Chapter 7: Suspecting Concubine Liu

Mu Xiaomin immediately put on an act of a well-behaved girl: "I'm sorry, Father. It was my fault for not taking good care of Eldest Sister that she got injured. I will definitely take good care of her when we go out in the future. Please punish me!"

"Alright, how can this be your fault? Get up quickly!"

"That's right! Second Sister doesn't blame you. When you saw me fall down the stairs, you went with Prince Brother to fetch the imperial physician and had the maid bring me back. Later, when I heard the manor physician say I was fine, Prince Brother even personally escorted the physician back because he felt embarrassed!"

"Oh? Is that so? I wonder which physician was summoned that the Prince had to personally escort them back." Mu Guozhen cast a suspicious glance at Concubine Liu and Mu Xiaomin; that single look made both of them feel deeply uneasy.

Whether a physician had been summoned or not was something that could be discovered instantly by someone of the Prime Minister's status. Furthermore, this was the first time they had seen the Prime Minister look at them with such eyes; they knew Mu Guozhen had begun to doubt them.

Thinking of how her good image was being ruined by just two sentences of hers, the two looked at the culprit simultaneously. She was looking back at them with such an innocent gaze that it gave them the urge to strangle her. Mu Xiaoxue knew she had gone far enough; if she continued, Concubine Liu would doubt her completely, and she wasn't done playing yet!

"Alright, Father, I'm hungry, let's eat!" Hearing Mu Xiaoxue's coquettish tone, Mu Guozhen's heart softened as he stroked her head. He stopped dwelling on the matter, but a small crack had already begun to form in his trust toward Concubine Liu and Mu Xiaomin.

They ate while harboring different thoughts. The other concubines didn't even dare to breathe loudly, but Mu Xiaomin was somewhat unwilling to accept this. Normally, she was the center of attention in this house, yet today this slut had stolen the spotlight.

"How is Eldest Sister dressed like this today? Didn't the nanny notify you long ago that Father was returning to the manor? Anyone who didn't know would think Concubine Liu was mistreating you. After all, Concubine Liu is currently in charge of the affairs of the manor. In the past, whenever there was something good, you were the first one Eldest Sister thought of. If people saw you dressed like this, they'd think a servant was dining with a master."

Good one! I was planning to let you off, but you just don't know when to die! You have the nerve to talk about the past.

True, there were many jewels on my head in the past, but none of them were valuable; they were all things you, Mu Xiaomin, looked down upon and sent to me. Now you have the nerve to bring that up! And you're comparing me to a servant? Don't you know that a concubine's daughter is essentially a servant in front of a legitimate daughter?

"Speaking of which, it really makes me furious. It's all because of those stairs. My whole body aches, especially my head; it hurts terribly whenever I wear hair ornaments. It forced me to just have Huan'er do a simple arrangement for me."

"Where does it hurt, Xue'er? Show Father. If it doesn't work, we should still ask an imperial physician from the palace to take a look. Steward..."

Upon hearing that the Master wanted to summon an imperial physician again, Concubine Liu glared at Mu Xiaomin. Mu Xiaomin lowered her head in fear, but her hand under the table was incessantly wringing that high-quality silk handkerchief. *Sigh, just how much must she hate them? What a pity...*

"Alright, Master, it's late at night. It wouldn't be good to trouble an imperial physician to make a trip for such a small matter. Besides, you must be tired after your long journey. After we finish dining, come to my courtyard and I will attend to you so you can rest well."

Looking at Concubine Liu's bashful expression, Mu Xiaoxue almost couldn't help but feel nauseated. She should look at her own age; anyone who didn't know would think she was some inexperienced fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.

The other concubines grew anxious upon hearing this as well. The Master hadn't been away for long, but it wasn't a short time either. Everyone knew that whoever the Master visited on his first night back would see their status in the manor rise. Thus, the Third Concubine, Wang Mei, was the first to get agitated.

