dognovel Chapter 785 Goodbye Mu Xinyi!
Chapter 785 Goodbye Mu Xinyi!
After several months of busy work, Mu Xin Nuan saw that the Emperor's health had improved considerably, so she gave him a few more instructions. Only then did she have some free time to take Duanmu Zonghua out of the palace and head straight to the Mu residence.
Duanmu Chuze has been quite busy lately because Mu Xinnuan is taking care of the Emperor's health. She knows that the Emperor is getting old and it's not good for him to be tired.
However, the emperor is the ruler of the country, and he cannot handle everything himself.
Besides, the emperor's mind is unpredictable. If he takes too much initiative, he will inevitably worry that his father will think that his desire for power has grown wildly.
After Duanmu Chuze's persuasion, the Emperor issued an edict ordering Prince Ming to remain in the capital. As for his fiefdom, he was to enjoy all the taxes and silver there according to the law, and he did not need to go to his fiefdom in person.
With this imperial decree, the Empress's mood improved considerably.
At least she still had her two sons by her side.
Mu Xin Nuan took the child to pay her respects to the old master, and then went to Jin Yuan to talk to her mother, Li Shi.
"Reporting to Madam, the Second Madam has arrived with the Third Miss."
"Third Miss?" Mu Xin Nuan was stunned for a moment before she remembered that she had a younger sister named Mu Xin Yi, who was the daughter of the second wife, Yang Shi.
After Yang passed away, she returned to the capital and never saw her younger sister again. For a time, she really forgot that such a person existed.
"Yang is gone. She begged your second uncle, and he agreed to let her stay in a temple outside the city for a year to pray for Yang's well-being. You know that Yang was just a concubine, and Mu Xinyi shouldn't have done such a thing for a concubine. So, we didn't make a fuss. If anyone asked, we just said that she went to pray for the old master's well-being."
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. This Mu Xin Yi was indeed thoughtful.
I'm afraid that her wish to leave here to pray for blessings is just a pretense. Her main concern is that she'll be left alone and helpless in the mansion, and that she might be schemed against by her second aunt again.
"Your third sister has been gone for a year?"
“At first it was said to be a year, but unexpectedly it has been almost two years. If it weren’t for what happened to you this time, I’m afraid no one would have remembered her and she would still be living in the temple.”
"This third sister is truly unfortunate," Mu Xin Nuan said, but she hadn't forgotten how her sister had schemed against her back then.
Well, now that she's the Crown Princess, if she keeps arguing with them about these things, people will think she's petty.
Besides, we're all family, we can't all become estranged, can we?
"Greetings to my aunt and my elder sister."
Mu Xin Nuan nodded, indicating that there was no need for formalities. Mu Xin Yi, whom she hadn't seen for several years, had become even smarter. As soon as she entered, she addressed her as "elder sister" instead of "Crown Princess," which was clearly an intention to get closer to the sisters.
Mu Xin Nuan looked her up and down a few times. Her eyebrows and eyes did indeed resemble Yang Shi's. Looking at her somewhat thin body, a man would inevitably feel a bit of pity for her.
"My sister has worked hard to pray for the old man."
Mu Xinyi's lips curved slightly, "It is my sister's blessing to be able to pray for Grandfather."
Madam Jin didn't say anything sarcastic or mean. She knew that there weren't many girls in their second branch of the family now, and Mu Xinyi was quite pretty. Although she hadn't been very close to her in the past few years, as time went on...
If she wants to find a good husband and gain a foothold in that family, she will ultimately have to rely on her, her legal mother.
To put it bluntly, a concubine's daughter is still not someone who can be presented to the public.
The eldest son of any respectable and wealthy family would never be willing to take a woman of such low status as a concubine.
The Jin family didn't intend to make things difficult for her; they would treat ordinary people the same way.
"Third Sister is rather delicate, perhaps because her life at the temple was too austere. Second Aunt, you should really give Third Sister some nourishment; at this age, it's time to start thinking about marriage, isn't it?"
"Yes, we had looked at a few places before, but then something happened in Beijing, so we put it aside. Now that everything is peaceful, that's why we had someone bring her back. It just so happens that Anuan is here today, so she can help Second Aunt make a decision."
Seeing Mu Xinyi's face slightly flushed, Mu Xinnuan teased, "Second Aunt, you really are something. Third Sister is a young lady of marriageable age, and you don't even know how to keep a distance."
Jin waved her hand, "What's there to be afraid of? We're just family, there are no outsiders here. It's perfectly normal for my sister-in-law and Anuan to help make a decision."
"That's true. Your second aunt told me about a few the other day. Here are some of their family backgrounds. Take a look and see which one is more suitable?"
"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer, Second Aunt."
Mu Xin Nuan smiled and accepted the note from the nanny, then looked at it carefully.
Mu Xinyi sat down to the left of Jin Shi and quietly looked up at her elder sister. After not seeing her for several years, her complexion was rosy, her eyes were full of affection, and her whole being exuded an indescribable charm.
Looking at her, she was just sitting there. Perhaps because she was going back to her parents' home, she didn't deliberately pay attention to her appearance or status. Instead, her noble and elegant demeanor was displayed to the fullest.
Mu Xinyi sighed inwardly, realizing that she was still no match for this older sister.
She is not only the eldest daughter of the Mu family, but more importantly, she is also the current Crown Princess.
What has given her her current prestige is definitely not just her identity.
Perhaps it's more because of her intelligence and virtue.
Although the Crown Prince never took a concubine, he had heard that his elder sister had accomplished several great deeds that made her famous throughout the land when she was in Yanzhou in her early years.
The renowned Yanzhou Girls' School was conceived and personally organized by her elder sister.
I heard that even the Empress herself praised it highly and gave it strong support back then.
A few years ago, Mu Xinyi might have only felt jealous and thought that God was unfair.
But after these years of reflection, she realized that if she wanted to marry into a good family, she would not only have to rely on her stepmother, Jin, but also on the strength of her elder sister. Only then would she have a chance to marry into a high-ranking family.
Having figured all this out, Mu Xinyi's jealousy gradually faded.
Just think about Mu Xinyao, who always went against her elder sister, and what a tragic end she ended up with.
Mu Xinyi understood that she had no say in marriage matters, but her elder sister was definitely capable of finding her a good family, even if she knew she was just a pawn, it was better than marrying into a high-ranking family as a concubine!
Born as an illegitimate daughter, she had come to a complete understanding that once a woman becomes a concubine, she will likely never have a chance to rise above her circumstances.