Chapter 29

Mu Yulu was once again completely confused: "What is this 'era of ten thousand nations'?"

Seizing the last moment, she asked the woman, "Your name is Terukawa Mi? You haven't told me what you need me to do."

The woman's figure completely disappeared into the smoke, and her ethereal voice came before Mu Yulu's consciousness once again vanished into darkness: "Zhaochuan Mi is me, but I am not Zhaochuan Mi."

"I foresaw her death. The power of the Heartfire's retrograde is the reason you were able to be reborn, and it is also the only way to bring her back to life. All you need to do is keep your promise and live well."

Mu Yulu couldn't understand what she was saying, but she remembered the last six words the woman said: "Live well."

"Don't waste this second chance. This time, make a different choice and live a good life."

The woman's voice gradually faded away, and Mu Yulu opened her eyes in the darkness.

The windows in the room were not closed tightly, and the gauze curtains by the bed swayed in the night breeze, flickering with the moonlight. Only then did Mu Yulu realize that she had really woken up and left that absurd dream.

She lay in bed catching her breath, patted her still somewhat agitated chest, got up to drink some water, and then stood by the window for a while.

The moonlight outside the window was just right, as bright and clear as when I first saw Sanzhou Jinse in the mansion that night.

Tomorrow is the day for the ball to be thrown. I wonder if Sanzhou Jinse will appear as promised, and I also wonder what methods Mu Qinhan will use.

However, Mu Qinhan is, after all, the regent of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. He should at least have some dignity. He shouldn't resort to any underhanded tricks in front of everyone, right?

As long as tomorrow passes, everything will be fine.

After tomorrow, she will no longer have to worry about marrying Mu Qinhan and repeating the mistakes of her previous life. In the days leading up to her marriage, she will use those shops to save up a large sum of money. Once she has saved enough money, she will run away far away.

Mu Yulu was lost in thought.

She suddenly thought of the woman in her dream again.

She said that the world she lived in was called the Age of All Nations in another time and space, and that her name in that time was Terukawa Mi.

Now, recalling everything that happened in her dream, Mu Yulu's memory has become blurry. She thinks uncertainly that perhaps the scenes she just saw, including the woman, were all just an illusion.

After all, it all seemed too unreal; she couldn't find any evidence that that world truly existed.

But then she thought, isn't her rebirth, her own existence, proof of that world's existence?

Although she couldn't remember the details of the dream, she remembered that the woman told her not to waste the chance to start over, to make different choices, and to live a good life.

Mu Yulu took a deep breath, reached out to close the window, and lay back down on the bed.

There's no point in dwelling on it now. Regardless of what power she was reborn from, the most important thing for her right now is to avoid repeating the tragedy of her previous life.

After all, she had lived a very bitter life and died a very tragic death in her previous life. Now, her only obsession is, as the dream said, not to live a meaningless life like she did in her previous life and die without dignity.

As for the truth behind her rebirth, and whether the world in her dream was an illusion or reality, the answers to all these questions were beyond her comprehension.

She sighed, pulled the covers over herself, and closed her eyes.

Get a good night's sleep now, so you can be in good shape to face tomorrow's tough battle.

But she didn't expect that she would sleep until the sun was high in the sky.

She groggily opened her eyes and, seeing the bright daylight outside the window, Mu Yulu's voice trembled with fright: "Xinyun! What time is it now?"

Xinyun was also startled by Mu Yulu's reaction. She hurriedly ran into the room and lifted the curtain by the bed for Mu Yulu: "Miss, you're awake? It's almost noon now. I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you."

Mu Yulu ran barefoot off the bed, changing her clothes while urging Xinyun to fetch water: "Are you out of your mind? Today is the day for throwing the embroidered ball. Even if you're sleeping soundly, you have to wake me up."

Xinyun quickly said, "Miss, don't panic. This morning, Madam sent her maid to inform me that the No. 1 Restaurant in the World has been booked. Since the person in question is a member of the imperial court, the restaurant dares not offend him. Therefore, they had no choice but to change the date for the Mu family's embroidered ball throwing to tomorrow."

She comforted Mu Yulu, saying, "Madam was only looking out for Miss. She said it's Miss's birthday today, so she wanted you to sleep a little longer and not rush to get up. That's why I didn't wake you."

Mu Yulu paused slightly as she dressed. Her first reaction upon hearing this was that Mu Qinhan had finally made his move. He was indeed going to cause trouble on her coming-of-age day by booking out a restaurant so she wouldn't be able to throw the embroidered ball.

But the next second she realized something was wrong.

If Mu Qinhan really wanted to stop her from throwing the embroidered ball, he had plenty of ways to do it. Why did he have to book out the entire restaurant on the day she turned 18?

Moreover, Xinyun just said that the restaurant was only occupied today, and the day for throwing the embroidered ball was only postponed by one day, not canceled.

This shows that Mu Qinhan was not behind this.

