By the time Mu Wanting returned to the Minister’s residence, she had not yet reached the main hall when she heard Murong Rong chatting with the women of the household.
“Rongrong and the young master are truly loving. Ever since he arrived, he’s been busy carrying gifts inside.”
Murong Rong’s brows and eyes were full of pride.
“Of course. Zhiyuan is wonderful in every way.”
After all, he was devoted and deeply affectionate Zhao Zhiyuan.
Even though he had been drugged by her last night, he would rather satisfy himself than touch her.
But when she thought about how her elder sister would soon not only become a living widow, but also be exiled, she felt delighted.
As for Zhao Zhiyuan, once Mu Wanting was sent away, accepting her would only be a matter of time.
Then he would surely love her the same way he had loved Mu Wanting in the previous life, and the entire Yongle Marquis Manor would belong to Murong Rong.
Thinking about how Mu Wanting would have to return to her family home alone today, she had to struggle not to smile.
She sighed softly, putting on a concerned expression.
“Elder Sister will probably come alone. I heard the prince was summoned to the palace last night, angered the emperor, and was beaten with one hundred strokes.”
Several concubines looked shocked.
“Is that true? Hasn’t Prince Pingxi always been favored by His Majesty?”
Murong Rong smiled mysteriously.
“How could women like us possibly fathom the mind of an emperor?”
She couldn’t exactly say that this was only the beginning, and that Shen Xinglan would soon be exiled.
After all, only someone reborn like her knew these things.
“Miss, you’ve returned!” Steward Li called out.
Everyone turned to see Mu Wanting dressed in splendid luxury, her bearing effortlessly overshadowing the carefully adorned Murong Rong.
After all, the wealth of Prince Pingxi’s estate was far beyond the hollow grandeur of the Yongle Marquis household.
Jealousy flashed through Murong Rong’s eyes before turning into smug satisfaction.
She warmly pulled Mu Wanting over. Seeing no one from the Shen family accompanying her, her eyes gleamed triumphantly.
“Elder Sister, the Prince, is too much. Even if he dislikes you, he shouldn’t have let you return alone. If things are already like this today, then he must have treated you even worse last night, right?”
After all, in the previous life, Shen Xinglan had told her immediately after marriage that he had only married her because of pressure from his elders and would never touch her.
He had even left her alone on their wedding night and refused to accompany her on the customary return visit the next day.
Given how much the prince despised her sister, things could only be worse.
The women of the Minister’s residence all looked at Mu Wanting with undisguised schadenfreude.
“You’ve truly suffered, Wanting.”
“We thought the prince would at least remember how long you’ve loved him, but who knew he would humiliate you on such an important occasion?”
Mockery curled at the corners of Mu Wanting’s lips. Their words sounded caring, but every sentence carried ridicule.
“The Prince isn’t feeling well today, so he couldn’t accompany me.”
Murong Rong smugly glanced at the women around her, her expression clearly saying, See? I told you she’d come back alone.
The women exchanged looks.
Her father didn’t love her, her mother had disappeared, and even after marrying a prince, she was disliked by her husband’s family. In the future, they only needed to treat her perfunctorily.
Just then, Shen Xinglan’s deep, magnetic voice sounded from outside.
“Have the steward move these gifts to the storeroom.”
Mu Wanting turned slightly, shock filling her eyes as she saw Shen Xinglan dressed in dark purple robes, noble and imposing.
His jade-like face and sharply sculpted features made Zhao Zhiyuan, standing nearby in dark green robes, pale in comparison.
She was stunned. With injuries that severe, he had still accompanied her back?
Shen Xinglan walked toward her slowly. Others didn’t know he was injured and only thought his movements calm and elegant.
Murong Rong turned stiffly, disbelief filling her eyes.
“How is this possible?!”
Wasn’t Shen Xinglan unconscious?
And given how much he used to avoid Mu Wanting, how could he possibly accompany her back after being tricked into marriage?
Impossible. Mu Wanting must have used some scheme.
Shen Xinglan and Mu Wanting greeted Madam Liu, Mu Guozhong, and the concubines.
Madam Liu remained polite on the surface, but kept glaring at her daughter.
Hadn’t she said Mu Wanting would return alone? Yet from appearances, while Shen Xinglan and Mu Wanting weren’t intimate, they at least respected each other as husband and wife.
The concubines also looked oddly at Mu Wanting. Hadn’t the Second Miss repeatedly insisted the Prince wouldn’t come?
Mu Guozhong nodded repeatedly.
“Good, good. It’s rare for Xinglan to be so thoughtful.”
Murong Rong felt as if her face had been slapped. Shen Xinglan should not have come, and she spoke with concealed bitterness.
“Brother-in-law really treats Elder Sister well. Before the wedding, didn’t Brother-in-law avoid her at every turn?”
Shen Xinglan merely nodded calmly and said nothing more.
Everyone knew his status and temperament, so no one dared continue.
Before Shen Xinglan arrived, the women of the residence had treated Mu Wanting coldly.
After his appearance, their attitudes became noticeably warmer. Even Madam Liu deigned to chat with Mu Wanting for a while.
The concubines wanted to curry favor with Shen Xinglan, but as the Great Xia war god who had earned his princely title through military achievements, merely approaching him made them nervous.
While Mu Wanting chatted with the women, Zhao Zhiyuan kept staring at her before finally asking quietly:
“Why?”
Mu Wanting replied, “A child must obey their parents’ wishes.”
Everyone believed Zhao Zhiyuan loved and protected her deeply. In her previous life, she had thought so too.
Until one day, she overheard him speaking with colleagues:
“Wanting is wonderful, but when I think about how crazily she loved Shen Xinglan for three years, even touching her disgusts me. But Yue Ru followed me pure and innocent, bore my children, yet I can only keep her as a mistress.”
Mu Wanting smiled faintly.
Fortunately, this time she had not married the hypocritical Zhao Zhiyuan.
Only when Mu Guozhong stepped away did Mu Wanting finally get a chance to speak with him privately—with Shen Xinglan accompanying her, of course.
“Father, Mother once left a treasure chest with you. She said it was meant to be my dowry.”
Ever since her rebirth, she had repeatedly asked Mu Guozhong for the chest, but he always refused.
She didn’t believe he would still dare refuse now with Shen Xinglan standing beside her like a living god of death.
Mu Guozhong’s expression darkened. He shot Mu Wanting a cold glance before reluctantly handing over the chest, smiling without warmth.
“Wanting has truly grown up.”
Her wings had hardened.
Mu Wanting bowed in farewell, not forgetting to stab him softly with words.
“It’s all thanks to Father’s fine teaching.”
Mu Guozhong was so angry he had to take several deep breaths, yet because Shen Xinglan was present, he had no choice but to maintain a smile.
“Your mother was always the one who raised you. I never taught you much.”
Mu Wanting smiled.
“Father needn’t feel ashamed.”
Seeing Mu Guozhong blowing his beard in anger while Mu Wanting remained calm and composed, Shen Xinglan found the father-daughter argument oddly amusing.
As they boarded the carriage back to the Prince’s estate, Zhao Zhiyuan grabbed Mu Wanting’s sleeve, pain written all over his face.
“Wanting… do we still have a chance?”
Suppressing her disgust, Mu Wanting smiled faintly.
“Brother-in-law, what improper words are these? My younger sister would be heartbroken.”
Despair filled Zhao Zhiyuan’s eyes.
“Wanting, I never touched her.”
Mu Wanting replied softly:
“What’s done is done. Take care of yourself.”