The whole family is reborn, and their five-year-old child becomes the darling of the entire capital.

Mu Yuxi was a little confused, but these older sisters had all been very kind to her just now. If they all disliked one of the older sisters, then it couldn't be that everyone had done something wrong, right?

Mu Yuxi is still young and doesn't understand that when interests come first, sometimes a single sentence can cause someone to trample another person into a quagmire from which they can't get up.

Musiliao listened to their unabashed whispered discussion, her eyes darkening slightly.

She knew her lowly status; here, illegitimate children could mock concubines, while legitimate children mocked illegitimate children.

Can……

She's just an adopted daughter.

She originally thought that Yan Shanshan had deliberately called her over to bully her.

However, once she got here, she realized that Yan Shanshan had only been used by someone.

She couldn't possibly befriend a young master from a prominent family. As for Yan Shanshan's brother wanting to marry her as a concubine, she had no interest whatsoever. She was just a concubine of the second son of a marquis's family. He wasn't the eldest son, so he had no chance of inheriting the marquis's family. She might as well set her sights on the position of the principal wife of a minor official.

Even if she is disliked, as long as she can bring them enough benefits and she still has the prestige of the Duke's mansion, she can naturally become the principal wife and marry out in a grand and glorious manner.

Therefore, she set her sights on the Ning family.

Lady Ning was frail and could not have children after giving birth to her eldest son. General Ning, because he doted on Lady Ning, never took a concubine, and the family was harmonious. Although the Ning family did not hold high official positions, it was indeed the best position she could attain.

Therefore, she orchestrated several encounters with General Ning.

And all of this must have been discovered by this woman...

Musiliao looked at Ning Xiaohe meaningfully.

Adopted daughter?

She has far more in mind than a child born out of wedlock.

Mu Siliao's gaze swept over them one by one, finally landing on Mu Yuxi. She chuckled and stepped forward to remove the small plate in front of her, replacing it with a plate of pastries.

"Little sister, this lotus seed cake is hard to digest and can cause bloating if you eat too much. This one is much better, so you can eat a little more without any problem."

Mu Yuxi subconsciously opened her small mouth and ate the pastry in Mu Siliao's hand.

Yes, it tastes just as good.

For Mu Yuxi, it was just a casual remark, but for others, it was a different story.

Little sister?

Ning Xiaohe's face turned pale for a moment, but she immediately returned to normal.

The others exchanged bewildered glances. Their families had instructed them to cultivate a good relationship with this cousin. Now, it seemed as if this cousin and the third daughter of the Mu family actually had a good relationship?

Did they inadvertently offend Miss Biao when they were discussing this?

The girls from even poorer families looked even more unwell upon thinking about this.

Yan Shanshan frowned as she watched the scene unfold. Although she was used to being arrogant and domineering, if this were anywhere else, she would definitely make sure that the girl would never be able to hold her head up again. However, this was a banquet for the Mu family's little girl, so she couldn't do whatever she wanted.

Yan Shanshan glared at her resentfully, "Mu Yuxi, you've only just returned to the capital and don't understand. Sometimes, you can pretend not to see certain people."

Xiao Yuxi swallowed the pastry in her mouth and curiously leaned over to look at her older sister beside her.

"What does 'twelve years have passed' mean?" Xiao Yuxi asked her decisively, without feeling embarrassed at all that she didn't know.

Yan Shanshan raised her chin with a touch of arrogance, "What I mean is, if you want to integrate into the circles of Beijing, there are some people you can't associate with, otherwise, over time, you'll be assimilated by them."

Xiao Yuxi nodded, suddenly understanding. She knew this; her aunt had taught her before! "Does this mean that one is influenced by one's surroundings?"

Xiao Yuxi was overjoyed; she had actually remembered those words!

She can remember something so difficult!

As expected of her!

(●'?'●)

Yan Shanshan was somewhat surprised. She had originally thought that this little girl was brought back from the countryside and didn't know anything, but she didn't expect such a pleasant surprise.

In that case...

Be her friend...

I suppose they're qualified enough...

Barely qualified...

Ye Shuyin didn't care much. She remembered that when they were in the pavilion, this third young lady was trying to please her older sister.

But, do you want her family's help?

Don't they even know where they come from...

Ye Shuyin looked at the plate of pastries that had been moved from her plate, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.

Turning back to look at Mu Siliao, whose hair was disheveled, he smiled and said, "Third Miss Mu, why don't you play one more piece, 'The Misfortune of Youth'? Third Miss Mu, please."

Seeing that Mu Siliao was about to say something, Ye Shuyin interrupted her, "You should know this tune, right? Aunt Xu became famous because of this tune, didn't she?"

Musiliao glanced at the surrounding gazes, smiled and nodded, then returned to the stage and picked up her pipa.

Ye Shuyin's lips curled into a faint smile.

Xiao Yuxi held the cup with both hands and slowly drank the water, sip by sip.

I ate too many pastries.

I'm a little choked up.

Yan Shanshan was somewhat surprised. Wasn't Ye Shuyin always going against her? How come she's now on the same side as her?

Ye Shuyin ignored Shanshan's gaze and tapped her fingers lightly on the table, "Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap..."

Halfway through the song, Ye Shuyin stopped pointing and looked towards the door.

The Duchess entered, surrounded by a crowd, but stopped at the doorway because of the music.

The Duchess looked at Musiliao, who was playing the pipa and singing a tune on the stage, and then at Xiaoyuxi, who was sipping tea.

His face was so black it looked like ink could drip from it.

Sure enough, the other ladies behind them were all talking in hushed tones.

"Isn't this piece of music...that kind of music?"

Why would the Duke's mansion play such a piece at a banquet?

"I feel like I've seen that girl on stage somewhere before."

"She seems to be a concubine's daughter from the Duke's mansion, right?"

"What do you mean by illegitimate child? It's the child born to a concubine."

"My Xiaoyue is inside, wouldn't this be an insult to her ears?"

……

The Duchess glanced at the maid beside her.

The maid nodded and stepped forward to stop the third young lady's hand.

Musiliao looked up and saw more than a dozen matriarchs standing at the door, looking at her with strange expressions.

Among them was General Ning's wife.

Musiliao snapped a string with her fingers.

He stood there stunned for a long time before stiffly following the maid away.

The Duchess chuckled softly. If such a thing had happened in her previous life, she would have wanted to hide herself away. But having lived through this life, she had become accustomed to the word "shame."

What's shameful about it? It's just a small matter. With her current status, no one can say anything bad about her.

The Duchess smiled and beckoned Xiao Yuxi over.

When the little girl saw her aunt calling to her, she quickly used her hands to support herself on the chair, climbed down, and then ran over to hug her aunt's leg, calling out in her sweet, childish voice, "Auntie."