Chapter 318

The Emperor looked at the other party and nodded. He had been too enraged today. Even if he tried to uncover the truth, it wouldn’t be revealed today. It was better to let the enemies fight among themselves and watch for the victor, wasn’t it?

As the ruler of the region, how could he not know what was happening? Since the Empress had planned her scheme, daring to announce where she would strike against Yueqian, he had told Furen Mu that there was no way they would tamper with the ingredients. But he hadn’t expected someone clever to use what others had discarded to strike instead.

The eyes of the patriarch looked at the head of the Wei family knowingly. If the latter didn’t find a good escape route... even the child in the womb might not be safe!

What kind of person would play with their own child? The Emperor had understood this now. He needed to be more cautious with her. Initially, he had felt pity, thinking he was the reason she was humiliated and unable to marry into the Mu family. So, he had taken her in and cared for her well. Little did he know, there was a reason the Mu family didn’t accept her!

It wasn’t just because Mu Heng wanted a single wife, but because this woman was terrifying and vicious! If she entered the Mu household, it would never be peaceful.

As today’s events concluded with everyone as suspects except for Furen Mu, who was exonerated by the Emperor, the minister approached the Empress privately to inquire about the facts. No matter what, he had to get the Crown Prince out of prison!

“Sobbing, I never thought this would happen. My son ended up there instead of the Second Prince. And that woman! How did Furen Mu escape unscathed? Something is definitely wrong. That lowly concubine, I asked her to cooperate because she needed money to send home, so she agreed to arrange the room. I never expected it to end like this. You must help me.”

“You were foolish! Trying to harm others while announcing your intentions. If it were anyone else, your plan might have succeeded. But don’t forget that your target was Furen Mu. Did you forget how skilled she is with poisons?! Her medical abilities are acknowledged even by the Hu Region. Yet you chose to target her...” Minister Hui’s mustache quivered with anger.

"I didn’t intend to use poison on her, but who would have thought that it would actually be poisoned?"

"Sigh, it doesn’t matter now. We just need to find a way out of this," the minister said wearily. He couldn’t afford to relax about this matter. Both his daughter and grandson had become targets.

"So what should we do, Father?"

"Hmph! Only now do you ask me?" Chided, the Empress fell silent. Seeing her relent, the other party continued.

"The matter with the Crown Prince isn’t too difficult. Find a maid to take the blame, saying she was the Crown Prince’s lover. Even if he is seen as disgraceful, it’s better than being thought to covet his father’s wife. Claim that the concubine knew of their rendezvous and came to extort money. You said her family needed money, right? Then let’s go with that. Detain her family to extract the truth."

"The issue should end there. The concubine is dead, so further investigation won’t yield any benefits. The Crown Prince might face minor punishment but will be released soon. The biggest problem is you."

"Your intent to harm Furen Mu was obvious. Suddenly requesting ingredients from her turned into a major issue, especially with the Emperor as her witness. I will have someone investigate this thoroughly. It’s strange that potent poison wasn’t used. Maybe... the Wei family is more ruthless than we thought."

"If it’s really them, why would they target Furen Mu? Even if Noble Consort Wei dislikes her, the Wei family still needs their support, don’t they?" The Empress asked, confused. The minister looked at his daughter as if she were an idiot.

"You think you’re the only clever one? You’re the only fool here!" Scolded again, the Empress wanted to argue, but her father didn’t give her a chance.

"Noble Consort Wei likely never intended to deal with Furen Mu from the start. They’ve always been at odds, but knowing Furen Mu’s expertise in this area, even a fool wouldn’t think she’d fall for it."

"But the head of the Wei family..."

"He’s a fool. The only dangerous members of the Wei family are Noble Consort Wei and her mother!"

"So, you’re saying that the head of the Wei family thinks his daughter would go after Furen Mu? And today, he threw the blame on her?"

"Yes, for the Wei family, it’s not the right time to become enemies with the Second Prince. She don’t even know if the child will be a son or a daughter. Breaking ties now would be disadvantageous, wouldn’t it?"

"I see," the Empress nodded in understanding.

"So, it means she intended to target you from the beginning. By making her intentions known, Noble Consort Wei predicted that Furen Mu would have a countermeasure. Hence, the blame falls on you!" As the minister explained this, the Empress’s eyes widened.

"Then we must find evidence that it was the Wei family who did this."

"Umm, Furen Mu has hinted at how to handle this," the minister said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"She did that?" The Empress couldn’t believe it.

"Yes, although she could have mentioned from the start that she had the Emperor as a witness, she didn’t. It seems she is also angry that the Wei family used her as a tool."

"She... she thought this far ahead?" For the first time, the Empress realized the fearsome nature of this seemingly ordinary furen. Her face turned pale at the thought of having such an enemy.

"You need to be very cautious of her."

