Gambling

Yunniang raised her eyes lazily, her eyes as deep as autumn water, staring at her little son who was dressed in black but had an extremely innocent face: "You came home so late, where have you been?"

Mu Jingrui's face was uncertain, but he put on a harmless smile and explained, "Aunt, I went boating with Mr. Li, whom I just met, and we had so much fun that we forgot the time."

Yunniang raised her beautiful eyebrows, raised her fingers slightly, and carefully observed the nail polish she had just applied today, and said nonchalantly: "Oh? Really?"

Mu Jingrui's eyes twitched slightly, and he felt that his aunt seemed to have noticed something, but he still maintained a calm expression and nodded lightly.

Yunniang chuckled softly without even raising her eyebrows, and her tone revealed a hint of ambiguity: "Today, Xu suddenly fell ill, and your father is very upset about it."

Mu Jingrui's throat moved slightly, and then he smiled and asked cheerfully, "Although father is troubled, it is exactly what Auntie is looking forward to, isn't it?"

If Xu was gone, then his aunt would have the chance to become the wife of the marquis.

And he and Mu Jingyue will change from illegitimate children to legitimate children, and they will no longer have to live cautiously according to anyone's wishes.

This will bring only benefits to the mother and her two children, and no harm at all.

But why doesn't the aunt look happy at all?

Seeing that her son was still pretending to be calm, Yunniang glanced over and asked angrily, "Your sister has told me everything. Are you sure you want to continue hiding it?"

This kid is her own child, how could she not know what bad intentions he has?

Mu Jingrui's smile froze.

No wonder his aunt kept holding on to him. It turned out that his cowardly sister was the one who ruined the situation.

He had had enough of the hard times he had in the past. Did the two of them want to relive them again?

*

The next day.

Baoqin combed Mu Anning's hair while quietly asking, "Miss, are you going to see the lady today?"

She learned this from Madam Mu's maid.

It is said that since Xu returned home from outside yesterday afternoon, her behavior has become a little strange.

And then, he went crazy.

However, this matter has not yet spread, and the only people who know about it are a few of the masters' personal maids.

Because the old lady was old, the old man was worried that she would be upset, so he strictly ordered the few people who knew the news not to leak any information, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Mu An Ning thought of the woman with disheveled hair and strange expression he saw last night. After pondering for a moment, he nodded slightly.

Although Xu's attitude towards her became much worse after she recognized her biological daughter, she was still her adoptive mother and Mu Wan'er's biological mother.

If she just ignored it, it would probably make her adoptive father unhappy, and she might even be labeled as unfilial in the end.

At least before she found a way to completely leave the Marquis' Mansion, she had to comply with the wishes of the Mu family for the time being.

Just at this moment, there was a sound of cheerful footsteps outside. Without seeing, she had already guessed who it was.

What’s more, I heard his voice before I even saw him.

【I feel so refreshed today! 】

[Finally, I don’t have to stay in my room embroidering that headband anymore. I’ve been embroidering it for three lifetimes.]

Mu Anning: "..."

She was quite carefree. Even when her mother was sick, she could still remain calm and composed, and all she wanted was to take some time off.

Mu Wan'er knocked on the door gently, pushed open a corner of the door, poked her head out, and looked at Mu An Ning who was sitting in front of the dressing table: "Sister, can I come in?"

Baoqin had just finished doing her makeup, so Mu Anning nodded slightly and signaled her sister to come in directly.

After Mu Wan'er came in, her eyes were full of inquiry: "Sister, did you feel that the young master was a little strange yesterday?"

Mu An Ning's eyes flickered slightly, and she thought of the man who had deliberately whispered in her ear yesterday and said that he was sick. She nodded slightly and agreed, "It's indeed a bit strange."

Mu Wan'er's scalp tightened when she saw Mu An Ning's hesitant expression.

【This this this...】

[Looking at my sister's attitude towards that dandy prince, and her attitude towards the villain... could it be that she has fallen in love with the villain? ]

Mu An Ning felt helpless and wanted to refute.

I really don’t know what Mu Wan’er is thinking about every day.

