The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 149 - 148

Chapter 148

"Ow!"

Amidst the chaos, Mu Qingxuan was pushed from the side, falling off her horse and hitting the ground hard, causing her considerable pain. When she looked up, she saw Meng Liting had ridden up beside her and pushed her off, taking the arrow for her.

The arrow struck Meng Liting’s horse in the rump, causing it to panic and become uncontrollable. In fear, Meng Liting could only cling to the horse’s reins tightly.

Neigh~

The horse reared up in panic before bolting out of the competition field wildly. In the blink of an eye, both Meng Liting and the horse disappeared into the forest.

Mu Gongzhen, who had come to watch the competition that day, quickly rode into the field. He hurried over to check on his sister, who had fallen from her horse.

"Xuan’er, are you alright?"

Mu Gongzhen helped his sister up, inspecting the injuries scattered across her body.

"Eldest Brother...hurry and save Liting!"

Mu Qingxuan, who had just recovered from the dizziness caused by her fall, urged her brother with a worried voice. Her beautiful face, now smeared with dust, showed clear signs of fear and panic.

If it weren’t for Meng Liting saving her just now, that arrow would have hit her instead!

Now, Meng Liting’s horse, having been struck by the arrow, had gone berserk and was uncontrollable. If they weren’t careful, who knew what kind of accident might happen to Meng Liting in the dense forest...

Mu Gongzhen looked in the direction where Meng Liting had disappeared into the forest for a moment before turning back to his sister, his expression serious. Seeing the worry on Mu Qingxuan’s face, he nodded in agreement.

"Then, take care of yourself. I’ll go help Lady Fei Yang first and then come back to check on you."

With that, Mu Gongzhen stood up and mounted the nearest horse and immediately rode off. He sped after Meng Liting, following the direction she had disappeared into the forest. After some time, he finally caught sight of the young woman, clinging desperately to the neck of the horse.

"Hold on to your horse tightly!"

Mu Gongzhen shouted as he urged his horse to catch up. Meng Liting, hearing the shout, turned to look at him with a mix of relief and excitement. Her face was pale, almost devoid of color.

"H...Help me!"

Meng Liting’s voice trembled as she clung to her horse’s neck in fear. The horse continued to charge forward at full speed, causing her body to ache from the constant jarring.

Mu Gongzhen scanned the surrounding forest, his eyes filled with tension as he noticed a steep cliff not far from their location. If Meng Liting’s horse continued running like this, it could result in a catastrophic fall.

He increased his horse’s speed, managing to pull alongside Meng Liting. "Let go of the horse and jump to me!"

"I...I can’t! I can’t move!"

Meng Liting shook her head frantically. Her body was paralyzed with fear, and she couldn’t control her movements at heart. Even though Mu Gongzhen had gotten close, there was still a gap between them. If she mistimed her jump, she could fall and break her bones due to the horse’s speed.

Mu Gongzhen furrowed his brows slightly, thinking of another solution. He maneuvered his horse closer, he then reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms.

Whoosh!

Meng Liting, who was yanked from her horse with immense strength, closed her eyes tightly in fear. When she didn’t feel any pain, she slowly opened her eyes and found herself safely in Mu Gongzhen’s embrace.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

Mu Gongzhen asked in a calm voice, his eyes showing a hint of concern. Meng Liting, still in shock and confusion, quickly shook her head. She only had a few scratches from the branches that had hit her while she was on the horse.

"It’s good that you aren’t hurt. Then let’s head back. There are many people waiting for us,"

Mu Gongzhen said, glancing at her clothes that were torn in several spots by the branches. Deciding it was improper, he took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders.

Meng Liting flinched slightly, lowering her head to hide her blushing face. "Th...thank you."

Mu Gongzhen didn’t reply, focusing instead on guiding the horse back towards the direction they had come from, urging it to move quickly to exit the forest before nightfall.

Sitting in front, Meng Liting felt utterly exhausted from the ordeal. Her body felt heavy and devoid of strength. As the wind brushed against her face, she couldn’t help but feel drowsy. The strange sense of comfort and warmth she felt in her heart helped her relax, slowly easing the fear from her mind.

Not long after, the young woman fell asleep in Mu Gongzhen’s arms without realizing it.

Mu Gongzhen glanced down at the slender figure resting against his chest for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the direction the horse was galloping. His usually cold eyes flashed with a fleeting emotion before returning to their usual state.

