Chapter 11: I'll be Your Go-Between and Arrange the Marriage
"Your Majesty, your subordinate has already checked everything thoroughly but has no way of determining the origins of that item. It has been another false lead."
"Mm."
"What should we do next?"
"Continue to wait."
Listening to the voices from inside a building, Mu Yunjin was a little bit shocked. Without needing to think much, the two voices inside were definitely extremely familiar.
When she'd thought about it, Mu Yunjin grit her teeth. In a split second, she realised that the owners of the two voices, could they possibly be…
Mu Yunjin did not want to continue thinking about it as she realised that it was not good to loiter around this place. Just as she was going to run away, she accidentally stepped on a tree branch, resulting in a snapping sound.
Mu Yunjin was panicked as in this very moment, a purple figure emerged from inside the palace to stand in front of her.
It really was the purple clothed guy she met that day at the Cultural Building.
Mu Yunjin saw this familiar person and instinctively wanted to say hello, but she regained her senses and bit down on her lower lip.
Luckily, she had worn a veil that day so he should not be able to recognise her.
As her thoughts wandered to this point, Mu Yunjin felt a gaze that was examining her, accompanied by a dreadful chill.
She felt a gloomy aura all around her, causing Mu Yunjin to feel that she was in a very dangerous situation.
Were they discussing some kind of secret plan just now?
After a momentary pause, she didn't wait for the purple clothed man to speak and instead Mu Yunjin plastered a smile on her face, "That… I came to the palace on Imperial Concubine Qin's orders. I got lost just now, can you tell me how to get to the Plum Blossom Hall?"
When the purple clothed man heard what Mu Yunjin had asked, his eyes started to fill with some mysterious emotion. His whole body released a kind of chill as he narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing up Mu Yunjin.
Receiving this kind of hidden gaze, Mu Yunjin's heart was a little frightened as she hid her hands in her sleeves. Her fists, which were already tightly clenched, were ready for a fight.
After what seemed like half a day, the purple clothed man still remained silent.
"Cough… it seems that you also are not familiar with the palace so I'll take my leave first." Mu Yunjin took the initiative to speak as she turned around to run away.
She had only managed to run two steps when a kind of gas was suddenly released behind her, causing Mu Yunjin's transient body to stop. She could not help but to step a few steps backwards.
By the time she came back to her sense, a pair of hands had already wrapped around her white neck.
Mu Yunjin felt suffocated as she knit her brows together. She stretched forth a hand to grab onto the purple man's hand that was clasped around her neck, "Didn't I just ask you for directions? Why would you go so far as to strangle me?
After hearing this, that purple clothed man stared at Mu Yunjin calmly, his lips curving up into a faint smile, hinting that this man was currently displeased.
"Your Highness." Ding Xiang had come out from inside the palace. Looking at the scene taking place outside, his mouth opened wide in shock.
Ding Xian walked to the purple clothed man's side, first pointing at Mu Yunjin then pointing at the purple clothed man. After that, feeling a bit mystified, he said, "Your highness, she…"
Ding Xiang had yet to finish what he wanted to say before the purple clothed man had already released Mu Yunjin, turning around to leave.
"Walk towards the South. Plum Blossoms Hall is in that direction."
He threw down this one sentence and left Mu Yunjin with only the view of his back.
Feeling that the dark aura all around her was leaving with the purple clothed man, Mu Yunjin stretched forth a hand to rub at her neck, her lips slightly curving into a smile.
It looks like she had come across a big secret that could ruin families or else she would not have been almost eternally silenced.
Ding Xian was walking beside the purple clothed man with knitted eyebrows. He was a little worried, "Your Highness, how much do you think she heard just now?"
After he said this, the pupils of the purple clothed man contracted slightly. He took out a white jade pendant from the inside of his sleeve, his fingers slowly caressing it. After that, it seemed like he had thought of something as he said unhurriedly, "What would my grandmother call her to the palace for?"
