The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 60 - 59

Chapter 59

Ding Yang, sensing two pairs of eyes on him, lifted his head and met the gaze of Jiao Fangniang, who now looked pale as if startled. He then glanced at the cold expression of his master.

Young Master had tossed this hot potato to him again...

Ding Yang quietly sighed before forcing a smile at the young girl in front of him. "Miss, please rest assured. I did not touch you inappropriately, nor did I take advantage of you in any physical or visual manner. You need not worry about your reputation."

"Th...thank you," Jiao Fangniang replied through gritted teeth, tightening the cloak around her body.

Initially, she had hoped to use this opportunity to foster a relationship with Master Mu, but it turned out that the person who saved her was merely a servant!

How embarrassing!

"There are no spare clothes on the boat for the young miss to change into. Let’s dock the boat so we can send her back to her residence,"

Mu Gongzhen ordered Ding Yang. He didn’t want an unfamiliar woman on the boat with them for long. Not only would it ruin the pleasant atmosphere among the siblings, but if rumors spread in a bad way, it could cause more trouble than he wanted.

"Yes, sir," Ding Yang responded and immediately turned to head to the helm.

Standing not far away, Mu Qingxuan raised her eyebrows slightly. It was evident that this woman had feelings for her brother, but unfortunately for her, he had no interest in her...

"Let’s go inside and rest, shall we? Standing outside in the wind will make you cold,"

Mu Qingxuan suggested with a friendly smile, leading the pale Jiao Fangniang back into the private room.

Meanwhile, on the other large boat where the entire incident had been witnessed, many people felt relieved that Young Miss Jiao Fangniang was safe. Although the distance prevented them from hearing the conversation on the other boat, the young misses on the large boat were all envious and jealous.

The people who saved Jiao Fangniang were from Master Mu’s group!

Wan Ningtong watched her friend walk into the private room on the opposite boat and sighed in relief.

"Good thing Master Mu’s people were able to help in time. I’ll go tell them to dock so we can bring Jiao Fangniang back to her residence."

With that, Wan Ningtong walked away to give the orders, not noticing the change in Su Baimiao’s demeanor. Su Baimiao glared at Jiao Fangniang on the other boat, then at Mu Gongzhen, her heart filled with rage.

She had planned to disgrace Jiao Fangniang, making her too ashamed to dream of Mu Gongzhen, but instead, it was Mu Gongzhen himself who ended up helping her!

Her plan had failed, but it ended up helping Jiao Fangniang foster a relationship with Mu Gongzhen!

She wouldn’t stand for it!

Su Baimiao clenched her skirt tightly to suppress her anger. The once gentle expression on her beautiful face now showed a grim determination, her eyes flashing coldly. She would never allow any woman to have Mu Gongzhen!

The only one who deserved him was her!

When the two boats docked, Mu Gongzhen and Mu Qingxuan escorted Jiao Fangniang off the boat. As they were inquiring about her residence to arrange for her return, two young women of the same age approached them and greeted them.

"Master Mu,"

Su Baimiao and Wan Ningtong greeted Mu Gongzhen politely before surrounding Jiao Fangniang, asking with concern,

"How are you, Fangniang?"

"I’m fine..."

Jiao Fangniang replied weakly, forcing a smile that was filled with bitterness.

Wan Ningtong examined her friend and sighed in relief. "It’s good that you’re fine. You must take good care of yourself when you return. Although the weather is hot, the water in Emerald Lake is very cold. I’m worried your body won’t be able to adapt and you might catch a fever."

Mu Qingxuan glanced at the woman in front of her for a moment. What the other woman said was entirely correct. It seemed she was not just an ordinary young miss but had some knowledge of medicine.

Jiao Fangniang didn’t reply, only offering a strained smile. Su Baimiao, who was holding her friend’s hand, turned to thank Mu Gongzhen with a gentle voice.

"I must sincerely thank you, Master Mu, for sending someone to save Fangniang in time. If anything had happened to her, we would have been deeply saddened."