Mu Yulu's mind raced. If it wasn't Mu Qinhan playing tricks, then there was only one possibility left.

She said to Xinyun with annoyance, "Silly girl, you've been fooled!"

Xinyun hadn't quite grasped what was happening yet, and asked in a daze, "I was tricked by that maid? But she's been a senior servant of the Madam, why would she lie to me?"

Mu Yulu sneered inwardly: "Yes, it's my own fault. Why didn't I think to make you be wary of Madam?"

Xin Yun finally realized who had tricked her. She stared at Mu Yulu in disbelief: "So the person who lied to me was Madam? But why would she do that?"

Just then, Mu Yugang's servant arrived at Mu Yulu's courtyard and asked through the door, "Miss, Master sent me to ask if you're ready yet?"

The servant shouted, urging, "The auspicious time for throwing the embroidered ball has already passed. The sedan chair is waiting at the gate. Miss, if you're ready, you should hurry up and leave. Master said that if you haven't arrived by noon, the embroidered ball won't be thrown."

Xinyun hurriedly said, "Please go and inform the master that our young lady was not feeling well this morning, which caused a delay. She is ready now and will be there soon."

After saying that, she added, "We will definitely arrive before noon. Please tell the master not to cancel!"

The servant acknowledged the order and turned to leave the courtyard.

Mu Yulu closed her eyes and took a deep breath: "Don't worry about why Madam lied to you. Her goal is to make me miss this chance to throw the embroidered ball and obediently marry Mu Qinhan. Just do my simple makeup now, we need to leave quickly."

Xinyun hurriedly agreed.

Although she was anxious, her hands moved very steadily. In no time, she helped Mu Yulu comb her hair and do her makeup, and then helped Mu Yulu, who was wearing a wide skirt, out the door and into the sedan chair.

After getting into the sedan chair, Xinyun finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked anxiously at Mu Yulu, whose face was gloomy: "Miss, have I caused you any trouble?"

Mu Yulu shook her head and held Xinyun's hand reassuringly: "You're not the one who caused me trouble."

Her voice was cold, making Xinyun shiver involuntarily: "It was my own fault for not being on guard against her sooner."

Xinyun naturally knew who she was referring to, and asked with some confusion and sadness, "But I still can't understand why Madam did this?"

"Why?" Mu Yulu had thought it through very clearly: "If I can't win the embroidered ball today, the best thing for Father is still to send me to the Mu Prince's Mansion."

She looked up at Xinyun and said, "It's fine if Mu Qinhan refuses to take me in again, but if he were still willing to marry me, even if it was just as a concubine, do you think Father would agree?"

Xin Yun nodded with difficulty.

Mu Yulu then asked, "If I successfully marry into the royal family, who else will benefit besides my father?"

Xinyun bit her lip, her voice tinged with sadness: "The entire Mu family will benefit."

Mu Yulu added, "Especially my younger sister, Mu Wanyi."

Although I don't want to admit it, that's the truth. As long as the Mu family gets involved with the Mu Prince's Mansion, their remaining daughters will have no trouble finding husbands. Even if they just stay at home all day, good families will still come to propose marriage.

Especially for Mu Wanyi, who is the eldest daughter and is deeply loved, her marriage will be most directly affected, and Mu Zhaoshi will definitely take the opportunity to find her a good husband.

Mu Yulu thought coldly to herself that when Mu Wanyi was able to marry a talented young man in the court, she would not only bring glory to her family and have a grand wedding, but also become the principal wife instead of a concubine. Only in this way could she fulfill Mu Zhaoshi's wishes.

All of this depends on the fact that she, the eldest daughter, marries Mu Qinhan. If she really marries a martial arts figure, it will benefit Mu Yugang's business, but it will be of no use to Mu Wanyi's marriage.

Xinyun continued from the side, "But the Mu family has already offended Prince Mu by throwing the embroidered ball to choose a husband today. Even if you don't throw it today and instead marry into the Prince's mansion, given Prince Mu's personality, how could he possibly let you off the hook?"

She was so sad she was about to cry: "Madam should have known that if Miss marries into the Prince's mansion, her situation will be very difficult."

Mu Yulu said calmly, "Of course she wants it."

In order to find a good marriage for Mu Wanyi, she even went so far as to have someone read her daughter's birth chart two years in advance. How could she not have thought of these things?

She just doesn't care.

As they were talking, the sedan chair arrived. Xinyun helped Mu Yulu upstairs, and asked in a low voice as they walked, "Now that Madam has already made her move, she might have other tricks up her sleeve. What should we do?"

Mu Yulu lifted her skirt and looked up at the group of people on the rooftop: "At least the throwing of the embroidered ball hasn't been canceled yet, so we'll do what needs to be done. I'm not afraid of them, and you shouldn't be either."

Although Mu Yulu's voice was not loud, it sounded steady and powerful. Xinyun was encouraged and looked up at the roof with her: "Miss, please walk slowly. I will help you up."