Meanwhile, the competition ground was in utter chaos. The Imperial Academy’s doctors rushed in to check on Mu Qingxuan’s condition. They found that her left arm had a slight fracture in some spots due to the impact of falling off the horse.

Before Mu Qingxuan was moved to the infirmary, she turned to look at the woman being apprehended nearby. This woman was the very culprit who had aimed an arrow at her. As far as Mu Qingxuan remembered, the other party was just a young miss from a minor noble family and had never had any conflicts with her before.

Why then would the other party seek to take her life?

As Mu Qingxuan was about to be taken away, the culprit suddenly ingested poison she had hidden in her mouth, dying instantly. Blood seeped from the corners of her mouth as she took her last breath.

The group who had apprehended her was shocked. No one expected the petite young woman to dare to take her own life like that. Not only were the captors stunned, but Mu Qingxuan and the onlookers were equally shocked.

Mu Qingxuan frowned tightly, gazing at the lifeless body with intense scrutiny. An ordinary young miss would never have the courage to commit suicide like this.

There must be someone orchestrating this from behind the scenes!

She scanned the surrounding crowd, contemplating various possibilities before the doctors finally took her away for treatment.

Amid the ensuing chaos, a pair of cold eyes observed the entire incident. When the situation concluded, although not as planned, the observer left the scene.

Shortly thereafter, Mu Gongzhen returned to the competition grounds with Meng Liting. Upon arrival, he found that the Duan Wang Palace’s people were already waiting. They quickly took Meng Liting to be treated, while Mu Gongzhen rushed to check on his sister and took on the responsibility of investigating the incident himself...

Zhuiping Residence

After receiving preliminary treatment for her injuries, Mu Qingxuan went to bed early due to exhaustion. Late that night, when Mu Gongzhen returned to his quarters, he found Mu Yingying waiting in his study. Her usually cheerful face was now icy cold.

“Has Xuan’er gone to bed?”

Mu Gongzhen asked softly, walking over to sit behind his desk with a weary expression.

“Sister went to bed early due to exhaustion from today’s events and her left arm injury,” Mu Yingying paused before looking at her brother with a serious expression, “What did you find out?”

“The assailant was a young miss from the Zhao family. Her father is a sixth-rank Treasury Official, holding no significant position. Previously, due to the purge from Cheng Bei Hou’s case, this Master Zhao was demoted to a chief district officer in a distant town, scheduled to depart in a month.”

“But because Young Miss Zhao took her own life, we couldn’t gather much information. There were no surrounding clues, so we had to close the case...” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Upon hearing this, Mu Yingying frowned deeply, her big, round eyes reflecting her unwillingness. To conclude the case just because the perpetrator took her own life was something Mu Yingying could never accept!

The other party attempted to take her sister’s life, and she was expected to let it go...

"I believe this Young Miss Zhao was merely a pawn for someone who wanted to kill my sister. Although there is no evidence, it’s unlikely that a young miss from an ordinary family would have the audacity to plan an assassination and then commit suicide immediately like this,"

Mu Yingying shared her thoughts, to which Mu Gongzhen agreed. However, they were at a loss as all evidence had been destroyed, making it difficult to investigate further.

"There are only a few people who would want my sister dead: Bai Li Jun and Mu Luofei," Mu Yingying listed the potential enemies while analyzing each one.

The most suspicious was Mu Luofei, who studied at the same Imperial Academy as Mu Qingxuan and would have known the competition’s details, allowing for the opportunity to plan such an attack.

However, Mu Yingying doubted that Mu Luofei could execute such a meticulous plan, using a young miss of the Zhao family as the perpetrator and destroying all evidence to avoid being traced. Such a discreet strategy was beyond what Mu Luofei could manage alone.

But then, Mu Yingying remembered that Mu Luofei had a powerful enemy in the shadows. It was possible that Mu Luofei had borrowed the hands of this mysterious person to orchestrate the attack.

"Whoever is behind this, if they failed this time, they will surely try again. We must prepare defenses and set traps to catch this rat,"

Mu Gongzhen spoke coldly. Today’s events had truly angered him, no matter who was the culprit. He admitted his own negligence for not anticipating an incident during the competition, but he vowed not to let it happen again.

