The group returned to the Mu family home.
"Father, grandfather, we're back."
The little dumpling waved its little hands and shouted as soon as it stepped into the house.
A soft, gentle voice echoed through the Mu family home.
The old Marquis rushed over and scooped the little dumpling into his arms.
"My sweet little dumpling is back!"
The old marquis held his granddaughter, his voice unconsciously becoming husky.
The old Marquis missed him terribly after he had only been gone for less than half a day.
Mu Ting was holding a cup of hot milk and had the little girl drink it to warm her up.
However, Mu Tingzheng quickly noticed the injury on the little boy's hand and sternly asked his three sons what had happened.
The old marquis was so angry that he blew his beard and scolded the three of them.
“I told you to send more people to follow them, but you wouldn’t listen.”
"Now look what happened, my precious granddaughter went out perfectly fine, but came back injured."
"How can you brothers be such good brothers?!"
Seeing his father and grandfather were angry, the little boy quickly waved his hands and said, "It's not my brothers' fault."
Afterwards, the little dumpling told the two of them what had happened at the winter market.
Her speech was fragmented and her language was sometimes unclear, but thankfully, the ins and outs of the matter were still understandable.
Upon hearing this, Mu Tingzheng flew into a rage, "The Marquis of Shen'an is cunning and treacherous, and his wife and daughter are just as wicked!"
He had never taken such small households seriously before, and he disdained to lower himself to argue with them.
Unexpectedly, they became even more outrageous!
You're really asking for it!
The old Marquis handed the little dumpling to Mu Jinnian to hold, and pulled Mu Tingzheng aside.
"Zheng'er, find an opportunity to eliminate this kind of small family."
How dare you hurt his granddaughter!
He wanted to wipe out his entire family.
As soon as the little dumpling returned, Qiuqiu wagged its tail and ran over.
The little dumpling then remembered that she had brought a gift for Qiuqiu.
The little dumpling took out a golden bone necklace and put it around Qiuqiu's neck.
Qiuqiu obediently put on the necklace and excitedly circled around the little dumpling a few times.
Qiuqiu: "My little master picked out such a beautiful one for me."
The little dumpling stroked the ball's chubby head and started playing with him.
Qiuqiu has visibly gained weight in just one or two days since arriving at the Mu family home.
The puppy was already chubby, but now it's even fatter and looks like a ball of fluff.
It perfectly lives up to the name "Qiuqiu".
Mu Yanxiu, adorned with jewelry, also moved over.
However, she was still terrified when she remembered being bitten by Qiuqiu, and only dared to stand aside and watch.
Butler Zheng suddenly rushed into the hall in a hurry and said:
"Fourth Young Master, Zhen Shaoqing from the Dali Temple has sent someone to urge you to go there immediately."
Upon hearing this, the little dumpling looked at Mu Jinnian with curiosity.
What kind of place is Dali Temple?
Is it a temple? A place where monks chant sutras?
Mu Jinnian is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and his exceptional martial arts skills are highly favored by Zhen Chang'an.
Before disappearing during the palace coup, Mu Jinnian frequently visited the Dali Temple to help Zhen Chang'an investigate cases.
Now that Mu Jinnian has returned to the Mu family, Zhen Chang'an naturally hopes that he can return to the Dali Temple.
Mu Jinnian frowned slightly. Logically speaking, Zhen Chang'an had already told him that he only needed to wait for him to arrive in a while.
Now that they were rushing over to call him again, Mu Jinnian had a bad feeling.
Something big seems to have happened!
Otherwise, Zhen Chang'an wouldn't be in such a hurry!
After informing Mu Tingzheng, Mu Jinnian was about to leave.
But just as he took a step, a small hand grabbed his pants.
Little dumpling: "Is brother going to Dali Temple?"
Mu Jinnian squatted down, cupped the little dumpling's face in his hands, and said:
"Brother has something to do, little dumpling, stay home and wait for your brother to come back."
The little dumpling clung tightly to Mu Jinnian, refusing to let go.
"Brother, take me with you! You're the best!" the little dumpling pleaded.
Mu Jinnian looked at Mu Tingzheng hesitantly.
The old Marquis reached out to stop him, but Mu Tingzheng held him down.
Mu Tingzheng: "Go ahead, but you have to keep a close eye on her. If she gets even a hair on her head, I won't let you off the hook."
After hearing her father's words, Mu Jin felt a tightness in her back and immediately promised to do everything in her power to ensure that the little dumpling would not be hurt in the slightest.