Once Ding Xian realized that the purple clothed man was no longer going to continue discussing this topic, he shrugged his shoulders and touched his nose, "At that time, it was to act as the go between to help Your Highness arrange your marriage."
At the same time, in the Plum Blossoms Hall.
"What happened, didn't the girl Mu Yunjin also come with you all? Where is she?" Imperial Concubine Qin, clad in a dark red brocade dress, asked as she sat in the Plum Blossoms Hall looking at the three Ladies in front of her. After that, she cast a glance at Elderly Lady Qu.
Elderly Lady Qu lowered her head as she appeared to look troubled. The Third Miss of the Mu family was clearly walking behind them as they entered the palace; how come she had disappeared?
Mu Lingzhu appeared to be very worried, but she was actually secretly excited. This idiot really knew how to make a mess of things for herself.
This time, Mu Yunjin was causing Imperial Concubine Qin to be unhappy, so Mu Lingzhu would wait and see how she would reap the consequences later.
Just as she was thinking about this, she saw a green figure appear in front of everyone. It was the one who had disappeared for a long time, Mu Yunjin.
Upon seeing this, Mu Lingzhu cast a glance at Imperial Concubine Qin. She had thought Imperial Concubine Qin would scold Mu Yunjin, but she heard a voice completely filled with love.
"Jin'er, my dear girl, quickly come to over to me."
Jin'er…
Mu Lingzhu was so angry that she almost wrinkled her nose, and both hands were tightly clutching at the silk handkerchief in her hands. With this intimate form of address, what kind of disease had befallen this Imperial Concubine that she would actually favor this idiot.
Mu Yunjin had just stepped into the Plum Blossoms Hall when she heard Imperial Concubine Qin's voice. She only saw Imperial Concubine Qin wave at her with a smile on her face that was incomparably warm.
Subconsciously, Mu Yunjin was filled with a very good impression of Imperial Concubine Qin.
"Mu Yunjin greets Aunt Imperial Concubine." Mu Yunjin walked to the front of the desk, caressing Imperial Concubine's hand.
"Let's not stand on ceremony, quickly sit over here." Imperial Concubine Qin pointed at the seat beside her.
Mu Yunjin nodded her head, automatically ignoring the malicious glance from Mu Lingzhu. She walked to the seat beside Imperial Concubine Qin and sat down.
"It's still quite early in the day, you should accompany me to eat some dishes." Imperial Concubine Qin pointed at a few pastries on the table as she spoke to the few people in front of her.
"Many thanks to Imperial Concubine Qin." Mu Lingzhu was the first one to reply in order to show Imperial Concubine Qin a lovable expression.
Imperial Concubine Qin nodded her head and smiled, "I heard that you missed the opportunity to become the number one scholar this year. Do not be disheartened and eat more of the pastries. Continue to work hard next year."
"Thanks to Aunt Imperial Concubine." Mu Lingzhu's lowered her eyes. Hearing Imperial Concubine Qin talk about this, her heart was momentarily disgusted.
"That's right, you still have some scars on your face. Is it from the competition that day?" Imperial Concubine Qin said as she pointed at Mu Lingzhu's cheeks.
Mu Lingzhu felt a bit embarrassed when she heard what Imperial Concubine said and forgot how to speak like she normally would . She could not say a single word and could only nod her head.
Mu Yunjin ate those pastries happily while listening to the entire conversation that was taking place between Imperial Concubine Qin and Mu Lingzhu. Her lips curved into a smile as she started to ponder about whether or not the things she had said were out of concern or maliciousness.
Mu Yunjin ate this meal with incomparable satisfaction.
"Imperial Concubine, Third Prince and Eighth Prince are here." Elder Lady Qu bent down as she gestured towards the front.
Imperial Concubine Qin paused for a while before looking upwards. She saw a few elegant figures walking towards her.
