The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 50 - 49

Chapter 49

Thud!

Bai Lijun collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. This judgment struck her heart like a lightning bolt. Exiling her to the family temple in the remote wilderness was no different from being thrown out onto the streets!

Furthermore, she would never be able to return to the Mu manor for the rest of her life!

She wouldn’t just lose her position as the true mistress of the household but also her power, wealth, and everything she had painstakingly built over the years, including her envisioned future...

If she were exiled, what would happen to her two daughters?

If her husband appointed a new Furen, would that woman truly be kind to her daughters?

Absolutely not!

No one in this world would be as good to her daughters as she, their real mother, was!

“M...mother! Please have mercy on me! Sob...If you exile me to the family temple for life, what will happen to Fei’er and Shuang’er? Sob...A mother’s heart cannot bear to be separated from her children forever. You understand this pain well, don’t you? Boo-hoo...” Bai Lijun cried out in sorrow, pleading sincerely for mercy from the Elder Furen.

“I know, but I must do this!”

Elder Mu Furen glanced at the woman before her for a moment. “You brought this upon yourself. With your vicious nature, who knows how you’ll raise your daughters!? They suffer now because of your actions!”

“Mother, waah...I’ve wronged! Waah. Please don’t separate me from my children...”

Bai Lijun crawled on her knees and clung to the Elder Furen’s legs in a panic, tears streaming down her face.

“Cui Ming! You won’t oppose me in this matter, will you?”

The Elder Furen ignored Bai Lijun’s futile pleas and turned to her son, asking coldly.

Mu Cui Ming lowered his eyes, contemplating for a long time before letting out a deep sigh. “I...won’t oppose you in this matter, Mother.”

“Husband!”

Bai Lijun shrieked; her eyes widened, almost bulging out. She never thought her husband would agree to separate her from her children and exile her to the family temple for life.

“This is the best way. If people ask, just say you feel guilty about what the servant did, so you volunteered to go to the temple to repent, follow a vegetarian diet, and cultivate virtue...”

Mu Cui Ming explained calmly. The anger in his heart had dissipated completely. Now that a solution had been found, there was no need for further agitation.

“N...no! I won’t go! I can’t be separated from my children! I won’t go!”

Bai Lijun muttered repeatedly like a madwoman, completely forgetting the pain from the wound on her head.

Mu Gongzhen glanced at his father, who sat silently. His eyes gleamed with mockery. In the end, his selfish father abandoned his beloved wife to preserve his own reputation and image, as always.

What a failure of a man, in every role—father, husband, and son...

“Actually, it’s not exactly separating a mother from her children,”

Mu Gongzhen said with a small smile, looking up at Bai Lijun with an odd glint in his eyes, causing a shiver to run down her spine. “Because Second Sister and Sixth Sister will also have to follow the Furen to the temple!”

At Mu Gongzhen’s words, everyone in the room turned to look at him in confusion. Both Elder Mu Furen and Mu Cui Ming sent questioning glances his way.

Even Bai Lijun looked puzzled. Why did he say that her two daughters would have to go to the temple as well?

“Grandmother doesn’t understand...What do you mean by that?” Elder Mu Furen asked, puzzled.

This matter was supposed to be handled by the adults. Whoever was at fault would be dealt with accordingly. Bai Lijun being punished by lifelong exile to the temple was just, but why should her two daughters follow her?

This was a matter caused by the mother. The daughters had no part in it!

Moreover, the two granddaughters were still recovering from injuries. They had just survived a terrible ordeal. It wouldn’t be right to compound their suffering by sending them to the temple with their mother!

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not planning to drive them away,” Mu Gongzhen said with a light laugh, though his eyes turned much colder.

“I’ve heard that a renowned monk has recently taken residence at our family temple. This monk is an exceptional healer who can cure any illness. I thought it would be good for them to follow the Furen and receive treatment at the temple.”

“N...no! You’re lying! You just want to send my daughters away from the house! You’re lying!”

Bai Lijun argued sharply, glaring at her stepson with hatred. He claimed to be well-intentioned, but who knew what his true motives were? Did he think she would believe him?

Mu Gongzhen raised his eyebrows slightly. “Believe what you want. But the decision isn’t yours to make, Mu Furen.”

“You wretch! You would harm even your own sisters! I’ll go! Let me go alone! Don’t drag Fei’er and Shuang’er into this!” Bai Lijun yelled angrily.

At first, she worried about her daughters, but now she wanted to leave as soon as possible to prevent them from being caught in the fallout of these baseless words!

“Shut up! Even now, you don’t repent!”

Elder Mu Furen frowned deeply, looking at Bai Lijun with disgust before turning to her grandson. “Is what Zhen’er said true?”

“Yes, Grandmother. The monk is well-known among the villagers. I’ve heard a lot about him. I didn’t expect that our family temple would be blessed to host such a revered figure temporarily,” Mu Gongzhen replied with a slight smile, his previously cold expression softening.

Elder Mu Furen nodded thoughtfully. If her grandson said it was true, it must be. It was indeed a kind gesture to send Mu Luofei and Mu Qin Shuang to be treated by the renowned monk.

“I have found that no doctor in Qingyun City could cure their ailments. Therefore, I had someone investigate the whereabouts of this renowned monk, only to find that he is currently staying at our family temple. I believe sending Second Sister and Sixth Sister there for treatment will significantly improve their conditions,”

Mu Gongzhen explained further, his face calm and showing no malice, making everyone believe he genuinely cared for his half-sisters. But this was certainly not the case for Bai Lijun, who retorted defiantly.