The old Marquis said unhappily, "How could you let my granddaughter go to a place like the Dali Temple!"
Mu Tingzheng explained, "If the little dumpling wants to go, let her go. We can't keep her confined in the mansion forever."
"Besides, my Mu family's daughter is no ordinary person!"
Little Dumpling is Mu Tingzheng's darling. He hopes his daughter will be like a free fledgling eagle on the grassland, doing whatever she wants without restraint.
He and the entire Mu family will always be her greatest support and guarantee.
The old marquis sighed and turned to Mu Jinnian, saying:
"Take the little dumpling with you, and tell Zhen Chang'an that your father and I gave our permission."
With permission from her father and grandfather, the little dumpling happily took Mu Jinnian's hand and couldn't wait to go outside.
Little master, wait for me.
Qiuqiu quickly wiggled its bottom and followed.
He slept in late this morning and missed the winter market; now he can't afford to miss the Dali Temple.
Step out the door.
Mu Jinnian mounted his horse and then reached out to pick up the little dumpling.
A cloth bag was hanging on the saddle. Mu Jinnian opened it, and Qiuqiu immediately knew to crawl inside.
The dog nestled comfortably in the cloth bag, its round head peeking out, looking around constantly.
"Sweetie, the wind will make your head cold when you ride the horse. Let's put on our hats."
As Mu Jinnian spoke, he put the velvet hat on the little dumpling's head.
The little dumpling reached out and touched the mane of the black horse beneath her, her big eyes blinking under her hat, unable to hide her joy and curiosity.
This was the little girl's first time riding a horse, and she was overjoyed. She rushed to Mu Jinnian to urge her on:
"Brother, hurry! Brother, hurry!"
Mu Jinnian pulled on the reins, pushed off with his feet, and rode away with the little dumpling.
The wind whistled past the little dumpling's ears, and the surrounding scenery rushed past.
The little dumpling nestled nervously in her brother's arms, yet felt a sense of freedom and joy.
Finally, Mu Jinnian stopped in front of a solemn gate.
The little dumpling looked at the plaque above the gate, which read "Dali Temple". Looking down, it saw ten yamen runners holding long swords standing on both sides of the gate.
Oh! So Dali Temple isn't a Buddhist temple for offering incense.
The little dumpling became even more curious about what was inside.
Mu Jinnian dismounted and picked up the little dumpling.
Qiuqiu barked once and was picked up by Mu Jinnian.
"Little dumpling, we've arrived," Mu Jinnian said.
A constable in front of the gate immediately came over.
"Fourth Young Master, you've finally arrived. Young Master Zhen has been waiting for you for a long time."
After the constable finished speaking in a hurry, he led the horse to the stable.
Mu Jinnian had no choice but to pick up the little dumpling and run quickly toward the Dali Temple.
After entering Dali Temple, the little dumpling was carried by Mu Jinnian. They turned left and right until they reached the back and came to a row of bungalows.
Mu Jinnian pushed open one of the doors, and a damp smell wafted out.
Mu Jinnian took out a mask from his pocket and tied it to the lower half of the little dumpling's face to block out the smell in the room.
Upon seeing that the visitor was Mu Jinnian, Zhen Chang'an, who was inside the house, quickly came to greet him.
"Fourth Young Master, you've finally arrived."
"Hey, why did you bring Miss Mu along? And there's a little puppy following behind her."
Mu Jinnian: "My father and grandfather agreed to let me bring my sister to see this place. As for this puppy, it is my sister's companion."
Upon hearing that it was an order from the General and the Old Marquis, Zhen Chang'an didn't say anything more and invited the two into the house.
Zhen Chang'an walked ahead and said, "What you're about to see is a bit disgusting. I'm afraid it might frighten Miss Mu, so please don't let her see it."
Mu Jinnian asked, "Little dumpling, are you scared? If you are, close your eyes and lie on your brother's back."
The little dumpling shook its head, "With my brother here, I'm not afraid."
Upon entering the inner room, Mu Jinnian was greeted by a putrid smell. Two people stood in the middle of the room—the bald coroner Chen and Constable Xiang.
The two were sitting around a table, deep in thought.
Coroner Chen and Constable Xiang were both old acquaintances of Mu Jinnian. When they saw Mu Jinnian come in, they greeted him briefly, and then their eyes were fixed on the little person in his arms and the little white dog behind him.
"My sister, and her friends," Mu Jinnian explained to the bewildered two.
After waving and greeting the two, the little dumpling pointed to a dark bluish-black lump of meat on the table and said:
"Why is there a little kid here?"
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