Chapter 72
She had made her point so clear that he was speechless.
After saying these words, Mu Yulu turned and went back into the house, never looking at him again.
She didn't blame him and still considered him a friend, but things had come to this point, and they each had their own difficulties. There was really no need for them to say anything more.
Xin Yun followed Mu Yulu back to her room and saw her sitting back by the window, staring blankly at the candlelight in the distance. Worried, Xin Yun squatted down in front of her and said, "Miss, I know you still don't want to marry Prince Mu. There's still time. Should we think of another way?"
She thought quickly, then suddenly had an idea and her eyes lit up. "Shall we ask Miss Qi for help? And what about Young Master Qi? Didn't he just leave today? He must not have gone far. Let's try to send him a message. Maybe he'll come back to help us."
Mu Yulu didn't speak, but simply shook her head silently.
Xinyun shook her arm unwillingly, "Why, Miss? Young Master Qi is probably the only one who can help."
Mu Yulu looked down at her. "He risked his life to save me and Sanzhou Jinse on the night of the Third Prince's birthday banquet. I can't let him put himself in danger again. Even if we beg him, and he's willing to help me, do you think Madam Qi will agree?"
Although she was desperate, she remained clear-headed: "If Madam Qi strongly opposes this, even threatening him with his life, would he disregard my mother's life and the safety of the entire Qi family, and risk everything to take me away?"
She shook her head again. "He won't."
She said to Xinyun earnestly, word by word, "Even Feng Wentang has his reasons for not being able to help, so Qi Zhizhi will only face even greater obstacles. Now that we know what the outcome will be, there is no need for us to make any more futile efforts."
Before Mu Yulu could finish speaking, Xinyun began to sob softly, "Is there really no way? Is there really no one who can help Miss?"
The night wind blew in through the window, and Mu Yulu shrank back, suddenly noticing the bronze mask she had placed on the table.
That was the mask that Sanzhou Jinse gave her. He had promised her that whenever she wanted to leave, he would come back and take her away.
She got up, walked to the table, and picked up the mask.
Without hope, there will be no disappointment. She has been disappointed too many times already. Should she trust someone again?
After hesitating for a moment, she turned around and handed the mask to Xinyun. "I'm being guarded and can't leave the Mu residence. For the next few days, you'll go out in my place and find a way to take this mask to the No. 1 Restaurant in the world and give it to a waiter named Xiao Tang. Then tell him about the situation in the residence, and he'll know what to do."
Xin Yun naturally recognized the mask as well. She took it with both hands, but she was very doubtful: "Miss, even if Protector Feng and Young Master Qi are right in front of you, they can't help you. That San Zhou Jin Se is always elusive. Even if the message was really delivered to him, will he come all the way back to save you?"
Mu Yulu wasn't really sure either; she just said, "I saved his life, so maybe he'll come back to repay that debt."
He was her only hope right now. If he came, she would be happy; if he didn't, she wouldn't resent him.
Ultimately, this is her own fate, and she has no choice but to grit her teeth and face it.
Over the next two days, Xin Yun used the excuse of going to the street to get medicine for Mu Yulu to secretly leave the Mu residence while wearing a mask and go to the No. 1 Restaurant in the World to look for her.
Unfortunately, the timing was off. For two consecutive days, Xiao Tang was not at the restaurant, saying he was on leave. It wasn't until the third day that she finally saw him.
After handing the mask to him, she relayed what Mu Yulu had said. Just as she was about to leave, she overheard several waiters gossiping in the building. The main character in their gossip was none other than their young master, Qi Zhizhi.
"Hey, have you heard? Young Master Qi came back overnight the other day, and he's been on a hunger strike with his wife at home for the past two days."
"Didn't you go to Xuanwu Kingdom, young master? Why are you back so soon?"
"It's all because of that person, tsk tsk, she really is a femme fatale."
"Where did you hear this news from?"
"Don't I have a lover who works in the Qi household? Don't be fooled by the fact that no one in the Qi household has said a word about it; this matter has caused quite a stir within the household."
"Alright, alright, let's stop discussing the master's affairs and get back to work."
The two people's voices were gradually drowned out by the noisy chatter in the restaurant, and Xinyun turned and ran, rushing towards the Qi residence.
She knew that Young Master Qi wouldn't give up on Miss so easily. In her mind, Qi Zhizhi was much more reliable than Sanzhou Jinse. Therefore, after hearing what the two waiters were talking about, she immediately rushed to the Qi residence, hoping to find out some more accurate information in the vicinity of the Qi residence.
She had already decided that if Young Master Qi really did rush back overnight for Miss's sake, as the two waiters said, she would immediately tell Mu Yulu the news.
It's always more hopeful for two people to work together than for one person to fight alone.
However, she did not expect that when she ran to the opposite side of the Qi residence, she would see Madam Qi holding a knife to her own neck and threatening Qi Zhizhi with her life.
She stood there blankly across the street, suddenly unable to move an inch.
The young lady was absolutely right.
