Chapter 19

Carrying Mu Yulu back into the room, Mu Qinhan stared at her for a long time, making Mu Yulu break out in a cold sweat, before he finally threw her heavily onto the bed.

After being thrown onto the bed, Mu Yulu immediately burrowed under the covers, clutching the corner of the blanket tightly, and warily watching Mu Qinhan standing in front of the bed.

Mu Qinhan didn't say anything more. After silently staring at her for a moment, he finally turned and left.

Mu Yulu had prepared herself to face his wrath, but she never expected him to let her off so easily.

Her feelings suddenly became complicated.

She had offended him so much today, yet he had let it go so easily. This was not the Mu Qinhan she knew at all. This Mu Qinhan made her feel unfamiliar and afraid.

She knew very well that she had angered Mu Qinhan. Knowing him as she did, she knew that even if he didn't do anything to her now, she would definitely suffer the consequences in the future.

Yes, he must have been so angry today that he hasn't figured out how to punish her yet. Once he returns to the palace and calms down, he will definitely take his revenge on her.

Mu Yulu took a deep breath and collapsed weakly onto the bed.

You can't twist a thigh with an arm, and an ant can't shake a tree. Let Mu Qinhan do whatever she wants; she's laid down and doesn't care anymore.

Since things have come to this, let's go to sleep.

After all that fuss, she was exhausted.

Even if you're going to face Mu Qinhan's wrath, you'd better get a good night's sleep first.

She slept very peacefully.

The next ten days or so will be very peaceful.

Mu Qinhan did not come to the manor to cause trouble, nor did Mu Yugang return to the manor to demand an explanation. It was as if the confrontation between Mu Yulu and Mu Qinhan was just a dream she had during her illness, and that nothing had actually happened.

Mu Yulu lived in constant fear for more than ten days until Mu Qinhan left the villa half a month later, and Mu Yugang and the others also returned home.

Just as Mu Yulu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the matter was truly over, Mu Yugang ordered his men to fill in the artificial lake in front of her courtyard on a clear, cloudless day.

That lake ultimately could not escape its fate of fading away.

Mu Yulu watched nervously as the servants filled the lake shovel by shovel, her heart pounding with anxiety once again.

Why would Mu Yugang fill the lake for no reason?

She tried to jump into the lake again half a month ago, and the first thing Mu Yugang did upon returning to the mansion was to order people to fill the lake. It's hard not to connect these two events.

Could it be that he suddenly did this because Mu Qinhan finally started to take revenge on her and went to Mu Yugang to complain about her?

Surely not. Although Mu Qinhan is vengeful, he wouldn't be that naive, would he?

While Mu Yulu was anxiously speculating, Mu Yugang was equally puzzled.

He just couldn't understand it. Mu Qinhan had clearly been recuperating at the villa for more than half a month, staying indoors and refusing to see guests. Naturally, his two daughters, dressed up in their finest attire, hadn't caught his eye.

Why did he suddenly come to propose marriage after she recovered from her injuries and returned home?

Moreover, the person she was proposing marriage to was Mu Yulu, who had suffered a serious illness, lost ten pounds, and looked sickly and disfigured.

During this time, Mu Yulu has been recuperating alone in the manor and has not gone to the villa. What method did she use to seduce Mu Qinhan and make him come to propose marriage so quickly?

It would have been fine if it had just been a marriage proposal, but before leaving the manor, Prince Mu specifically summoned Mu Yugang and instructed him to fill in the artificial lake in the manor when he returned.

The prince told him personally, "I heard that the young lady once accidentally fell into the lake; this must never happen again."

Mu Yugang nodded obsequiously, not daring to utter a sound.

Mu Qinhan even knew about Mu Yulu's recent drowning incident, which suggests that he had been paying attention to her for a long time, and that his marriage proposal was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Prince Mu is actually serious about this girl, Mu Yulu.

Upon returning to his residence, Mu Yugang didn't even have a sip of water before hurriedly ordering people to immediately fill in the lake in front of Mu Yulu's courtyard.

Everything was done in less than half a day, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief, sitting in his armchair to seriously consider the matter.

Now he really couldn't figure out Prince Mu's taste.

This prince was the youngest son of the late emperor. He followed the late emperor to the battlefield at the age of twelve and fought in the army for seven or eight years. The two most elite armies of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom were his subordinates.

After winning countless battles, he returned to the capital. Not long after, the late emperor passed away, and the crown prince ascended the throne. However, less than a year after everything was on track, the current ruler of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom suddenly fell seriously ill, and Mu Qinhan became the regent of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.

There are many rumors in the capital about this young prince who holds great power as regent, and it is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, but one thing is common knowledge.

That is, Prince Mu was not interested in women.

There are even rumors that he doesn't love women and has homosexual tendencies.

Now that Mu Qinhan has proposed marriage to the Mu family, this rumor has been dispelled.

However, Mu Yugang still couldn't understand what Mu Qinhan, who was always aloof and cold like a flower on a high mountain, saw in Mu Yulu.

