Chapter 5: Meeting My Concubine Brother Again!

“Shh! Yu-momo, keep your voice down!” Mu Xinnuan made a silencing gesture toward her. Only then did she say mysteriously, “Did you not hear Concubine Song say just now that she wanted to prepare a soothing soup for me?”

The single sentence immediately put Yu-momo on high alert. After glancing quickly outside, she asked, “Miss, are you worried that…?”

“One should not have the intent to harm others, but one must have the intent to guard against them! Yu-momo, you were sent to my side by Mother long ago, and you are my wet nurse; I naturally trust you! I fear that my Yuexuan has long since had eyes planted by Concubine Song.”

Yu-momo was no fool; she naturally understood the implication behind her mistress’s words and quickly said cautiously, “Miss, then what is your intention?”

“No rush! I had Rongyue take the dregs from the medicinal soup each time to be examined by a doctor outside. Concubine Song is a cautious person; she naturally wouldn’t poison it every single time. But I cannot just sit here and wait—who knows which time she will poison it and which time she won’t?”

“But Miss, if you keep refusing to take the medicine because of this, that won’t do either!” Yu-momo said, somewhat anxiously.

Unexpectedly, Mu Xinnuan smiled slyly. “Momo, rest assured. Rongyue’s trip was not just to have the dregs examined, but also to find me a few prescriptions. One for external application and one for internal pills—it will save a lot of trouble.”

“The Miss is truly wise!” Hearing this, Yu-momo finally smiled.

With everything arranged, Mu Xinnuan began to think about how she would live this life: how to keep her younger brother from meeting a tragic end, how to ensure her mother and father would no longer drift apart, how to let her father live out his later years in peace, and how to help her maternal family avoid disaster.

Ten years old—not too big, but not too small. It was time to understand some things! She didn’t know why she had been so foolish in her previous life, actually becoming very close to the Old Madam while growing distant from her mother.

She sighed softly. In this life, no matter what, she would not let that Concubine Song succeed again, and she certainly would not let her grandmother seize control of the household affairs from her mother! One had to know that while the Mu family was considered a high-ranking and wealthy household, it was still far inferior to her maternal family!

Her mother’s “marrying down” was something the grandmother and Concubine Song could exploit. Because of her mother’s noble background, her father felt a sense of inferiority, which made him unhappy. If that was the case, then she could naturally exploit it as well!

Thinking of this, Mu Xinnuan’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. A good background did not just represent power and status! For a woman, what was more important was her bearing, her elegance, and her noble aura! That was something Concubine Song would never be able to reach!

With a plan forming in her mind, Mu Xinnuan no longer had any intention of deliberately currying favor with the Old Madam. She had a mother of noble birth, she was the only legitimate daughter of the Mu manor, and she had the love of her maternal grandfather and uncles. In any case, she should not be lowering herself to please that sinister Old Madam!

Of course, she knew she still had to go through the motions on the surface—such as the morning and evening greetings; she would naturally not forget those. But as for fawning and flattery, she would absolutely not do that in front of the Old Madam in this life!

The next day, after Mu Xinnuan woke up, had breakfast, and took her pills, she had Yu-momo pour out the medicinal soup as usual. Then, she went to the Jin Courtyard to pay her respects to her mother, and afterwards, accompanied by her mother, they headed to the Old Madam’s Rong Courtyard.

Just as they entered the courtyard, they heard bursts of laughter. It wasn’t hard to tell that it was the voices of Concubine Song and Mu Xinyao. At this time, her father had not yet returned from court, and her younger brother had gone to the clan school. As for that Mu Qingyuan, this younger concubine-born brother, he was likely currently spoiled and pampered in the Old Madam’s arms!

Mu Qingyuan was six years old this year; next year, he would have to move to the outer courtyard to establish his own quarters. In fact, if one were stricter, it was already time. Her father’s instruction of Mu Qingxuan was extremely rigorous; at five years old, he had been moved to the outer courtyard to be taught personally, which showed how much he valued this legitimate son.

As for this Mu Qingyuan, it was clear that her father did not have such high expectations for him. However, he was his own biological son after all, so it was impossible to be completely cold to him.

But until now, her father had not mentioned starting his formal education, which showed that her father was, to some extent, displeased with him. It was pitiful that she hadn’t seen it in her previous life, actually thinking that her father’s constant pampering was because he felt sorry for him and didn’t want him to study or practice martial arts. Now it seemed that was not the case at all!

Having gone through a lifetime of storms, Mu Xinnuan finally saw clearly: the one her father truly cherished was her younger brother, Mu Qingxuan! It was a pity that she hadn’t understood when she was young, always thinking her father favored Mu Qingyuan, which led her to drift away from her father. Thinking back now, she really had been stupid!

Mu Xinnuan took a deep breath, thinking of her “good” younger sister, and the corners of her lips curled slightly. “Mother, let’s go in.”

Madam Li was also frowning slightly at this moment. Her daughter had just been injured, yet they were having such endless fun in there! Usually, the Old Madam seemed to dote on her daughter, and A-Nuan had always been respectful to her, but looking at it now, it was enough to make one’s heart grow cold.

“Paying respects to Mother.”

“Paying respects to Grandmother.”

Upon seeing Madam Li enter, Concubine Song and Mu Xinyao hurriedly stood up. After the two of them finished their salutations, Concubine Song and Mu Xinyao also bowed to Madam Li and Mu Xinnuan.

A-Nuan glanced at the couch where Mu Qingyuan was leaning in the Old Madam’s arms, her eyes darkening slightly. “Second Brother, why have you not stood up yet? Could it be that you have forgotten the rules?”

As soon as Mu Xinnuan’s words fell, not only did the Old Madam’s expression change, but Madam Li’s expression also shifted slightly. The Old Madam doted on this concubine-born grandson far more than her own son, and this Mu Qingyuan rarely bowed to her whenever the Old Madam was present. A-Nuan saying this today made Madam Li somewhat worried.

“A-Nuan, your second brother is still young. There’s no rush to learn some rules; he can learn them when he’s older.”

Listening to the Old Madam’s clearly stiff tone, Mu Xinnuan smiled lightly, her eyes fixed directly on Mu Qingyuan before her. “Grandmother, I am going to overstep today. Second Brother is a descendant of the Mu family; he will have to achieve something in the future. A-Yuan, don’t you agree?”

The way she said “A-Yuan” caused a strange feeling to arise in Mu Qingyuan’s heart! He was still young, only six years old this year, so he naturally didn’t understand the struggles of the inner courtyard. He only knew that his grandmother doted on him, which was why he loved to cling to her. As for this eldest sister, she had always been lukewarm toward him. Why did her words, which were clearly a reprimand, sound so unusually comforting today?

He looked up into his eldest sister’s eyes—how could they be so beautiful? They were more sparkling and bright than the sapphire on his grandmother’s forehead ornament. He could even clearly see his own reflection in her eyes!

Following this, Mu Qingyuan’s next words caused Concubine Song’s face to turn pale!