Chapter 310

At Mu manor

Yueqian slowly poured freshly brewed tea from the teapot onto the weeds, her expression calm and composed. Beside her, Fan Yu watched intently but did not ask any questions.

“You’re probably wondering why I allowed someone to disrespect me like that,” the mistress asked, and Fan Yu nodded without hiding it. How could she not know what her mistress was usually like?

From the moment Yueqian had warmly welcomed the other party with a smiling face, personally pouring tea for them, and allowing them to drink the precious tea so rudely, it was clear this was not a normal situation. Anyone who thought otherwise would be considered abnormal!

If it had been the usual Furen Mu, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had stood up and poured the hot tea over the other’s head. For her, if someone treated her well, she would reciprocate. But if someone tried to take advantage of her, she would make sure to take advantage of them first.

“There was a knife hidden in the court lady’s chest,” Yueqian looked at Fan Yu seriously. The young girl was slightly shocked, as she was observant too, but had no idea the other party had brought a weapon into the manor.

“The soldiers probably didn’t see it either. I noticed the glint of the knife reflecting through the chest cloth.” Hearing the explanation, Fan Yu immediately knelt down, acknowledging her mistake. If something had happened and Court Lady Yu had gone mad and had succeeded in stabbing Yueqian, she wouldn’t have had the face to stay! This reflected how she hadn’t done her job well enough.

“Furen Mu, please punish me,” Fan Yu pleaded, wanting to accept her punishment. She had allowed the enemy to bring a weapon close to her mistress, and the punishment should be severe!

“Court Lady Yu probably didn’t come here to fight me directly. But if an argument had broken out, given her nature, she would have used that knife in a frenzied manner,” Yueqian continued, not paying much attention to Fan Yu’s action.

“It seems the person who planned this wanted the matter to end quickly with a fight from the start, right? If a fight broke out in the Mu manor while my husband was away, it would show that I’m incapable of handling things. If I’m deemed unfit for the position of the Deputy General’s furen, then my husband should be given another woman who is more suitable to take on the role.” As she finished speaking, Fan Yu clenched her fists tightly.

It turns out the enemy is also capable of devising such a plan! Fortunately, Furen didn’t cause a scene by pouring tea over Court Lady Yu’s head; otherwise, Furen Mu’s position would surely have been replaced.

“But I am not a weak twig that bends easily to any will. Whoever wants to see me fall into the dirt, do they think they can manage that? I have my pride as well,” Yueqian said, flicking her fingers to shake off the tea droplets that had splashed on her while she poured the tea over the weeds.

A smirk appeared at the corner of her mouth. Since those who dared to look down on her had come to her manor, they should expect a return gift, shouldn’t they?

Meanwhile, at the bamboo grove of the palace:

A group of soldiers had arrived to restrain Court Lady Yu, tying her up to prevent her from cursing or attacking others. By now, Court Lady Yu was exhausted and seemed to have lost all her strength.

“Doctor, you’ve finally arrived!” Since Court Lady Yu wasn’t a significant figure in the palace, only an ordinary assistant doctor had been summoned. By the time he arrived, Court Lady Yu had already caused a considerable uproar, injuring several court ladies with her knife!

“What happened?” The low-ranking assistant doctor asked, never having seen a court lady in such a state.

“We don’t know. At first, we heard her screaming, but when we came, she was already attacking us with the knife,” one terrified court lady explained.

“She acted like a madwoman, pointing at empty spaces and cursing.”

“She behaved as if she saw ghosts here. Or maybe...?” The court ladies exchanged glances, their skin crawling with fear. The bamboo grove’s emptiness and eerie silence could easily lead one to believe such superstitions.

The assistant doctor waved his hand, dismissing their nonsense. He examined Court Lady Yu, checking her pupils, taking her pulse, and observing her physical responses. His brows furrowed in confusion.

“This doesn’t seem like an illness. It looks like she’s ingested something harmful,” he speculated.

“Are you starting to regain your senses? The poison should be wearing off by now, right?” He gently tapped Court Lady Yu’s cheeks. Seeing some response, he felt slightly relieved.

Court Lady Yu looked around and then started crying. She was no longer in a frenzied state and could only vaguely remember what had happened to her.

“This seems like food poisoning, which was an injurious food. It’s not too serious. Did you eat anything unusual?” The assistant doctor asked. Court Lady Yu cried as she spoke.

“No, I haven’t done anything. I just ate breakfast at the kitchen this morning. There was only...” As she finished sating, Court Lady Yu’s eyes widening.

“Could it be the tea at the Mu manor?! I drank tea with Furen Mu.” By saying this, Court Lady Yu almost placed the blame on Yueqian. However, the assistant doctor interrupted her.