Logically speaking, with his high position and great power, what kind of beautiful women, noble ladies, and talented women hadn't he seen? Countless powerful and influential people in the capital rushed to send their daughters to him, but he never seemed to care about any of them.

Not only did he not care, he also reprimanded all the ministers who had sent their daughters to him and sent them all back.

Mu Qinhan didn't even look at those talented and beautiful noble ladies, so what exactly did he see in Mu Yulu?

After much thought, Mu Yugang concluded that there was only one answer: Mu Qinhan could only have been attracted to Mu Yulu's beauty, since her only redeeming quality was her looks.

This girl is indeed very beautiful. If we ignore her temperament, personality, and character, her beauty is one in a million in the capital.

The saying goes, "When choosing a wife, choose one who is virtuous; when choosing a concubine, choose one who is beautiful." Mu Yulu's entry into the Prince's mansion as a concubine indeed did not require any talent or virtue.

Being good-looking is enough.

After figuring it out, Mu Yugang shook his head. He thought he had figured out Mu Qinhan's thoughts, and couldn't help but sigh. Ah, it's still men who understand men best.

Regardless, Mu Yulu has climbed to a higher social status, and the entire Mu family will benefit from this. There are some things he has to tell her.

Mu Yulu didn't grow up by their side and was used to being wild outside. She doesn't know the proper way to serve her husband. If she enters the Prince's mansion and causes any trouble, offending Prince Mu, it would be a sin that would implicate the whole family.

Thinking of this, he raised his hand and called over a servant: "Go and call the madam and the eldest young lady over here."

The servant responded and hurriedly went to Mu Yulu and Mu Zhaoshi's courtyard.

Mu Yugang didn't have to wait long before a knock came at the door of the study, followed by a servant's voice: "Master, the eldest young lady has arrived."

Before Mu Yugang could speak, Mu Yulu pushed open the study door and asked, "Father, do you need to see me?"

Mu Yugang clicked his tongue: "You're about to get married, how can you still be so ignorant of etiquette?"

Mu Yulu's hand, which was pushing the door open, froze in mid-air: "What do you mean by getting married?"

Her voice suddenly rose: "Whom are you going to marry?"

"Why are you shouting so loudly?" Mu Yugang said in his most joyful voice the words she feared most: "Prince Mu has sent someone to propose marriage, wanting to take you into the palace as a concubine. This is a great joy."

"For the next period of time, you must follow your mother's instructions and learn the rules. Learn what it means for a husband to be the head of the household and what the 'three obediences and four virtues' mean. You must not be unreasonable like before. Do you understand?"

Speaking of being unreasonable, Mu Yugang pondered for a moment and emphasized, "Being married is not as carefree as being a young lady at home. Think about it carefully. If you jump into the lake at home, someone will save you. But if you dare to jump into the lake in the Prince's mansion, our whole family will have to jump with you. You will be of marriageable age in two months, and you should know what's important."

Mu Yugang spoke earnestly, but Mu Yulu didn't listen to a single word.

The words "marrying into the royal family" kept echoing in her mind.

In her past life, she felt unloved by her parents and had no presence in the household despite being a young lady. Even a random old woman could bully her.

Therefore, she tried every means to climb up to Mu Qinhan, so that she could hold her head high in front of her family who looked down on her.

It is well known that women also compare themselves to each other when it comes to marriage. Marrying into a good family can be said to be the ultimate goal of all women in the world, and Prince Mu is undoubtedly the highest configuration in the entire Vermilion Bird Kingdom.

Being able to marry into the Mu family, even as a concubine, would be enough to bring honor to the entire household.

In her previous life, Mu Yulu went to great lengths and lost all face, all for this elusive glory.

She never imagined that everything she had once desperately pursued would become so easily attainable in this life, but she no longer wanted it.

Mu Yulu interrupted Mu Yugang with a dazed expression but a firm voice: "My daughter will not marry."

Mu Yugang hummed in agreement and nodded with satisfaction: "Look, you've learned to be reserved now, that's good. Before, you were always trying to pounce on people, what kind of behavior was that? Remember, if you want to keep a man's heart, you have to know how to be tactful."

Mu Yugang launched into a long-winded speech, which Mu Yulu interrupted him once again: "It's not that I'm being coy, it's that I really don't want to marry him."

To show her determination, she gritted her teeth and said something harsh: "If you insist on making me marry, I would rather cut off my hair and go up the mountain to become a nun."

Mu Yugang was, after all, a businessman, and he was good at reading people. By observing Mu Yulu's expression, he realized that this girl really didn't want to get married.

That's strange.

Mu Yugang asked her, "Why don't you get married?"

Mu Yulu simply shook her head: "I won't marry him."

Mu Yugang waved his hand at her: "That won't do. Unless you give me a reason, you can pack your bags and get married."

Mu Yulu felt somewhat desperate. She couldn't possibly tell Mu Yugang that marrying Mu Qinhan was pushing her into a fire pit, and that Mu Qinhan would kill her one day.

After hesitating for a moment, she decided to use the same trick again, closing her eyes and saying, "I already have someone I love, and I will marry no one but him in this life."