Meanwhile, as Mu Qingxuan rested, she felt something touch her face, causing her to wake up groggily. Upon opening her eyes, she saw a familiar figure sitting beside her bed in the darkness.

His hand was gently tucking a strand of hair covering her face behind her ear. The moonlight streaming through the window highlighted his handsome face and reflected the concern in his eyes.

"Are you awake?"

A gentle voice broke through Mu Qingxuan’s drowsiness, making her fully alert. She looked at the uninvited guest with confusion.

"Why have you come to see me? Is there an urgent matter at the palace that needs my help?"

"I came to check on you. I heard you were seriously injured," Chen Feng Yue glanced at her bandaged left arm before turning back to ask her with a soft voice, "...Does it hurt much?"

"Not really," Mu Qingxuan answered truthfully. Compared to what she had endured in her past life, this pain was negligible.

Chen Feng Yue gazed at her serious and honest face for a long moment before sighing. "You should rest well for now. Recover fully before coming back to help me. I’ll visit you often."

"How can I, Your Majesty? The tasks you gave me are not yet completed. Even though my left arm is injured, it’s not a problem at all..."

"I’m worried about you,"

Chen Feng Yue interrupted before she could finish, causing her to stop in confusion.

"What did you say?"

"I’m worried about you."

Mu Qingxuan thought she must have misheard. She quickly shook her head to clear her mind, wanting to make sure she heard correctly.

"What did you...just say?"

Chen Feng Yue looked at her demeanor with a stern expression, his eyes narrowing dangerously, making Mu Qingxuan finally fall silent.

"...In that case, I’ll go back to sleep then, Your Majesty."

Seeing her turn away, Chen Feng Yue rose from the bed and gently pulled the blanket over her before leaving the quarters.

Meanwhile, as Mu Qingxuan lay with her back turned, she unknowingly revealed a smile. A wave of warmth spread throughout her heart, making her feel that the day hadn’t been entirely bad after all...

Chen Feng Yue, who had come outside the quarters, encountered two figures dressed in black, kneeling before him.

"We deserve to die. We failed to protect the Eldest Young Miss in time as per Your Majesty’s orders. Please punish us."

"At least you know you deserve to die. I sent you to protect her secretly, but from what happened today, it seems you didn’t heed my orders. Return to the Black Dungeon for your punishment. I’ll send new people to protect her,"

Chen Feng Yue said coldly. His eyes were icy as if they were covered with an ice curtain, and his aura exuded a deadly menace.

The two kneeling figures immediately trembled, knowing that their master was enraged. The mention of the Black Dungeon sent chills down their spines.

"Yes, Your Majesty,"

They responded firmly despite their fear and followed him back to the palace to face their punishment.

Mu Manor

Late that same night, Mu Luofei paced anxiously in her room, pondering about the day’s events with confusion.

Earlier, she had planned to deceive Young Miss Zhao into shooting an arrow at Mu Qingxuan’s horse, hoping the chaos would cause an accident and injure her. In return, she promised to help Master Zhao avoid being assigned as a chief district officer.

However, from what had happened, Mu Luofei was in the competition and had seen with her own eyes that Young Miss Zhao did not shoot at the horse’s rump but aimed directly at Mu Qingxuan, intending to kill her.

This deviation from the plan terrified Mu Luofei because there was a vast difference between causing an accident and attempting to murder someone. If the investigation found her behind the assassination attempt on her half-sister,

She would surely face execution!

Knowing the severe consequences, Mu Luofei had strictly instructed Young Miss Zhao to shoot at the horse. But Young Miss Zhao disobeyed, deviating from the plan, and what shocked Mu Luofei the most was Young Miss Zhao’s suicide to silence herself.

She never ordered her to commit suicide, yet the woman had the audacity to take poison and die to avoid interrogation.

What on earth was happening...?

Mu Luofei bit her lip so hard that it bled. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t understand why things hadn’t gone as planned, as if an unseen hand was manipulating events from behind the scenes.

Suddenly, Mu Luofei halted in her tracks, her eyes widening in shock. Realization dawned on her: she had been used as a tool by someone else!

Today’s entire incident, had someone else pulling the strings!

As this truth hit her, Mu Luofei’s face turned pale. If anything went wrong, she would become the scapegoat for this unseen third party...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read ‘The Return of the Seventh Young Lady’ before anyone else with more Chapters at http://www.jinovel.com/en