SFS Chapter 187 Using Chess Pieces!
Chapter 187 Using Chess Pieces!
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head. "I'm not worried that they'll lead our Ah Xuan and Ah Yuan astray. I trust Ah Xuan's self-control. What I'm worried about is that Second Aunt might have some bad intentions towards Mu Xin Yao and Ah Yuan."
“A-Yuan?” Madam Li thought for a moment and realized what was going on. A-Yuan was Madam Song’s son. Although he had a close relationship with her and A-Nuan over the years, they were still separated by a blood relationship. Who knew if he would be provoked by others in the future?
Especially that Mu Xinyao, she's completely ungrateful, always scheming against Anuan. The more Li thought about it, the more she felt that Jin might have instigated the two children to gang up on her.
"Anuan, why don't you spend less time with Ayuan in the future? After all, he's grown up now, and it's not appropriate for him to always be running around in the backyard."
“Mother, you’re overthinking it. We’re all family, what’s inappropriate about it? Are you suggesting that Ah Xuan should have less contact with me from now on?”
Thinking about it, Li sighed, "Life was going so well until Jin came back and made things so unsettling."
"Mother, I heard that the old lady intends to have my younger sister adopted into the second branch of the family. Is this true?"
Madam Li was taken aback and looked at her in disbelief. "The old lady just mentioned this to me yesterday. How did you know about it?"
"There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Besides, the old lady already had this idea before the second branch of the family returned to the capital."
"Anuan, tell me the truth, where did you hear that from?" For the first time, Madam Li felt that her daughter was much smarter than she had imagined!
"Mother, how do you think Song died?" Mu Xin Nuan thought for a moment and decided to explain Song's situation to her mother so that they could work together to deal with the old lady.
"Anuan, what exactly do you know?"
“Mother, that day, when I heard she was sick, I thought that she was A-Yuan’s birth mother, so I sent Mu Qing to deliver some food to Song Shi and see what was wrong with her. But when Mu Qing got there, she found out that Song Shi was using a hunger strike as an excuse to threaten the two old women into calling A-Yuan and Mu Xinyao over.”
"You mean the mother and her two children met?"
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. "Not only that, Madam Song also took out some of her privately hidden silver and divided it among her siblings. It was obvious that she was giving her last words. Later, Mu Qing reported back to me, and I felt that something was wrong. I sent her to go again and found that Liu Mama, who was by the old lady's side, had also gone to the Plum Courtyard and was talking to Madam Song in the room about the future of the second young lady and what would happen if she became the legitimate daughter."
At this point, Mu Xin Nuan reached out and grasped Li Shi's hand, "If Mu Xin Yao wants to become the legitimate daughter, what other methods do you think Mother could use?"
Li understood her daughter's meaning. So, the old lady had ordered Song Shi to be forced to death in order to get Mu Xinyao adopted into the second branch of the family? That was her own niece! Thinking about it this way, Li felt a chill in her heart. If she was like this to her own niece, she would probably be even more ruthless to her daughter-in-law.
“The second branch of the family has no daughters, and Mu Xinyao is now of marriageable age. My second brother has just returned to the capital and is not yet settled. Even with the help of the master, he is still weak and alone.”
As Li spoke, she gave a self-deprecating laugh, "The old lady really has a good plan! I really don't know if she's truly doing this for Mu Xinyao's sake, or for the sake of the second branch of the family?"
"Is there even a need to ask?" Mu Xin Nuan's expression was calm and indifferent. "In the old lady's eyes, making Mu Xin Yao the legitimate daughter and finding her a good marriage is just a pretense. What she really wants to do is simply use Mu Xin Yao as a pawn to win over some helpers for Second Uncle."
"What a clever scheme! Making Mu Xinyao the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the family means that she, a mere concubine's daughter, will naturally be grateful to the old lady and the entire second branch! In this way, finding her a good marriage is equivalent to finding Mu Changping an even better backer! Truly brilliant!"
Mu Xin Nuan knew that this matter had greatly affected her mother! Although her mother did not particularly like Mu Xin Yao, she was still her father's daughter. If someone were to give her away for adoption, her father would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Once her father thought of this, he would surely feel guilty towards Mu Xinyao, and perhaps, because of this guilt, he would treat Mu Xinyao differently. Of course, Mu Xinnuan felt there was no need to tell her mother about this thought.
"Mother, in your opinion, do you think Father will agree to the old lady's request?"
Madam Li shook her head. "It's hard to say! After all, the second branch of the family has no daughters, which is their biggest disadvantage. The two sons of the second branch are still young, and if they want to arrange marriages, it will probably take three to five years. Your second uncle probably can't wait that long."
"So, what they urgently need now is the fastest and most effective way to establish a powerful backer for Second Uncle?"
Madam Li nodded, her face full of worry. "It seems I need to discuss this matter with your father first. I originally wanted to talk to him about it last night, but he's been so busy with official duties lately that I haven't had a chance."
Mu Xin Nuan smiled faintly, "What can Father say? Never mind, you don't need to worry too much. As for Father, whether he knows or not doesn't matter. We'll talk about it later. Besides, just because Second Uncle doesn't have a daughter now doesn't mean he won't have one in the future."
Upon hearing this, Madam Li glanced at her, feeling that her daughter's words were somewhat profound. Her daughter would never say such things without reason, and she even brought up the chess game that the old lady had already started to play. It seemed that she had to be extra careful.
Mu Xin Nuan's words to Li Shi were nothing more than a hint that she should be wary of Jin Shi!
Jin is currently just the wife of a fourth-rank official, without any official title. She can rely on the old lady's favor to boss people around in the Mu family. If the second uncle gains power in the future, won't she be over the top?
What Mu Xin Nuan didn't say was that people like Jin Shi and her second uncle were absolutely only interested in power and had no sense of family affection! If someone were to suggest that her second uncle kill her brother and then offer him a high-ranking official position, she would definitely do it without hesitation!
The lessons learned in her past life have made Mu Xin Nuan more insightful in judging people in this life! In addition, the information she had others investigate was certainly not a lie!
The old lady is quite cunning, but now that I know what they're thinking, I'm not going to let them have their way!
Mu Xinyao, if you don't collude with them, I might show you mercy in the future! But if you dare to cooperate with them, then don't blame me for being ruthless!