Chapter 7: 007 嗜好，新宠？

“Come back!” Ignoring the pain in her hand, Leng Rumei leaned forward halfway and forcefully pulled Mu Wanqing back. “Qing'er, you are being foolish! Your mother suffered a secret setback at her hands; going over there now is nothing but seeking death!” Leng Rumei was still feeling fearful of Mu Qi's methods; she felt that today's Mu Qi was different from before.

Mu Xiaoqing was very dismissive. “Mother, that wench Mu Qi was only relying on her numbers just now. Now that we are in the Marquis's manor and the gates are closed, wouldn't killing her be a piece of cake?”

Looking at her youngest daughter, who had been protected and raised by her all this time, Leng Rumei couldn't help but shake her head. With Qing'er's blunt and impulsive temperament, how would she be able to contend with a mother-in-law or concubines once she married? Leng Rumei thought with a face full of worry; no matter what, she had to preserve the stability of the Marquis of Anding's manor as a backing, so that Qing'er could marry well and not be bullied after marriage.

“The matter today has caused such a huge commotion. If Mu Qi were to suddenly die, do you think we would have a way to survive if this news reached the Emperor's ears? Qing'er, listen to your mother's advice: Mu Qi cannot be touched right now. Hurry and find someone to call your father back immediately.” The old lady could not suppress Mu Qi, so Leng Rumei placed all her hopes on her husband, Mu Mingchong.

Then again, Mu Mingchong was no good person himself. He was idle and incredibly lazy, spending his days drinking and playing with a group of fair-weather friends; his rank as a sixth-grade official was only obtained through the scheming of those profligate youths. He hadn't returned for two days already; who knows where he was out wandering now.

***

Prince Rui's Manor

Prince Rui, Zhongli Wenhao, was the son of the deceased eldest prince and the eldest grandson of the current Emperor. Having lost his parents early and being prone to illness, he was greatly favored by the Emperor. He was enfeoffed as a Prince at the age of ten; one could see how much the Emperor valued this eldest imperial grandson just from the single character of his title, "Rui" (meaning wise/auspicious).

There were even many rumors that if it weren't for Prince Rui's frail health and the imperial physician's diagnosis that he had only a few years to live, the position of Crown Prince would certainly belong to him.

As for Zhongli Wenhao, upon returning to the Prince's manor, he instructed Feng Ying to fetch the medicinal salves from the manor. He was currently sifting through a pile of bottles and jars, selecting those that might be useful.

“Take more of this cold medicine. Otherwise, if that girl dies of illness, how will she repay my favor?” As Zhongli Wenhao spoke, he pulled a black ceramic bottle from the pile of medicine and handed it to Feng Ying.

After hesitating for a moment and feeling it wasn't enough, he found another jar. “Take some of this external wound medicine too. Her hand—tsk tsk—without good medicine, I'm afraid it will be crippled. Also, take some frostbite ointment as well.” Zhongli Wenhao looked at the items in Feng Ying's hands and nodded with satisfaction. “Alright, that's all. I wonder if that girl will be so moved by my 'small gift' that she'll want to cry.”

Hearing this, Feng Ying's mouth twitched. *My Lord, are you sure these are "small gifts"?*

The medicine of the Divine Physician Bai Mu was something one could hardly find even with a thousand pieces of gold; it was something that was often unavailable on the market regardless of price. You are handing out several major items at once; if Divine Physician Bai Mu knew you were being this generous, what would he think?

Though he thought these things, of course, Feng Ying could only keep them to himself. He resigned himself to delivering the medicine to Mu Qi. Who told her she was now his Lord's new toy?

Thinking of toys, Feng Ying thought of the Lord's beloved pet from a few days ago—a black wolf. When the Lord pampered that wolf, he truly pampered it. Not only did he set aside a separate courtyard for it and tear down all the buildings inside, but he also had people hunt live animals every day to release into the courtyard to amuse the black wolf.

