Didn't Princess Tianlin say that Mu Rendong wasn't in the capital but had gone somewhere else? Why did Princess Tianlin lie to her? Wasn't it said that Mu Rendong's elder sister was a favored imperial concubine in the palace? Why didn't his sister rescue him?
"Your Highness, something has happened."
The person sent to follow Xiujuan came back to tell Zhu Fei that Xiujuan had gone to meet Li Jiaojiao today. Li Jiaojiao had told Xiujuan that Mu Rendong was already dead, and Xiujuan had gone to find someone to confirm this.
"Your Highness, what should we do about Xiujuan?" Zhu Fei asked.
"I'll handle Xiujuan's matter. Now your task is to immediately investigate Li Jiaojiao. I want to know everything about her, even the day she was born! Check it all out clearly for me!" Mu Fengqie said with a cold face, looking at Zhu Fei.
"Yes, I understand, Your Highness." Zhu Fei knew that her master was about to fight back. Li Jiaojiao had been acting so arrogantly for so long. It was time for her to reap what she had sown.
"Well? Miss Xiujuan now knows. Have I lied to you?" Li Jiaojiao had been waiting for her in the teahouse.
"When did this happen?" Xiujuan steadied herself and looked at Li Jiaojiao.
"Let me think..." Li Jiaojiao recalled seriously and said, "It's been a long time."
Xiujuan thought about the time when Mu Rendong left the town and asked Li Jiaojiao if it was this time.
But Li Jiaojiao was also from outside. She didn't know anything about Mu Rendong at all. So as soon as Xiujuan mentioned this time, Li Jiaojiao immediately said yes.
Xiujuan slumped tiredly in the chair, not knowing what to do.
"I said, Miss Xiujuan, haven't you known about this during your long stay in the capital?" Li Jiaojiao looked at Xiujuan in surprise.
Looking at Xiujuan's appearance, Li Jiaojiao knew that what she said was true. It seemed that the information she got was real.
"Five thousand taels. Three days later, still at this place, I'll send someone to give it to you." After saying that, Xiujuan got up and left directly.
Looking at Xiujuan's figure, Li Jiaojiao's eyes were as venomous as if they were poisoned. She wished she could tear Xiujuan apart. But thinking of the five - thousand - tael silver note, she felt much better.
These days, she had spent all the money she had brought when she came to the capital. The money she asked from Xiujuan this time was ten times the amount she had brought when she came.
This result really surprised her. She had even prepared to argue with Xiujuan. Even if five thousand taels was not possible, half of it would be okay. But she didn't expect Xiujuan to agree directly.
It seemed that Mu Rendong was really important to Xiujuan. She should have asked for more. Five thousand taels would be spent in just a few days in the capital.
She didn't know why things in the capital were so expensive when they were just normal things.
After Xiujuan returned to Mu Fengqie's mansion, she went straight to Mu Fengqie's courtyard. Mu Fengqie had already been waiting for her in the courtyard.
Xiujuan looked at Mu Fengqie with a complicated expression. She didn't know how to talk to Mu Fengqie for a moment. It was Mu Fengqie who broke the silent atmosphere.
"Have a seat. I just brewed some tea. Try it." As Mu Fengqie said, she poured a cup of tea for Xiujuan and placed it in front of her.
Xiujuan opened her mouth but still didn't say anything. She just stared at Mu Fengqie.
"I know what you want to ask." Mu Fengqie looked at Xiujuan.
"Why did you lie to me?" Xiujuan looked at Mu Fengqie with red - rimmed eyes and asked, "Rendong is already..."
"Why did you lie to me! Tell me!" Xiujuan looked at Mu Fengqie in a breakdown and shouted.
Mu Fengqie sighed helplessly, "If I had told you the truth about Mu Rendong, tell me, could you have accepted it?" Mu Fengqie looked at Xiujuan with her dark eyes.
Xiujuan was stunned for a moment, then closed her eyes tiredly, "I want to know the truth."
Mu Fengqie took a sip of tea, looked at Xiujuan and said, "Okay, get yourself mentally prepared first."
Mu Fengqie glanced at Xiujuan and said, "Mu Rendong is indeed the younger brother of Concubine Mu in the palace. He did live in the palace. But because he offended the current emperor, Mu Rendong was executed."
Xiujuan's lips trembled, and her voice shook as she said, "But that..."
"That Li Jiaojiao clearly told you that Mu Rendong died after he disappeared from your town, right?" Mu Fengqie directly said what Xiujuan wanted to say.
"Yes, so you're lying." Xiujuan looked at Mu Fengqie firmly.
"I'm not. Mu Rendong was indeed executed a long time ago. The one who lied is that Li Jiaojiao." Mu Fengqie glanced at Xiujuan and continued, "Don't you check a person out before you go out to meet them?"
"That Li Jiaojiao is not from the capital at all. If you don't believe what I say, you can go and ask an official. See if what I say is true."
Xiujuan stared blankly at Mu Fengqie, not knowing what to say for a moment. After a long time, she slowly said, "If Mu Rendong was already dead, then who was that person in our town back then?"
Mu Fengqie was silent for a moment, not knowing whether she should say the next words.
"Do you really want to know?"
"I have the right to know the truth of the matter!" Xiujuan said word by word.
"That person was indeed Mu Rendong. He escaped from prison. After escaping, he killed two people not far from your town and set their house on fire. Nothing was left.
Later, when the court found out that Mu Rendong had escaped from prison, they sent people to chase him. But he resisted arrest during the chase, so the emperor ordered him to be executed on the spot."
Mu Fengqie still didn't tell Xiujuan everything, but this much was enough. If Xiujuan couldn't accept it, then they would have to become enemies.
Xiujuan kept her head down and said nothing. But from Mu Fengqie's angle, she could see the tears on Xiujuan's face and her slightly trembling shoulders.
Mu Fengqie wanted to go over and comfort her, but Xiujuan raised her head, looked at Mu Fengqie and sobbed, "Do you know? I fainted once on my way here. I was found to be pregnant.
But I was worried that the child in my belly would delay my progress, so... so I drank a bowl of abortifacient.
I thought that after I saw Rendong, we would definitely have more children. But I never thought that Rendong... " Xiujuan couldn't go on.
She was extremely regretful now. If she had known this would be the case, she would never have aborted that child.
Mu Fengqie didn't expect such a thing to happen either. She looked at Xiujuan with a complicated expression.
"Actually, you can still pursue other forms of happiness. You don't have to hang yourself on one tree." Moreover, Mu Rendong wasn't a good person.