Chapter 263 Traitor
While drugs might not be easy to find elsewhere, they are indispensable in places like Fangfei Tower. A small amount added to the wine can enhance the guests' enjoyment, while a large amount can render the girls serving the guests weak and unable to resist.
Caught off guard, Tao'er instantly sobered up and was shocked. She tried to struggle but it was too late. She inhaled the sleeping pills in one gulp. In addition, Cao Pan'er had already quickly and tightly hugged her. After struggling for a while, she went limp.
Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er worked together to quickly tie Tao'er up, gag her so she wouldn't make a sound, and carried her to the inner room and put her on the ground.
Turning back, Mu Xi opened the door and looked outside, just in time to run into the little maid who had brought back the hangover soup and was searching around.
Mu Xi went over and took the hangover soup: "Miss Tao is catching up with our Miss Jiangxue in her room. I'll bring her the hangover soup. She'll go back once she's recovered. You can go back to your room now."
The maid didn't think much of it and preferred to have some peace and quiet, so she obediently left.
Mu Xi brought back the hangover soup, closed the door again, and then went back to the inner room with Cao Pan'er. She helped Tao'er sit up against the bed and sprayed cool water on Tao'er's face again.
Tao'er jolted awake, realizing she was bound hand and foot, and was about to scream, "Ah..."
Cao Pan'er had anticipated this and immediately covered her mouth with her hand.
Mu Xi sat on the round stool opposite Tao'er, holding a fruit knife in one hand: "Don't shout, or I'll slit your throat before I can call for help. Answer my questions honestly, or I'll slash your face first."
Tao'er was terrified and on the verge of tears.
"Do you understand? Nod if you do, and I'll have Pan'er let go of your mouth." Mu Xi's voice was devoid of any emotion.
As tears streamed down Tao'er's face, she nodded.
Cao Pan'er then slowly released her grip.
Mu Xi handed the small knife in her hand to Cao Pan'er and pressed it against Tao'er's neck.
Tao'er burst into tears as soon as she opened her mouth, "Young Master... what did I do wrong that you are treating me like this?"
Mu Xi's voice was devoid of warmth: "I'm asking you, did you know that Mu Chong came to Fangfei Tower?"
Tao'er was taken aback.
This question is ambiguous, and I don't know how to answer it for a moment.
Mu Xi added again: "You naturally know after Mu Chong came. I'm asking if you leaked the information to Mu Chong before he came, telling him that Pan'er and I were both at Fangfei Tower?"
Upon hearing this question, Tao'er shook her head violently in denial: "No...no...how could this servant..."
"Keep your voice down." Cao Pan'er rudely slashed her cheek with a small knife as a warning.
Startled, Tao'er immediately shut her mouth.
"You deny it?" Mu Xi stared coldly at Tao'er's pair of watery peach blossom eyes. "In this Fangfei Pavilion, only the four of us know each other's identities. Zhe Lan is dead, and now there are only the three of us left. If it's not you, then who else could it be?"
“How could Your Highness doubt me? I’ve been with you since I was a child. You shouldn’t doubt me, no matter who you suspect. Why don’t you suspect her?” The “her” naturally refers to Cao Pan’er. Tao’er’s tears flowed freely, looking pitiful.
Mu Xi looked silently at Tao'er's pitiful state, her face unmoved: "It's simple. With Mu Chong's appearance, Pan'er and I are the biggest victims, and you..."
"What's wrong with me? Is it just because the Third Young Master didn't choose me? Sister Pan'er is now the top courtesan of Fangfei Pavilion. I don't know when the Third Young Master will come, but it's only natural that he'll ask for the top courtesan when he does." Tao'er was always eloquent.
Mu Xi was not going to be dismissed with a few words: "What you say makes sense, but when Mu Chong came that day, he wasn't very surprised to see the two of us. If he hadn't known in advance, he wouldn't have reacted that way."
Tao'er denied everything: "This servant does not know why the Third Young Master came that day, nor does he know how he reacted. This servant knows nothing."
Mu Xi then asked, "So since Zhe Lan's accident, why have you been hiding and not showing your face? Isn't it because you feel guilty?"
"Ze Lan?" Tao'er's crying stopped abruptly at the mention of Ze Lan.
She paused for a moment before saying, "Ze Lan died so suddenly. I grew up with her since I was a child, and it's hard for me to accept it. Besides, ever since the incident, the young master and Sister Pan'er have been imprisoned, and I can't see them even if I want to."
"Is it that we can't meet, or that we need to avoid suspicion?" Cao Pan'er added with a sneer.
Tao'er pretended not to hear and pleaded with Mu Xi, "Your Highness... I have served you since I was a child. You should know best what kind of person I am. If I were that kind of person who covets wealth and status, I would have found another way long ago. Why did I have to follow you to this point?"
"Sigh...yes..." Mu Xi sighed deeply, her heart softening.
Although she was not the original owner, she had all of the original owner's memories. How could she not know that the bond between the original owner, Tao'er, and Zhelan was stronger than that between many biological sisters?
But……
Mu Xi, being the same Mu Xi as before, stopped beating around the bush and wasting time: "If you tell the truth and are indeed having an affair with Mu Chong, I might consider negotiating terms with Mu Chong through you. If you don't tell the truth, then I can't keep you. After all, you know too much about this young master, and such disloyalty is absolutely unacceptable."
Tao'er opened her eyes wide in horror, not expecting Mu Xi to suddenly turn cold and ruthless again. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Your...Your Highness...what exactly do you want me to say?"
Mu Xi didn't waste any more time. She stood up, went to the table, took out the packet of unknown poison given to her by Doctor Luo, poured some into the wine pot in front of Tao'er, shook it, poured out a cup, and returned it to Tao'er.
“Tao’er, since you won’t admit it, I don’t have time to keep asking. Let’s just say I wronged you, but at this time of year, it’s better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. This poison kills quickly and shouldn’t cause much pain. As master and servant, this is all I can do in the end. If you feel wronged, you can come back to me in your next life.” As Mu Xi spoke, he grabbed Tao’er’s chin with one hand and was about to force the poisoned wine down her throat with the other.
Tao'er was truly terrified, her face turning deathly pale. She cried out urgently, "No...no...I'll talk...I'll talk..."
Mu Xi was prepared; she removed the poisoned wine from her cup without spilling a drop.
Startled, Tao'er had no way out, but driven by her survival instinct, she asked, "If I tell you, will the young master really grant me a way out as he just said?"
"I'll give you a chance, but whether you survive or not is not something I can control," Mu Xi replied coldly.
"Who exactly are you? Are you really the prince from back then?" Tao'er suddenly asked, looking up and staring intently at Mu Xi with her beautiful peach blossom eyes.
Mu Xi didn't want to waste time: "Of course I am. Just say what you need to say, or else..."
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