flstandardbreds Chapter 175 The Prince Returns to the Capital!
Chapter 175 The Prince Returns to the Capital!
"If something happens to Mu Xinyao, what good will it do for the Mu family? Do you really think that if a mere concubine's daughter does something shameful outside, people will only laugh at her?" Mu Xinnuan's voice had become colder.
"Father has been Minister of Works for more than three years now. These past few days, he has been looking worried, and with the matter of Second Uncle, do you think life in our Mu family is so easy?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Qing said somewhat awkwardly, "This servant didn't think that much about it; Miss is much more thoughtful."
Granny Yu happened to come in and overheard a few words. She smiled and said, "As the eldest daughter of the household, Miss naturally has to think things through carefully when she speaks and acts. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, people will probably just say that the madam did not teach her well!"
Mu Xin Nuan smiled. "Even if Mu Xin Yao wants to harm me, it's ultimately a matter for the Mu family. And if I want to deal with her, it's naturally a matter for the Mu family as well. If outsiders laugh at us, it will only damage my mother's reputation. Don't forget that Mu Xin Yao has an old lady behind her. If she uses some tricks to make outsiders think that my mother is abusing her illegitimate daughter, it will not only harm my mother's reputation but also affect my father and mother's relationship. That's not what I want."
“Miss, Madam previously said that she wanted the west wing to be cleaned up, saying it was for the Second Master.” Mu Qing suddenly remembered this and reminded her, “Before the Second Master’s family returned to the capital, the Old Madam always talked about how filial the Second Madam was. Now that the Second Master is going back to the capital, do you think the Old Madam will make things difficult for the Madam again?”
“That’s true. The old lady is planning to find an opportunity to join forces with my mother again after my second aunt returns. So we need to be even more careful in our words and actions now.”
"Yes, ma'am."
“Father has been working hard lately. I go to his study every day to help him organize books and documents. Perhaps, Father’s position will change. If it weren’t for Uncle’s incident, Father would probably have been promoted by now. This time, all it took was for Uncle to cough up 100,000 taels of silver so that he could return to the capital safely. I’m afraid Father sacrificed his future for this.”
Mu Qing and the others dared not answer!
They knew that their young lady was exceptionally intelligent and often helped out in the study, possessing considerable insight into matters of state. Moreover, the young lady was extremely cautious, only discussing matters with the master in the study each time. Once she left the study, she seemed to forget everything else, never even discussing state affairs with the madam.
It was precisely because of the young lady's caution that the master and the old master felt at ease letting her enter and leave the study.
Three or four days had passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Mu Xin Nuan was practicing the zither when Mu Qing Xuan and Mu Qing Yuan ran in.
"Eldest sister, stop practicing, let's go to the street together."
Mu Xin Nuan raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing out on the street? Don't you have class today?"
"Sister, today is the day the Fourth Prince returns to the capital in victory. Let's hurry, or it will be too late. The Fourth Prince won a great victory at the border, successfully driving the Tartars more than a hundred miles away. The Emperor is so pleased that he has issued a decree to suspend court for a day. Sister, have you forgotten?"
"Really?" Mu Xin Nuan thought back carefully. "Father seemed to have mentioned it last night. But wasn't Father also going out of the city to welcome us?"
"Yes, I heard that the Crown Prince led all the civil and military officials to welcome him. This time, the Fourth Prince has really brought honor to our Great Yong! Great Yong has not had such a great victory in more than a hundred years! This time, the whole country is celebrating."
Mu Xin Nuan nodded, "Indeed! To be able to drive the Tartars back more than a hundred miles, this Fourth Prince is no ordinary man."
"Let's go, or we'll miss it. Hurry up, I've reserved the best seats at the teahouse. Let's go!"
Mu Xin Nuan hesitated for a moment. Her memory of the Fourth Prince was somewhat vague. She seemed to only remember that he was very handsome, and she didn't have any other impressions. After all, she had only met the Fourth Prince a few times, so it was normal that she didn't remember him.
When Mu Xin Nuan arrived at the teahouse, she discovered that not only were they there, but Chu Rong was also in the private room, along with his sister, Chu Mo Li.
"Hmph!" Chu Moli hadn't seen Mu Xinnuan since that unpleasant encounter. Mu Xinnuan rarely left the manor to attend banquets or social events, and even when she did go out, she only went to a few places, so it was naturally not easy for her to run into Chu Moli.
Mu Xin Nuan clearly heard her cold snort, which was obviously looking down on her. However, Mu Xin Nuan was not angry. After all, they were outside, and today was not a day to hold a grudge against her.
"Anuan, come, sit here." Chu Rong was worried that Mu Xinnuan would be angry because of her sister's attitude, but now that he saw that she didn't say anything or even give him a cold look, he was secretly relieved and quickly offered her the best seat.
Mu Xin Nuan didn't refuse and sat down directly.
After the waiter served the tea and snacks, Mu Qingxuan looked outside for a while and asked, "Why aren't they here yet?"
"Brother, there are so many people on the street outside. It seems that the Fourth Prince's heroic deeds have spread throughout the capital." Mu Qingyuan said with a look of admiration.
"Of course! To be able to push the Tartars back more than a hundred miles is the first time since the founding of our Great Yong Dynasty! He is truly a hero of our Great Yong Dynasty!"
Chu Rong also said with envy, "If I had the chance, I would really like to go to the front line. Protecting our country and fighting the enemy is the true mark of a man."
Mu Qingxuan nodded, feeling a little regretful. If it weren't for the fact that his Mu family had been scholars for generations, he would have really wanted to fight on the battlefield like his uncles and protect his country!
It's a pity that because of his third uncle's matter, joining the army was always a taboo in the family. Not to mention going to the battlefield, even learning martial arts back then took a lot of effort to get it.
Mu Xin Nuan smiled slightly and did not speak. Seeing her like this, Chu Mo Li sneered and glared at her with a hint of provocation.
Mu Qingxuan couldn't stand it any longer and wanted to retort, but Mu Xinnuan stopped him with a look.
When Chu Rong saw his sister acting like this, he regretted bringing her along. He had gone to great lengths to marry the man he loved, but she was always getting on his nerves.
Originally, I took her out for a walk as my mother suggested, hoping it would ease the tension between her and Anuan. We also agreed before we came that I shouldn't make things difficult for Anuan anymore. How come this girl completely changed her mind as soon as we met?
"Elder sister, look! They're here! The Fourth Prince has entered the city!"