The Aloof Prince Pampers His Wild First Rate Consort (teaser only)

Chapter 16: Each Sticks to His Own Version

Mu Lingzhu and Su Biqing’s words moved the heart of the matter back to Mu Yunjin effortlessly. Su Biqing’s words made everyone think that Mu Yunjin was ready to spread her wings; with the support of Imperial Concubine Qin, she had the courage to do such a thing that would harm her mother.

Mu Xiang originally hadn’t placed any suspicion on Mu Yunjin in the investigation. In his eyes, this girl’s guts were too timid and cowardly. How would she have the guts to do something like this?

But when Su Biqing accused Mu Lingzhu of venting her anger, Mu Xiang couldn’t help but associate the matter when Mu Yunjin contradicted him a few days ago to this one. His heart seemed to understand things now.

Wei Hanqiao saw that Mu Lingzhu and her mother really did follow her reasoning, placing the suspicion on Mu Yunjin. She could not help but echo, “This concubine has really been extremely wronged. Usually I don’t even meet Third Miss that often. I don’t know what I did to wrong Third Miss, to ask for this concubine to bear such a huge crime.”

Mu Yunjin saw that the dirty water had been splattered all over herself, but she was in no hurry to explain herself. Beside her, Zi Xiang anxiously turned around. Right when she wanted to speak, Mu Yunjin pulled at her sleeve, signalling that she should not speak.

After a pause, Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, with a shocked appearance, as her brows furrowed, “Yunjin has been wrongfully accused.”

“Wrongfully accused? When you slandered me, did you feel wrongfully accused?” Wei Hanqiao contemptuously spoke.

“Second Mother, if you must say it in this way, then I can only expose the matter you told me to keep quiet about to Father and Mother.” Mu Yunjin slanted her lips and looked askance at Wei Hanqiao.

Wei Hanqiao saw Mu Yunjin fix her eyes on her. She subconsciously trembled, but when she thought about it, she didn’t seem to recall having said something she shouldn’t have  to the little hussy.

“Speak quickly! Whatever is the matter?” Mu Xiang looked at the room full of women, and felt his anger surge even more.

He usually hated the struggles between these women, but this time, a human life was involved. If he discovered the complete story, he would not let the culprit off easily.

“Just now, after I took leave from Father in the hall, I prepared to head back to Ascending Blossoms Pavilion. Halfway, I bumped into Second Mother, who held a jewelry box, looking extremely flustered.

“Due to etiquette, I still called to Second Mother, and greeted her. Who knew that Second Mother would become so flustered and would immediately  throw the entire jewelry box into the little pond outside of White Poplar Pavilion?

“Then, Second Mother and I warmly talked for a bit. Originally, I wanted to go back after saying a few things, but Second Mother even specially invited me into White Poplar Pavilion to check on my Second Brother’s injuries. Immediately afterwards, she gave me that porcelain bottle, and let me take it to gain Mother’s favor. Before I left, Second Mother even commanded me not to tell anyone of that jewelry box.”

Mu Yunjin pretended to think hard, almost as if she were trying to remember what had just happened, as she repeated things exactly as they had happened.

When Wei Hanqiao heard Mu Yunjin bring up that jewelry box, she couldn’t help but give a start. Could it be that this little hussy hadn’t taken the jewelry box back?

Her heart suddenly burst with fright.

“Elder Sister, there is a contradiction in your words. How come when Second Mother saw you, she would throw the jewelry box into the pond? We suspect that the jewelry box was the present that Second Mother gifted it to you, but to slander Second Mother and harm my Mother, you especially threw that jewelry box away to shift the blame onto Second Mother.”

Mu Lingzhu’s words nearly made Wei Hanqiao clap. This Fourth Miss was really incredible. She was worthy of being called the Top Talented Girl. With the abilities of her head, normal people really couldn’t follow.

“Then Little Sister, do you believe that Second Mother would send me a jewelry box for no reason at all?” Mu Yunjin answered a question with a question.

One sentence stopped Mu Lingzhu in her tracks.

