0p0 Chapter 240 The Master Behind It All!
Chapter 240 The Master Behind It All!
Mu Xin Nuan cried out in her heart! It's over, this is terrible, the misunderstanding is huge!
For the first time, Mu Xin Nuan utterly despised herself! How could she be so tactless? Since she was already hurting him, why not just hurt him completely?
Unfortunately, by the time she fully came to her senses, Chu Rong was already gone.
"Miss." Mu Qing rushed over and whispered in Mu Xin Nuan's ear, "Miss, the Second Miss left the mansion through the back door. Moreover, she changed her clothes at the back door and bribed two old women guarding the gate."
"Have you sent someone to keep up?"
"Don't worry, Miss, Mu Hua went with her. The Second Miss only brought Qing Lian with her, and didn't bring any guards."
"It seems she's going to see a very important person!" Mu Xin Nuan narrowed her eyes. "It might just be her master who's been pushing her behind the scenes."
Mu Hua followed Mu Xinyao to a restaurant. Looking up, Mu Hua recognized it as the very restaurant that her mistress had specifically instructed them to investigate. It was said that the owner of this restaurant was extremely powerful!
After noticing Mu Xinyao go inside, Mu Hua secretly peeked at her from a stall and watched her go up to the second floor. Hesitating for a moment, remembering his mistress's instructions, he didn't dare to go in. He simply kept watch outside for a while, moving between several stalls to keep an eye on things inside, lest he be targeted by the people inside again!
About fifteen minutes later, Mu Hua noticed that Mu Xinyao had quickly led Qinglian downstairs and then returned the way they came.
Mu Hua raised an eyebrow. It must have been difficult for the Second Miss. She actually managed to walk such a long distance!
After returning to Yuexuan, Mu Hua recounted everything she had learned.
“Miss, I noticed that several guests came out after the Second Miss left. But they didn’t seem to be from wealthy or powerful families. It wasn’t until about half an hour later that His Highness Prince Ming came out of that restaurant. Do you think that the person who was having a secret rendezvous with the Second Miss was His Highness Prince Ming?”
Mu Xin Nuan's body stiffened slightly. The Ming King? She hadn't expected that in this life, Mu Xin Yao could connect with the Ming King directly without relying on Jin Hui's power! It seemed that she had truly underestimated her before!
How could a sheltered young lady like Mu Xinyao manage to cultivate a relationship with the Prince of Ming right under the noses of so many people? Could it be that your wishes have changed in this life? Do you no longer look down on Jin Er, who is still a son of a concubine?
Mu Xin Nuan frowned in deep thought. It seemed that the one who had been supporting Mu Xin Yao from behind was His Highness Prince Ming!
Thinking back to how Mu Xin Nuan had been close to Yang Yu'er of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and how Yang Yu'er was related to Luo Yingying of the current Prince Ming's mansion, it became clear how they had gotten together.
"Have someone keep an eye on Mu Xinyao; they must not let their guard down for a moment."
“Yes, Miss. As you instructed, we secretly bribed a second-class maid and a head maid in the Second Miss’s courtyard. Now, they come in handy,” Rongyue replied.
"Mu Xinyao values Qinglian highly, but unfortunately, she doesn't know that Qinglian is just a pawn of the old lady."
Rongyue's heart skipped a beat. "What does Miss mean?"
"Think of a way to make Mu Xinyao become suspicious of Qinglian and then stop relying on her. What's the name of the maid we bribed?"
"Miss Hui, your name is Qinghong."
"Yes. Let her handle this matter. Tell her that if she does a good job, she will naturally be able to replace Qinglian and become the Second Miss's confidante. In addition, we will not mistreat her."
"Yes, ma'am."
The next few days passed peacefully. Nothing untoward happened to Mu Xinyao either.
That day, Mu Xinyao went to Rongyuan to pay her respects to the old lady as usual. Just as she arrived at the gate, she met someone sent by Madam Li, who said that the summer clothes and fabrics had been prepared and that the second young lady should choose them at her own discretion and then have someone report to the embroidery room.
Mu Xinyao and Qinglian selected the fabric and had someone take their measurements. Then, she asked Qinglian to go to the embroidery room on her behalf and also to check on how the preparations for Mu Qingyuan's clothes were going. As his older sister, she couldn't be completely indifferent to her younger brother!
Furthermore, and more importantly, she wanted Qinglian to see what kind of material and style the embroidery workshop was making for Mu Xinnuan.
Qinglian was her confidante, so it was perfectly normal for her to go and take a look.
Mu Xinyao returned to the courtyard alone without any companions.
"Oh, this hairpin is so beautiful, was it a gift from the Second Miss?"
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw two maids admiring a hairpin not far away. Mu Xinyao recognized it, so she calmly slowed her pace and deliberately walked very quietly as she approached.
"Where did the Second Miss give us these gifts? Although our Second Miss has quite a lot of jewelry, she's very shrewd and only thinks about herself. Where would she get so many things to give us?"
"Where did it come from?"
"It was given to me by Sister Qinglian."
"Qinglian?" The maid chuckled. "Her things, of course, were bestowed upon her by the Second Miss. In the end, aren't they still the Second Miss's things?"
"What do you know? Qinglian is favored now and is someone close to the Second Miss, but look at Qinghong, isn't she too? But in terms of clothes and accessories, which one looks more respectable?"
"That's true. Now that you mention it, I think Qinglian is much more respectable than Sister Qinghong!"
"Of course!" The maid said, deliberately lowering her voice, "You don't know, do you? Qinghong's mistress is the Second Miss, but Qinglian's mistress is the Old Madam! Don't you see this hairpin? The Old Madam personally took it off her head and gave it to Qinglian!"
"Good heavens! You!" Another maid was surprised when she looked up and saw the second young lady standing there with a cold face. She was so frightened that she couldn't say a word!
The maidservant facing her said smugly, "If I hadn't helped Miss Qinglian deliver a message yesterday, do you think she would have been willing to reward me with such a nice thing?"
"Is that so? I had no idea that your master had become Qinglian?"
The two maids were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, trembling all over, and kept begging for mercy.
Mu Xinyao snorted coldly and snatched the hairpin from the maid's hand. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the same gold hairpin that the old lady had worn in her hair just a few days ago! Although it wasn't inlaid with any gemstones, the fact that such a pure gold piece of jewelry was being used as a reward for a maid was enough to demonstrate how much the old lady valued Qinglian!
The moment this thought popped into her head, Mu Xinyao's eyes turned colder!