"Seeing someone in distress and offering assistance is only natural. You don’t need to thank me, Miss."

Mu Gongzhen responded with a calm face; his eyes so serene it was hard to guess what he was thinking.

"How could we not? You helped us greatly, so you are our benefactor. If there’s a chance in the future, please let us repay this kindness."

Su Baimiao’s face showed concern, as if she couldn’t be at ease without repaying this debt.

Mu Qingxuan smirked slightly. What kindness did they need to repay? It was Jiao Fangniang who was saved, so how could this woman claim that she owed her eldest brother a favor?

"I don’t do good deeds expecting rewards. You don’t need to repay me, as I don’t consider it a debt of gratitude in the first place," Mu Gongzhen coldly rejected her offer, not even bothering to glance at Su Baimiao.

“Then, we will take our leave.”

With that, he led Mu Qingxuan to the carriage waiting nearby, and they immediately headed back home, not giving the three women any chance to extend the conversation.

Wan Ningtong was not bothered by Mu Gongzhen’s cold demeanor. She helped Jiao Fangniang into another carriage prepared to take her back to the Jiao Manor.

Before Su Baimiao followed her friends to the carriage, she glanced in the direction Mu Gongzhen had gone with determined eyes. Under her sleeves, her delicate hands clenched into a fist, her nails digging into her palms. Even if he didn’t see her now, but one day!

One day, she would make him see only her!

On the large carriage moving forward, Wan Ningtong looked at Jiao Fangniang’s pale face with concern and said,

“It’s a good thing Master Mu’s people saved you, so there was no gossip.”

“M...mmm,”

Jiao Fangniang responded weakly. Her body felt exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than to rest.

“Although Master Mu can be cold, he is indeed dignified and charming. Every gesture and word have a captivating allure. It’s no wonder that every woman in the capital yearns for him,”

Wan Ningtong continued, trying to steer the conversation to something else. Having spoken to the man up close, she understood his abundant charm.

Su Baimiao glanced at Wan Ningtong briefly, feeling a strange sensation in her heart. If Wan Ningtong intended to compete with her for Mu Gongzhen like Jiao Fangniang, she would not let her off either!

“It’s a pity I already have someone in my heart. Otherwise, I might end up like you and all the other women, fighting for that man,” Wan Ningtong said with a light laugh, her voice filled with resignation.

Hearing this, Su Baimiao sighed in relief. She had completely forgotten that Wan Ningtong had someone else in her heart for many years, and her family had long planned for her to marry that man.

“Ningtong, don’t be so sure. The man in your heart is the ruler of the land. Do you think you’ll have fewer rivals than for Master Mu?” Su Baimiao teased, the animosity in her heart completely dissipated.

“In any case, His Majesty has not taken any concubines into the inner palace yet. If I marry him, I will undoubtedly become the Empress,” Wan Ningtong said with a warm smile. Thinking about that valiant man filled her heart with joy.

“When that time comes, even if other women become concubines, I won’t care. As long as His Majesty’s heart belongs to me alone.”

“Then I will support you. Your Wan family must be planning to propose the marriage to His Majesty soon, right?” Su Baimiao asked curiously, and the other nodded in response.

“Yes, my father said we’ll wait until this turbulent period passes. Early next year, we will submit a petition to His Majesty regarding the matter of appointing the Empress.”

Wan Ningtong lowered her gaze to hide her delight. It wouldn’t be long before she could be with the Emperor, whom she had longed for for many years. The phoenix throne beside him would be hers alone!

Mu Manor

After Mu Gongzhen and Mu Qingxuan returned to the manor, they parted ways to rest. Mu Gongzhen sat in his study to work until it was late at night. When he looked up from his work again, he realized that night had already fallen over the capital.

“Snacks, sir,”

Ding Yang said as he walked into the room with a tray of snacks. However, Mu Gongzhen only took the tea to sip.

“I’m going to check on Xuan’er. You don’t need to follow me.”

