The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 20 - 19

Chapter 19

Auntie Yang bowed her head low, casting her gaze down at the tip of her nose while sobbing softly, feigning difficulty in revealing the truth. "This is my fault, master. Because I failed to take proper care of someone, the Elder Furen punished me."

Mother?

Mu Cui Ming raised his eyebrows in surprise. For decades, his mother had turned her back on the household’s internal affairs, focusing solely on spirituality. So why has she now taken an interest in the manor’s affairs?

And why so harshly?

On Bai Lijun’s side, she was equally surprised and anxious. If Elder Mu Furen really returned to take control inside the manor, it would spell disaster for her!

Over the years, she had committed many misdeeds while in power, including embezzling central funds, harassing the former Furen’s children, and many more of her vile actions. If the Elder Furen turned her attention back to the manor’s affairs, she would have to hide all these matters.

Moreover, she wouldn’t be able to act freely anymore!

No!

The Elder Furen must not return to take control of the manor at all costs!

In his confusion, Mu Cui Ming failed to notice the sinister look in his beautiful wife’s eyes. He continued to question Auntie Yang, his stern expression fading. "How did you fail to take care of someone? Why would Mother act so severely? Unless it was a grave matter, Mother wouldn’t have punished so harshly."

Auntie Yang shivered slightly, her lips pressed tightly together as if she was genuinely aggrieved. Yang Sui, instructed by Auntie Yang on what to say before they reached the capital, knelt before her master and answered for Auntie Yang, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Master, Miss, after the carriage convoy arrived in Qingyun City, Auntie Yang went to pay respects and relay the news to the Elder Furen. However, we learned that a fire had broken out in the former Furen’s residence two months before our arrival."

"What did you say!"

Bai Lijun stood up abruptly, shocked, her eyes wide open. Her mind echoed with the recent revelation, and her hands under her sleeves trembled uncontrollably. "And wh...what happened then?"

Yang Sui lifted her face to observe the reaction of the Second Furen for a moment before bowing her head and responding softly, "The fire was intense. By the time it was extinguished, the house was reduced to nothing but ashes. Nothing was left behind..."

Ashes!

Nothing but ashes!

Bai Lijun was momentarily paralyzed. At this moment, she couldn’t process anything else. The words just now struck her like a heavy hammer on her head. How could it be reduced to ashes!

She immediately looked at Auntie Yang for confirmation, but seeing her avoid eye contact, Bai Lijun felt a temporary loss of strength and staggered back two steps, prompting the servants to rush to support her.

"Furen!"

The servants helped her to sit back down on the chair, fetched a fan to cool her, and another brought her some tea to sip.

After taking a couple of sips of tea, Bai Lijun placed the teacup down and raised her hand to massage her temples, overwhelmed by the shocking news, causing a brief spell of dizziness.

Noticing his wife’s distressed state, Mu Cui Ming asked with concern, "Lijun, how are you feeling? Should we call the doctor to check on you?"

"It’s nothing, husband. I was just too shocked and felt dizzy," she replied, forcing a smile. Her face was paler than before, which only heightened her husband’s concern.

"Don’t be overly alarmed. Take care of your health,"

Mu Cui Ming advised gently. Bai Lijun nodded in response, "Yes, husband. I am just worried, afraid that someone would get hurt."

Mu Cui Ming sighed deeply, looking at his wife tenderly. "Lijun still has such a kind and compassionate heart, always worrying about others and neglecting herself. What should I do with such a pure-hearted person like you, huh?"

"Husband..."

Bai Lijun feigned shyness, lowering her head to hide her eyes, which reflected her irritation. Was she concerned about others?

Hmph!

Her concern was for the assets inside that house!

She had planned so well to use the dowry of that woman for her own and her daughter’s expenses, but her plans were ruined by the fire.

How heartbreaking!

Just relying on her personal assets and the monthly money from the central fund was barely enough for Bai Lijun’s general expenses. However, if she wished to participate in high-class social gatherings and enhance her status, she would need many times more money.

Bai Lijun clenched her fist under her sleeve, trying to control the anger boiling inside her before managing to keep a composed face. She feigned concern and asked, "Did anyone get hurt? Fires are no trivial matter; we must be more cautious."

"Nobody was hurt, Miss."

"That’s a relief," Bai Lijun sighed, relieved. Mu Cui Ming then inquired, "What happened next?"

