Counterattack of the Concubine’s Invincible Daughter

31. Rumour Had It

Translator: Snowball

The next day, someone found Mammy Rong’s swollen body in the lotus pond at the back of the mountain.

“What did they say about her death?”

Mu Yingxue lazily leaned against the open window of the private room, staring at the street market where people from the Moonlight Pavilion walking back and forth. She narrowed her eyes to enjoy the sunbath.

Liu’er stayed by her side. The warm sun in autumn shone on her body, making her feel exceptionally comfortable. She seemed to understand why her miss liked this place so much. The sun far away from that sultry place seemed to be different.

“According to them, Mammy Rong stole a bag of gold from the mansion and wanted to escape. Unexpectedly, she fell into the pond by accident and drowned when she passed by the back of the mountain.”

Mu Yingxue held her chin with one hand, finding it interesting to look at the peddlers on the street who were pinching sugar cakes into all sorts of animals and figurines.

“Do you believe that?” She asked calmly, not feeling sorry for the death of the cook. A poor person must share some characters that others hated. She had granted her a chance to live, but the cook did not cherish it.

Liu’er followed her gaze and saw the snack stand. Suddenly, she asked in surprise as if she had thought of something, “Is it possible that Mammy Rong was killed by someone?”

Mu Yingxue pushed the chair aside and stood up. She smoothed out the creases on her dress and raised her head, saying, “We’ll find out after we go back home.”

Seeing how reticent her miss was, Liu’er could only follow her with a puzzled look. Inwardly, however, she could not help but sign that her miss was getting more and more inscrutable.

When they returned to the Mu’s Mansion, everything looked normal like before. The death of a cook seemed to be not enough to disturb the tranquility of the grand courtyard. It was apparently peaceful at least.

However, there was no such thing as an absolute secret in this world. Soon, rumors spread that Mammy Rong did not fall into the lotus pond accidentally, but was pushed into the pond and drowned afterwards.

Ouyang Ruo looked at her daughter worriedly, having no idea whether she should inquire about the details or not. After all, Mu Yingxue asked Liu’er to take the soup before they went out as soon as she found the seafood soup was poisonous.

Mu Yingxue knew how much her mother was worried about her from her hesitant look. She reached out to hold her hand and said, “Mom, I didn’t do it, so don’t let your imagination run wild.”

Ouyang Ruo obviously breathed a sigh of relief afterwards, saying, “It’s good that you didn’t do it. Don’t blame me for overthinking. I was afraid that you might do something stupid in rage,” she paused for a while and continued, “but now it seems that I’m worried too much. You’ve grown up and have your thoughts and opinions. I’m really happy to see you being so sensible now.”

Ouyang Ruo’s eyes were wet with tears after she said the above, and she couldn’t control her emotions anymore. Sometimes she really felt that she might be in a dream. Her daughter suddenly became so independent and decisive, which was something she had never dared to imagine even in her wildest dreams in the past.

Mu Yingxue’s heart softened. She patted the back of her mother’s hand and comforted, “Mom, since you’re happy, you shouldn’t cry. Trust me, our life will be better and better in the future. As for those who are desperate to harm us, humph…”

She didn’t want to say something that might scare Ouyang Ruo, but she also wanted ease her mother’s mind a little bit.

Ouyang Ruo knew that she was different from before, but that was exactly why she was more worried. She didn’t want her daughter to get involved in the schemes and intrigues in the harem of the Mu’s Mansion, or even fell into a fierce fight under the peaceful surface. If possible, she preferred her daughter to live peacefully for the rest of her life.

So she said to Mu Yingxue seriously, “I know you are an insightful child, but you have to promise me that no matter what you do in the future, take care of yourself. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, and I can only rest assured if you are safe.”

Mu Yingxue was moved when she heard these words. She replied solemnly, “Mother, I promise you that I will take care of myself.”

Ouyang Ruo nodded with satisfaction and asked the question hung in her mind, “Did that female cook die because somebody pushed her into the pond?”

Mu Yingxue turned and looked out of the window at a blooming Persian chrysanthemum. She narrowed her eyes and said, “I’m afraid so. It’s her fault not cherishing her life and insisting on going to a dead end.”

Yesterday, Mu Yingxue spared her life and let her go out of the mansion to sound her out. Mu Yingxue had foreseen all of this. The cook would find Mu Yueli to keep her job, and keep part of the truth from Mu Yueli so that that latter would protect her for keeping the secret. Only the cook did not except that the truth she hid was exactly the reason why she was killed.

A secret only became a secret when the insiders kept their mouths shut for good before it was exposed. Therefore, the only way that Mu Yueli could live in peace was to kill the cook.

Even though Mu Yingxue had expected this result, she still signed for human’s greed when it really happened. This feeling was helpless, but she knew that she was doomed to live in a fight in this life, so she did not feel sad. On the contrary, she understood that there were more things she had to do to survive safely in the Marquis’s Mansion.

Ouyang Ruo could not help but worry when she saw the sadness on Mu Yingxue’s face. “Who on earth is it that killed her so heartlessly?”