Indeed, Mu Yunjin’s status in the residence was insufficient to make Wei Hanqiao gift her an entire jewelry box.

“Then what if the jewelry box was yours? You got something you shouldn’t have and you were seen by Second Mother. You thought of such a move that not  only harmed Mother, but it could also shift the blame onto Second Mother so that you could enjoy the fish without lifting a finger, thus taking advantage of the situation."

Mu Lingzhu spoke somewhat panickedly , and her words did not contain any deep thoughts. She only spoke her mind.

When she spoke these words, even Su Biqing couldn’t help but shake her head at Mu Lingzhu, her eyes signalling her to quiet down.

Mu Lingzhu reacted quickly. The person in front of her was the idiot, Mu Yunjin. With such a pig brain, how could she think of such a plan that would shoot two birds down with one stone?

She was too anxious.

Mu Yunjin and Mu Lingzhu had both spoken. In Mu Xiang’s opinion, it was very logical.

“Someone come. Go to the pond by Poplar Pavilion, and look for that jewelry box.” Mu Xiang spoke in a deep voice.

“Yes, Master.”

After Mu Xiang sent the people away, Mu Yunjin somewhat languidly leaned on the wall, her eyes downcast. As her eyes slightly closed, her mind couldn’t refrain from thinking about the scene when Wei Hanqiao sent her the jewelry box back at White Poplar Pavilion.

Even though she had only glanced at the jewelry, some of the jewelry was still familiar…...

She had no choice but to conclude that this Wei Hanqiao could only be a Second Madam. It was no wonder that someone so brainless could be completely suppressed utterly by Su Biqing.

A while had not passed before  a servant, who clasped a drenched jewelry box walked in, and bowed as he gave it to Mu Xiang.

Wei Hanqiao’s pupils slightly flashed. Subconsciously, she glanced at Mu Yunjin. Seeing her shoot her a bright and beautiful smile, Wei Hanqiao immediately felt her back get cold, with a cool feeling.

Creak…...the jewelry box gently opened.

“Isn’t this my jewelry?” Mu Lingzhu creased her brows, looking at the contents of the jewelry box,  opening her mouth with astonishment.

Afterwards, she turned towards Mu Yunjin and Wei Hanqiao, “Which one of you stole my jewelry box?”

Wei Hanqiao bit her lips and then laughed in embarrassment, “Fourth Miss, what would I need your jewelry box for? Usually, Master bestows me with a lot of jewelry. Even if I stole your jewelry, I couldn’t wear it, right?”

Mu Xiang heard Wei Hanqiao’s words and slightly nodded, feeling it was very logical. He couldn’t help but immediately pronounce Mu Yunjin’s death verdict from the bottom of his heart.

“You stole your little Sister’s jewelry, harmed your Mother, and shifted the blame onto your Second Mother. You’re such a rebellious girl. I’m so fed up with you! Today, I will definitely fiercely punish you, and I will definitely not let my arms go soft!” Mu Xiang heavily threw the jewelry box in his hands onto the floor, and took out a whip from his waist, brandishing it at Mu Yunjin.

Right before the whip fell, Mu Yunjin purposely pretended to be afraid, as her little face collapsed, “Father, I’ve been wronged. Yunjin was at Imperial Concubine Qin’s place the whole day today. Where would I get the time to steal my little Sister’s jewelry?

“It was Second Brother who used to often come to Yunjin’s place to ask for jewelry. He said he pawned all of it and he even gambled more off. All of the jewelry Imperial Concubine Qin bestowed to me was pawned by Second Brother.

“Why does Father not believe your daughter’s words?”

When Zi Xiang saw this, she immediately kneeled down and wailed, echoing her words, “That’s right. Master, Miss is often bullied by Second Master for jewelry to go gamble with. This servant has been by Miss’s side the whole day, and I did indeed see Second Madam hugging a jewelry box, looking extremely flustered……”

“Third Miss, even if your Second Brother is in a coma now, unable to retaliate, you can’t say rubbish. Yiyang has always scrupulously abided by his duties. How would he do something like excessively gamble and humiliate our family?”

