Chapter 5: 005 解决，管家木桑

Leng Rumei felt the pain in her hand intensify even further, and she hurriedly nodded. "Yes, Seventh Sister is still a pure girl. Ask whatever else you wish, Auntie will certainly answer quickly." Leng Rumei couldn't take it anymore; if the pain continued, she would go mad.

Seeing her mother's distress, Mu Xiaoqing rushed forward and pointed at Mu Qi, cursing, "Mu Qi, you wench, let go of my mother's hand immediately!"

Mu Qi completely ignored Mu Xiaoqing. Her eyes remained fixed on Leng Rumei as she spoke very gently, "Doesn't Sixth Sister see that I am speaking properly with Auntie? Auntie, do you want me to let go, or shall we continue our conversation?"

How could Leng Rumei fail to hear the threat in Mu Qi's voice? She barked at her daughter, "Qing'er, step back! Mother needs to speak properly with Seventh Sister."

Mu Xiaoqing was utterly oblivious to Leng Rumei's pain, feeling only dissatisfaction toward her mother's behavior in siding with Mu Qi. "Mother..."

Mu Xiaoqing's usual attempts at acting spoiled, which had worked every time before, were useless against Leng Rumei this time. Leng Rumei said fiercely, "Step back."

Having never been spoken to so harshly, Mu Xiaoqing's eyes welled with aggrieved tears, but she no longer dared to act out and retreated to the Old Lady's side.

Mu Qi was very satisfied with Leng Rumei's performance. She eased the pressure on her hand slightly and continued her questioning, "Who framed me like this?" Mu Qi naturally knew the true culprits were the mother and daughter, but she had no evidence to prove it. Behind Leng Rumei stood the Leng family, and her two daughters were well-married. Without any favorable evidence, if Mu Qi acted rashly, she would only end up being bitten back.

However, being unable to convict them did not mean she couldn't deal with them. Mu Qi decided to make an example of one of Leng Rumei's lackeys first. Life was long, and she had plenty of time to slowly torment them.

Leng Rumei hesitated for two seconds. "It... it was Hu Hai who did it."

Mu Qi sneered upon hearing this. "Auntie, are you playing me for a fool? Hu Hai is a lowly servant; my existence doesn't hinder him in the slightest. Why would he harm me? Think carefully, Auntie. If you can't figure it out, you can stand there until you do." When Mu Qi struck, she didn't just strike lightly; she intended to cut down a figure of significance.

The pain in her wrist made it very clear to Leng Rumei that if she wanted to save her hand, she had to sacrifice someone else. "It was Leng Shaocai! He is the mastermind. He is my cousin; he couldn't stand seeing you hold authority over Qing'er, so he acted with wicked intent to eliminate Seventh Sister. Seventh Sister, I have said all I should. Can I go back now?" Leng Rumei threw Leng Shaocai under the bus. Her hand ached and her heart ached; her confidant, her right hand, was broken just like that.

Mu Qi was very satisfied with this answer. A smile curled at the corners of her mouth—a beautiful, soul-stirring smile, but in Leng Rumei's eyes, it was nothing but terrifying, making her scalp tingle with dread. She swore that once she returned, she would kill this wench Mu Qi at any cost.

"One last question. If Auntie answers well, we will return immediately." Because of the force she had used with her hand, Mu Qi's strength was depleting rapidly, and her head was beginning to swim. She continuously pinched the palm of her left hand, using the pain to keep herself alert. "Please answer me, Auntie: Did Eldest Uncle seize my father's house and all the properties of the Marquis of Anding? Now that I am grown, shouldn't Eldest Uncle return everything belonging to the Marquis of Anding to me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, before Leng Rumei could utter a word, the Old Lady's fury was triggered. She repeatedly struck the ground with her cane. "What a sin! Heaven wants to destroy our Mu clan! Mu Qi, you unfilial descendant, why don't you just die!"