“How could you have tea with Furen Mu? She is a first-rank honored lady. As a court lady, would you really be treated to tea by her? Your condition might still be affecting you. Rest first and think carefully,” the assistant doctor dismissed her claim directly. But Court Lady Yu was convinced it was Furen Mu and continued to speak.

“It must be her. I only drank tea with her. I drank three cups of it, so it must be...” Before Court Lady Yu could finish, another court lady, irritated by her foolishness, interjected.

“Ah, well then, go ahead and tell everyone that you were poisoned by drinking tea with First-Rank Honored Furen.”

“Exactly. As a court lady, shouldn’t you be the one serving tea to Furen Mu?”

“Do you really have the audacity to say you drank tea together? Do you have any proof that the poisoning came from there and not just a desire to slander Furen Mu?”

“And you carried this knife into the Mu manor? If you spread this story, your head will surely roll.”

“What was your purpose in bringing the knife to the Mu manor? Isn’t that considered malicious intent? Disgusting.”

“If Furen Mu knew what you were doing, she wouldn’t just poison you. You’d be dead by her sword!!”

"And just now you said you drank tea with Furen Mu? Why would Furen Mu drink with you? Did she intend to harm herself? Or did she not drink from the same pot as you?"

“Seems like you’re the one who deserves to die! The assistant doctor has explained so much and you still don’t understand.”

“It’s not just you who might die; you could drag your master down too, and your entire family could be wiped out!!” The thoughtful court ladies, as they spoke and thought more, began to realize just how terrifying this situation was.

No one doubted Court Lady Yu. She was known for bad mouthing and acting without thinking, but she was also easy to use and enthusiastic, so it wasn’t surprising that those in higher positions would choose to use her.

However, this time, Furen Mu’s counterattack was exceptionally harsh. If Court Lady Yu caused an uproar, what was her purpose for visiting Furen Mu? Who ordered her to go? Why did she carry a knife? How could she act so arrogantly and have the audacity to sit and drink tea with the honored furen?

This was a lesson! If she wasn’t utterly foolish, she would keep quiet about the poison, because being too foolish would drag everyone down with her! This was indeed a lesson.

She had reminded them the importance of status and how an honored furen could bring anyone down with her! Realizing this, the court ladies became even more afraid of Furen Mu and swore never to become her enemy in the future!

Court Lady Yu seemed to regain her senses after being scolded severely. Her face grew paler as she recalled Furen Mu’s cowardly smile, which she mistakenly took as a smile of fear and flattery. Who would have known that Furen Mu never intended to flatter anyone? She simply allowed her to enjoy her small moment of arrogance, all the while expertly holding a blade to her throat.

She hadn’t realized! She never knew she was so close to death!

“I understand now, I was wrong. Sob, sob. I’m scared,” Court Lady Yu writhed in fear. She knew the Empress was plotting against Furen Mu. If Furen Mu found out and realized her involvement, then...

Court Lady Yu shivered and ran away like a madwoman, more terrified than she had been from the poison earlier. The assistant doctor and the other court ladies exchanged glances before deciding to keep the matter a secret, as if the day’s events had never happened...

In Noble Consort Wei’s Residence,

The high-ranking noblewoman, the owner of the residence, sat listening to the rumors brought by her close maidservant, her eyes filled with hatred. Ever since she escaped punishment, she had lived with constant resentment. Now, with the flower-viewing banquet approaching, trouble had already started even before the actual event began. Noble Consort Wei could sense the entertainment in the air.

"Noble Consort, it seems the Empress is targeting Furen Mu," the close court lady reported.

“I already know.”

“I heard that the Empress suddenly asked for help with some special ingredients. Perhaps she intends to tamper with the ingredients,” the court lady continued.

“The plan is too obvious. It won’t accomplish anything,” the Noble Consort dismissed the idea. Even a fool could see that the Empress likely had ulterior motives with the ingredients. But would the Empress really stop there?

“So, what should we do...?”

“Do nothing. Let them fight among themselves. Just support the Empress’s plan to ensure its success,” Noble Consort Wei waved her hand, signaling she didn’t want to discuss it further.

Her slender hand gently caressed her own belly with a gleam of malice in her eyes. These two names filled her with genuine hatred.. Previously, her only enemy was the villainess Yueqian. Now, the list of enemies she wanted to crush in the palace had grown significantly.

She craved power solely to crush Yueqian into the dirt, but others had chosen to toy with her! If that was the case, she would play along, especially with the Empress, who fancied herself so clever. How dare she poison her, making her incapable of bearing children? Did the she think she was foolish?

Watching these dogs tear each other apart, no matter who faltered, it would be amusing to her!

“Noble Consort, when do you plan to announce your pregnancy?” Seeing that Noble Consort Wei was not getting involved in this fight, the other party shifted the subject.A small smile tugged at the Noble Consort’s lips. If her pregnancy resulted in a son, it would be a slap in the face to everyone!