The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 36 - 35

Chapter 35

Elder Mu Furen sighed deeply, overwhelmed by the series of events that unfolded in less than an hour, which seemed too much for someone her age to endure.

"Ying’er, are you hurt anywhere?" she asked her granddaughter with genuine concern, her tone and demeanor softened significantly compared to her previous harshness.

Mu Yingying shook her head slightly. "I am fine, Grandmother. But Sixth Sister..."

Elder Mu Furen turned to look at the other granddaughter, who was sobbing loudly in Bai Lijun’s embrace, having shown no remorse from the start to the end of the incident.

She wasn’t even aware of her own mistakes!

"Don’t cry, Shuang’er, good child, don’t cry,"

Bai Lijun consoled her younger daughter gently, her heart aching immensely. How painful was the wound on the back of her head, for her to cry so heartbreakingly?

Seeing her daughter in such pain, how could a mother’s heart stand it?

"Mother, I beseech you, please don’t be harsh on Shuang’er. She is already in so much pain. Please have mercy on her," Bai Lijun pleaded sincerely with Elder Mu Furen.

She set aside all concerns for dignity or punishment!

Those could be reclaimed later, but now, she had to alleviate her daughter’s suffering first!

Mu Luofei pressed her lips tightly, turning back to look at her half-sister standing beside their grandmother. When she saw the sparkle of joy in those big, round eyes, Mu Luofei instantly confirmed her earlier suspicions.

It was indeed because of this child’s provocation that Shuang’er had acted out so uncontrollably!

"Seventh Sister, why did you have to provoke Sixth Sister? If you were displeased with her, there was no need to incite her into such behavior," Mu Luofei pretended to accuse with a tone of disappointment, her face expressing incomprehension, and her swan-like eyes shimmering with tears.

Mu Yingying slightly arched her brows, saying nothing, just keenly observing the unfolding scene.

She was curious about Mu Luofei’s next move...

"You may not have seen it, Grandmother, but I did. It was Seventh Sister who provoked Sixth Sister, causing Sixth Sister to rush out like that."

Mu Luofei wiped away her tears before turning to address Mu Yingying with a sorrowful expression, "Seventh Sister, please forgive Sixth Sister. She is already in so much pain; don’t exacerbate the situation with your anger."

Mu Yingying smirked inwardly upon hearing this. So, Mu Luofei was intent on pinning the blame on her for the entire ordeal.

"Such a statement is incorrect, Sister Second," Mu Qingxuan looked at the other party coldly. Attempting to defame, blaming all the mistakes on her sister?

Let her dream!

"You said that Sixth Sister went mad just now because she was provoked by Ying’er, but no one else witnessed what you claim. Ying’er is only nine. If you suggest Sixth Sister is too young to know any better, isn’t Ying’er younger still?"

Mu Qingxuan narrowed her eyes, locking gazes with Mu Luofei in a chilling stare. It was like an evil tiger staring at its prey.

Mu Luofei was momentarily taken aback by that gaze. "I’m not discussing who is younger, Eldest Sister; don’t miss the point. I’m saying Seventh Sister provoked Sixth Sister first, causing the subsequent chaos."

“Huh!”

Mu Qingxuan snorted dismissively. "It seems you’re mistaken, Second Sister. From the beginning, it was Sixth Sister who coveted Ying’er’s cloak and acted out. How then can you say Ying’er provoked her?"

Caught off-guard by the retort, Mu Luofei clenched her teeth, struggling to contain her frustration. Why had she never realized Mu Qingxuan could be so sharp-tongued?!

In the past, Mu Qingxuan had always been quiet, submitting herself to her!

"Enough arguing! I know the truth well enough!" Elder Mu Furen interjected wearily, massaging her temples to alleviate a headache.

Mu Luofei looked down, concealing her furious gaze, biding her time for revenge.

"Mother, please forgive Shuang’er. When we go back, I will teach her properly," Bai Lijun implored.

Elder Mu Furen sighed and said, "It’s not that I’m unforgiving, but actions must have consequences. If I overlook this now, what lesson will be learned for the future? I cannot simply ignore it."

"Issue the order. The Sixth Young Miss is acting too arrogantly, snatching things from her younger sister, and harming her siblings without repentance, so she must kneel at the ancestral hall for ten days and transcribe moral texts a hundred times!"

"Mother!"

Bai Lijun cried out impulsively. Mu Qin Shuang was just a ten-year-old, pampered and protected all her life. Being confined in the gloomy, damp ancestral hall, forced to transcribe texts a hundred times, was too harsh a punishment!

Mu Luofei turned pale, shocked at the severity of the punishment.

Meanwhile, Mu Qin Shuang, ceasing her tears abruptly, glared at Mu Yingying and defiantly argued back,

"I won’t go!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Why do I have to go! Grandmother is biased!"

Elder Mu Furen, who had been feeling better, frowned again due to the retort from the young granddaughter.

"Grandmother is biased! I hadn’t done anything wrong; I just wanted the cloak! Why should someone as lowly as her have the right to own such a beautiful thing!" Mu Qin Shuang shouted out, venting her pent-up frustrations.