Mu Yunjinturned in the direction in which Imperial Concubine Qin was looking and after taking a faint glace, gave a subconscious sigh of relief when she realized that the purple clothed man's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Just as she was about to pick up a ladle of honeyed soup, her sleeve was suddenly grabbed by Mu Lingzhu. She only saw that Mu Lingzhu was standing up along with the other two palace ladies, preparing to give a bow to those two princes.
Mu Yunjin pursed her lips and thought it was troublesome, but she still stood up and went along with the flow to raise her body.
"Eh…" Suddenly, there came a cry of surprise.
Mu Yunjin heard it and looked up only to see that the Third prince, Chu Qing, was staring at her with a look of ridicule.
"Qing'er what's wrong?" Imperial Concubine Qin was a little confused.
Chu Qing smirked as he narrowed his eyes slightly. He mocked, "Nothing much, I just feel that this Lady Mu's legs can move quite fast."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Imperial Concubine Qin could not quite understand what Chu Qing was saying.
"It's not really a big deal. It's just that when Eighth Brother and I were passing by the Cheng Jing Palace, we saw Lady Mu talking with Sixth Brother. Just a little moment later, we see her sitting here, so I was just surprised."
After Chu Qing has spoken, everyone present immediately looked towards Mu Yunjin.
Even Mu Yunjin's brain was going through turmoil as it tried to comprehend what Chu Qing had just said.
Cheng Jing Palace…
Sixth Brother…
So that purple clothed man was actually the Sixth Prince, Chu Li?
Damn!
Mu Yunjin really wanted to curse, but, under these circumstances, she could only keep her mouth tightly shut.
"Jin'er, just now you were late because you were meeting with Li'er?" Imperial Concubine Qin looked extremely happily as she stared at Mu Yunjin.
"I had gotten lost and accidentally bumped into Sixth Prince and asked him for directions. It wasn't that we had specially arranged to meet." Mu Yunjin started to explain.
Mu Lingzhu sat at the side, desiring to tear everything apart with her teeth. This damned idiot, she had actually gotten lucky and managed to meet with the Sixth Prince.
That was the man of her dreams.
The worse thing was that if she was just slower by a few steps, it was possible that she also could have met the Sixth Prince.
The more Mu Lingzhu thought about it, the more regret she felt.
Lady Mu, you don't have to be so shy, you are already betrothed to Sixth Brother. Just now, we even saw that Sixth Brother was gently caressing your neck. It looks like you've already done some naughty deeds in private, hahaha." Eighth Prince Chu Xin snickered, casually picking up a piece of pastry, leisurely taking a bite.
"Cough… cough… cough…" Mu Yunjin was drinking tea when it went down the wrong pipe.
Gently caressing her neck?
She dared them to even try to come up with a lie worse than that.
She had almost been strangled to death by Chu Li, okay? You call this a warm caress?
Ha!
"If this is the case, then that's really excellent! I had initially thought that hastily bestowing this marriage upon you would cause you to hold a grudge. Now I can finally rest assured. Yunjin, the moment you reach marriageable age, I will go and look for the Emperor and ask him to let you two marry!"
Imperial Concubine Qin's eyes were shining brightly as she looked extremely elated.
Mu Yunjin's eyebrows knitted together as everything that had taken place had been completely out of her expectations. She could not help but to stare hatefully at Chu Qing.
As for Chu Qing, he also happened to be looking at her. Looking at her raise her eyebrows, he smiled gleefully and said, "Then we will wait to celebrate with Sixth Brother over some celebratory wine."
Mu Lingzhu could not bear to listen to this any longer. She had tolerated it for such a long time to the point where she could not hold it in any longer and blurted out, "Lingzhu understands her Elder Sister the most and knows that Elder Sister definitely would not lie. So just now she must definitely have been lost and just happened to bump into the Sixth Prince."
"Sister gets shy easily, everyone should not tease her any longer."
Translated by Socksrocker
Edited by Ely