“The doctors here may have failed, but the ones in the capital surely can! Why go through the trouble of traveling to a remote area? Isn’t it better to bring them to the capital and request the royal physicians to treat them?”

“Indeed, as Mu Furen said, the capital has many skilled doctors, including the royal physicians. That would undoubtedly be a better option...” Mu Gongzhen nodded in agreement but then secretly revealed a mocking smile.

“No!”

Mu Cui Ming immediately rejected the idea, his face tense.

Allowing doctors in the capital to treat them could lead to the rumors spreading, especially if the royal physicians caught wind of it and then rumored till it reached the Emperor’s ears. It would ruin his reputation and cause him to face severe reprimand from the Emperor!

“Husband! Those are our daughters!”

Bai Lijun looked at her husband in disbelief, not expecting him to be so heartless as to reject the best option for their daughters’ recovery.

“Enough! I’ve made my decision. Having Fei’er and Shuang’er accompany you to the family temple for treatment is the best course of action!” Mu Cui Ming cut off the conversation, stating his decision firmly.

Elder Mu Furen agreed on this matter. Though it seemed somewhat harsh to send the two granddaughters to the remote family temple for treatment, the intention was to ensure they received proper care from the monk until they fully recovered.

The appearance of a woman was crucial. If her granddaughters were to become disfigured, their future prospects would be ruined.

Everything she did was for their future...

“N...no! No! They can’t be sent to the temple!...Mother...Husband...Please have mercy on them!”

Bai Lijun pleaded tearfully. Even if the monk was as skilled as claimed, sending her daughters to a temple—far away from the civilization of the capital—would undoubtedly impact their future reputations.

Moreover, living in a temple could never compare to the comfort of residing in the capital!

Elder Mu Furen frowned deeply, her headache and dizziness returning as she listened to Bai Lijun’s crying. “Someone, take the Furen back to her quarters to pack! In three days, she will leave for the family temple!”

“Yes, Miss,”

The servants outside the room responded in unison before entering to half-drag the Furen back to her quarters.

Meanwhile, Mu Gongzhen lowered his eyes slightly, hiding the peculiar glint in them. Of course, the story about the renowned monk was entirely fabricated!

He knew very well that his two half-sisters were also complicit in this matter. Otherwise, why would they have conspired to lure Ying’er into the last carriage?

Even though they were already facing retribution, he was a selfish and rather vindictive person. Since they dared to plot against Ying’er, they should be exiled to the temple along with their mother! 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“No! Mother! Husband! Don’t send them to the temple! Please, don’t!”

Bai Lijun cried out, half-pleading. She struggled to free herself from the servants’ grasp, but with their superior numbers, she couldn’t break free.

The servants awkwardly dragged Bai Lijun out of the main quarters and headed back to her quarters. She continued to cry incessantly, shouting back to those in the hall, hoping they would reconsider their decision.

As Bai Lijun passed through the courtyard in front of the main quarters, her body turned cold when she caught sight of Auntie Yang lying face down on a wooden platform, her back soaked in bright red blood.

Even though Auntie Yang’s eyes were closed, the male servant continued to whip her as per his duty. When they deemed it necessary to pause, not to let her die just yet, they administered the brewed herbal medicine to Auntie Yang’s mouth to help stimulate the blood circulation, alleviate her injuries and prolong her breath as much as possible.

After around fifteen minutes, the male servant resumed whipping, striking Auntie Yang’s back continuously before pausing again, following the same routine repeatedly.

“Auntie Yang...”

Bai Lijun watched the scene before her with a pale face, her heart aching uncontrollably.

Auntie Yang was the only person who truly cared for her, raising her from childhood. Even in today’s incident, Auntie Yang took the blame to help her. Bai Lijun felt a deep gratitude and bond with Auntie Yang.

Seeing her suffer so much pain, Bai Lijun’s heart ached even more, and tears of sorrow welled up in her eyes once again.

If this continued, Auntie Yang’s body would not be able to endure and would be permanently damaged!

“Let me go! Let go!”

Bai Lijun struggled desperately from the grasp, wanting to help Auntie Yang, but the servants, following the Elder Furen’s orders, held her tightly and escorted her back to her quarters.

“N...no! Let me go! Auntie Yang! Stay strong! I’ll come back to help you!” she shouted, hoping the unconscious woman on the wooden platform could hear her, before she was finally taken back to her quarters by the servants.

After Auntie Yang was whipped a hundred times, she wasn’t allowed to rest and recover but was immediately handed over to the authorities. She was imprisoned in the royal prison to await legal punishment. Due to the severity of her injuries, Auntie Yang couldn’t withstand the pain and remained unconscious for many days.

Auntie Yang was completely unaware that her mistress and the two young misses were being sent away to a remote area for the rest of their lives...

Three days later, a large carriage quietly left the Mu manor through the back gate. Inside the carriage sat the three women, unwillingly departing. Mu Luofei, who had regained consciousness only a day before, remained delirious, showing signs of fear and madness similar to her younger sister.

Meanwhile, in the study of the eldest young master’s quarters, Mu Gongzhen was sitting and reading a book with great interest. His handsome face remained expressionless, but his eyes held a faint smile.

Did they think the three mother and daughters would live peacefully at the family temple?

Absolutely not!

He had already said he was selfish and narrow-minded, so there was no way he would let the three of them live comfortably at the temple, especially Bai Lijun!

That woman had bullied the three siblings all along. Though the time for proper retribution had not yet come, she should not expect to live in peace ever again!

What he desired was not to kill his enemies but to slowly make them realize the consequences of their actions through prolonged suffering!

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