Chapter 64 Platitudes
Upon returning home yesterday, she had already asked Doctor Luo to examine her pulse, confirming that Cao Pan'er's baby was indeed over eight months along and was likely a boy. However, due to long-term malnutrition, the fetus might be experiencing some developmental delays.
Mu Xi dismissed everyone, leaving only Mu Xun to the side, before speaking: "Who is the father of the child in your womb?"
Cao Pan'er sat on the stool, holding her belly, her head slightly lowered, neither humble nor arrogant: "Although the young master saved this servant, please forgive this servant for not being able to tell you."
Mu Xi was prepared for this attitude, so she changed her tune: "No matter whose it is, you have to make Mu Chong think it's his, so that you can save your life in prison, right?"
Cao Pan'er remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Mu Xi chuckled: "You're quite clever."
Cao Pan'er pursed her lips.
To start the conversation, Mu Xi had to find a different approach: "Your mother is to be executed today. Do you still want to see her one last time?"
The execution is scheduled for noon; if you calculate the time, there's still time.
Cao Pan'er replied indifferently, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I was able to see my mother one last time yesterday, and she has already instructed that I need not see her off today."
Mu Xi stared at Cao Pan'er's unusually calm face, unsure of how to begin.
Mu Xun picked up the conversation from the side: "When you met your mother yesterday, did she say anything to you?"
Cao Pan'er raised her head slightly again: "Young Master, Second Young Master, if you are asking whether I know why my mother was imprisoned and why she was sentenced to beheading, I know."
"Hey..." Mu Xi felt a slight sense of admiration. Cao Pan'er looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, yet she was still straightforward and courageous.
"You know? What do you know?" Mu Xun's expression remained unchanged, and his voice was calm.
Only Mu Xi could detect the hidden killing intent within it.
Cao Pan'er seemed completely oblivious, and even smiled contemptuously: "In the past, my mother and I worked in the West Courtyard, and we suffered a lot of trouble from Madam Han. On the surface, she was Madam Han's wet nurse, but in reality, everyone knew that she was Madam Han's birth mother. No one could touch her. It was quite gratifying that the young master got rid of Madam Han, but it was indeed difficult to explain to Madam Han. My mother had long been at her wits' end because of my situation, and had nowhere to turn for help. To save my life, she stepped forward to take the blame. Although I was unwilling, my mother insisted on doing so. Since my mother and I have made this choice, we will repay each other with our lives, and we will not blame anyone."
"That's all?" This was certainly not what Mu Xi wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to ask directly.
Cao Pan'er smiled sadly: "That's all."
Mu Xun then asked, "You became pregnant out of wedlock and refuse to reveal who the father of the child is. What are your plans for the future?"
"I want to give birth to this child and raise it to adulthood." Cao Pan'er's gaze was firm and resolute. "Since the young master is willing to rescue me, surely arranging a place for me to give birth won't be a problem, right?"
"And you're going to raise the child too?" Mu Xi asked with a playful tone.
Cao Pan'er not only wants to give birth to an illegitimate child of unknown origin, but also wants to raise him. Judging from her attitude, the child is most likely unrelated to Mu Chong.
But since we can't be sure, we have to ask again in a different phrasing: "If you could tell us who the father of the child in your belly is, I believe many things would be easier to handle. You should understand why."
Cao Pan'er bit her lip hard: "Your Highness, please forgive me. For the sake of this child, it's better for me not to say anything."
Mu Xi's efforts were in vain, so she had no choice but to change the subject: "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you. However, the child in your womb is of unknown origin, and given your current situation, how can you be sure I won't discard you after you've served your purpose? As far as I know, the Cao family has no one else besides you and your daughter. Once your mother dies, the Han family's case will be closed, but you..."
Cao Pan'er looked directly at him: "Mother said that the young master is a good person. She believes in the young master and wants me to believe in the young master as well. She will not be wrong. Even if she dies, she will be watching from heaven. The young master will see this through to the end. I am about to give birth. I believe the young master will not abandon me."
After all this questioning, Mu Xi still couldn't be sure whether Cao Pan'er knew their secret.
It's as if they know, yet it's also as if they don't.
In this situation, Mu Xi really couldn't ignore it, and even had to keep Cao Pan'er under his watchful eye: "Your mother is right, I am a man of my word, I will not abandon you. Just focus on your pregnancy during this time, and once you have given birth and both mother and child are safe, we will have a long future ahead of us."
Cao Pan'er slowly stood up, bowed her head and gave a curtsy: "Thank you, Your Highness."
As soon as Cao Pan'er left, Mu Xun couldn't help but say, "This woman is definitely not simple."
Mu Xi also sighed, "Alas, she's not simple, but what can we do about her now?"
"It's not that there's no way, it's just that you can't agree to it." Mu Xun's solution couldn't be clearer.
Mu Xi couldn't bring herself to kill both her and her unborn child: "If she really knows the secret, according to your method, there's no guarantee she won't leave behind some tricks during this time. Even if you kill her now, can you guarantee a clean ending?"
Mu Xun had no choice but to consider this aspect and warned, "However, it might not be so easy for you to use the child in her womb to control the West Courtyard."
“If it doesn’t work out, I won’t force you.” Mu Xi truly didn’t want to force her. “After all, her mother died for me, that’s an indisputable fact. I can’t be ungrateful, at least I can’t be ungrateful first.”
Mu Xun had nothing to say.
Mu Xi thought of Qi Yingyu's "precedent" again and comforted herself: "Let her give birth to the child first. Since she wants that child so much, it seems that she may be able to get to the child in the future. Whether she knows it or not, she will not act rashly for the sake of the child."
Mu Xun could only nod: "That's all we can do for now. Father doesn't know about this yet, but hopefully the West Courtyard won't act rashly once they get the news."
In the following days, Cao Mama was executed.
The matter concerning the Han family was thus concluded.
Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Then Mu Xi pricked up her ears, listening to the sounds from the main courtyard with one ear and the sounds from the west courtyard with the other.
After several days, neither side made any move.
It was unusually quiet.
Mu Xi, on the contrary, was not used to it. In addition, she was still weak from her serious injury and developed neurasthenia.
I took a nap one afternoon and slept until evening. When I woke up groggily, I was thirsty.
There was no one in the inner room, but the chattering of a group of maids could be heard from the main hall outside. So he got up, poured himself some water to moisten his throat, and then pushed open the door and went out.
"Oh, Your Highness, why are you up?" Zhelan was the first to notice Mu Xi.
Zhelan should be sixteen or seventeen years old this year, but she always has a straightforward and innocent look on her face.
Mu Xi, having just woken up from a nap, was still not refreshed. She plopped down in a chair in the main hall, then pointed to the large wooden box in the center of the floor and asked, "What are you looking at? What's inside?"
"This is a real treasure, Your Highness. Even our Jun family rarely sees such a thing." Tao'er said it was a good thing, but there was a hint of sourness in her voice.
Mu Xi became even more curious: "What exactly is it?"
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