Chapter 7: What's the Big Deal About Palm and Back?

She used to serve in the Fourth Prince's palace; the Fourth Prince would use Gold Dragon Gallbladder Grass whenever injured, so she knew it.

Hearing that, Mu Yuanzhi finally gave the bottle of gold wound medicine a proper look.

Why not use it for free? Why make things difficult for herself?

Mu Yuanzhi: "Come apply it to my back for me."

"Here!"

After a light night's sleep, Mu Yuanzhi woke up, gazed at the room full of bright sunlight, dazed for a moment—she had truly come out of that ghostly place……

From now on, she will never go back in!

After Mu Yuanzhi woke up and finished washing up, Pei Yunxi came to her door, accompanied by Mu Yuanzhi's birth mother, who is also Pei Yunxi's birth mother, the Virtuous Consort.

"Don't worry, little treasure, Dewdrop will surely come back—maybe it's right here with Zhi'er."

"I hope so; it hasn't eaten all day, and the daughter fears it will starve."

Mu Yuanzhi heard the loud conversation outside, curled her lips—indeed she had guessed correctly; Pei Yunxi intended to use the poor Dewdrop to carry out her own scheming plot.

"Zhi'er."

The dignified Virtuous Consort walked over, supported by Pei Yunxi.

This is the woman she has called birth mother for sixteen years, also Pei Yunxi's birth mother; back then, the birth mother gave premature birth on the way back to the capital, delivering dragon-and-phoenix twins, but the old grandma somehow lost one, fearing exposure, she boldly concealed it, claiming she had only given birth to a prince.

Only when the old grandma lay dying, troubled by conscience, did she reveal the truth, allowing them to retrieve Pei Yunxi.

It was a twist of fate; among the many consorts in the palace, she happened to be fostered in the household of Pei Yunxi's birth mother.

Mu Yuanzhi will never forget the birth mother, for Pei Yunxi's sake, personally picking up a thin bamboo board, lashing her body fiercely while shouting hoarsely: "I am not your birth mother! My greatest regret is raising you, this white-eyed wolf!"

She suppressed her thoughts and went out to greet.

"Did the birth mother hear you were injured?" The Virtuous Consort's eyes still clearly held blame for her hurting Pei Yunxi, but seeing Mu Yuanzhi's somewhat wan face, she finally softened her tone.

"It's fine; although the imperial doctor had no time to come, I already grabbed medicine and took it myself," Mu Yuanzhi said.

Before, whenever the birth mother knew she was injured, she would rush over immediately to ask about everything; last night she probably spent the whole evening at Pei Yunxi's place—she wouldn't even remember whether her foster daughter was hurt or not; perhaps today, if not looking for Dewdrop, she wouldn't recall she still had a foster daughter.

The Virtuous Consort thought Mu Yuanzhi would, as usual, pull her into a coquettish complaint, but instead she not only didn't, she spoke coldly and distantly like to a stranger, making the Virtuous Consort inevitably feel sad.

Is her heart so chilled toward the daughter she raised for sixteen years just because she knows she is not her biological child?

"Is Zhi'er blaming the birth mother for not pleading for you? But Xi'er hasn't done anything wrong; you shouldn't have hurt her—palm and back are both flesh—how can the birth mother plead for you?" The Virtuous Consort's expression turned stern.

Mu Yuanzhi silently sighed, there's no such thing as palm and back; the Pei Yunxi in her palm is the treasure, while the back of her hand she can sweep away at any time.

"Birth Mother, don't say that about older sister; older sister already knows she was wrong, she's apologized to me." Pei Yunxi took the Virtuous Consort's hand and shook it, her tone coquettish.

The Virtuous Consort painedly patted Pei Yunxi's hand, then had the palace servants behind her present the prepared clothing.

"The Weiyang Palace lacks nothing, but Xi'er misses you, her older sister; at dawn she said she'd come bring you clothes." As if pleased by her daughter's sensibility, the Virtuous Consort smiled and patted Pei Yunxi's arm, as if no praise were enough.

