Chapter 96 Living for Revenge
Cao Pan'er said bitterly, "Although Granny Qian killed my child, she was not the mastermind. The mastermind was Madam Gao, and the instigator was the Third Young Master. The two of them are the real culprits. I stole the token because I wanted to have a chance to sneak back and settle accounts."
This was in line with the personality of Cao Pan'er that Mu Xi knew, but she could only sigh, "Alas, you're thinking too simply. It's not that easy."
“It’s not easy, but I have nothing left but this life. I will live, and I’m not afraid to wait. I will get my chance someday.” Cao Pan’er’s eyes were full of stubbornness. After speaking, she suddenly got up from the ground, hugged her arms, crawled forward two steps on her knees, and kowtowed to the ground. “Your Highness, I beg you to take me in.”
"Take you in? Why?" Mu Xi couldn't think of any reason to keep Cao Pan'er, this ticking time bomb, by his side.
Although it is said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Cao Pan'er hates the West Courtyard and is indeed in the same boat as her. However, Cao Pan'er knows her secret identity and that her stubborn, headstrong, and resolute personality is truly uncontrollable.
Cao Pan'er's left arm was dislocated, and the movement caused her to turn deathly pale with pain. She struggled to lift her head with her arm and said, "When Mother told me the secret of the young master, she warned me never to use it to gain any benefit, unless it was absolutely necessary to save my life, in which case I would rely on the young master. My lowly life is not worth dying for, and I am still alive because of the young master. I have no reason to live anymore; I have no one to rely on in this world, no one to depend on, and no one to hold me back. My only purpose is revenge. But I am still alive and can still take revenge because of the young master. Therefore, I am willing to serve the young master as his servant and repay even a fraction of his kindness."
"You want to live for revenge? Do you hate that much?" Mu Xi sympathized with Cao Pan'er's plight and understood her motives, but she could not condone living solely out of hatred.
Cao Pan'er's eyes reddened, whether from enduring the pain in her arm or from thinking of her enemies: "Now I have no relatives or friends in this world, and I have no desire to live, but all of this is because of the Gao family. I will not die in peace."
"You need to understand that even if I take you in, I can't let you take revenge, at least not at this stage. Besides, your senior brother Lu Cao is someone the king wants to make an example of. How are you going to get revenge?" Mu Xi had previously worried that Cao Pan'er's crazy actions would implicate him.
Ultimately, Mu Xi didn't care whether Cao Pan'er could get revenge. In fact, the main reason for her conflict with the West Courtyard was that the West Courtyard always wanted to expose her identity. Otherwise, who would want to make enemies?
Cao Pan'er's gaze was firm: "This servant is in this state because of the Third Young Master. My senior brother and I lost our child because of Madam Gao. As for my senior brother... this debt should ultimately be attributed to Grand Marshal Gao. If it weren't for the Imperial Guards arresting and framing my senior brother and others, my senior brother wouldn't have taken such a risk."
Grand Marshal Gao Quan, who commanded the Imperial Guards, was responsible not only for the security of Moyang but also for the surrounding area. The responsibility for the theft of the late emperor's remains and the destruction of the royal tombs fell squarely on his shoulders. It was no surprise that he would resort to any means necessary to fulfill his duty. Moreover, this time, he captured a runaway slave and also gained Cao Pan'er, which implicated the Jin Fangjun family.
"Sigh..." Mu Xi couldn't help but sigh, not expecting Cao Pan'er to be so clear about right and wrong.
Cao Pan'er pleaded again: "This servant begs Your Highness to take me in. I promise I will never implicate Your Highness in my eagerness for revenge. This servant is willing to wait until the opportunity arises."
Mu Xi still didn't want to keep Cao Pan'er alive, but he also really didn't want to kill anyone else, so he asked again, "You said you're all alone in the world, so have you ever thought that since you know my secret, it would be easier for me to kill you now?"
"Yes, I understand," Cao Pan'er replied with surprising calm.
Mu Xi couldn't think of a good way to deal with Cao Pan'er, so she asked the question more bluntly: "Have you told anyone else that the Prince of Jin Fang is a woman disguised as a man, or have you kept it as a precaution for yourself?"
Cao Pan'er looked at her honestly: "No, not even Senior Brother Lu Cao mentioned it."
"Oh? Aren't you afraid I'll silence you if you answer like that?" Mu Xi asked.
Cao Pan'er seemed to have already thought of something: "If Your Highness is worried, you can silence me. But I suppose your personal maids also know your secret, right? If Your Highness is not worried that they will leak the secret one day, then you don't need to worry about me. Besides, there is one thing that they cannot do, but I can do."
"Oh? What's that?" Mu Xi didn't quite understand.
Cao Pan'er said frankly, "This servant is familiar with the West Courtyard and hates it. I'm sure the young master feels the same way. The young master can't do anything to the West Courtyard openly now, but there will come a day when someone has to take action... This servant is willing to be that person who sacrifices their life."
“I am not a bloodthirsty person. The conflict with the West Courtyard was all provoked by them. The first two times... were both ‘accidents’.” Mu Xi was telling the truth.
She has her own goals, and as long as the West Courtyard doesn't get in her way, she absolutely doesn't want to provoke any more trouble.
Thinking it over, she decided to give up on Cao Pan'er and said, "What if that day never comes? Would you still want me to take you in?"
Cao Pan'er replied decisively, "Yes, if this servant didn't have the young master's support, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to survive. If I couldn't survive, I wouldn't even have the chance to take revenge in the end."
"Me? Why must it be based on me?" Mu Xi couldn't understand.
Cao Pan'er had clearly thought things through: "Now that things have come to this, if I leave this house, I'm afraid neither the Gao family nor Lord Junhou will let me go."
"My lord?" Mu Xi feigned ignorance.
The scumbag father, Mu Zhen, had long harbored the intention to kill her to silence her, but he never expected that Cao Pan'er would not only anticipate it but also say it so bluntly.
Cao Pan'er bit her lower lip again as if she had made a decision: "This servant begs the young master to take me in. I swear here that I will only be loyal to the young master for the rest of my life. To show my loyalty, this servant is willing to tell you everything, including the affairs of the lord."
"Hmm? What is it, my lord?" Mu Xi asked, puzzled.
Unable to get Mu Xi to agree, Cao Pan'er decided to take a gamble: "If the young master agrees to protect me, I will tell you what the lord has been hiding from the young master all along."
"Hmm?" Mu Xi became even more curious. "What is it that I don't know, that the Marquis deliberately kept from me, but you know?"
Cao Pan'er vowed, "This servant is already at her wit's end and would never dare to lie to the young master about this matter."
Mu Xi had always felt that Jin Fangjun Mu Zhen had a rift with the original owner of the body, which meant that he had been hiding something from her. Therefore, she did not hesitate much: "Okay, I can agree to your request, but what if what you say is insignificant, or if I already know about it?"
"Then this servant will submit to the young master's will." Cao Pan'er was also going all out.
"Very well, go ahead and say it." Mu Xi leaned forward unconsciously.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