She had no choice but to stand up and change the subject with a smile in her eyes: "Wan'er, I'm going to visit my mother now. Do you want to come with me?"

Mu Wan'er shook her head and frowned slightly: "Sister, you are going to see mother, I won't..." She was about to refuse, but then she seemed to remember something, her expression became hesitant, and she changed her words: "I will go with you too."

Mu An Ning didn't think much about it, but just nodded slightly, signaling his sister to follow him.

As soon as I stepped out of the door, I saw the new maid Yuandong walking slowly towards me, holding a pair of brand new clothes.

She politely bowed to the two young ladies and said to Mu An Ning, "Young lady, the old lady has ordered some new clothes to be made." She paused and asked competently, "Where are you going, young lady? Do you need me to follow you?"

Mu An Ning thought for a moment, then smiled and shook her head: "No need, just go and sort out these clothes, and just carry the zither and follow me."

Although Yuandong seems to be a prudent and measured person these days, it is still better for few people to know about Xu's affair.

Yuandong lowered his eyelids, lowered his eyebrows and replied "yes", then turned around and walked into the house.

[Hey, why does this maid look familiar? ]

[I can’t remember, was it an important supporting role? ]

Xu's courtyard was not very close to Xiangningxuan, and it took the three of them about a cup of tea to arrive.

At this time, the courtyard was quiet, with only a few maids sweeping the floor outside busying themselves silently.

Madam Liu, who was always arrogant and domineering in the past, was now standing outside Xu's house with a worried look on her face.

When she saw the two sisters slowly approaching, she showed a trace of joy between her eyebrows and bowed respectfully: "Miss, Miss."

Mu An Ning nodded slightly, looked towards the closed door, and asked, "Madame Liu, what did the doctor say?"

Madam Liu sighed, "The doctors we found yesterday all said that there is no solution to Madam's condition." She felt a little uncomfortable and said helplessly, "Master will not allow me to find another doctor today."

It was not surprising that Marquis Chongde attached great importance to his reputation and did not want the outside world to know that his wife had suffered from a strange disease.

But Aunt Liu was still surprised that the old man could treat his first wife in this way.

Mu An Ning pondered for a moment, ordered Baoqin to stay outside the house, and then he gently pushed the door open and walked into the house.

Seeing this, Mu Wan'er hurriedly followed in.

Nanny Liu, who was left outside the door, was stunned. She seemed to have not expected that the eldest daughter, who was treated coldly by the lady, would still care about the lady's safety.

The room was dark and silent, and filled with an unpleasant smell that made people frown.

Mu An Ning looked around and found Xu sitting on the ground with disheveled hair, muttering to herself.

She exchanged a glance with Mu Wan'er, then approached the woman with slightly heavy steps.

After the two walked in, they heard her muttering: "Give me back my daughter...Give me back my daughter..."

Mu An Ning frowned slightly, a little confused.

Hasn't her biological daughter returned?

When Xu heard the footsteps, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes were empty, his expression was dull, and he looked distraught and extremely creepy.

Her voice was different from usual, but eerie and mysterious: "Who are you?"

Mu An Ning's heart suddenly jumped. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard Mu Wan'er bravely answer, "Mother, we are your daughters."

[Why is the plot getting weirder and weirder? ]

Hearing the word "daughter", Xu's expression suddenly became excited and she shouted loudly: "No!" She suddenly went crazy, grabbed everything she could get, and threw it at the two people: "You are not my daughters!"

Mu An Ning hurriedly pulled Mu Wan'er back a few steps, but was still accidentally hit on the forehead by a box of rouge, and blood immediately gushed out.

Mu Wan'er was not hit by anything. When she saw Mu An Ning's wound, she hurriedly asked, "Sister, are you okay?"

Mu An Ning calmed himself down, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, gently wiped the blood from his forehead, and shook his head slightly.

She seemed to realize that her forehead was extremely vulnerable to injury and would be disfigured one day.

This time it was Mu Wan'er who pulled Mu An Ning and said, "Sister, let's go out first."

Mu An Ning glanced at Xu, whose expression seemed to have returned to normal, and nodded slightly.

