"Yes, we can't let them feel disheartened, so I'll be the one to bear the disappointment. I know I don't hold much weight in my father's eyes, but I do feel sorry for my mother. I heard she was still thinking of you before she passed away.
Yet, you only thought of your cousin, afraid she might be wronged. Did you ever consider that my mother might also be wronged? It's just that we were born to a life of hardship." Wu Caiwei began to speak up for the original owner's mother.
If she had known he had someone else in his heart back then, perhaps with her uncle's affection for her mother, he wouldn't have married her off to the Mu family. By the time she joined the Mu family and discovered the cousin's existence, it was too late. She could only grit her teeth and accept it.
Old Master Mu finally remembered he had a first wife. The image and voice of his original wife had long blurred. Because he didn't love her, he had never truly cared about her. Yet, deep down, he knew he owed her a great deal. He simply never wanted to recall it.
Now, brought up by his own daughter, he felt ashamed. In the past, he would have certainly reprimanded her. But today, he had already wronged her regarding his current wife's affairs, so he could only speak vaguely, "It's been so many years, why bring her up? I know I'm sorry to you both. I will try my best to compensate in the future."
Wu Caiwei looked at his impatient expression and knew his words were insincere. In his heart, his mother was probably still considered a source of shame. After all, whenever his mother was mentioned, people would remember that Old Master Mu relied on his first wife's financial support to pass the imperial examinations and become an official.
Even after remarrying, the Mu family's expenses were always provided by the Liu family. Without the Liu family, his career wouldn't have been so smooth. This was also why Old Master Mu, knowing full well the Taoist's words were false, had still complied with his wife's wishes and sent her away. Seeing her reminded him of his original wife, and then of the Liu family, and his rise to prominence. He always felt that period was too inglorious, and she had witnessed his poverty and desolation.
As for his cousin, she always looked at him with admiration, which satisfied his vanity. They had been childhood sweethearts, knowing each other well. Furthermore, her uncle's family depended on them for their livelihood, so they only spoke pleasantries and would never bring up such painful memories.
Now, there was someone who reminded him of his ignominious past. He suppressed his anger and dealt with her, his dislike for her growing by the moment.
Originally, Wu Caiwei wanted to say more to him, but she didn't expect Old Master Mu to storm off. She knew there would be time for more; no need to rush.
As the sky gradually brightened, the capital was not as bustling as usual. Small vendors, driven by their livelihoods, cautiously peeked out. They discovered that the bodies on the street had already been cleared away. After a moment's thought, they still opened for business.
If not for the vast expanses of bloodstains in front of the imperial palace, a stark reminder of what had happened last night, they might have believed it was all a nightmare.
Although only a night had passed, the Emperor's hair had turned significantly grayer. He had lost several sons that night. The grief of a white-haired parent mourning a child had, after all, taken its toll. His already frail health had completely collapsed. The head eunuch urged him to rest and recuperate, but the Emperor felt his time was short and that he needed to make arrangements.
Entering the main hall, Old Master Mu lowered his head and scanned the surroundings from the corner of his eye. He noticed that many familiar or once-lofty officials were gone. He dared not imagine their fate and could only inwardly tremble with fear, feeling somewhat fortunate that he had not been involved.
After the court session ended, he found that the gazes of everyone towards him were filled with a new warmth. He didn't need to guess; with only the Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince remaining as adult contenders for the throne, his future son-in-law was very likely to ascend the throne. Moreover, he had been unusually close to the Empress recently, and had spent the entire night with the Emperor yesterday. He knew better than anyone what had transpired.
In fact, Old Master Mu's head was already swimming with pride. He even walked with a swagger, thrilled at the prospect of becoming the Emperor's father-in-law. Su Dan Novel Network.
He couldn't help but regret the argument he had with his eldest daughter that morning before leaving home. Had he known this would be the outcome, he would have certainly appeased her. What was the big deal about severely punishing his current wife? A superficial show would suffice. The most crucial thing was not to leave her with any grudges, and certainly not to affect her feelings for the Mu family.
As he was eager to mend his relationship with Wu Caiwei, Mu Fei also received the news. The thought that her greatest lifelong dream of becoming the Empress had not been realized, while the "lowly born" she had always looked down upon had a chance, gnawed at her like ants, making her almost insane with jealousy.
She stood up, preparing to return to the Mu family. She couldn't just wait to be defeated. She had to make her mother find a way to deal with that "lowly born" girl, preferably ensuring she didn't become the Fifth Prince's consort. However, as she opened the door to her courtyard, she found several burly women standing at the entrance.
The moment they saw her, they became as if facing a great enemy. One of them said sternly, "Young Madam, please return. Young Master has ordered that Young Madam is not allowed to step out of this courtyard. We hope you won't make things difficult for us."
"What does he mean by this? He's confined me? I am Miss Mu. What's wrong with wanting to go back and visit?" Mu Fei hadn't expected him to treat her this way. She pushed forward recklessly, refusing to believe that the Xu family would keep her locked up forever.
Upon receiving the news, Xu Minghui arrived with his men. If not for her personal maid informing him, he wouldn't have known that his wife and the Mu family's eldest daughter had reached such a state of animosity. Seeing that the Fifth Prince was the most likely candidate for the throne, he couldn't afford to offend the Mu family, nor Mu Yan. Therefore, he could only let his deranged wife stay in this courtyard for a while.
"Xu Minghui, you can't treat me like this. Didn't you say you loved me? That you wanted to take care of me forever? I can't bear this kind of care. Let me out! I want to find my father and have him make a decision for me. Your Xu family wants to trap me to death in here. I want out!" Mu Fei wasn't worried about anything else; she was just afraid that if she was careless, Mu Yan would legitimately become Empress. The thought of that possibility was unbearable.
"Stop dreaming. If your father cared about you, he wouldn't have stayed silent even after three days of returning home for your wedding. It's likely the Mu family has already abandoned you, but you're unwilling to admit it.
Why would I let you out? To frame the future Fifth Prince's consort? To drag the Xu family and the Mu family down with you? Do you think I'm that foolish?" With that, Xu Minghui gave a signal to the women. They tacitly pulled the struggling young madam and pushed her into the courtyard, locking the door.
"This isn't true! You're lying! I want out! Let me out!" Mu Fei frantically pounded on the door, refusing to believe what he had said.
Xu Minghui ignored her, instructing his men to guard the courtyard tightly. After some thought, he hardened his heart and added a sedative to his young madam's food to keep her quiet.