Mu Wan Yun always felt that the way Bai Jingran looked at her was off.
When she first met Bai Jingran at the Princess Mansion some time ago, Mu Wan Yun had already sensed something was wrong.
When others saw her and mistook her for the living Mu Wanruo, they were merely surprised.
But Bai Jingran, upon seeing her alive, was flustered.
Today, the look in Bai Jingran’s eyes was even more unsettling.
Mu Wan Yun felt her skin crawl under her gaze.
Hua Yang emerged slowly, having changed into a new dress.
The dark teal garment accentuated her graceful figure, shimmering with a brilliant golden and silvery light under the sun, making every step radiant.
Hua Yang had been doted on since childhood and owned countless magnificent dresses, yet this was the most outstanding one she had ever seen.
Bai Jingran stepped forward and praised, “This teal dress Mumu made for Your Highness is truly unprecedented.
Even the feather robe Mumu made for Minlan last time pales in comparison.”
Princess Huayang laughed.
“If you like it, you can just have Mumu make one for you.
The selection is coming up, so you have to dress your best.
I’m waiting for you to become my Imperial Sister-in-law…”
Bai Jingran blushed and said, “Your Highness, if you keep teasing me, I won’t hang out with you anymore.”
Hua Yang laughed.
“I’m not teasing.
In all of Chang’an City, everyone avoids my Imperial Brother’s name taboo, but he specifically permitted you not to change your name.
Don’t you understand my Imperial Brother’s intentions?
It’s only a matter of time before I call you Imperial Sister-in-law.”
Princess Yongjia added, “That’s right.
All that’s missing is an imperial edict to make you my cousin-in-law.”
Wei Minlan said, “Hua Yang, when is the Imperial Sister-in-law from Yinxing Village being brought back to the palace?
His Majesty hasn’t actually abandoned his first wife, has he?”
Princess Huayang clenched her fists and ground her teeth.
“I asked Wei You.
It turns out that woman my Imperial Brother married among the common folk didn’t know what was good for her!
She was a gold digger who ran off with some rich young master and even wrote a letter of divorce to leave my Imperial Brother!”
Wei Minlan’s eyes widened.
“That woman must be blind!
Despicable, shameless, vain, and short-sighted!
How dare a village girl divorce His Majesty!”
Standing to the side, Mu Wan Yun suddenly sneezed twice.
As everyone’s gaze turned to her, Mu Wan Yun quickly curtsied.
“I have lost my composure before Your Highness.
Please forgive me.”
Princess Huayang said, “It’s nothing.
You have rendered a great service with this dress, so this princess will not hold it against you.”
“That woman is so ungrateful, divorcing my cousin!
I hope she trips every time she walks, gets soaked every time it rains, chokes every time she drinks water, and drowns every time she crosses a river…”
A warm spring breeze blew past, and Mu Wan Yun shivered.
“Commandery Princess, is it really necessary to be so cruel…?”
Wei Minlan said resentfully, “You call that cruel?
His Majesty loved that woman so much he defied the late Emperor for her!
After his title as Crown Prince was restored, he refused to return to Chang’an until the late Emperor issued a decree making her the Crown Princess Consort!
But that woman was so short-sighted!
She mistook a pearl for a fish eye and cast aside His Majesty’s devotion like a worn-out shoe.
If I ever see her, I’ll make sure she suffers all ten of the great tortures at the Ministry of Justice!”
Mu Wan Yun froze.
‘The ten great tortures…’
Princess Huayang instructed Mu Wan Yun, “Figure out a way to make an outfit for Jingran.
It needs to be stunning on the day of the selection.”
Mu Wan Yun curtsied in acknowledgement.
As she left Wuyou Palace, her mind heavy with thoughts, she unexpectedly tripped on the threshold and fell flat on the ground.
The moment she fell, Mu Wan Yun thought, ‘Princess Yongjia’s curse is really working!’
As luck would have it, Lu Jingxing and Prince Jian were just then entering Wuyou Palace.
Seeing the palace maid sprawled on the ground, Prince Jian said, “Which palace is this maid from?
There’s no need for such a grand bow, even before His Majesty.”
Mu Wan Yun pushed herself up with the help of Lin Siming, who was beside her, and curtsied.
“This servant greets Your Majesty and Prince Jian.”
Prince Jian smiled.
“Oh, it’s Yunyun!”
Lu Jingxing shot Prince Jian a fierce glare.
