Chapter 73

He was overly concerned last time and messed things up, making him and Mu Yuanzhi now seem like enemies.

This time we must not repeat the same mistake.

Pei Shangling's breathing grew a bit heavier, and he said unhappily, "What else can we do? You haven't seen how much she hates getting married? Just let her marry—she'll regret it later!"

Fourth Brother, don't act rashly; I know you also care deeply about Mu Yuanzhi.

"Who cares about her? Does she even deserve it? All day long she just picks on her younger sister!" Pei Shangling said viciously, "Let her take a big fall!"

"How is she picking on the younger sister? It's just your bias against her!" Pei Shangyan disagreed.

Pei Shangling immediately became displeased: "Never mind the past, just last time—clearly the younger sister was also kidnapped together with her, yet she could even say it was the younger sister who instigated others to kidnap her, without distinguishing right from wrong, framing the younger sister!"

If it weren't for the shopkeeper's account book clearly recording everything, the younger sister would have no way to defend herself despite a hundred mouths.

"How can you say that? Things just happened to turn out this way; if it were you, you'd also be suspicious, right? You yourself are always suspecting her of targeting the younger sister!"

Pei Shangling was left speechless.

"Fourth Brother, Mu Yuanzhi has grown up before our eyes since childhood; what kind of person is she—how could you not know?" Pei Shangyan tried to untie his brother's knot of worry.

Pei Shangling bit his lip, fell silent for a moment, then immediately retorted: "People change, the moon waxes and wanes—look at who she's hanging out with now: Gu Rongjin is a potential murderer, and her Miao-jianese junior disciple—I'm not biased against Miao-jianese people, but the Third Brother was poisoned with a gu!"

Pei Shangyan shook his head in disagreement, "I see him as just a child."

"Your so-called child caused your own sister to be bitten by a dog as soon as he arrived! Fortunately, the Imperial Medical Institute has plenty of precious medicines; if this had happened to an ordinary girl, she might not die but would be ruined for life!" Pei Shangling gritted his teeth in anger, "I will never let him off!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got; he didn't want to discuss this issue with Pei Shangyan anymore, and he flicked his sleeves and left.

Pei Shangyan sighed heavily.

Fourth Brother is always so impulsive; I hope he doesn't cause any trouble.

The abandoned palace is very close to Weiyang Palace; Mu Yuanzhi looked around her own palace for daily necessities, planning to send them to the Qilin later.

"My lord, the emperor sent someone to deliver a verbal message, saying that the Lan Ting County Princess has submitted a petition to the emperor, requesting that you serve as her bridal attendant." Hongdou came in to report.

Linglong: "What mischief is she up to again!"

Surely nothing good!

The Lan Ting County Princess's wedding and marriage alliance is in just three days; in such a short time, you have to learn how to be a bridal attendant—it's too much to ask!

"She's just a lowly county princess—does she even deserve to have you serve as her bridal attendant?!" Hongdou said indignantly.

Mu Yuanzhi: "She's now a princess, relying on the marriage alliance; the emperor will surely agree to her reasonable request. If the Lan Ting County Princess isn't up to no good, serving once as a bridal attendant wouldn't be a problem."

Xiao Nianzi: "I think it's impossible for her not to be up to something; she must be plotting some scheme—we need to stay extra vigilant!"

Xiao Yunzi nodded.

"By the way, my lord, I heard the stall owner who sold the potted plant to the Third Prince has been found and taken to the Imperial Court of Justice, and the Third Prince and the Consort Xian's house arrest have been lifted." Xiao Yunzi said.

Mu Yuanzhi packed up the things, gave an unenthusiastic hum, then said: "Xiao Nianzi, Xiao Yunzi, take these things and follow me to the abandoned palace."

"Yes!"

They arrived at the abandoned palace; the gate's signboard had been replaced, the old, faded sign removed, and the new one bore no name.

"This place is really full of chilling drafts!" Xiao Nianzi shrank his neck.

Mu Yuanzhi recalled that when she first came here in her previous life, she felt the same as Xiao Nianzi; even in daylight, this abandoned palace feels gloomy and eerie, and it's said that this palace was originally the residence of a favored concubine of the former emperor, but after she fell out of favor, she died in her own bedchamber.

Then this palace started to be haunted, rumors spreading far and wide, no one dared to approach it, and thus it became the only abandoned palace in the entire imperial complex.

She used to live here, having nightmares every night; now thinking about it, this place is actually better than Yongxiang Lane—at least the so-called evil spirits have never come for her, which is better than wicked people leaving her without a burial place.

"Ah Zhi sister?"

Mu Yuanzhi turned around, saw it was Pei Shanghua, frowned involuntarily, and asked warily, "What are you doing here?"

"You don't even ask how I've been under house arrest for all these days; as soon as we meet you give me that look, as if I were your enemy." Pei Shanghua's tone was filled with resentment.

"You don't look like you're doing badly either." Mu Yuanzhi said.

Although Pei Shangjue was under house arrest, he was still in his own palace, well fed and cared for, just not allowed to leave.

As for her, she's been locked up in Yongxiang Lane for several days; when he returned from his mission, did he ever ask how she was? After all those injuries she suffered, did he ever ask?

They always stand from their own perspective, asking why she doesn't care about them, and taking her kindness toward them for granted.

Pei Shanghua snorted, "Looks like Fourth Brother is right—you've been hanging out with some unsavory characters lately, you've completely changed! I came here just to see what that Miao-jianese fellow is up to, sneaking into the palace."

Upon hearing that, Mu Yuanzhi's face darkened at once: "Don't cause trouble for the Qilin; he's only staying in the palace because he had to care for his great-grandmother's illness—if it weren't for him, you might have lost your head!"

"You! You actually dare to curse me like that?!" Pei Shanghua exclaimed in disbelief, "I'm your brother! You're cursing me for an outsider—you must have been poisoned by a poisonous insect!"

What the younger sister said is right—this little devil called the Qilin must be up to something.

He sees this Miao-jianese little demon as nothing but a monster!

Anyone from Miao-jian is no good!

"I'm stating the facts: the potted plant you sent to your great-grandmother is a gu; if it weren't for my junior disciple who can dispel it, do you think you could get away unscathed?"

"Heh, who knows if that gu was even placed by him? Miao-jianese people are full of tricks, dark and sinister—I've suffered from it before."

"Spitting blood and accusing people—what evidence do you have that it was the Qilin who did it? I was even saying it was Pei Yunxi who did it." Although she doesn't need evidence.

"How can you doubt the younger sister?"

"Don't you think that since the younger sister returned, the incidents at the palace gates have been several times more than all previous ones combined?" Mu Yuanzhi countered.

The only reason she said these things to Pei Shanghua was because she saw him as a fence-sitter; maybe if the wind blows, he'll switch sides—at least she doesn't want him coming to cause trouble for the Qilin during this time.

Pei Shanghua thought seriously for a moment, then said: "What you say is true, but…… but……"

He hemmed and hawed for a long time but still couldn't come to a conclusion, clearly wavering.

"Brother Hua, you're a smart person—don't let others sell you out and then help them count the money."