Mu Yuanzhi picked up one set of clothes, saw at once it didn't fit—it must have been meant for Pei Yunxi—and smiled: "Younger sister means well, but our heights differ; I fear I can't wear it, wasting the younger sister and birth mother's thought."

The Virtuous Consort felt a bit embarrassed: "It was the birth mother's oversight; I'll have the Imperial Household Department send more later."

"The Imperial Household Department is busy sending things to the younger sister's Changle Palace; it probably can't attend to this place right now," Mu Yuanzhi smiled.

Pei Yunxi looked guilty, biting her lower lip: "Sorry, Zhi'er elder sister; I caught a chill last night, my old ailment flared, so Father Emperor and the others got a little worried—don't be angry."

Her words made the Virtuous Consort, who originally felt a little guilty toward Mu Yuanzhi, instantly shift to feeling pity for Pei Yunxi.

After all, it's just that Zhi'er is clueless; otherwise how would she have become like this?

Indeed, His Majesty was right—when you do wrong, you must be punished and admit it to remember it long.

"I'm not angry; I'm just busy, nothing much, I'll leave first." Mu Yuanzhi didn't issue an expulsion order; she simply left on her own.

Now, no matter how Pei Yunxi flaunts her favor, she doesn't want to deal with her.

"Zhi'er elder sister, don't leave yet—Dewdrop is missing; I wonder if it missed you and sneaked here." Pei Yunxi said, looking at Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi's expression didn't change at all: "I haven't seen it; younger sister, how can you not even take care of a cat properly?"

Pei Yunxi stared straight at Mu Yuanzhi, not understanding why she was so calm, neither arguing nor making a fuss.

Could it really be that she doesn't know the cat died in her own backyard?

That makes it even easier!

Pei Yunxi headed straight to the backyard, without any pretense.

The Virtuous Consort followed behind to look for the cat together.

"Dewdrop!!" Pei Yunxi shouted anxiously while walking.

She saw no cat, nor any smell of blood; the further she went, the more doubtful she became.

How could that be?

She clearly had someone throw that dead cat here!

Pei Yunxi unwilling to give up walked the backyard twice, finding nothing—not even a cat hair.

She looked at Mu Yuanzhi again; Mu Yuanzhi also looked at her, smiling enigmatically.

Pei Yunxi belatedly realized Mu Yuanzhi was truly different from before; after a trip to the Eternal Lane, she had become steady.

"Maybe Dewdrop went off to play elsewhere; younger sister won't disturb elder sister any longer—farewell."

"Dewdrop loves younger sister so much; it will surely come back to find you."

Upon hearing that, Pei Yunxi's heart inexplicably jolted; the vivid image of a bloody cat glaring with fierce eyes lunging at her flashed before her.

She steadied her emotions, face full of worry: "Well, younger sister went to look elsewhere first."

Xiao Nianzi silently watched all this from behind, reviewed the whole affair from start to finish, brow furrowed deeply; after everyone left and Mu Yuanzhi also exited the Sleeping Palace, he then slipped out without a sound.

At that moment, Mu Yuanzhi circled half the imperial palace, heading to the Grand Moon Palace where the Grand Empress Dowager resided to try her luck.

The Grand Empress Dowager is advanced in years, long accompanied by a green lamp and an ancient Buddha, unmoved by worldly affairs.

Speaking of which, in her past life she had only met this great-grandmother once, couldn't fathom her temperament, but the Grand Empress Dowager is the sole person in the whole palace gate unmoved by Pei Yunxi's hypocrisy.

If she had the Grand Empress Dowager as her reliance, even if walking on thin ice at the palace gate, at least she wouldn't be smashed to pieces.

She wants to win over this backing!

The area around the Grand Moon Palace is very quiet; usually, besides the cleaning palace maids and the guarding guards, few people come here; everyone knows the Grand Empress Dowager likes quiet, so no one dares to disturb.

"Princess, please stop." An unfamiliar old granny blocked Mu Yuanzhi's path, "The Grand Moon Palace is just ahead; Princess, please take a detour elsewhere for your walk."