Heartstrings Resonance: The Beloved Princess of the Female Power

He tried to open his eyes wide, put his hands together and placed them under his chin, trying his best to act cute. However, Mu Cheng pushed him away with a look of disgust and said bluntly: "Don't disgust me, your sister and younger sister are very cute like this, but you... forget it."

When Mu Yunxiao heard this, he immediately showed a pitiful expression and turned to Xiao Yao for help, "Mom~"

Before Xiao Yao could say anything, Mu Cheng spoke again: "Don't disgust your mother!" Xiao Yao glared at him unhappily.

Mu Yunxiao was so angry that his neck stiffened. He acted like a rich second-generation rich kid, imitating those who spend their days in brothels and think they are romantics and said, "Humph! If I can't stay here, I'll find another place that will."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a muffled sound and Mu Yunxiao flew out directly.

This scene happened too suddenly. The father and daughter were so scared that they covered their faces with their hands at the same time, but the gaps between their fingers were too wide to block their curious gazes.

Xiao Yao stood in front of the door, looking coldly at her son who was getting up. "Who did you learn this face and this action from?"

Seeing this, the father and daughter next to them quietly took two steps back tacitly.

Xiao Yao thought about how she had been away from home for a while, and glared at Mu Cheng. Seeing this, Mu Cheng shook his head and hurriedly explained: "It's not me, I've been busy all day."

Xiao Yao looked back at Mu Yunxiao, who was already kneeling. Mu Yunxiao didn't dare look up at Xiao Yao, and only whispered, "A few days ago, my former private schoolmates told me to go on a picnic and go fishing in the Liudong River. I snuck off for a while, but they said it would be faster to go through Yanliu Lane." He kept glancing at Xiao Yao's face as he watched his mother's face darken. His voice ebbed and flowed. He swallowed and continued in a low voice, "I saw those people arguing over there. It seemed like they couldn't agree on a price, so... they were just... talking. I thought it was fun... so I learned it."

"Do you know where that is?" Mu Cheng asked.

"My classmates said it was a place where they found women to sleep with." He spoke in a low and guilty voice. Mu Cheng and Xiao Yao also knew that he knew it.

But Xiao Yao looked at Mu Yunyue expressionlessly, "You helped him?" Although it was a question, Xiao Yao's eyes said, it's you, right!

Mu Yunyue pouted and nodded, "Second brother said he would bring me some rice cakes from Li Ji, but he broke his promise." Her little hand pointed at Mu Yunxiao.

Mu Cheng frowned, wondering who Mu Yunxiao's classmates were. He knew almost all of them. Who knew about that kind of place? The child was still young, so he had to talk to his family about this! So he asked, "Who called you? Tell me your name."

Mu Yunxiao agreed, recalled, and said one by one: "There are Liu Ce, Cheng Chuan, Huang Haitao, Liu Ming, just these few."

Mu Cheng's frown deepened, and he asked in confusion, "Why don't I remember you having these classmates?"

"Oh! They bought it later." Mu Yunxiao explained.

Mu Cheng asked again: "Which families in Youzhou are they from?"

"They are not. I heard Cheng Chuan say they are from Jingzhou." Mu Yunxiao said.

Hearing about Jingzhou, Xiao Yao frowned. She asked, "How do they know about that kind of place? Also, it's not far to Liudong River via Main Street. Why do they have to go through Yanliu Lane?"

Mu Yunxiao touched his nose and whispered, "Huang Haitao is there."

Mu Cheng's brows never relaxed. He asked, "How old are these people? Why would they go to a place like this?"

Mu Yunxiao said: "Huang Haitao is sixteen, Liu Ce is eighteen, Liu Ming is fifteen, and Cheng Chuan is thirteen."

Xiao Yao was more sensitive and asked, "Who told you what that place is for?"

"It's Liu Ming!" Mu Yunxiao said truthfully.

"Did they ask you to go again?" Xiao Yao asked again.

"Yeah!" Mu Yunxiao nodded. Looking up, he saw his father and mother looking for something handy, apparently preparing a mixed doubles match for him. Craning his neck, he hurriedly explained and pleaded, "I didn't go, I didn't go. I didn't even catch any fish before I ran back. Dad... Mom... Mom, since I called Dad to help you out today, please don't hit me, okay? I will study hard and pass the exam to become a scholar in three years. I will never play around again." The two stopped looking for something and looked at him.

Mu Yunyue's soft voice rang out: "Mom, the earrings are here."

Mu Cheng took the white jade earrings, wiped them on his sleeves, and then put them on Xiao Yao naturally.

Mu Yunxiao was petrified!

Xiao Yao touched the earring that Mu Cheng helped her put on, looked at Mu Yunxiao with disdain, and then said slowly: "I'm waiting for your title of scholar." Then she looked at Mu Yunyue: "You have to be punished too. Go and squat in horse stance for an extra half hour. The ten big characters you had to write in the past will have to be added twenty more." She looked at Mu Yunxiao again, "Your father will punish you." After that, she told Mother Wu to keep an eye on Mu Yunyue and she left.

She didn't even glance at Mu Cheng. Mu Cheng knew that she must still be unhappy about what happened just now. She wanted to deal with this brat before looking for Xiao Yao.

"Come with me to the ancestral hall." He continued walking forward, no matter how angry Mu Yunxiao was. Xiao Yao knew it would hurt, no matter how angry he was. But he wasn't worried. When Mu Yunxi was still at home, he'd taken the boy to exercise every day. A fall wouldn't be a big deal.

