Although she was somewhat eccentric and disliked people hovering around her or attending her closely, she would never scold or beat her servants if they did not provoke her. In fact, she would occasionally bestow gifts upon them.
Time flowed by like water. Wu Caiwei almost every day took Yan'er to wander the streets or to meet the Fifth Prince. One day, as usual, she returned home. Not long after, night fell. After washing up and lying in bed, she was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back. She quickly sat up and lifted the bedsheet, only to see two red scorpions inside.
The scream she expected did not come. Wu Caiwei excitedly grabbed one scorpion in each hand and put them into an empty ceramic jar. Only then did she take one of the detoxification pills she had secretly refined. Fortunately, fearing unexpected situations, she had, with Yan'er's help, bought some medicinal herbs and secretly taken medicinal baths since arriving. When she had nothing else to do, she even experimented with poisons on her own body. After being poisoned by these venomous scorpions, she knew she wouldn't die immediately. She decided to catch the scorpions first and then detoxify herself.
Soon, the nauseous feeling in her chest disappeared. In this mansion, apart from that mother and daughter pair, it was hard to find anyone else who would treat her with such malicious intent.
She had originally planned to give her a grand gift on her wedding day, but it seemed she had to move it up. Daring to scheme against her meant she had to bear the consequences.
After a moment's thought, she decided not to sleep. She put on the night-traveling suit she had hidden and, under the cover of darkness, sprinted towards the central courtyard of the entire mansion.
With a leap, she landed on the rooftop and found Mu Fei's room. She lifted a roof tile and poured the medicine in her hand into it.
Actually, Mu Fei was not asleep at this hour. She was excited. The thought of the poisonous scorpions she had spent a large sum of money on, now lying on Mu Yan's bed, would soon drink her blood and peel her skin, followed by her screams. By the time the maids and servants discovered her, she would be beyond saving. Tomorrow, white banners would hang in the mansion, and before long, the Emperor would re-grant a marriage to the Fifth Prince. She reveled in her secret pleasure.
As long as she remained the only young lady of the Mu family, her father would not neglect her. But if Mu Yan were allowed to surpass her, then given her father's nature, he would, under her mother's influence, still care for her, but his focus would definitely shift to Mu Yan. This was something she could not tolerate.
Before going to sleep, she had specifically instructed her personal maid to keep an eye on Wu Caiwei's movements. As soon as she heard any news from that side, she was to report it immediately so she could have some amusement. However, she waited and waited but received no news, and as she became increasingly frustrated, she suddenly smelled a peculiar floral fragrance.
Before she could discern what the scent was, her face suddenly felt intensely itchy. She couldn't help but gently scratch it with her hand. To her surprise, the more she scratched, the itchier it became. Unconsciously, she increased the force of her scratching. No matter how hard she tried to scratch, the itch persisted, a deep-seated itch that made her feel like she wanted to carve away her flesh with a knife.
Hearing her screams, the personal maid hurried in to check. Everyone who saw the condition of her face was stunned and at a loss. After a while, someone reacted, going to inform the madam while another went to find a doctor. Some people held the young lady's hands to stop her from scratching further. Even though this was futile, such deep wounds would undoubtedly leave scars. But what if? Everyone held onto a sliver of hope, because they knew that only by doing so could they hope to survive. If the young lady's face was ruined, they could only atone with their deaths. The young lady and the madam would not let them off.
"My daughter, how did you get yourself into this state? Doctor, where is the doctor?" The maid, flustered, went to find the madam, completely unaware of the situation inside. She only heard that the young lady's face was injured. The more frantic the maid was, the more anxious Madam Mu became. Although she was cruel and ruthless, she doted on her own children. She quickly got up, put on her clothes, and rushed to her daughter's courtyard. Although she already had a bad premonition, upon seeing her daughter frantically scratching her face, she was completely stunned.
"The doctor is here!" someone shouted. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and even Madam Mu relaxed. She immediately rushed to see her daughter. As for these useless maids, she would deal with them thoroughly later. Tasked with taking care of her daughter, and this is how they took care of her? What was the point of keeping them?
The doctor was also shocked at first glance. He had been practicing medicine for many years, and this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. If it were an ordinary woman, and the payment were high enough, he might have tried reluctantly. But the second young lady of the Mu family was to marry into the Xu family. If he not only failed to heal her face but worsened her condition, his clinic would not only have to close, but his life would also be in jeopardy. He quickly waved his hand, indicating his inability to help, and before Madam Mu could react, he slipped away.
Madam Mu, seeing his fleeing figure, stamped her foot in anger and ordered someone to find another renowned physician. If that failed, she would have the master swallow his pride tomorrow and request an imperial physician. No matter what, the Emperor would give the Empress face. Moreover, with her daughter's injuries, although Madam Mu was reluctant to admit it, she knew that under these circumstances, it would be difficult not to leave scars. She had to give the Xu family an explanation.
Turning back, Madam Mu looked at her daughter, who, even with her hands held by several maids, was still writhing wildly on the bed, trying to break free. It was imaginable how much pain she was enduring.
Madam Mu went to her side and called her daughter's name loudly several times, but received no reaction. She could only sit aside and weep silently.
Soon, Master Mu also entered. In fact, he had arrived shortly after Madam Mu had left. However, it was not appropriate for a father to enter his adult daughter's room. Seeing the scene of crying and the severe situation, with even the doctor refusing to treat her, he hesitated for a moment before walking in. Upon seeing the scene, he couldn't help but frown, thinking that this daughter was completely ruined.
After a while, he quietly left the room. Madam Mu watched his departing figure and felt even more heartbroken. She had been his wife for so many years and knew how heartless her husband was. Although others said he was devoted to her, they didn't know how much effort she had put in, constantly trying to guess his preferences and thoughts, never daring to disobey. Sometimes she felt extremely weary, but as long as she thought that by serving her husband well, her son and daughter would have a bright future, she would regain her vigor. But now, seeing her daughter in this state, he not only didn't come forward to comfort or help, but instead treated her as a pawn. Madam Mu felt utterly disheartened.
In the middle of the night, doctors came and went from the Mu residence, but none could alleviate her pain. The madam, whenever she thought of her daughter being tortured to death, felt her heart ache. She quickly went to plead with Master Mu.