The adoptive mother was so cruel, but the adoptive father still refused to call a doctor, and clearly let his wife fend for herself.

She was not a kind-hearted person, but she couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

*

Xie Yunting sat motionless on his horse, his eyes dull as he looked at Gu Huaizhi, who was also sitting on a red saddle and circling the racecourse again and again.

The horse's red mane flutters and the sound of its hooves sounds like thunder.

Today, his mother forced him to go out and did not give him any chance to be alone, saying that any troubles would disappear under the sun.

However, when he looked up at the scorching sun, he felt even heavier and more sad.

However, the only gain was meeting Brother Gu in this horse farm.

When Gu Huaizhi finished riding another lap and jumped off the horse, Xie Yunting also jumped off the horse somewhat awkwardly.

Actually...he can't ride a horse at all.

After he managed to stand steadily, he walked quickly towards the young man in a black riding suit who was drinking water.

I have to say that Brother Gu's handsome appearance and upright figure are truly among the best among the men in Beijing.

No wonder so many girls like him, like Miss Mu.

Thinking of this, Xie Yunting's eyes dimmed again.

Why did fate play such a trick on him, making him fall in love with another Miss Mu who was already married.

It would be great if she could break off the engagement like her sister...

However, her future husband is the Crown Prince, so it seems impossible no matter how you think about it.

Xie Yunting patted Gu Huaizhi's shoulder gently and said, "Brother Gu, can you chat with me for a few words?"

He wanted to find someone to talk to, but he didn't know who to talk to. He felt really depressed.

Gu Huaizhi still had the water bottle in his hand. Hearing this, he looked his friend up and down, then lifted his skirt and sat down on the ground.

He was feeling depressed today so he came to vent, but unexpectedly he ran into Xie Yunting again.

Xie Yunting sighed and sat down as well.

"well--"

He sat down but didn't say anything, but kept sighing.

Gu Huaizhi was annoyed by what he heard, so he scratched his ears and said with a smile: "Xie brother, if you sigh again, I will leave."

Xie Yunting quickly stopped sighing, but still looked listless, and sighed: "Brother Gu, you are in a good mood today." He didn't wait for Gu Huaizhi to speak, frowned and shook his head and said: "My mother moved the blind date forward to tomorrow, and said that there is a girl who is particularly good, and asked me to talk to her more..."

Gu Huaizhi raised his eyebrows, as if he wanted to hear the details: "So?"

Xie Yunting lowered his head and said, "Brother Gu, why don't you attend this blind date for me? I really don't want to participate, but my mother forced me..."

Gu Huaizhi raised his eyes and lifted up the sleeve that was stuck to his forearm: "Then tell me, what good will this do for me?"

Xie Yunting choked up for a moment. He really couldn't think of any benefits he could give to Brother Gu. After all, the Prince of Anqing had everything he needed.

His eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and he played the emotional card: "Brother Gu, I really can't think of anyone else who can help me except you." He rubbed his eyes and said: "My mother said that if I don't go, she will break my legs."

Gu Huaizhi glanced at his friend's legs and said with a smile, "Then break them."

Over the years, Xie Yunting has used this trick countless times, and it is not certain that his mother really broke his legs.

Xie Yunting was shocked: "Brother Gu, how can you be so heartless!"

Seeing that Gu Huaizhi was unmoved, he said with a sad face: "Brother Gu, please have pity on me." He looked at the scorching sun and couldn't help but sighed again: "I just lost my beloved, and now I have to meet another woman. It's really uncomfortable..."

Seeing Gu Huaizhi's eyebrows move slightly, he hurriedly said: "Brother Gu, don't worry, you just need to chat with the woman casually, don't do anything else." He gritted his teeth and said: "I will use the jar of century-old wine in my home as a thank-you gift to Brother Gu."

Gu Huaizhi rolled up his sleeves and suddenly laughed, "Okay." He stood up and patted the dust, "Then I'll wait for your good wine."

Since Mu An Ning can be so intimate with other men, what's wrong with him meeting other women?

He wanted to see if she...would still feel jealous for him?