Chapter 97 Cannot Ask Directly
Cao Pan'er lowered her head and licked her dry, cracked lips. When she looked up again, she had made her final decision: "Does Your Highness know that my mother and my senior brother are actually remnants of the previous dynasty?"
"Huh?" Mu Xi really didn't expect that.
“My mother was occasionally sent by the Lord to Xishan to deliver messages to my senior brother. The Lord has always been associated with the remnants of the previous dynasty, so the young master must be completely unaware of this.” Cao Pan’er didn’t give him time to process this.
"..."
Mu Xi was completely unaware of this, and had never even considered it in that direction.
After all, Jin Fangjun Muzhen is a legitimate member of the Yu Kingdom's royal family and is naturally an enemy of the Xi clan of the former Yan Kingdom. How could he possibly, and why would he, collude with the remnants of the previous dynasty?
This makes no sense and is completely illogical.
Mu Xi couldn't believe it, and her mind raced as she quickly came up with a flaw in the argument.
The message left for her after Cao Qinshi surrendered was just a few circles drawn on a piece of paper, indicating that she probably couldn't write, but that's not necessarily true...
Regardless, Mu Xi had to ask, "Your mother is illiterate, isn't she? Then are you literate? How do you know they are passing on messages about the previous dynasty?"
Cao Pan'er answered without the slightest hesitation: "My mother was a young lady from an official family in the previous dynasty. Although she was not particularly learned, she was literate. However, she was later reduced to slavery and could no longer use her talents. Thanks to my mother's private instruction, I have learned some characters, so I can recognize them."
That makes sense; Cao Pan'er's speech doesn't sound like that of a typical lowly servant; she seems literate.
Before the prince could ask any more questions, Cao Pan'er continued, "Your Highness must be wondering how I know about this. Originally, my mother didn't tell me. It was only after I became intimate with my senior brother Lu Cao that, one year-end when winter clothes were being delivered, I asked him to try them on. Since I had made those clothes myself, I noticed something was off about the collar; there were signs of alteration. That's when I discovered a note inside. At first, he wouldn't say anything, but after he took out the note, he couldn't hide it anymore, and that's how I found out everything."
“Yes, that makes sense.” Mu Xi nodded.
While listening, she quickly tried to figure out if there were any flaws in the story, but then she realized that she could just ask her scumbag father about it later to confirm it.
Cao Pan'er couldn't possibly be lying about this.
She was just curious: "How do you know I don't know anything?"
Cao Pan'er was now speaking her mind without reservation: "Based on my observations over the years, and the prince's demeanor in the palace hall today, I dare to make a guess."
Haha, all these years, that scumbag father didn't treat the original owner as his "own son," but only as a fool to fool. Even outsiders can see that.
Mu Xi felt a pang of sympathy for the original owner of this body, but couldn't help asking, "Then, Second Young Master... was he also involved?"
“This servant cannot be certain.” Cao Pan’er shook her head first, but then thought seriously, “However, based on this servant’s observation and guess, the second young master probably knows.”
"Oh?" Mu Xi didn't ask, but she already knew the answer in her heart.
Of all the people, she's probably the only fool.
But since they've already been made fools, they might as well ask further: "Do you know why they have connections with the remnants of the previous dynasty?"
Cao Pan'er said, "That's naturally for the sake of restoring the country."
Mu Xi just couldn't grasp this concept.
Cao Pan'er clearly didn't understand the real meaning of the question and continued, "If Yan Kingdom hadn't been destroyed, my parents wouldn't have ended up like this, and my senior brother and I would all be fine."
"I am asking Lord Wen..." Mu Xi didn't know how to begin.
Cao Pan'er suddenly realized, but she didn't dwell on it: "This servant's knowledge is limited. Mother has always kept it from this servant, and this servant has never exposed Mother to her face. However, when this servant was trapped in the Court of Justice, I also speculated that Mother must have begged the Lord, but the Lord did not help... Later, Mother took the blame for the Crown Prince, which was probably related to this."
“Uh…” Mu Xi was speechless, but recalling Mu Xun’s previous hesitations, she realized that they were probably all to hide this matter.
Cao Pan'er did not express her loyalty, but wished she could spill everything she knew: "Although I don't know why you, my lord, are involved in this matter, I would have no regrets if you didn't save my mother. Even before she died, my mother asked me to trust you and the young master, saying that she had no regrets. It was because you, my mother and I were able to enter your mansion and receive protection back then, that you were able to do so. Otherwise, we would not know where we would have been exiled."
"Sigh..." Mu Xi figured she wouldn't get anything out of him no matter how much she asked. The secrets hidden behind this were not something a lowly maid like Cao Pan'er could easily uncover. So she asked one last question, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
Cao Pan'er pleaded, "I hope that Your Highness will not directly ask the Marquis and the Second Prince about what I have said today."
"Hmm?" Mu Xi had already believed it, but Cao Pan'er's words made her waver again.
Cao Pan'er explained, "As I just said, because of what happened before, the Gao family probably won't let me go, but because they know the young master's secret, I'm afraid the lord won't let me go either. If the young master asks about this matter again, and the lord finds out that I was the one who spied on it, even if the young master keeps me by his side, the lord will definitely not agree."
"This..." Mu Xi had to admit that it was true, and nodded in agreement, "Okay, I understand."
Afterwards, Mu Xi summoned Zhe Lan and Tao Er, who were on duty outside the door, and instructed Zhe Lan to arrange accommodations for Cao Pan'er, and then asked Tao Er to invite Mu Xun over.
Mu Xun turned around and immediately put a sling on Cao Pan'er's dislocated left arm.
Mu Xi then informed Mu Xun that he wanted to keep Cao Pan'er by his side as a personal maid.
Mu Xun naturally objected: "Why?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. She'll come in handy someday," Mu Xi had prepared her words beforehand.
Mu Xun still objected: "But if she knows our secret, how can we guarantee it won't be leaked?"
Mu Xi said casually, "That's why we need to keep her by our side."
“Father wouldn’t agree either.” Mu Xun then brought up Jin Fangjun Mu Zhen.
Mu Xi countered, "By the way, how is Father's health? Didn't he have some arrangements? What are they?"
"This..." Mu Xun hesitated again, "Let's wait until Father is feeling a bit better tomorrow and then talk to you in person."
If it were before, Mu Xi might have cared about this "father-son relationship," but having just learned that Jin Fangjun had such a big, unknown side, she suddenly became much more indifferent: "Alright, then we'll go pay our respects tomorrow. But I've already agreed to Cao Pan'er's matter. If Father objects tomorrow, I'll need you to help persuade him from the sidelines."
"...Okay," Mu Xun agreed somewhat reluctantly.
Mu Xi appeared indifferent, but she couldn't help but ask Mu Xun, "Is there anything you've been hiding from me?"
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