“Yes, sir,”

Ding Yang replied, puzzled. Why would the young master visit the young miss so late? She must be asleep by now...

As Mu Gongzhen walked towards his sister’s quiet quarters at the rear of the manor, he took out a beautifully carved white jade bracelet adorned with peony patterns. He had chosen this bracelet from a shop near Emerald Lake, but the recent events made him forget to give it to his sister.

Mu Gongzhen planned to deliver it to her personally at her quarters. If this bracelet was on Xuan’er’s wrist, it would be quite beautiful. This thought brought an unintentionally gentle smile to his face.

Soon, he reached his sister’s quarters. However, as he approached, he saw a figure walking out from the quarters. Narrowing his eyes, Mu Gongzhen recognized the figure as a man, and it was certainly not their father!

Without hesitation, Mu Gongzhen used his internal energy to leap towards the figure, extending his hand to grab the man’s shoulder. The man dodged, and the two engaged in a fierce fight, their skills evenly matched.

The fight continued, creating noise that alerted the person in the quarters. Mu Qingxuan, who was about to sleep, quickly put on her robe and rushed to see the scene outside.

Seeing that the two fighters were none other than the Emperor and her eldest brother, her face showed panic. She couldn’t shout to stop them, as it would wake the entire residence and reveal the incident!

“M...Miss! What should we do?” Xiao Chun, who followed her, asked with a frightened expression.

Mu Qingxuan frowned and pursed her lip for a moment, thinking quickly before replying, “Go get a bucket of water.”

“Water? You don’t mean to...”

Xiao Chun gulped, her eyes widening in shock, nearly bulging out. Mu Qingxuan repeated her order.

“Go get the water!”

“Yes, Miss! Water it is!”

Xiao Chun replied helplessly, hurrying to fetch a bucket of water as ordered. She feared what her mistress might do, but she was also worried about the household discovering the fight.

Mu Qingxuan watched the two men entangled in their fight and sighed deeply with concern. Did they not even bother to look at each other to see who they were fighting?!

In less than fifteen minutes, Xiao Chun returned with a bucket of water as ordered. Mu Qingxuan reached out, took the bucket from her, and prepared to approach the fighting men. Xiao Chun tried to stop her.

“Miss, those are people, not dogs. You can’t just throw water on them...”

And they were not just any people. One was the ruler of the land! And the other was the eldest son of the Mu family!

Mu Qingxuan didn’t reply. She simply smiled at her maid and continued forward without caring. As she got close to the fighting men, she gathered all her strength and threw the water over them.

Splash!

The two men, engaging in the fight, stopped abruptly, as if being splashed by water was effective. Their bodies, soaking wet, froze for a moment before they slowly turned to look at the young girl who had thrown the water on them.

“Little girl...”

“Xuan’er...”

They spoke simultaneously, then turned to face each other immediately. Mu Gongzhen’s eyes flashed with anger. How dared he called his sister, little girl?!

Chen Feng Yue, sensing the situation was not good, raised both hands in immediate surrender.

“Gongzhen! It’s me! Are you trying to kill me?”

“There’s a flower thief[1] intruding on woman’s quarters at night. If I accidentally kill him, it wouldn’t be a problem,” Mu Gongzhen replied coldly, his entire being exuding a murderous aura.

“You’ve gone mad!”

Chen Feng Yue, realizing his friend was serious, quickly tried to diffuse the situation. “If you kill me, you’ll be executed along with your entire family! Look at me properly. Do I look like a flower thief? I’m the ruler of the land! And your friend!”

Mu Gongzhen sneered. “If Your Majesty wasn’t surnamed Chen, I’d be convinced you were a flower thief. Why else would you visit my sister’s quarters in the dead of night?!”

Chen Feng Yue, hearing his friend’s sarcasm, gave a wry smile. Mu Gongzhen was usually quiet and did not speak much, but when he spoke, his words cut deep...

[1] Come from the word cǎi huā dà dào (采花大盗), literally means rapist, or someone who enter houses at night in order to rape women.

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