Seeing the second prince's puzzled expression, Concubine De continued.
"Your father had his reasons for doing this. Yan Fan has always held a grudge against your uncle for taking away his Beijing Defense Camp. Do you think it was a coincidence that Xu Xiaoxiao was seen at the Shi Mansion?"
"Then why did Father do this?"
The second prince still couldn't figure it out.
"Perhaps he wants to use this opportunity to abolish the hidden danger of the Beijing Defense Camp and completely put an end to Yan Fan's thoughts. What do you think your uncle's wish has been all these years?"
The Beijing Defense Battalion has been maintaining the security of the capital for many years and knows the capital too well. Those people appear honest on the surface, but their hearts are not what they appear.
How could the emperor tolerate an army that was disloyal to him and had evil intentions?
"What about the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion?" The second prince pursed his lips.
"The reputation of the Marquis' Mansion is not something you should worry about. Since the Emperor has agreed to Mu Chen's participation in the assessment, he will allow him to enter the Ministry of Revenue with a clean record."
De Fei paused here and said quietly:
"Xu Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, I thought she was smart, but she turned out to be so stupid. They say that teaching people through experience is easy, but she learned it all at once. Let's see if she can learn from it."
The Second Prince recalled what Mu Xue said and said, "She and Concubine Shu gave her medicine for the cold when she was in Baiyun Temple."
"So it's Concubine Shu." Concubine De sneered, her tone slightly sarcastic, "This old woman is quite capable. She actually provoked Xu Xiaoxiao into doing something stupid."
She didn't agree with Mu Chen marrying Xu Xiaoxiao at the beginning, but Mrs. Mu insisted on her own way, so she couldn't say much.
Now it seems that Xu Xiaoxiao would do this, presumably because her relationship with Mu Chen has not made any progress, otherwise she would not have known the consequences of being exposed and still been eager to show herself and run to the Shi Mansion.
…
This night is destined to be a sleepless night for many people.
Xu Xiaoxiao sat in the room, staring at the candlelight in a daze.
"Young Madam, it's time to rest."
The maid stepped forward and whispered.
Xu Xiaoxiao pretended not to hear and was still thinking about what to confess to Mu Chen.
At this moment, the door was pushed open with force.
The sound brought Xu Xiaoxiao back to her senses. The candlelight in front of her was flickering in the night wind blowing in from the door. She slowly raised her head.
The door was wide open, and Mu Chen, dressed in green, stood at the door, staring at Xu Xiaoxiao with his dark eyes.
"Cousin, why are you here?"
Xu Xiaoxiao was a little frightened by his gaze, and quickly stood up and invited him in.
"Come in quickly, don't catch a cold."
Mu Chen walked into the house with an expressionless face and looked at the maid beside him.
"go out."
The maid glanced at Xu Xiaoxiao and said with some concern: "Young Master, Young Madam..."
"I'm asking you to get out."
Mu Chen interrupted her and said coldly.
In the maid's impression, Mu Chen had a gentle temperament. Seeing his harsh words made her dare not say anything more. She murmured and left the room, closing the door behind her.
The door blocked out the sound of the night wind, and the room was so quiet that one could hear the sound of the candle burning.
Xu Xiaoxiao lowered her head and didn't dare to look at Mu Chen's expression at the moment. Her clasped hands were stirring restlessly.
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Mu Chen looked at Xu Xiaoxiao, unable to understand why she would do such a stupid thing.
Today, Xu Xiaoxiao came back and said that he had passed the assessment, so he never left the house. If the second prince had not come to the house, he would have known nothing about what was happening outside.
It was not yet dark when the second prince arrived. He kept waiting, hoping that Xu Xiaoxiao would confess. However, after dinner, Xu Xiaoxiao did not say a word.
"Cousin, I did go to the Shi Mansion, but I just wanted to thank Master Shi, not for anything else."
Xu Xiaoxiao was silent for a while, then raised her eyes and defended herself.
"Why don't you go and thank me any other time? Why do you have to do it the day before the test?"
His cousin was not stupid, and he did not believe that the other party did not understand the consequences of doing so.
"I, I didn't think much of it at the time."
Xu Xiaoxiao had no way to defend herself and lowered her head again.
"I just wanted to do something for my cousin, but I didn't expect it to backfire."
"Do something for me?"
Mu Chen was so angry that he laughed. "I know you were wronged when you entered the mansion. I am sorry for you, but could you please not make decisions on your own?"
"I'm sorry," Xu Xiaoxiao's voice was faintly tearful, "I will discuss things with my cousin next time."
She regretted it the day Lord Shi kicked her out of the house. She thought the matter would be over once the assessment results came out, but she didn't expect that the end of the assessment was just the beginning.
"Xu Xiaoxiao, you're not letting me down, but the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion and Lord Shi."
Lord Shi was his superior, more like his teacher, and had good intentions in asking the Emperor for this exam for him, but he didn't expect it to lead to a leak of the exam questions.
He had been highly respected all his life, but now in the end his reputation was ruined because of him.
Not to mention the Marquis' Mansion, which is being watched by the Yan Mansion. Now that this matter has been widely publicized, it may be the work of the Yan Mansion.
"Chen'er, why are you not sleeping at night and coming to Xiaoxiao to throw a tantrum?"
Mrs. Mu and Mu's father, who were called by the maid, pushed open the door and walked in. They didn't know what had happened and just thought that Mu Chen was angry with Xu Xiaoxiao.
Mrs. Mu said as she walked to Xu Xiaoxiao and took her hand.
"Xiaoxiao, I'm sorry for making you feel wronged."
Xu Xiaoxiao raised her head, hugged Mrs. Mu and started crying.
"Okay, stop crying."
Seeing her niece crying like this, Mrs. Mu felt distressed and glared at Mu Chen.
"It's a beautiful day, why are you and Xiaoxiao arguing?"
Mu Chen rubbed his brows and told the whole story.
Mrs. Mu knew her son's character very well. He would never come here to get angry if he didn't have a reason.
She was silent for a while, then patted Xu Xiaoxiao on the back and said, "Don't cry, we will find a way to solve the problem."
Father Mu stood aside with a sullen face and remained silent. He glanced at Xu Xiaoxiao and walked out of the house.
"Chen'er, come with me."
Seeing that the father and son had left the house, Mrs. Mu comforted Xu Xiaoxiao for a few words and then followed them out.
"master."
Father Mu continued walking forward without paying any attention to Mrs. Mu.
The three of them went to the main hall. Father Mu sat down and looked at Madam Mu with a sullen face.
"My queen and I didn't approve of you doing this at the beginning, but you insisted on having your own way. Are you happy now?"
Knowing that Xu Xiaoxiao was at fault, Mrs. Mu didn't know what to say.
She had not expected her niece to do such a stupid thing, but it had already happened and blaming her was of no use.
"What's the point of saying this after it's already happened?"
"Chen'er and Xiaoxiao haven't consummated their marriage yet. Let her go back after this matter is over. You don't miss me for your son, but you do."
Madam Mu opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Father Mu continued, "You think you're doing this for Chen'er's own good, but since Xiaoxiao came into the house, do you think Chen'er has really been getting better?"
Mrs. Mu was speechless after being asked this question. She looked at Mu Chen's increasingly thin body and agreed reluctantly.
Since the two of them were destined not to be husband and wife, she no longer forced it.
Xu Xiaoxiao, who had been chasing after the few people, walked to the door and happened to overhear every word of the two people's conversation. Her body froze for a moment, she lowered her eyes and turned to leave.
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