Chapter 98

During this period, a major event also occurred: the ruler of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom was finally unable to continue using Gu poison to prolong his life and passed away.

After the death of the King of Zhuque, the young Ninth Prince Mu Heming succeeded to the throne. Regent Mu Qinhan intended to return power to him and leave the capital to live in seclusion in the countryside. However, after Mu Heming's repeated persuasion, he stayed for the time being.

With the new emperor's ascension to the throne and the court instability, Mu Qinhan could indeed become a great help to Mu Heming if he remained in the court.

However, Mu Qinhan had also privately agreed with him that he could stay in the court to help him, but for no more than three years. During these three years, Mu Heming would need to build up his own power, stabilize the court, and win the hearts of the people. He would definitely leave after three years.

In fact, after the Third Prince and his cronies were all executed, Mu Qinhan's pressure in the court had lessened considerably. He didn't care how the rumors were raging, and nothing and no one could shake his resolve.

Or perhaps, over the years he has always felt a void in his heart, a constant feeling of wind passing through it. With all this blowing over the years, his heart has become numb.

Over the years, he and Liu Wenshuang lived a harmonious life together and had a daughter. However, due to Liu Wenshuang's weak constitution, she had difficulty recovering after childbirth and could not conceive again. Mu Qinhan had no sons to inherit the throne and family business, so Liu Wenshuang took the initiative to discuss taking a concubine with him, hoping that the concubine could bear him children.

Later, Mu Qinhan took several concubines, and those concubines gave him several sons. Seeing that his title had a successor, he decided to retire from public life.

Over the years, apart from being quite affectionate towards Liu Wenshuang, he has been indifferent to his other concubines. He only married them to continue the family line. At first, those women were overjoyed to be able to marry Mu Qinhan, but soon after entering the palace, their dreams were shattered like soap bubbles.

The concubines who bore sons for Mu Qinhan thought they could gain status through their sons or win Mu Qinhan's favor, but they never expected that he would not even glance at them, and directly take the children away and hand them over to Liu Wenshuang to raise.

It wasn't that no concubines had harbored thoughts of competing with Liu Wenshuang for favor; some even resorted to underhanded tactics to please Mu Qinhan. However, without exception, their fates were all tragic. Mu Yulu's ending in her previous life was essentially their fate in this life.

As a result, the concubines became obedient, not seeking any genuine affection, but only hoping to give birth to children so that they could enjoy wealth and honor.

Three years later, Mu Heming was able to handle things independently in the court. Mu Qinhan took Liu Wenshuang and several children and left the capital, planning to travel around and find an elegant place to live in seclusion.

As for the concubines, they stayed in the palace with the steward, living a life of widowhood.

No one objected to Mu Qinhan's arrangement; even Liu Wenshuang had no choice but to comply.

In recent years, Mu Qinhan has lost his former high spirits and become increasingly taciturn and ruthless. Sometimes he can sit motionless by the window for one or two hours, and no one knows what he is thinking.

Only Liu Wenshuang could guess his thoughts and know the source of the gloom in his eyes.

The day they left the capital happened to be the same day that Mu Yulu returned to the capital of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.

At that moment, Mu Qinhan stood on the high city wall, silently watching the carriage that Mu Yulu was riding in. Only after she had entered the capital and disappeared from his sight did he slowly shift his gaze, turn around and walk down the city wall.

He knew that this time they had truly missed each other, and their fates would never intersect again. This was something she had insisted on, and after so many years, he had finally accepted it.

Mu Yulu's gaze did not linger on the city gate, and naturally she did not notice the figure standing on the city tower.

Her return to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom was not to reminisce with anyone, but for other important matters.

A month ago, she received a letter from Mu Heming. In the letter, Mu Heming told her that Mu Qinhan had never issued a warrant for her arrest all these years, and that she could return openly at any time. He then told her about the news of the Regent Prince returning power and retiring. Finally, he invited her to return to the capital. If she could expand her business to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, he was willing to open up policies for her and reduce or waive rent.

Mu Yulu trusted Mu Heming's words quite a bit. On the one hand, the two of them had some unexpected friendships many years ago. On the other hand, her business in ready-made clothes and jewelry had grown tremendously in recent years. Her ready-made clothing store was updated every once in a while, and it had long become a fashion trend pursued by noble ladies of the four kingdoms. However, among the four kingdoms, only the Vermilion Bird Kingdom had not opened a ready-made clothing store for Mu Yulu. If women in the capital of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom wanted to buy ready-made clothes, they had to send people to other countries, which was really unbearable.

This is just one of the businesses under Mu Yulu's name. In addition, she also runs restaurants and inns, and her stores are countless. If he could invite her to bring her business to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, it would greatly benefit the country's tax revenue. Mu Heming had no reason to lie to her.

After arriving in the capital, Mu Yulu first met with Mu Heming.

After a long separation, the two met again, but their status and position were no longer what they used to be.