Yang Sui, with a sorrowful expression, continued, "Master, after Auntie Yang learned about the incident, she was very concerned. Fearing such an event might occur again, posing danger to everyone in the manor, she summoned the servants to investigate. It was then that a servant from the Seventh Young Miss’s quarters claimed to have critical information."

"That servant lied, falsely accusing Seventh Young Miss’s personal servant out of greed for a reward from Auntie Yang and spite towards a rival. Unknowingly, Auntie Yang had the accused servant brought in for interrogation. During which, Seventh Young Miss intervened and got injured by the malicious servant!"

"For this reason, the Elder Furen was extremely angry and ordered Auntie Yang to be punished with fifty cane strikes! Although it wasn’t entirely Auntie Yang’s fault, she accepted the punishment graciously for trusting the wrong person. Meanwhile, the deceitful servant who deceived Auntie Yang was only punished with thirty cane strikes and then expelled from the manor!"

Yang Sui finished speaking and then burst into tears. Upon hearing about Auntie Yang receiving fifty cane strikes, Bai Lijun was profoundly shocked. Auntie Yang, who was now over fifty, would find such a harsh punishment unbearable!

"Auntie Yang was hurt that badly! Why didn’t you rest and recover before traveling back? Are you still in much pain now?"

Bai Lijun asked rapidly, her beautiful face showing genuine concern. Auntie Yang smiled weakly, a smile full of gentleness, "I am alright, Miss. Thank you for your concern."

"How can you be alright after fifty cane strikes!"

Bai Lijun rebutted, her eyes brimming with tears that slowly streamed down her fair cheeks. Having lost her real mother at a young age, Auntie Yang had been like a mother to her since then.

And of course, she felt deep love and respect for Auntie Yang. Learning that such a revered figure had to endure extensive punishment broke her heart immediately.

Auntie Yang felt warmth in her heart upon seeing the genuine concern from the mistress. The young miss she had taken care of and loved as her own daughter had fully grown up. Knowing she was still cared for touched Auntie Yang deeply.

"Why would the mother impose such a harsh punishment on Auntie Yang? Especially when it wasn’t her fault," Bai Lijun said, her voice breaking. Mu Cui Ming, standing beside her, furrowed his brows slightly but remained silent.

"Miss, don’t think like that. The Elder Furen was right. It was my fault for trusting the wrong person. It’s fitting that I received such punishment," Auntie Yang said, acknowledging her fault.

Hearing this, Mu Cui Ming relaxed his brows, his expression softening. Regardless of the reason, the person being discussed was his mother. Even if she had been harsh or seemingly unreasonable, he could not allow servants to criticize her. He feared others might brand him as an unfilial son!

Initially, Mu Cui Ming felt odd hearing his wife’s words, as if she were blaming his mother. However, after hearing Auntie Yang’s subsequent words, he was no longer bothered, thinking his beautiful wife had no ill intentions.

"Alright, let’s consider it a valuable lesson. If you need any medicine, just request it from the storeroom," Mu Cui Ming interjected, ending the discussion on this matter.

Bai Lijun pursed her lips tightly. Whenever it concerned the Elder Furen, her husband tended to remain indifferent and not interfere with his mother’s decisions, showing his filial piety.

It seemed Auntie Yang would unjustly suffer this time!

However, Auntie Yang wasn’t irked or thinking like Bai Lijun. She knew well what kind of person her master was and didn’t plan to use him to handle the Elder Furen. After all, they were mother and son, and he wouldn’t clash with her over a servant.

Auntie Yang’s plan was to subtly nurture seeds of discord between mother and son, allowing them to grow until they bore fruit, leading to a fierce conflict between them!

Then she would manipulate the situation to her advantage!

Though the plan would take time, revenge, even after ten years, wasn’t too late. She was confident in this strategy because, on the surface, the master might appear a dutiful son to maintain his reputation.

However, if faced with tempting opportunities that offered more value, power, benefits, and enhanced status, the master, who prioritized power and reputation, would inevitably face a dilemma.

As they said, when people were blinded with greed, they were capable of doing anything...

Mu Cui Ming, unaware that he had been manipulated as a pawn by this cunning old servant, raised an important question, "Have the assets transported from Qingyun City been properly managed? Why haven’t I seen the carriage convoy? Or is it expected to arrive later?"

Auntie Yang froze momentarily; the topic she wished to avoid was finally brought up!

