Mu Fengqie took a deep breath. "Let's go. Staying here for too long will arouse suspicion."
The night wind howled through their clothes, but the two were completely unaffected. They held hands and left. No one knew what they had done that night.
"Your Highness, Mrs. Jiang is here," Zhu Fei interrupted Mu Fengqie, who was practicing calligraphy.
Mu Fengqie frowned. "What does she want?" She had thought that after what happened that day, Mrs. Jiang wouldn't want to see her again.
"She said she's here to apologize. The servants brought a lot of things," Zhu Fei said, pouting. For the richest woman in the capital, the gifts were so shabby.
"I see," Mu Fengqie said. She washed her hands and went to meet Mrs. Jiang.
"I pay my respects to the princess," Mrs. Jiang said, bowing gracefully. One had to admit that Mrs. Jiang was impeccable in terms of etiquette.
"Mrs. Jiang, there's no need for such formalities. I wonder what brings you here today," Mu Fengqie said, motioning for the servants to serve tea. She sat in the main seat and looked at Mrs. Jiang.
"I'm here to apologize to the princess. I was wrong that day. I was jealous when I saw the princess's shop doing so well. Please don't blame me," Mrs. Jiang said, motioning for the servants to present the trays in their hands.
"These are the gifts I've brought for the princess. I hope the princess won't mind," Mrs. Jiang said.
"Mrs. Jiang, you're too kind. Since you're so sincere in your apology, I can't say much. Zhu Fei, accept the gifts," Mu Fengqie said without even looking at them.
Mrs. Jiang was stunned by Mu Fengqie's actions. Shouldn't she open the gifts to see what they were before deciding whether to accept them? Why was this Princess Tianlin so unpredictable?
"Does Mrs. Jiang have anything else to say?" Mu Fengqie asked, hinting that it was time for Mrs. Jiang to leave.
"I won't disturb the princess any longer. I take my leave," Mrs. Jiang said. She had intended to put Mu Fengqie in her place, but Mu Fengqie hadn't played by the rules. So she had no choice but to give up.
"Your Highness, why did we accept her gifts? I've already taken a look. They're not worth much," Zhu Fei said angrily. Didn't Mrs. Jiang realize that she was insulting their mistress?
"If I didn't accept them, Mrs. Jiang would have something to say. What would people think of us then?" Mu Fengqie said calmly, taking a sip of tea.
Zhu Fei thought for a moment and understood. So that's what Mrs. Jiang had been planning. If they hadn't accepted the gifts today, the news would spread in the capital tomorrow that their mistress was petty and stingy. If Mrs. Jiang added fuel to the fire, it would be difficult for their mistress to clear her name.
"I understand, Your Highness. Should we teach the Jiang family a lesson?" Zhu Fei thought the Jiang family had become too arrogant.
"Not for now. Go and investigate the Jiang family thoroughly. Find out what kind of family they are," Mu Fengqie said. So far, she had only met Mrs. Jiang. She hadn't seen the other members of the family.
"I'll go right away," Zhu Fei said.
...
Mu Xingrou led her entourage to a palace in the Cold Palace. She frowned at the dirty and disorderly environment.
Without hesitation, Mu Xingrou went straight to the innermost room. Inside, there were cries and pleas for help. Mu Xingrou ignored them and waited outside for the person to come out.
It wasn't long before the door opened. If someone else had been there, they might have recognized the man who came out. It was Mu Rendong, who had been sentenced to death after the autumn by the emperor at the Mid - Autumn Festival banquet.
"What are you doing here?" Mu Rendong said, grinning at Mu Xingrou. Unfortunately, he had become so fat that his eyes were almost invisible. So his smile looked disgusting to Mu Xingrou.
"I'm just here to check on you. If you cause any more trouble, no one will be able to protect you," Mu Xingrou said, trying hard to suppress her disgust.
Mu Rendong owed his release to Eunuch Hai. Apart from Eunuch Hai's people, no one knew he was here, not even Mrs. Kong.
"Got it. Where else can I go? I'm already here," Mu Rendong said impatiently.
"Here are some silver notes for you for the next few days. Spend them wisely. Although I'm in favor now, I don't have that much money to give you," Mu Xingrou said, taking out a few silver notes from her sleeve.
Mu Rendong nodded, and his attitude immediately improved. "Why didn't you say you were here to give me money earlier? Do you want to come in and sit down? I'll prepare some tea for you."
"No. Be careful when you go out. Don't get caught," Mu Xingrou said, then left without looking back.
Just as Mu Xingrou was about to leave, she heard Mu Rendong say, "Remember to send another woman over. I'm bored with this one." She kept resisting all day. There was no fun in it.
If only he could sleep with the emperor's woman. It was a pity that Concubine Shu was so ungrateful. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have ended up like this. One day, he would get his revenge.
He wanted that woman to lie beneath him. After he was bored with her, he would give her to someone else and make her a whore for everyone to enjoy.
Thinking of Concubine Shu's appearance, Mu Rendong felt a stir in his body. He cursed and went back into the room. This time, before the woman in the room could scream, Mu Rendong stuffed a cloth into her mouth.
Mu Rendong took out all his anger on the woman. Looking at the unconscious woman beneath him, Mu Rendong was very satisfied with himself. He had such good skills. He just couldn't understand why the woman was still resisting. Why couldn't she just enjoy it?
After leaving the Cold Palace, Mu Xingrou remembered the conversation with Eunuch Hai that night.
"Why did Eunuch Hai say that?" Mu Xingrou asked, looking at Eunuch Hai in confusion. She hoped that Mu Rendong would die soon.
"He's still useful to you," Eunuch Hai said, looking at Mu Xingrou with calculating eyes. This woman was so stupid. In case of necessity, there had to be a scapegoat. Otherwise, he would have to find another person to control.
Mu Xingrou thought for a while and decided that Eunuch Hai wouldn't harm her. So she agreed. However, she was opposed to Eunuch Hai's request when she heard it.
It wasn't worth it to do this for Mu Rendong. But there was no other way. The conditions Eunuch Hai offered were too tempting. Mu Rendong was her substitute.
If something happened in the future, she could just push Mu Rendong out. Mu Xingrou struggled with this thought for an entire night...