"Could it be... that the Crown Prince’s troubles were also part of her plan to retaliate against me?" The Empress spoke in shock, but the minister looked as if he wanted to say, "You still haven’t figured it out?!"

Seven days passed since the incident. The Crown Prince was freed but had his allowance reduced and was confined for three months. Thus, all state affairs fell to the Second Prince, improving his future prospects and ensuring his reputation surpassed the Crown Prince’s.

During this time, the day Yueqian had been waiting for finally arrived. Her husband’s convoy reached the capital quickly. They didn’t rest for a single day, traveling from morning till night and only resting for four hours a day. Everyone thought the deputy general was trying to make good time, knowing that the sooner he returned with success, the closer he would get to becoming the great general.

But no one realized that the deputy general didn’t care about fame or reputation at all. He only wanted to see his wife as soon as possible.

Upon hearing that there was trouble in the capital and that his furen was nearly accused of poisoning Noble Consort Wei, he was relieved to know that she had the wit to make the Emperor her witness. Yet, Mu Heng was still worried about her.

When he arrived in the capital, he was greeted by many people. He returned with tens of thousands of prisoners of war, and this great success made the people in the capital cheer his name. Some even called him the great general already.

Among the crowd waiting for him, there were no members of the Mu or Yan families, which surprised Mu Heng. Nevertheless, he rushed to the palace to report his achievements and then immediately requested a seven-day leave.

The young man rode his horse tirelessly until he finally stood in front of his own manor.

“Master,” the voice of the guard at the gate rang out. Mu Heng nodded in response and jumped off his horse, leaving the rest to the soldiers.

“Where is Furen?”

“Furen Mu is inside, preparing a welcome banquet for you. Some members of the Yan family are attending as well. Congratulations on your victory,” the guard at the gate said sincerely to Mu Heng.

Previously, he had served the Wang, but now he served Mu Heng and Furen Mu. The initial feeling of not being part of the same family had vanished. The excellent treatment at the Mu manor made them feel honored and significant, unlike before when they served as mere soldiers of the manor and felt like mere servants.

In Mu manor, when you are hungry, you can get something to eat. When you are tired, you can ask for a rest!

Here, they received a monthly salary. On any given day, if they wished to buy their freedom, they could. Those who wanted to work could save money for themselves. Some servants here had even become wealthy compared to ordinary families.

They had fourteen days off each year, which they could take whenever they wanted, provided they gave advance notice so replacements could be arranged. Women who wanted to have children could take 45 days of maternity leave with half their salary. Furen Mu generously provided all these benefits, which were unheard of in this era!

Many women still had to work hard even when pregnant, and some were beaten until they miscarried. So, working for Furen Mu was a dream for many servants. Even servants from other households wanted to apply to work for her!

Because of such good care, everyone wanted to repay their master in the best way possible! Like this soldier, who showed genuine happiness upon seeing his master return.

"Yes," Mu Heng acknowledged as he walked inside. Behind him were skilled followers, including his master’s teacher. After just a few steps inside, they could already smell the fragrant soup.

"Dear, you’re here? Master," Yueqian greeted her husband first, then his master, who followed with a weary expression.

"Here, a cold towel," she offered cold towels, unwrapped and ready for them. Even Mu Heng’s soldiers received them. Earlier, she had sent some to the army as a token of thanks for helping her husband. Yueqian wasn’t stingy about buying cold towels from the department store.

"Fragrant," the former great general of the Du Region remarked. He wiped his face with the cold towel like Mu Heng. The coolness invigorated him, banishing his sleepiness. The unique fragrance made him like it even more.

"Yes, the scent helps refresh, but you’ll feel even better after eating my cooking," Yueqian joked, affectionately linking her arm with her husband’s, showing her longing for him without maintaining any formalities in front of everyone.

"Today, I prepared ’ Thai BBQ’. The Yan family is here too. So let’s start the meal." There were the neatly arranged vegetables and a variety of marinated pork with different flavors. Even the Yan family couldn’t resist. They sat around a circle, each with their own plate, able to take anything they wanted from the spread.

This meal used dozens of pigs, along with plenty of fish and seafood. There were also many vegetables. Yueqian prepared enough to feed everyone, including the soldiers who helped out this time!

Originally, the plan was to enjoy the meal together with fun. They even hired a troupe for entertainment. But who would have thought that just a few bites in, the sound of a royal procession would be heard!

Yueqian’s eyebrow twitched involuntarily. She didn’t expect that with the “Number One Foodie,” the Wang, gone, another substitute would step up, and wasn’t this one seem to be in a stressful and chaotic period?

How could he think of coming to have fun with so many royal duties?!"Deputy General Mu, I have questions regarding the rebels that I need to ask you," a loud voice announced even before the speaker had stepped through the doorway. The voice carried so far that it reached the marketplace, as if afraid people wouldn’t know that His Highness had arrived simply because he’d heard about their delicious feast!