“I can’t think of anyone else except Mu Yueli. Only the dead can keep the secret.”

Unfortunately, this secret was no longer a secret and would soon be exposed under the light.

Originally, the death of a cook was too tiny a thing to attract the attention of the madams and ladies of the Mu’s Mansion. But if this incident was inadvertently used as a warning to others, and made some people feel the fear of coldness. Then it would become different.

On that day, Mu Yingxue poisoned a wild dog to death with the poisonous seafood soup in front of all the cooks and expelled the most suspected Mammy Rong from the mansion. Moreover, she asked everyone present not to disclose this. If Mammy Rong didn’t die, then this would be over. Then naturally, Mu Yueli would be able to stay out of this and not be punished.

After all, even if the cooks were willing to accuse Mu Yueli of instructing them to poison, no one witnessed it. Therefore, they were not enough to testify Mu Yueli. What’s more, Mu Yingxue was alive and safe, so she might be charged for accusing a good person.

However, it was now a different story since someone had been killed.

All Mu Yingxue needed to do now was to wait. Once it gradually simmered, the initiate would finally reap what she had sown.

After Mammy Rong’s death, of course, the other living cooks were the first ones to be frightened. After careful thinking, all the cooks, led by Mammy Li, finally couldn’t suppress the fear in their hearts and reported this incident to Madam Xu Min.

“What did you say?”

Xu Min caressed the soft fur on the back of Little Jingle. When she heard Mammy Li’s words, she was taken aback.

“Mammy Rong was pushed into the lotus pond. Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?”

There were fine spices burning in the warm room. At this moment, Mammy Li was kneeling on the soft Persian carpet, but she felt like she was in an ice cellar, shivering out of coldness.

The cooks had just conjectured and did not have any evidence. But in order to prevent any of them from becoming the next Mammy Rong, they had to come here for help.

“Madam, Miss Yingxue brought a pot of seafood soup to the kitchen that day, saying it was a reward to us cooks…”

“Wait a minute!” Before she could finish, Xu Min interrupted her. “Did you say seafood soup?”

“Yes, seafood soup.” Cold sweat burst out on Mammy Li’s forehead. She wondered what part of her story was wrong.

Xu Min looked at her with deep eyes, feeling suspicious. But she continued calmly, “Go ahead.”

“Yes, Madam.” Mammy Li wiped away a handful of cold sweat and continued, “But before we drank the soup, Miss Yingxue changed her mind and fed the soup to a wild dog that we raised in the kitchen. As a result, can you imagine what had happened?” She secretly glanced at Xu Min’s face, but Xu Min would not be touched by her subtle skills in telling the story. She just stared at her with a cold face and did not further ask.

Mammy Li had no choice but to continue awkwardly, “That dog only took one bite before it collapsed to the ground, and finallybled from its mouth, nostrils, ears and eyes. The seafood soup was completely a bowl of poison! Fortunately, we didn’t drink it, or else…”

Xu Min snorted. “Yingxue didn’t intend to let you drink. What’s the point for you to panic?”

Mammy Li hurriedly agreed and praised the Madam’s wisdom, “It’s just that the dog’s death was so horrible that all of us were frightened on the spot. Miss Yingxue then forced us to confess who had poisoned the seafood soup and who had given the order…”

At this point, she dared not to say anything more.

Xu Min’s eyes were narrowed, and she asked coldly, “So, the soup came out of the kitchen? Without my order, you dare to serve the dishes at your will. You are getting bolder and bolder!”

“I dare not! I dare not, Madam!” Mammy Li quickly explained, “Yesterday, Mammy Rong was on duty. She told me that it was the order from the higher-ups to add dishes for the fourth branch. When I heard that Miss Yingxue was rewarded by His Majesty, I thought the dish was a reward to her. So I did not ask further.”

“Orders from the higher-ups?” Xu Min still narrowed her eyes, her hand stroking the dog’s fur suddenly stopped. “Whose order?”

Mammy Li quickly looked up to observe her expression, then lowered her head and said hesitantly, “It’s… it’s the Marquis.”

“What?” Xu Min suddenly stood up and loosened her hand. Little Jingle slipped down from her leg, and fell to the ground unsteadily, making a sharp scream.

When Hongling saw this, she quickly grabbed the dog and glared at Mammy Li.

“Go on!”

Seeing that she was angry, Mammy Li was so scared that her tongue almost trembled. However, for the sake of her own safety, she still confessed how Mu Yingxue forced them to tell the truth, and how Mammy Rong admitted what she had done in details.

When Xu Min learnt that it was Mu Yueli who was playing tricks again, she didn’t know what to think for a moment. On second thought, she asked, “So, you suspect that Yingxue murdered Mammy Rong?”

Mammy Li hurriedly kowtowed and said, “Yes, we are all very afraid that Miss Yingxue would vent her anger on the rest of us, so we have no choice but to ask Madam to uphold justice for us.”

Although Xu Min hated that Mu Yueli took this into her own hands and even did it in Mu Yunxiao’s name, she knew clearly it was a good opportunity to get rid of Mu Yingxue and Ouyang Ruo no matter what the truth was.