Chapter 10: Hypocrisy

Master Mu still maintained a stern expression. A flash of light flickered in Lady Xia's eyes as she supported Master Mu to sit on the couch opposite them, coaxing him in a soft voice, "Master, please don't be angry. Don't you know Liuyun's temperament? She must have wanted to get up because she was feeling uncomfortable lying in bed."

"Thank you for your concern, Auntie Xia." She had not missed the flash of joy in Lady Xia's eyes. Indeed, she had always looked down upon her relationship with this Third Concubine, even in front of her father. Seeing her accept her concern so submissively now, Lady Xia was naturally delighted.

In the past, she had been immature, believing that the person in power in the Mu Estate was Lady Lin. Being a legitimate daughter of noble status, she had never held the "fat person" in any regard.

Thinking back now, she realized she had been wrong from the very beginning. Her mother had passed away early, and she had no way of knowing whether her father's love for her mother was real or false, but his pampering of Lady Xia was undeniably real. Judging by how Lady Lin had managed the household for so many years without being able to shake Lady Xia in the slightest, she should have understood the weight of the situation.

Thus, one of the reasons her father had grown weary of her was that Liuyun would embarrass Lady Xia regardless of the occasion. Whether or not she reported things to her father, word would always reach his ears, making him loathe Liuyun even more, which was why he had been so heartless at the final moment.

"Yes, yes, it seems I, as a father, do not understand my daughter." Sure enough, Liuyun's friendliness caused her father's expression to soften slightly. When he looked at her again, there was a hint of heartache in his eyes. Thinking of how Liuyun had lost her biological mother at a young age, a sense of pity welled up in his heart. "A young woman's health is very important; do not take it lightly. It was one thing for you to be willful in the past, but you must not act out like this again. You must rest properly for a period of time."

"I have caused worry for Father and Auntie Xia." The weary look from her illness made Liuyun's features appear much softer. Without her usual spoiled arrogance, Master Mu found himself looking at Liuyun a few more times, suddenly realizing that this legitimate daughter was growing more and more beautiful, possessing a certain resemblance to his late wife.

"What happened yesterday? How did you fall into the lake? How was your maid serving you?" After the moment of tenderness, Master Mu remembered to demand accountability. In truth, the housekeeper had already reported yesterday that the Eldest Miss had not held her maid accountable, which had surprised Master Mu greatly, so he was intentionally asking today.

Qianlan, who had just poured tea for the Master and Lady Xia, was immediately terrified and knelt on the ground to admit her fault. "It was this servant's failure to take good care of the Eldest Miss."

Master Mu remained silent, looking at Liuyun and saying, "Failure to protect the master. Yun'er, how should we dispose of her?"

Qianlan bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears as she lowered her head in silence, waiting for her mistress's answer.

The atmosphere grew slightly heavy. Master Mu possessed a natural majesty; with a single frown and a cold word, the room would instantly turn freezing, making it hard for one to breathe.

Liuyun glanced at Qianlan kneeling on the ground and gave a gentle smile, teasingly saying, "Qianlan, it seems your popularity isn't very good. Why does everyone want to punish you? As the Eldest Miss, I truly find this quite a headache."

Such a smile lightened the serious atmosphere. A hint of appreciation appeared in Lady Xia's eyes as she observed Liuyun with a thoughtful gaze; this girl was beginning to learn how to use her wits on people.

Master Mu raised an eyebrow. It seemed the servants' report was true; Liuyun did not seem to intend to punish Qianlan, though such handling did not seem to match her usual style. He immediately asked, "Yun'er, what kind of act is this?"

Liuyun did not answer him, instead waving her hand at Qianlan. "Go to the small kitchen and see if there is anything to eat. I'm feeling a bit hungry."

Such a casual attitude actually resembled the Eldest Miss of the Mu family quite well. She had always been accustomed to doing things haphazardly, and Master Mu was very used to it.

However, this time, Master Mu finally perceived a slight change. Liuyun was protecting her own. Master Mu's eyes curved into a smile; he understood that being protective of her own was a significant step forward for Liuyun.

"Haha, Yun'er has finally learned to show consideration to the servants." Master Mu no longer pursued the matter. Since Liuyun had made her stance clear, he would let her handle it herself.

Liuyun had long since guessed her father's reaction. Her father came from a humble background and had gained his current influence because of her mother, so he had always treated servants well. Liuyun's past habit of frequently beating and scolding servants reminded him of his own past experiences, which was why he had grown increasingly dissatisfied with this legitimate daughter.

Now, seeing Liuyun protecting her maid like this, he naturally felt that she had grown up and learned to be considerate of subordinates. Furthermore, since she was no longer making things difficult for Lady Xia—which meant he wouldn't be caught in the middle—he was even more pleased.

"Father is always teasing your daughter." She covered her mouth and chuckled softly, showing a bit of a young lady's coquettishness.

At that moment, Lanxi arrived. A sharp glint flashed in Liuyun's eyes; the good show was about to begin. She was truly looking forward to it—her sister, her most outstanding sister. Please, do not disappoint me.

"Daughter greets Father." As soon as Lanxi entered the door, she bowed to Master Mu before walking to the side of the soft couch, her face full of concern. "Is Eldest Sister feeling any better? Why have you gotten out of bed?"

This was the second Miss of the Mu Estate, Mu Lanxi, in the eyes of outsiders: well-read, gentle in temperament, and possessing a dignified and beautiful countenance. She was not striking, but she was very pleasant to look at, carrying the air of a lady from a great family. If one were not told that she was the Mu Estate's concubine-born daughter, no one would ever suspect she was not a legitimate lady.

In contrast, Liuyun was willful and capricious, impatient and overbearing, loved to stir up trouble, and was extremely haughty. She constantly offended people, acting tyrannically in Linyang City under her status as the Mu family's Eldest Miss, giving face to no one. With such behavior, let alone a legitimate Eldest Miss, even a concubine-born daughter of an ordinary family would not be as coarse as she was.

The gap between the two Mu ladies was plain to see.

Just like now: yesterday, she had clearly been accused by Liuyun of pushing her into the lake, yet today she actually dared to come and visit her so openly. Such a hypocritical display of sisterly affection would be difficult for even the simple-minded Liuyun to distinguish from the truth, let alone an ordinary person.

Liuyun analyzed Lanxi's every word and action like a bystander, finding it somewhat interesting. What she was more curious about was whether the fourteen-year-old Lanxi and the eighteen-year-old Lanxi would actually be different.

"My constitution is good; it's nothing serious." Liuyun pulled at her blanket and responded indifferently.

Liuyun and Lanxi had grown up together since childhood, but there was ultimately a distinction between legitimate and concubine-born children. Although both were raised by Lady Lin, Lady Lin was stricter with Lanxi and more indulgent with Liuyun. Liuyun had always thought this was because of her noble status as a legitimate daughter, so she always looked down on Lanxi somewhat, and their usual sisterly bond was not as close as she had thought.

After some idle chatter, Lanxi finally took on an appearance of wanting to speak but hesitating. Liuyun sneered inwardly—had she finally shown her fox tail? However, on the surface, she feigned a look of curiosity. "What is it, Lanxi? Is something wrong?"