Su Yuan nodded. "Steward Liu spoke with me on the way here. What exactly is going on? Li Pin made a mistake, but what does that have to do with Lady Wan?"
Mu Qingchen learned about it from Mu Chuan, who explained in even greater detail than the steward. The steward had to choose his words carefully with Su Yuan—there are always some things that can’t be said—but Mu Chuan spilled the beans without reservation.
He directly said it was a scheme concocted by the Han Family. And his aunt, too, was a bit too carried away. It’s not like the Mu Family gives her so much silver every year just for her to spend it carelessly without a thought.
Just for Li Pin’s father’s illness, she gave out three thousand taels. Does she even realize how hard it is to earn that much silver?
He has two aunts, but to be honest, the younger aunt is too brainless. If the aunt who entered the palace back then was the elder one, the position of Crown Prince might already be within grasp.
The elder aunt is Mu Qingchen’s mother.
"I always knew she would eventually get herself into trouble. In fact, if it wasn’t for the kind shielding by Consort Xian over these years, she would have gotten into who knows how many incidents," he said.
These were Mu Chuan’s exact words.
Mu Chuan was quite helpless when it came to this younger aunt.
Elder Master Mu had Mu Tao recount the entire incident from beginning to end, and it was largely deduced to be the doing of Consort Han.
Li Pin had been bribed by Consort Han, and her father’s serious illness was nothing but a pretext. She asked Lady Wan for a large sum of silver precisely to ensure Lady Wan couldn’t wash her hands clean on the day of the incident.
The affair between the palace superintendent and a palace maid that was caught by Li Pin was also part of Consort Han’s plan.
Consort Han had been in control of the Imperial Harem for many years; how could she not know about the clandestine relationship between the palace superintendent and the palace maid? But she turned a blind eye, just so it could serve as a leverage that she could exploit at any time.
Su Yuan’s voice was heavy with censure. "This is going too far. If they want to depose the Princess, then just do it; why drag Lady Wan into the waters as well? Do they want to take this chance to make His Majesty bear ill will towards the Mu Family?"
The tangled web of intrigue linking the Imperial Harem and the imperial court can never be completely separated.
If Lady Wan gets into trouble, could the Mu Family expect to fare any better?
With a cold voice, Elder Master Mu said, "Hmph, as if the Han Family has a bigger appetite than the Mu Family? To me, it seems inevitable that they will set their sights on the Wang and Su families one day!"
Su Yuan felt the name sounded vaguely familiar. "He is—" freёweɓnovel.com
Lost in thought, Elder Master Mu said, "This Xiao Liulang... we cannot let him fall into the hands of the Han Family. He must be of use to us! However, since he healed the deposed Princess, I suspect that Changsun might also have the same thought."
Su Yuan frowned. "You mean Changsun will also go to great lengths to win him over?"
Elder Master Mu scoffed, "Changsun and the deposed Princess are walking on thin ice. They would grasp at any straw to bolster their position, although it won’t be of much use."
Shaking his head, Su Yuan said, "The deposed Princess has no chance of a comeback, and Changsun is on his last legs. Only the Han Family, with their paranoia, would make such an unnecessary move."
Elder Master Mu said, "The deposed Princess’s death does not harm us—don’t forget, all ten of the great families, including ours, participated in the extermination of the Xuanyuan Family."
Su Yuan said, "But the Han Family should not use us as a stepping stone."
Elder Master Mu’s eyes grew colder. "Indeed, the Han Family has gone too far this time. The Mu Family will not sit back and wait for death!"
"What do you plan to do?" Su Yuan asked.
With cunning and foresight, Elder Master Mu declared, "First, we must win over Xiao Liulang; second, I want the Han Family’s Hei Fengqi for ourselves! I will make the Han Family understand, the Mu Family is not what it once was. By pulling Lady Wan into their scheme, they will pay the price!"
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