Volume One, Chapter 20: Elder Sister Uncovers the Truth of What Happened Back Then

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Nanny Rong was shocked and sat down on the ground trembling uncontrollably. “Your Highness, the young mistress—”

“Speak.”

“Yes, yes. After the young mistress fell ill, Lady Fang summoned an imperial physician for appearances, but that man was bribed by her. The prescription was utterly useless. The young mistress, unwilling to wait for death, sneaked out under the cover of night to seek medicine—” The nanny finished and even kowtowed, begging earnestly.

“Your Highness, my young mistress is at her wit’s end. If there were even a glimmer of hope, she would never commit such a breach of propriety. I beg you to see this clearly.”

Xie Tingmo sighed heavily. “Nanny, rise. From today onward, I will station men in the alley behind the Marquis’s residence. You need not inform the young mistress. If she ever finds herself in trouble, simply send someone to the back alley—”

“As for her health, I will arrange for someone to personally oversee her treatment within the Marquis’s household.”

“She is my future wife, not someone to be schemed against by those ignorant and vicious women of the inner quarters. If anything like this happens again, do not hesitate to inform me!”

“Yes, this old servant obeys.” Nanny Rong bowed deeply. Only after the Regent Prince departed did she slowly lift her head from the ground.

“Young mistress, don’t blame this old servant for not heeding your wishes. In this ruthless Marquis’s household, without the aid of a stronger force, it would be impossible for you alone to exact revenge.”

*

Inside the capital’s government office.

Mu Wanwan, clad in night clothes, deftly dodged the patrolling guards and successfully entered the storage room.

According to Xiao Rongli’s account, Mu Wanwan kept searching for the registration documents.

The reason she chose to break into the government office at night instead of the Ministry of Household was because she was certain Lady Fang wouldn’t dare tamper with Xiao Rongli’s official registry. The Ministry’s registry not only recorded an individual’s identity but also the information of their nine ancestral clans.

No matter how much Xiao Rongli was rejected by the Marquis of Wuan’s household, he still held the status of the Marquis’s legitimate son. As the legitimate wife and matron, Lady Fang could not strip him of this status—only stall his inclusion in the genealogical record.

Once Xiao Rongli came of age, he would no longer be under Lady Fang’s control, and the Marquis’s household would have to acknowledge his rightful identity. This was why Lady Fang wanted to eliminate him, to secure more benefits for her own son.

After thorough searching, Mu Wanwan found nothing and furrowed her brow.

Had she been mistaken?

Was Xiao Rongli’s registry still a blank contract, one that could be stolen and destroyed at Lady Fang’s quarters?

But according to Xiao Rongli, the registry had already been made three days prior. Why hadn’t Lady Fang registered it?

Mu Wanwan refused to believe the other party would be careless or merciful. There had to be something she had overlooked. She raised her hand to rub her brow but accidentally touched a nearby wooden carving.

Was it movable?

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Mu Wanwan tentatively turned it and her face lit up with surprise.

The wooden carving was a mechanism; turning it opened a hidden compartment in the wall.

She cautiously approached, took out a box from inside, and opened it. Sure enough, she found Xiao Rongli’s registry document.

Without hesitation, she swapped the document but as she closed the box, her pupils dilated involuntarily.

“What is this?”

Mu Wanwan looked at the jade pendant and her eyes narrowed with pain throbbing in her head.

This was her elder sister’s pendant. How could it be here?

She herself had one too, specially prepared by their late mother. This pendant was hollow inside and could conceal items.

Mu Wanwan then twisted the jade pendant.

“Click!” The pendant opened in the middle, and a slip of paper floated out.

She caught the note and slipped it into her sleeve. To avoid alerting anyone, she put the pendant back into the box exactly as before.

Seeing the hour was late, Mu Wanwan dared not linger and hurried to the Marquis of Wuan’s residence.

She sprinted across the rooftops of the capital, unaware that a pair of eyes had already noticed her.

“This person’s figure looks remarkably like Mu’s brother? What is he up to?” Gu Yunyi frowned, then rose smoothly and deliberately followed behind Mu Wanwan.

He was a war god, highly skilled, able to hold his breath and blend into the night in black clothing.

Mu Wanwan was completely unaware. She swiftly returned to the Marquis’s residence and arrived at the Listening Wind Garden before any servants were up.

Gu Yunyi glanced at the sign of the Marquis’s residence, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Wondering to himself:

Again the Marquis of Wuan’s residence?

What is he doing inside?

Could it be he has taken a fancy to a lady inside and is sneaking about under cover of night?

That would ruin the lady’s reputation. Ah, it seems I need to have a talk with Mu’s brother later.

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He turned his gaze toward the northeast direction where Mu Wanwan had gone and smiled faintly.

“Hey, Mu brother, I’ll keep watch there for you from now on!”

With that, he disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, as soon as Mu Wanwan returned to the Listening Wind Garden, Nanny Rong was awakened.

“Young mistress, young master was perfectly fine last night. How is your body? Are you hurt anywhere?” Nanny Rong busied herself with helping Mu Wanwan wash and change clothes. Seeing no new injuries, she relaxed.

Mu Wanwan frowned, lost in thought about the pendant, not replying immediately. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

“Nanny, does my elder sister know anyone in the government office?”

Nanny Rong was taken aback, puzzled, then pondered seriously.

“This old servant does not know if the young mistress has dealings with anyone in the government office, but the magistrate Zhou’s legitimate daughter, Miss Zhiruo, was once the young mistress’s close confidante.”

“Once?” Mu Wanwan asked in confusion.

Nanny Rong hesitated, regret filling her face.

“The young mistress’s close confidantes were few. Miss Zhou was one of them, but about a month ago, for reasons unknown, they quarreled and parted ways. Since then, Miss Zhou has severed all contact with the young mistress.”

Mu Wanwan repeated, “A month ago?”

Wasn’t that when her people reached out to her elder sister?

“Indeed,” Nanny Rong’s thoughts drifted back.

“That day was Miss Zhou’s seventeenth birthday banquet. The young mistress went joyfully to offer congratulations, but for some reason, they quarreled and parted on bad terms.”

“Nanny, do you know the exact date of that day?” Mu Wanwan asked calmly, hiding her emotions.

“This old servant remembers—it was the fifth day of last month,” Nanny Rong said firmly.

The fifth day?

That was right after she had sent the letter to her elder sister. It seemed her elder sister was very close to Miss Zhou and severed ties publicly to protect the Zhou family from being implicated.

“Nanny, I’m hungry. Please see if there’s anything to eat.”

After sending Nanny Rong away, Mu Wanwan took out the slip of paper from her sleeve. The more she read, the heavier her mood grew. She also took out the letter Mo Bai had given her earlier.

Suddenly, she clenched her fists and ground her teeth.

“Damn it. I’m just giving those wretches a few more breaths and days to live.”

It turned out her elder sister suspected their mother’s death years ago was not an accident but a murder, likely orchestrated by someone in the Marquis’s household who could not bear their mother to live, taking advantage of her weakened state after childbirth to strike.

All these years, her elder sister had investigated in secret, and all the clues pointed to one conclusion—