He would even take the black wolf out for walks from time to time. Just when the people of the capital had accepted the Lord's ferocious pet, the Lord actually ordered the black wolf to be slaughtered, and he ate it roasted with great enjoyment. This wasn't the first time the Lord had treated his beloved pet this way, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Since the Lord was so interested in Miss Mu now, could she be his new pet?

Thinking of this possibility, Feng Ying felt a chill run down his spine. Miss Mu was a human being, after all; wouldn't it be cruel to roast and eat her? He used to think Miss Mu wasn't worth the Lord being so good to her, but thinking about it now, Feng Ying only felt that Miss Mu was quite pitiful.

“Perhaps I was too lonely after Xiao Hei died. I always felt that these days of recuperating were quite boring. Mu Qi... sigh, I'll make do. It'll be you.” Feng Ying hadn't walked far when he heard his Lord murmuring behind him. Upon hearing the full sentence, his foot slipped on a tree branch, and he nearly fell from the tree. As expected.

***

The Detached Courtyard of the Marquis of Anding

Mu Qi had used chili peppers for her bath, and it finally took effect. Her body gradually felt some warmth, her hands and feet stopped shaking, and her spirit recovered. Only then did she notice that Qiaoyu was walking very strangely. "Qiaoyu, what's wrong with your leg?"

Qiaoyu had been busy running back and forth helping her lady add water, completely ignoring her own pain. Hearing her lady ask, she pulled her foot back and smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing, just a little scrape. Does Miss need more water? This servant will go fetch more." Qiaoyu intentionally tried to change the subject.

Mu Qi ignored her and looked at her thigh, asking, "Is it chafed? Did you go find Mu Sang?" Mu Qi spoke expressionlessly, her emotions unreadable.

Qiaoyu was very anxious, thinking her lady was blaming her for meddling, and hurriedly knelt down. "Miss, this servant did not do it on purpose. Yesterday when Miss was taken away by the housekeeper, this servant went to beg the Madam but it was useless, so I could only go to Jizhou to find Manager Mu."

Looking at Qiaoyu kneeling on the ground, a trace of pity rose in Mu Qi's heart. Thinking of the original owner's timidity, she wondered how she could have such a loyal servant protecting her. "Get up. I'm not blaming you. The capital is three hundred miles from Jizhou, six hundred miles round trip. For a weak woman like you to ride a horse such a long distance... you must be exhausted. Don't worry, from now on, your lady will never be bullied again, and no one will ever bully you again."

As soon as Mu Qi thought of this child, who was only a year older than her, actually risking danger and enduring pain to seek help for her, her heart softened completely. In her past life, she had been lonely. They say mercenaries are assassins, and an assassin should be cold and ruthless.

She had no relatives and no friends; she didn't know what it felt like to have family. But here in ancient times, facing this delicate child, her eyes felt a sense of soreness, and her heart was filled with something warm. So this was what it felt like to have family. Yes, family—someone who would risk their life for you; if that wasn't family, what was?

Of course, there was also the influence of ancient concepts of hierarchy and status, but Mu Qi believed it was more about a person's sincerity. Qiaoyu was originally a servant, and she herself was merely a lady of the Marquis's manor in name only; she must have been bullied quite often. If she died, Qiaoyu would still be a servant wherever she went, yet Qiaoyu did not want her to die and went through countless hardships to find help. For the sake of this affection, Mu Qi felt she must treat her as family from now on.

Qiaoyu had ridden a horse to Jizhou alone, but she was a child after all. Being warmed by her lady's words, she suddenly felt like crying. "Miss, this servant does not want you to die. This servant wants to serve Miss, serve the Husband, and serve the Young Master for a lifetime."

Hearing Qiaoyu's words, Mu Qi couldn't help but laugh. What kind of system was this in ancient times—polygamy? As someone with deeply rooted ideas of monogamy, she could not accept sharing a man with others. She believed that facing those troublesome people and matters every day was not as good as living comfortably alone.

Besides, she was now the eldest lady of the Marquis of Anding; she should be able to rely on the Marquis's estate to live a life of ease for the rest of her days. Mu Qi made these plans in her heart, but man proposes and God disposes; the development of many things was truly not under her control. That would be a matter for later.