"Sister Liu, how can the Eldest Miss's matter be a small matter? The Eldest Miss is the legitimate daughter. If something were to happen to her, some people might even be happy about it."

Seeing Concubine Wang almost expose everything, a flash of panic crossed the eyes of Concubine Liu and Mu Xiaomin. Though it was brief, it did not escape the eyes of Mu Xiaoxue and Mu Guozhen—after all, one was from the 21st century, and the other was a Prime Minister seasoned in the political arena.

"Sister, what kind of words are those? I merely did not want the Prime Minister to be too exhausted. How has it turned into me wanting to harm the Eldest Miss? One can find a pretext for any accusation! *Waaa... waaa...* The Madam is gone, and I've been helping the Prime Minister manage such a large household, do you think it's easy for me?! In the end, I'm still met with suspicion. I can't live like this!"

Oh! Oh! This is the rhythm of "first crying, second making a scene, and third threatening suicide"! If this were before, Mu Guozhen would definitely have coaxed Concubine Liu, but now that it concerned the life of his legitimate daughter, Mu Guozhen began to lose patience!

"Slap! Enough! Are we going to eat this meal or not? Arguing over such trifles, aren't you annoying!" Mu Guozhen slammed his palm on the table, startling the two concubines into silence. The Fourth Concubine, who had been sitting to the side, was even more terrified to make a sound.

This Fourth Concubine was likely the maid who had served the previous Madam and was later promoted to concubine by her! In the past, Mu Xiaoxue, instigated by Concubine Liu, often bullied her and her son, yet she neither hated nor resented her and remained very kind to her. It was just that back then, she couldn't distinguish between good and evil. *Since you were good to my predecessor, let me help you out!*

"Alright, alright, all of you say a few less words. Why are you arguing? Don't you know that this young lady dislikes noise while dining? I think Fourth Concubine Liu is much better; she never says too much."

Hearing Mu Xiaoxue mention Liu, Mu Guozhen also looked toward his Fourth Concubine. She was not yet thirty; though she couldn't be described as a peerless beauty, she was petite and lovely, and she never complained or fought for position.

Looking again at the son sitting beside her, he was already ten years old, yet he rarely inquired about him. He was reminded of the eldest son born to Concubine Liu, who spent his days idling around without any sense of purpose. He began to wonder if he had neglected this younger son too much.

"Chen'er, come here to Father so Father can take a good look at you." Being unexpectedly called by name, Mu Yichen felt a bit lost. He looked toward the Fourth Concubine, who also appeared slightly flustered, but having stayed in the manor for many years, she quickly regained her composure.

"Go on, Chen'er! It's alright, go to your Father." The Fourth Concubine hadn't expected the Prime Minister to remember their son; she was so moved she almost wept, but she forced herself to endure it.

Mu Yichen walked slowly toward Mu Guozhen. Because in his memory, Mu Guozhen had never paid attention to his existence, he thought he had done something wrong. He was naturally afraid, yet he didn't dare not go, because this was the first time his Father had actively called him since he grew up.

Although he usually saw Mu Guozhen scolding his eldest brother, Mu Yifeng with furrowed brows, that was also what he envied most. At least it meant Mu Guozhen still cared about Mu Yifeng. As for himself, whether he did well or poorly, Mu Guozhen never saw him. He had always thought it was because he wasn't excellent enough that Father didn't like him, so no matter what he studied, he worked very hard, only hoping that one day Father would notice him.

When Mu Yichen reached Mu Guozhen at a snail's pace, Mu Guozhen picked him up and sat him on his lap.

The moment Mu Guozhen picked up Chen'er, he clearly saw the tears in the boy's eyes. Mu Guozhen turned to look at the Fourth Concubine, Liu, and saw tears in her eyes as well.

And at the same time, Mu Xiaoxue saw guilt, self-reproach, and something like a major decision being made in Mu Guozhen's eyes...