Thinking that my daughter has been gone for some time, I sighed helplessly in my heart.

It turned out that more than a month ago, Jin Rongsheng returned to Shuanglin Prefecture from Kyoto, entrusted by Yongle to bring a letter to Mu Yunxi. When he arrived at the Mu Mansion, he learned that Mu Cheng was looking for a powerful martial arts master for Mu Yunxi, but had not found a suitable one. He thought of his own senior sister who was alone in Shu Prefecture and had no children. She was also a woman, and her skills were even better than his. They had not seen each other for many years and only communicated through letters. After asking Mu Cheng for his opinion, Mu Yunxi agreed. He planned to write a letter after returning to Shuanglin Prefecture. The person who wrote back said that he was willing to accept it, but did not want to leave Shu Prefecture. If Mu Yunxi was willing, he would go to Shu Prefecture to find her.

Jin Rongsheng's senior sister, Xie Shengsheng, had passed away early, leaving her to be raised by his master alone. She had remained single since his passing and had never remarried. He knew his sister had feelings for someone, married and with children, but she couldn't let go. Now, she was willing to accept him as a disciple, and the Mu family girl was quite nice, so he could send her to keep her company. His master had originally been reluctant to accept him. When his master was a child, he passed through Shuanglin Prefecture. His sister fell ill, and while he was performing arts to earn money for her medical care, he spotted his master wielding a sword in the street and insisted on becoming his disciple. Initially, his master was reluctant, but then his father investigated his master. He had come from Tongzhou to return his wife's ashes to Shuzhou. His grandfather, impressed by his skill, agreed, considering it comparable to his own. This was primarily because the Jin family wielded spears, not swords; Xie Feng's swordsmanship was powerful and a perfect match for a Jin man. However, because Xie Feng had to return to Shuzhou to bury his wife, the Jin family packed up Jin Rongsheng and sent a few trusted people to accompany him, and let Xie Feng take him away with him. He did not return home until he reached adulthood. However, perhaps because his talent was not as good as Xie Shengsheng's, he could never beat Xie Shengsheng since he was a child.

So, Mu Yunxi, accompanied by Jing Ba, Xiao Nan, Xiao Bei, and Chen Mama, the delicious cook, set off for Shuzhou. Xiao Yao offered her two maids, but she declined, citing Jin Rongsheng's letter as saying her senior sister preferred a quiet life, taking care of her own food, clothing, and shelter. She, however, practiced martial arts, not a life of luxury. She told Mu Cheng and Xiao Yao to send her there. Although reluctant, Mu Cheng and Xiao Yao thought about their daughter's situation and decided it would be a good idea to let her go for a walk—just in case! Mu Yunxi claimed to have let it go, but they could see she hadn't. After reading the letter Yongle had sent Jin Rongsheng, they sensed a growing indifference from their daughter. Xiao Yao felt the most acutely. While at the Qin family, her daughter had always been cheerful, but after reading the letter, she became as cold as an iceberg. She and Mu Cheng both felt a profound change in Mu Yunxi, as if they had never known her before. Despite their swirling thoughts, they allowed her to pursue her own path. Mu Yunxi was also truly grateful to the couple. In this feudal era, the couple still allowed her to do what she wanted. She thanked them solemnly, kowtowed three times, and then set off for Shuzhou.

Half a month ago, Mu Yunxi and his companions had already arrived in Shuzhou. Traveling south from Youzhou to Shuzhou, they had to pass through Yuzhou, Jingdu, and Jingzhou. When they passed Jingdu, they had originally wanted to visit Yongle, but thinking of the contents of the letter, they gave up the idea.

After the group found Xie Shengsheng in Shitou Village, Changxing County, Shuzhou, Xie Shengsheng left behind only Chen Mama, who was cooking. Besides Jing Ba, who was returning to Youzhou to report, Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei would stay, but not with Xie Shengsheng. As long as Xie Shengsheng didn't appear before her, she wouldn't care. After all, no parent could truly trust their daughter with her outside. Mu Yunxi felt a sense of peace as she gazed at the courtyard filled with fruits and vegetables.

Back then, Mu Cheng and his son arrived at the ancestral hall. There weren't many memorial tablets inside, indicating the Mu family was indeed small. Mu Cheng lit incense, and Mu Yunxiao knelt on the mat. Seeing how obedient he was, Mu Cheng pulled a mat and sat down next to him. He patted his shoulder and sighed, "Do you know, Xiao'er? In the past, your mother and I only wanted to protect you. We always felt that the outside world was dangerous, and we wanted to keep you under our wings. We haven't explained the details of your mother and sister's accident to you yet, so I'll tell you today."

Mu Yunxiao's eyes were full of doubts, but he did not ask. He just turned his head and looked at his father quietly.

Mu Cheng took a deep breath and explained to him why he had become the governor of Youzhou, why Xiao Yao and her daughter had encountered such difficulties, and how his so-called classmates might have been obstacles set up by others. After hearing that those people came from Jingzhou, she and Xiao Yao suspected that these were tricks used by the Liu family. Taking their eleven-year-old son to such a place, using such dirty and despicable means. It was easy to guess what their purpose was. After failing to win him over, they wanted to replace him directly! They couldn't find any fault with him elsewhere, so they wanted to attack his wife and daughter, and when that failed, they used this dirty trick to deal with his son.