We've been out for so long. Aunt must be worried. Let's go back early."
"Okay. Let's buy some pastries for Qi'er on the way back. I haven't seen that child for a long time. I wonder if she's forgotten about me."
As the two chatted and laughed, they soon returned to the Minister's Mansion. However, there was an unexpected guest waiting for Mu Fengqie in the Listening to the Maple Garden.
Shen Yiru didn't want to go back to her courtyard alone, so she followed Mu Fengqie to the Listening to the Maple Garden. To her surprise, she saw a strange figure.
Mu Fengqie was also a bit taken aback to find an extra person in her courtyard. But when the person turned around, her heart sank completely.
She had thought that after coming to the imperial city, she could completely cut off ties with the Mu family. She never expected that Jupiter Rou would chase her all the way here. When something seemed out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy.
"Sister, you're finally back. I've been waiting for you for a while. Why did you come back so late? Did something happen?"
Jupiter Rou deliberately put on an act of sisterly affection, but in Mu Fengqie's heart, they had never been real sisters.
"Why did you come here? What do you want from me?" Mu Fengqie said coldly, showing her displeasure.
Hearing this, Jupiter Rou's expression became much more sorrowful. "Sister, please save my life. Please make Niu Tiesheng divorce me!"
Mu Fengqie didn't expect that Jupiter Rou would come to her for this. She remembered that Jupiter Rou had never missed an opportunity to show off in front of her how wealthy Niu Tiesheng was as a landowner and how well - off she was as his concubine.
"Didn't sister always like being Niu Tiesheng's concubine? Why are you saying such strange things today?" Mu Fengqie sneered.
Jupiter Rou's eyes welled up with tears. She rolled up her sleeves, exposing all the scars on her body. The scars were of different depths, indicating that she had been beaten for some time.
Although Shen Yiru didn't know the whole situation, she just didn't like Jupiter Rou from the bottom of her heart. She could clearly sense Mu Fengqie's estrangement towards her.
"He beats me almost every day. He beats me when he's happy and beats me even more when he's unhappy. I can't bear it any longer. If this goes on, I'm afraid I won't even be able to keep my life."
At this point, Jupiter Rou couldn't stop her tears. With a runny nose and tears streaming down her face, she continued, "Especially after you were named a princess. After much thought, I realized that the only one who can help me is you. Sister has never asked you for anything before. Please save sister!"
She wasn't without trying to escape, but in that small village, Niu Tiesheng was like a powerful figure. She managed to escape but was sent back by Mrs. Kong and Mu Rendong. After that, Niu Tiesheng's beatings became even more severe.
Mu Fengqie wasn't a saint, nor was she overly sympathetic. Jupiter Rou had once tried to ruin her reputation and even wanted to burn down her express delivery station. Their relationship wasn't close enough for Mu Fengqie to help her.
"Sister has a bad memory, but I can't forget what sister said before. We're not even real sisters. How can sister be so sure that I'll help you?"
Mu Fengqie shrugged, clearly indicating that she didn't want to help Jupiter Rou. But Jupiter Rou still refused to give up. She had finally managed to escape here. If she couldn't get help, she was doomed!
After much thought, she directly knelt in front of Mu Fengqie. "I know I did wrong in the past. Sister is here to apologize to you. Please save sister's life. As long as you can save me, I'll be a servant for you in the future. I'll even be willing to stay by your side as a maid."
Jupiter Rou didn't want to stay in that family for a single moment longer. She was willing to do anything to survive. If she hadn't been driven to desperation, she would never have come to Mu Fengqie.
Just when she thought there was no way out, she heard that Mu Fengqie had been named a princess. She happily rushed to the imperial city, enduring all kinds of hardships on the way. She even didn't have a full meal. No matter what, she had to win Mu Fengqie's help.
"Jupiter Rou, I'm not the Bodhisattva, nor am I a Holy Mother. You've come to the wrong person. Just because you once tried to kill me and burn down my express delivery station, what reason do I have to help you?"
Pitiful people often had their own faults. Jupiter Rou had brought all this on herself. If she hadn't tried to harm Mu Fengqie, Mu Fengqie might have helped her. But now, Mu Fengqie not only wouldn't help her but also wouldn't show her any pity.
"What I did in the past was wrong, but I've already realized my mistake. Although we're not real sisters, we've been sisters for more than ten years. Are you really going to be so heartless? I only ask you to save me. I'm even willing to be your servant!"
After saying that, Jupiter Rou cried even more loudly. Shen Yiru snorted. All her initial pity had completely disappeared. "How shameless you are! Fengqie clearly doesn't want to help you. And this is the Minister's Mansion. Who do you think you are that you can wander around the mansion at will?"
"Sister, you'd better go back quickly. Otherwise, your husband will be worried. I'm sure mother won't make things easy for Niu Tiesheng. Isn't sister the most filial one? Servants! Throw Jupiter Rou out of the mansion. Don't let her in again!"
Mu Fengqie said coldly, no longer looking at the pitiful - looking Jupiter Rou. She felt no pity for her. Jupiter Rou had to bear the consequences of her own actions. She could only be left to fend for herself.
"Mu Fengqie! You're so heartless! I'll never let you off even if I become a ghost! Mu Fengqie, you'll surely come to a bad end..."
Gradually, Jupiter Rou's voice faded away. Only then did Mu Fengqie take a deep breath.