Mu Yulu was once just a merchant's daughter, but now she is the richest woman in the four kingdoms. Mu Heming was once just a child in her eyes who needed Mu Qinhan's protection, but now he has grown into a king.

The atmosphere of this meeting was much more relaxed than Mu Yulu had imagined. Mu Heming could be said to have been taught by Mu Qinhan, but he did not have Mu Qinhan's cold and stern aura at all, and was quite gentle instead.

After meeting Mu Yulu, he didn't rush to talk business. Instead, he smiled and chatted with her until she relaxed before explaining the current situation of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom to her in detail and inviting her to open her clothing store in the Vermilion Bird capital.

Naturally, the conditions he offered were very generous, and these favorable conditions really attracted Mu Yulu. However, although Mu Qinhan was no longer in the capital, she still had some concerns about this, so she did not agree immediately, but told Mu Heming that she needed to consider it for a while.

Mu Heming didn't rush her. He ordered someone to escort her out of the palace properly. Before she left, he told her that it didn't matter if she ultimately decided to refuse. She could change her mind at any time and come to the palace to find him.

Mu Yulu readily agreed.

She wasn't sure if Mu Heming was repaying the "gratitude she had shown him when he was a child," but his attitude today seemed sincere, so she didn't feel the need to keep refusing him.

After leaving the palace, she did not immediately return to Xuanwu Kingdom, but instead took a carriage ride around the capital.

After touring around, she had gained a better understanding of the current situation in the capital of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, which made her even more certain that what Mu Heming had said earlier was true.

She let out a soft sigh, closed the curtain, and leaned back against the soft cushions inside the car.

It wasn't that she was overly suspicious, but after so many years of doing business, she had become much more cautious in everything she did. Besides, this was the Vermilion Bird Capital, and she still vividly remembered how she had escaped from this city in a bloody mess, even after so many years.

Just as she closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, the driver said to her from outside the curtain, "Our carriage is passing by the Mu residence. Would you like to get off and take a look?"

Mu Yulu opened her eyes again.

She gently knocked on the carriage wall, and the carriage stopped.

Since Mu Qinhan discovered the evidence of Mu Yugang's collusion with the Third Prince to betray the enemy many years ago, all the male members of the Mu family, including the servants, were exiled, leaving only the female members of the household in this grand mansion.

Although the house was still left for them to live in, all of the Mu family's assets except for this house were confiscated. The women of the Mu family lost their source of income, and only Mu Zhaoshi had a little money left. It is unknown how they have been doing all these years.

The carriage remained parked at the entrance for a long time, but Mu Yulu showed no intention of getting out. She sat inside the carriage, lost in deep thought.

After an unknown amount of time, the gates of the Mu residence opened from the inside, emitting a heavy thud from years of disrepair. Immediately afterwards, an aged voice came from outside the carriage: "Who are you people, and what are you doing here?"

The voice was old and weary, but Mu Yulu could still tell that it was Mu Zhaoshi's voice.

Mu Zhaoshi was only in her forties, but her voice sounded as old as a woman in her seventies or eighties. Mu Yulu subconsciously lifted the carriage curtain and peeked out to look at her.

After many years, the mother and daughter unexpectedly met eyes, their gazes filled with unfamiliarity and wariness towards each other.

Mu Zhaoshi had indeed aged considerably; her hair had become sparse and white, and her back was hunched, as if some invisible burden was weighing her down, preventing her from straightening up.

She frowned and stared intently at Mu Yulu, her gaze gradually shifting from a cold inquiry to a hateful stare.

Mu Yulu couldn't help but laugh.

As expected, hatred lasts longer than love. So many years have passed, and everything has changed, but her mother still hates her.

Originally, she didn't want to pay attention to her or step into this abyss again, but after feeling Mu Zhaoshi's naked hatred, she changed her mind, lifted her skirt and got off the carriage.

Mu Zhao looked him up and down, then coldly snorted, "Didn't the Mu Prince's Mansion say you died suddenly? After all these years, you still know to come back? Did you come back to laugh at us?"

Mu Yulu stopped in front of her, and she looked at Mu Zhaoshi with an inquiring gaze. After a while, she asked, "So the news released by the Mu Prince's Mansion was that I died suddenly? Then, Mother, when you heard that I had died suddenly, were you sad for me?"

Mu Zhaoshi did not want to discuss this topic. She walked past Mu Yulu and staggered out, sighing as she went.

Mu Yulu grabbed her hand tightly, "Where are you going, Mother?"

Mu Zhao tried to pull her arm back, but after a long struggle, she couldn't budge it. At that moment, she finally realized the vast difference in strength between herself and Mu Yulu.

She had no way to deal with her daughter anymore.

She gave a wry smile and looked up at Mu Yulu: "Where else can I go? I need to buy groceries to cook for my granddaughter. Things are different now. I'm not as lucky as you, where you have people waiting on you wherever you go."

Mu Yulu frowned slightly as she listened to her words.

granddaughter?

Is she Mu Wanyi's daughter?