Full of concern, Prince Jian asked Mu Wan Yun, “Are you hurt?
Be more careful when you walk.”
“Thank you for your concern, Commandery Prince.
This servant is fine.” Mu Wan Yun offered Prince Jian a smile.
Lu Jingxing glanced at Mu Wan Yun’s smile and found it incredibly grating.
Lu Jingxing went inside, where the women were still indignantly cursing the one who had divorced him.
Upon seeing Lu Jingxing, Bai Jingran stepped forward and curtsied.
“This subject greets Your Majesty.
May Your Majesty enjoy good health.”
Lu Jingxing said, “No need for formalities.”
When Hua Yang saw Lu Jingxing, she walked up to him and spun around.
“Imperial Brother, look at my new dress.
Isn’t it pretty?”
Lu Jingxing always made a point to praise his full-blooded sister.
“It’s pretty.”
Hua Yang said, “The one who looks exactly like Mu Wanruo, Mu Wan Yun, made it.
She’s actually quite talented.”
Lu Jingxing looked at the dress on Hua Yang.
It was a dark, blackish-blue, yet it shimmered under the sun, a truly iridescent black.
‘She’s lucky to be alive,’ he thought, ‘she escaped disaster this time!’
Prince Jian said, “Yunyun’s skills are quite impressive!”
Wei Minlan mulled over the name “Yunyun” and said, “Now I remember.
If you’re planning to marry Mu Wan Yun, you’d better stay far away.
I’m afraid my brother might…
sigh!”
Prince Jian said quickly, “I wouldn’t dare marry Mu Wan Yun.”
‘If I married Mu Wan Yun,’ he thought, ‘I’d probably go down in the history books for choking to death on water the very next day.’
Bai Jingran walked to Lu Jingxing’s side.
“Your Majesty, I heard from Her Highness that you’ve had trouble sleeping recently.
I specially made a calming sachet and hope Your Majesty will not find it beneath you.”
Before Lu Jingxing could answer, Hua Yang chimed in from the side, “He won’t!
How could my Imperial Brother possibly dislike it?
Jingran, quickly, put it on for him.”
At the entrance to Wuyou Palace, Lin Siming suddenly remembered something.
“Just now, the Princess told you to make clothes for Miss Bai, but we don’t have her measurements at the Clothing Bureau.
I happen to have a measuring tape with me.
You should go back and take Miss Bai’s measurements so you don’t have to make another trip.”
Mu Wan Yun took the measuring tape and returned to Wuyou Palace.
She told the palace maid at the entrance she was there to take Bai Jingran’s measurements and entered without being announced.
When she went inside, she saw Bai Jingran half-kneeling before Lu Jingxing, attaching a blue sachet embroidered with orchids to the sash on his waist.
Seeing this, Mu Wan Yun’s heart filled with anger and jealousy.
She stepped forward and said, “Miss Bai, this servant forgot to take your measurements just now.”
Bai Jingran said, “Then take them.”
Mu Wan Yun and Bai Jingran went to Bai Jingran’s room.
Bai Jingran dismissed the palace maids, leaving just the two of them alone.
Bai Jingran dropped her pretense.
“Mu Wanruo, there’s no point in playing these games!
The Mu Family’s power is gone.
No matter how much you struggle, you’re just a grasshopper in late autumn!”
Mu Wan Yun said, “You’ve misunderstood.”
Bai Jingran said, “You’re certainly skilled, managing to sneak into the palace!”
Mu Wan Yun frowned slightly.
“I really am Mu Wan Yun.
If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.
Her Highness ordered me to make you an outfit, so please cooperate with the measurements.”
Bai Jingran stared at the face before her and continued, “Wei Mingsang was so deeply in love with you.
His Majesty annihilated your entire family, killed your father, brothers, and uncles, and even had your mother reduced to a government courtesan.
Yet you still thought to enter the palace to seduce His Majesty!
To think that the great Miss Mu, the world-renowned Mu Wanruo, has become so shameless!”
As Mu Wan Yun took Bai Jingran’s measurements, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind.
‘I’ve never heard of any romantic entanglement between Mu Wanruo and Lu Jingxing.
Besides, Lu Jingxing shouldn’t even know who Mu Wanruo was.’
‘Wei Mingsang was so deeply in love with Wanruo, so Mu Wanruo must have been in love with him, too.
So why is Bai Jingran so certain that if Mu Wanruo entered the palace, it would be to seduce the Emperor and not to seek revenge?’