Bai Lijun’s eyes widened in shock, and she quickly covered her younger daughter’s mouth, glancing at Elder Mu Furen’s displeased expression.

"Shuang’er, stop this instant!" Mu Luofei scolded as the situation that was improving deteriorated again due to Mu Qin Shuang’s words.

"Mmph mmph,"

Mu Qin Shuang struggled to free herself from her mother’s grasp, her anger and resentment spilling over. She bit her mother’s finger to force her hand away from her mouth.

"Ouch!"

Bai Lijun withdrew her hand immediately, noticing a small bite mark surrounded by redness.

Once freed, Mu Qin Shuang pointed accusingly at Mu Yingying, her anger unabated, "You’re just a lowly person! Grandmother always takes your side! If she had just given me the cloak, this would have been over! Why must Grandmother punish me?"

"I refuse! I refuse!"

The girl screamed as if possessed, her temperament spoiled by constant indulgence. Accustomed to getting her way, the surrounding adults always appeased her, turning her whims into her realities, making Mu Qin Shuang into a child who couldn’t stand being contradicted.

Crash!

She continued to scream, grabbing a plate of snacks from the table, and hurling it to the floor in a tantrum, overturning tables and chairs, causing chaos in the main hall.

"Just standing there, what are you doing? Seize her now!"

Elder Mu Furen thunderously ordered the maids, who hurriedly restrained the Sixth Young Miss. Despite her young age, her tantrum displayed considerable force.

It took several moments before she calmed down. Bai Lijun immediately embraced her daughter, never imagining her youngest could unleash such fury.

"Bai Lijun, look what you’ve done! This is the result of spoiling her! If you don’t discipline her now, she will cause even greater trouble in the future!" Elder Mu Furen scolded harshly, her anger flaring at the disarray.

"I don’t know what you taught your daughter to make her have such thought! But remember, you were a concubine before you became the Furen of the house!"

Bai Lijun, Mu Luofei, and Mu Qin Shuang’s faces turned pale. Elder Mu Furen’s words served as a stark reminder of their inherent lower status.

Pointing at the weakness that they sought to bury!

Despite Bai Lijun’s transformation into the Furen, she couldn’t escape her past as a concubine!

Mu Luofei also felt the weight of this rebuke. She wanted to permanently forget about her low birth as a concubine’s daughter, but her grandmother had to point it out, stirring terrible feelings to consume her heart.

"Issuing the order now: the Sixth Young Miss, unruly and destructive, must kneel in the ancestral hall for ten days, transcribing moral texts five hundred times! She must not leave until it’s done!"

“Mu Furen, negligent in her duties as a mother, apart from relinquishing her managerial responsibilities of the household affairs, she will be confined to her quarters to reflect on her failures. She must not leave her quarters until Sixth Young Miss finishes her transcription!”

“The Second Young Miss also has her mistake, for failing to prevent the Sixth Young Miss’s rampage, she must transcribe moral texts fifty times at her quarters!"

With that, Elder Mu Furen, assisted by Su Ming, withdrew to rest, leaving no room for argument or pleas for leniency.

Even Mu Luofei was pulled into the punishment despite her minor involvement.

As all three were taken away to face their penalties, Mu Luofei cast a final icy glance at the three siblings, her look foreboding.

Fury and hatred flashed through her swan-like eyes. Bai Lijun was no different, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails bit into her flesh, causing tiny beads of blood to form.

Yet, this physical pain was nothing compared to the heartache she was enduring!

Just wait, both for that old woman and those three despicable children, she would have her retribution!

Once the mother and daughters were taken away to receive their punishment, Third and Fourth Young Misses who had been observing, quietly returned to their respective quarters, leaving only the three siblings in the chaotic hall.

"You should all rest as well. You both must be tired too. Tomorrow we can go out and enjoy ourselves," Mu Gongzhen told his younger sisters, his usually cold face softening with a gentler expression.

"Eldest brother, Eldest sister, you should rest too, you’ve traveled far," Mu Yingying replied with a smile, tenderly clasping the hands of her siblings.

"Don’t worry, I will rest and be ready for tomorrow."

Mu Qingxuan replied, playfully pinching her little sister’s cheek. She then turned to her elder brother, "Eldest brother, could you please escort Ying’er back? I’m not feeling well and should return to my quarters early."

"Of course, you go and rest,"

Mu Gongzhen agreed, leading Mu Yingying down a separate corridor while Mu Qingxuan watched them disappear from sight.

The smile that had graced Mu Qingxuan’s beautiful face vanished instantly as they left. She turned and headed down a different path, towards her father’s residence, her eyes gleaming coldly.

It was time to repay her beloved father. She had promised to avenge the harsh words, the thrown objects, and the scolding her brother received.

Now was the moment.

Walking firmly towards her father’s house, her beautiful face as cold as falling snow, she clutched an embroidered pouch at her waist.

To onlookers, it might appear to be a simple purse.

However, only Mu Qingxuan knew that it did not contain a single coin!

Inside were vials of healing herbs and deadly poisons!

Ah...which vial should she choose to repay her father?

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