Too far away, she couldn't hear what Madam Qi and Qi Zhizhi were arguing about. She only saw a carriage stop in front of the Qi residence. Qi Zhizhi stepped forward to get in, but Madam Qi pulled him down.
Madam Qi was always dignified and elegant, and this must have been the first time she had shown such a loss of composure in front of everyone. Qi Zhi Qiu, who was standing to the side, tried to pull her back but couldn't.
She held a knife to her own neck one moment and tried to lunge at the wall to bang her head against it the next. Qi Zhizhi and his sister naturally tried their best to stop her. After a while, they finally gave in and helped their mother back to the mansion.
The gates of the Qi residence were closed and never opened again.
Xin Yun stood outside the door for a long time, her gaze gradually changing from eager to cold. Finally, she pursed her lips, turned around, and returned to the Mu residence.
As soon as Mu Yulu stepped into the courtyard, she noticed her sullen mood: "What's wrong? Didn't you see Xiao Tang again today?"
Xinyun shook her head, not mentioning a word about what she had just seen at the Qi residence. She said with concern, "I finally saw him today. I gave him the mask and relayed Miss's words to him. But I'm very worried. I'm worried that he won't be able to come back from Sanzhou Jinse, and I'm also worried that he won't be willing to take such a big risk to come and help."
Mu Yulu patted her head, "No matter what, we've already tried our best, there's no use worrying so much."
As she spoke, she stood up and said, "Today, my father showed me the dowry list. They have prepared a very generous dowry. I am going to pay my respects to my mother and express my gratitude. You can come with me."
Xinyun pouted in dissatisfaction: "They prepared such a generous dowry only because of Prince Mu. The whole capital is watching this marriage. Master can't prepare a meager dowry and make a fool of himself in front of everyone. If you weren't marrying a prince, the dowry list wouldn't be this generous."
Mu Yulu shook her head, and as she led Xinyun toward Mu Zhaoshi's courtyard, she said, "We both know the reasons behind this, but there's no need to say it out loud. In a few days, whether I escape the Mu family or marry into the royal family, I won't have a chance to see them again in this life. Let's just keep a good appearance and avoid causing ourselves any trouble."
Xinyun listened and responded repeatedly.
The two arrived at Mu Zhaoshi's courtyard, and unexpectedly, they saw Pu Zhaoshi sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air as soon as they entered.
Pu Zhaoshi naturally saw Mu Yulu as well. She seemed to have completely forgotten how she had insulted Mu Yulu a few days ago, and immediately greeted her as if nothing had happened.
Mu Yulu exchanged a few pleasantries with her with a stern face, and took a step to walk towards the main house, but was stopped by Pu Zhaoshi, "Your mother and your sister are in the house right now, you should go find her later."
Mu Yulu glanced at her with amusement. "I'm just here to pay my respects to my mother and express my gratitude. I'll leave after I'm done. It won't bother them in any way."
Pu Zhao sighed, winking, and said cryptically, "It's not about whether it will cause delays or not, it's just... sigh, your aunt is only doing this for your own good, and she's afraid you'll be upset by what she heard. Just wait here, and we'll go later."
She knew Mu Yulu well and knew that the more she said this, the more Mu Yulu would want to go over and listen.
Mu Yulu slapped away Pu Zhaoshi's outstretched hand that was trying to grab her, turned around and walked into the inner room. Before she even reached the door, she heard the sounds coming from inside.
That was Mu Zhaoshi's voice. At this moment, she was deliberately lowering her voice and naggingly instructing Mu Wanyi: "This is all the money that your mother has saved up for half her life. Keep it safe and don't flaunt it. In particular, don't let your sister know."
The voice was as soft as a spider's thread, yet each word pierced Mu Yulu's ears clearly and coldly into her heart.
Mu Yulu's fingertips felt cold. She looked through the gap in the door and saw Mu Zhao hand a heavy sandalwood box to Mu Wanyi.
The moment the box lid was opened, a dazzling, radiant light shone forth.
Inside lay a complete set of ruby jewelry, with the pigeon-blood gemstones on the hairpins shimmering with fire. Beside them lay a pair of gold-threaded hairpins inlaid with pearls, the gold threads as fine as hair and the pearls perfectly round and full, truly an extremely luxurious piece.
Mu Wanyi held it up with admiration and examined it carefully. "This set of jewelry is really beautiful. Mother, if I ever fall on hard times, I'm afraid I can just pawn one or two of these hairpins and I won't have to worry about anything for the rest of my life."
Mu Zhaoshi affectionately pinched Mu Wanyi's cheek, her voice softer than Mu Yulu had ever heard before: "You silly child, you're destined to live in the palace in the future, how could you possibly be so destitute as to have to pawn your jewelry?"
As she spoke, she opened another box. "I've prepared the fifty acres of excellent paddy fields in the villa in the suburbs, as well as the contracts for the two shops, Jinyunlou and Zhiyuzhai, in the east of the city. The interest alone will be enough for you to live on every year. Don't mistreat yourself."
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