Mu Qi glanced sideways at the Old Lady. She was certain that if the Old Lady weren't currently too angry for her legs to stop trembling, she would have stepped forward to beat her to death with that cane. A person who wished for her death could not stir even a shred of sympathy in Mu Qi's heart, even if the woman was over fifty years old.

She applied force to her hand, using every ounce of her strength. She wanted the Old Lady to watch with her own eyes how this "unfilial descendant" would reclaim everything belonging to her father!

Leng Rumei, a woman raised in luxury, could not endure such pain. She opened her mouth and answered, "Yes, it was my husband who seized the Marquis of Anding's residence and all the properties under his name. Let me go back, and I will tell my husband to return everything to you." Leng Rumei couldn't take it; she truly couldn't. Her body was trembling from the pain, and she desperately wanted to faint, but the agony only made her brain perceive the pain more clearly.

As soon as Leng Rumei finished speaking, a cry came from behind Mu Qi: "Old Lady! Old Lady! Someone, come quickly! The Old Lady has fainted!"

Mu Qi felt not a hint of sympathy. If the Old Lady hadn't been so biased, none of this would have happened today; the real Mu Qi wouldn't have died, and she wouldn't have transmigrated to this place.

To say this was fate was inaccurate; it was better described as a sin created by the Old Lady's own hands. The elder was innocent, but Mu Qi was just a fifteen-year-old child—what crime had she committed to have her life snatched away by these beastly creatures?

The world revolves in cycles; this was all karma.

Mu Qi released Leng Rumei's hand. Leng Rumei felt as if she had received a grand pardon and quickly retreated, her eyes filled with both rage and fear toward Mu Qi. She desperately wanted to stay far away from this demon, but her body failed her; she fainted after only two steps.

Mu Qi looked coldly at Leng Rumei's fallen body, as if she were looking at a corpse. *Leng Rumei, do you think it ends here today? This is only the beginning. There will be plenty of times for you to faint in the future.*

After thanking the onlookers, Mu Qi walked with stiff steps, passing through the crowd at the entrance. She was extremely dizzy, but she absolutely could not collapse in front of people. If she fell, everything she had done today would be in vain. Not only would it be in vain, but she was certain that if she fainted, these people would tear her apart alive.

It had to be said that human willpower was infinite. Under normal circumstances, with a body like Mu Qi's, she would have collapsed and been unconscious for half a month, but right now she remained very lucid. Not only was she lucid, but her mind could even methodically organize everything she needed to do.

As Mu Qi walked stiffly, she suddenly heard a "thud" beside her: "Miss, forgive this old servant, I am late!" The sound startled Mu Qi. She turned to see a middle-aged man in a green padded robe kneeling beside her. The man was tall and clearly a martial artist, his weathered face now filled with grief.

Mu Qi furrowed her brows for a moment before remembering the man's identity. "Mu Sang, why are you here?" Mu Sang was a subordinate of the Marquis of Anding and had previously been the steward of the Marquis's manor. He had later been driven away by Leng Rumei to a manor in Jizhou, three hundred miles from the capital. Logically, it was impossible for him to be here right now.

Seeing that his Miss's hair had frozen into ice crystals and her hands were in a wretched state, the strong man could not help but wail aloud, "Miss, this old servant has failed you! I have failed the General and the Madam! It is because I failed to take proper care of you!"

The sound of his crying gave Mu Qi a headache. Her entire body felt as though it were turning into ice; she had no strength left to comfort anyone. "Stop crying. My feet are frostbitten. Let's just go back first."

Hearing her say this, Mu Sang finally remembered that his Miss had crawled out of a river and was likely frozen through. "Miss, let this old servant carry you back. It will be faster. Qiaoyu should have boiled the water by now." As expected of someone from a military background, Mu Sang regained his composure quickly. Once he reacted, he moved to pick Mu Qi up and carry her back to the courtyard in a few leaps.

Mu Qi was truly numb all over at this moment. Since someone was helping her, she was happy not to have to walk. She nodded and allowed Mu Sang to lift her, and in a few bounds, they returned to her courtyard.