The stand-in didn't take it seriously for three years, and the minister was furious when they b

No matter how dumb one was, one could hear the gnashing of teeth and emotion in Beitang Yi's tone. They exchanged glances, and this time, Yingfeng and Si Chao were smart enough not to respond to the conversation.

After a moment, Si Chao asked timidly:

"So what do we do now?"

They couldn't just sit there and watch another force rise up right under their noses, could they? No matter how they fought in the end, they were still one family. The only thing to worry about was that when the gods fought, the mortals would suffer, and they would be the first to suffer.

"Do nothing, just watch the show. This is a good opportunity to test everyone's cards, and see the emperor's true intentions and the opinions of the ministers in the court. If you stand on the wrong side, you could get killed."

By then, I wonder how many people will come to me secretly to ask for favors. Wouldn’t it be great to pick up a bargain?

……

In the Yuxiu Courtyard of the Pingyong Marquis's mansion, Mu Lianzhi would take time out every morning to hide in the secret passage and dance and exercise for more than half an hour, not for anything else, just to exercise and maintain energy.

This is a habit she developed from sitting in the office and working intensively in front of the computer every day.

She is not afraid of boredom or loneliness, but her job requires her to keep her mind clear and flexible. For her, exercise is more effective than sleeping.

The original owner was a taciturn and coward, who usually kept to herself and whose hobbies were embroidery, calligraphy and painting. If she changed too much all of a sudden, she would inevitably be questioned. She was also afraid of being seen by others in the courtyard, so she could only settle for the next best thing.

Fortunately, she had a darkroom in her room.

The dark room contained some daily necessities and jewelry, as well as a narrow single bed, which was connected to a tunnel. She could just about get by by running, stretching, and dancing on the spot.

After sweating and feeling comfortable, Mu Lianzhi habitually stood upside down against the wall to clear her mind.

She supported herself on the ground with her elbows, and she had not noticed that she could only do this for about five minutes normally. But since she came to this dynasty, she had found it unusually easy. Not only could she switch between her hands and elbows freely, but she could also do it for more than ten minutes easily without feeling tired the whole time.

She was distracted for a moment, and when she felt it was about time, she jumped down.

After wiping it briefly with water that was almost as cold as ice, she changed back into her ancient underwear and walked to the door. She pulled the sensor cord at the door, but didn't hear any sound from the wind chimes. Knowing that nothing was wrong, she opened the door and walked out.

After she tidied her hair and changed her clothes, she let Xia Xiu come in and help her do a simple bun in her hair.

Just as Mu Lianzhi finished dressing herself up and was thinking about finding something to do, Chunmiao rushed in:

"Miss, guess who I saw just now? Cousin, Cousin is here again, wearing a plain white dress, and is heading to the old lady's room."

"Miss cousin? Do you mean Hua Shuolei?"

That’s right, Ling Wenzhan died in a manor related to her family. If she, the most blessed person, didn’t come to apologize, who else could?

"Well, who else is the cousin besides her?"

Nodding, Chunmiao eagerly put away the gold hairpins and rouge on the dressing table:

"Miss, she will definitely come to you to reminisce about the past when she comes. Don't be foolish and give her everything. The Hua family is not short of money, and she is the last person to be short of money. There is nothing you don't like. This golden hairpin is enough for an ordinary family to eat for a year."

"Miss, she did this on purpose because she thinks you are easy to talk to and thin-skinned."

"I only bring you two pieces of cakes at most each time, and I usually give in to the old lady, and you are the only one who is happy every time."

"Miss, we are not arguing. Let's just treat it as a courtesy. Can you just listen to me once and let us take advantage of her once?"

As she spoke, she winked at Xia Xiu. Mu Lianzhi watched as the two of them secretly transferred the gold hairpin to Xia Xiu's sleeve little by little, probably intending to take it out and hide it when she wasn't paying attention.

These two girls really worry a lot about her livelihood.

Unconsciously, Mu Lianzhi smiled and pushed the entire jewelry box to Xia Xiu:

"Don't worry, she won't be able to take even a blade of grass from me in the future. Don't you feel relieved now?"

"what?"

With a scream, Chunmiao scratched his head foolishly, and remembered again that his young lady was different.

However, for safety reasons, Xia Xiu still held the box and walked to the secret room on the side. Thinking of something, Chun Miao said:

"By the way, miss, there is one more news."

"Someone from the palace came with a message. It seems that there will be an event in the palace on the Qixi Festival. Officials and female relatives must participate. I don't know if it's because the master is still in there, but this time someone came in person and seemed to deliver an invitation."

"I just went out, and they were all talking about it."

"In the past, even if there were large celebrations, who would care whether we, who don't have high positions or noble titles, would attend? And the master is notoriously unsociable."

"This is really a bit strange. The invitation was sent to the mansion even though the master is not here? When did the mansion become so prestigious?"

Hearing this, Mu Lianzhi's eyes lit up:

"Have you forgotten that the old lady and the queen's late mother were close friends?"

If the old lady hadn't still had some face, and if the two remaining sons of the Marquis' Mansion besides the deceased old Marquis were not so disappointing, how could the Marquis' Mansion have fallen to this point?

If the old lady's position in this family was not so important, they would not have resorted to all means to scheme against her, even to the point of taking away the only magic medicine in the Mu family's hands to protect her.

"I really forgot about this, but the person who came to deliver the message seemed to be delivering the imperial will. If it was the Queen's decree, shouldn't someone secretly send a message?"

How could the Queen come to the house so openly? If this were to get out, it would cause a lot of criticism. If not handled properly, there would even be suspicion of colluding with the previous dynasty to interfere in internal affairs, which would bring disaster!

What Chunmiao could think of, Mu Lianzhi naturally thought of as well:

"So this banquet must have another, very important purpose..."

No matter what, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she must find a way to participate.

She immediately stood up:

"Let's go to Fudeyuan."

……

"Aunt, please accept my condolences and take care of yourself."

They ran straight to the old lady's yard. As soon as Mu Lianzhi reached the door, she heard this sentence with a hint of tears in her voice. She signaled Chunmiao to open the curtain and did not give the inner door maid a chance to report. She shouted and walked in:

"Mother, I heard that cousin Hua is here?"

Hearing the sound, they hurriedly wiped away the tears from the corners of their eyes.

"Hey, mother, what happened? Why do you both look unhappy?"

"No……"

Standing up, Hua Shuolei was just about to find an excuse to perfunctorily deal with the situation, when she was suddenly met with Mu Lianzhi's unfamiliar smile, which was as beautiful as a peach or plum. Seeing her in a bright red dress, with red lips and white teeth, and looking extremely healthy, the smile on the corner of her lips instantly froze and shattered. The next second, she screamed:

"Why are you dressed like this?"

After taking two steps back, Mu Lianzhi looked at her innocently:

"Cousin? What's wrong with me?"