Wei Hanqiao spoke with very little confidence. Her grandeur in her speaking had obviously diminished by a lot.

“Elder Sister, why have you become like this? As a little Sister, I am thoroughly disappointed.” Mu Lingzhu acted her role to perfection, displaying a convincingly disappointed appearance.

Su Biqing saw this outer appearance in front of her, and her fingers slightly gripped her blankets. When she heard that Mu Yiyang could not have anymore sexual intercourse, even if he survived, he would be a waste; he wasn’t just suffering from an illness.

Then why not use this opportunity to make this rebellious girl stumble and insert Mu Lingzhu into the position of the Consort of the Sixth Prince.

“Yunjin, as a Mother, I am really too disappointed. I really wish I had never had you!” Su Biqing gritted her teeth and pronounced Mu Yunjin’s death penalty.

Mu Yunjin heard everyone’s words and sneered. She lifted her eyes to meet Mu Xiang’s line of sight, “Whether this is real or fake, I hope that Father will send people out to investigate.

“Even though I am not well versed in the scholarly arts and I am timid and cowardly, I will definitely not be easily framed by other people.

“Even if I die, I want to die with a clean slate.”

Mu Yunjin’s words made Mu Xiang’s original scarlet eyes full of fury become a bit cooler. As he looked at Mu Yunjin, a figure suddenly emerged in his mind.

It was too alike; sure enough, it was too alike!

In a flash, Mu Xiang suddenly felt that all these years, he had misread this daughter.

He had always thought she was timid and afraid of matters, but today, he found that she was just like that other person, with a very lofty and unyielding character but at the same time a pure aura.

Thus, he stopped listening to the people around him, and almost as if the demons were at work, he said, “I will investigate this matter clearly.

“We will find out eventually whether you are dark or white. Today, let’s end this for now.”

When he finished, Mu Xiang walked out of Su Biqing’s room.

After Mu Xiang left, Wei Hanqiao bit her lip. It was already almost nighttime. The people around her were all filled with cold intentions. Sweat had appeared on her forehead. Afterwards, she bowed to Su Biqing and rushed out.

After a moment, Mu Yunjin, Mu Lingzhu, and Su Biqing were the only people in the room.

“Yunjin has never known that Mother hated me this much, until you took this step today.” Mu Yunjin coldly laughed and glanced at the porcelain bottle.

“At the time, you broke the porcelain bottle in front of me, but where did those bloody scars you have now come from? The only reason why I did not expose you in front of Father was because I wanted to leave some feelings between that of a Mother and her daughter.

“But now it seems that I was the only one who imagined that my love was reciprocated.

“Zi Xiang, let’s go.”

After Mu Yunjin finished speaking, she calmly looked over Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu and slowly walked out.

Behind her, Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu subconsciously looked at each other, their hearts full of coldness, “Zhu’er, is she still the Yunjin we know?”

Mu Lingzhu also found herself flabbergasted at the situation. After pursing her lips she reached her conclusion, “It seems that today, we pushed her to an anxious point. If she didn’t try to protect her life, the person who died today would have been her. In the end, she is only a disciple/apprentice/believer trying to cling to her own neck.”

Su Biqing nodded and gripped the blankets as she leaned on the soft bed, “As for today’s matter, no matter what happens, it will either get rid of Second Madam or Yunjin.

“We shall reap some rewards; we did not busy ourselves for nothing.”

Mu Lingzhu heard this and slightly smiled, sitting down, “That’s right. Mu Yiyang that idiot. How can he be placed on equal standing with eldest Brother? This time, Second Madam has really dug her own grave.”

“That’s right. When comparing Mu Yiyang and Yunhan, I don’t know how much the disparity is. This time, Yunhan accompanied Vice General Qin out to battle, and received many military honors. When he returns, he might even receive some part-time work as a government official.”

When she brought up her son, Su Biqing’s eyes were filled with pride that was difficult to conceal.

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Translated by tranzgeek the boooored (Ely: bored with life or translating this back and forth scene?)

Edited by: ely