Throughout her journey back to the capital, she had been concocting excuses to escape blame for this incident. Though it wasn’t their fault that the carriage convoy was ambushed, they would have to bear the responsibility for not safeguarding the family’s assets properly.

Thus, Auntie Yang had prearranged with her niece to cooperate and stage a scene before their master and mistress, displaying loyalty and enhancing Auntie Yang’s pitiable state due to her prior injuries—all to escape blame for the ambushed carriage convoy!

Seeing Auntie Yang’s prolonged silence and reluctance to answer, Mu Cui Ming repeated his question, "Is the transfer of assets completed properly?"

Auntie Yang remained silent, her head bowed so low it nearly touched the floor. Even Yang Sui, beside her, showed a troubled expression and followed Auntie Yang’s lead in bowing her head.

Bai Lijun sensed something amiss with both their reactions, fearing the answer she would receive was something undesirable.

Auntie Yang, swallowing hard, whispered, "Master, the carriage convoy was ambushed!"

Bang!

Startled, Mu Cui Ming sprang up so abruptly that his chair toppled over with a loud bang.

"What! The carriage convoy was ambushed?"

Following Mu Patriarch’s exclamation, a servant cried out in shock, "Furen!"

After hearing Auntie Yang’s statement, Bai Lijun fainted onto her chair, causing the servants to panic, unsure of what to do next. Meanwhile, Mu Cui Ming was both alarmed by the news and concerned for his wife, furious that the carriage convoy was ambushed.

The Mu family was now in turmoil over the dreadful news...

Once Bai Lijun had collapsed, Mu Cui Ming instructed the servants to help her rest in her quarters and to summon a doctor to check on her. He remained in the hall to investigate the matter thoroughly.

"How could this happen!? Where have all the guards and escorts we hired disappeared to?!"

Mu Cui Ming bellowed angrily. Such a critical situation had unfolded without any prior warning, leaving him to deal with pointless matters instead.

Bang!

Auntie Yang hurriedly switched to kneeling and then forcefully knocked her forehead against the floor. "I deserve to die! Please forgive me, sir!"

"Enough, get up and answer my questions," Mu Cui Ming said impatiently. At this moment, he didn’t desire dramatic gestures of guilt but needed clear details of the incident!

Obliging, Auntie Yang lifted her head and recounted the events, "Master, shortly after our caravan left Qingyun City, we were ambushed by a group of bandits. They outnumbered us, about fifty strong, overpowering our guards, so we couldn’t resist them."

“Without any passing caravans to aid us, we were helpless. Our possessions were thoroughly looted, and then they extorted our servants before leaving us tied by the roadside."

"Stripped of valuables and with our horses freed, we endured a difficult journey back to the capital, causing our delay..."

Bang!

Mu Cui Ming slammed his fist on the table, causing a loud bang to echo. His face instantly contorted with rage. Those bandits had dared to insult him too much!

Not only did they have the audacity to ambush his convoy, a convoy of the Left side Deputy Chancellor, but they also extorted his servants and brought shame to the Mu family. It would be an utter shame if people learned about this...

Yet, what infuriated him the most was the disappearance of the family’s treasures right before his eyes. Those items, collected over many generations, were of no small value and represented the last remaining assets of the Mu family!

Should he lose these treasures, he feared the Mu family would be left destitute, a mansion emptied of wealth and assets for sure!

"Go back and tend to your injuries. I will have someone interrogate you and others from the convoy further to gather evidence to submit to the authorities. Even if those bandits have fled to the ends of the earth, I will find them and reclaim what they’ve stolen!"

After issuing his commands to Auntie Yang, Mu Cui Ming turned and strode away with a grave expression.

Auntie Yang then exhaled a deep sigh of relief, grateful that Mu Patriarch did not berate her, considering she had escaped blame successfully.

"Let us return to our residence,"

Auntie Yang said to her niece, so Yang Sui helped her return to Second Mu Furen’s quarters to seek medical attention for her wounds again.

At the same moment, the Mu family manor was overwhelmed by a massive wave of turmoil. The news that the convoy carrying treasures from Qingyun City had been completely plundered by bandits spread throughout the manor, causing great panic among the Mu family members and their servants.

Moreover, the news traveled beyond the manor, becoming the talk of the capital. Some sympathized with this new and prominent noble, who had encountered such misfortune, while others reveled in his misadventure. Another group simply waited to see how the events would unfold, treating the situation as if it were merely a scene from a play.

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