Chapter 4

Li Mu didn’t know that Lin Qiwu had come specifically for her, nor did she realize that her words had truly influenced Princess Zhaoming.

After returning home from Mingtai Temple and arriving at the old madam’s courtyard, Nanny Zhao wanted to help Li Mu change into her home clothes. However, Li Mu only took off her outer cloak and refused to let Nanny Zhao continue undressing her.

Nanny Zhao, who often scolded Feixing and Qianyun, was always very patient with Li Mu. She asked, “Are you tired, miss? Would you like to sit and rest for a while and change later?”

Li Mu paused for a moment before slowly nodding.

So, Li Mu sat by the table, holding a cup of hot water to rest. The maids and nannies bustled around, putting away the items they had brought on the trip and finding places for the things they had brought back from outside.

During the busy activity, Feixing started a conversation, asking Qianyun if she had encountered anything interesting. Qianyun then recounted the trivial events of the journey, mentioning the unknown little girl who had gotten separated from her family and accidentally wandered into their guest house. She also complained about how the seventh and eighth young ladies had quarreled again.

Feixing held a few branches of plum blossoms that Li Mu’s Third Brother had picked along the way. She placed one branch in a vase and used the remaining fresh petals to make honeyed plum blossoms. As she picked the petals, she said, “They argue, and you stay by the young lady’s side. It has nothing to do with you, so why complain?”

Qianyun then talked about the ice waterfall mentioned by the little girl, saying that after Li Yunxi and Li Ying quarreled, they completely forgot to ask the old madam to take a detour to see the ice waterfall on the way home, leaving her disappointed.

The two chatted softly until Nanny Zhao, tired and annoyed by their careless work and noise, told them to quiet down.

Throughout the process, Li Mu sat like a statue, not saying a word, quietly recovering from the mental exhaustion of social anxiety brought on by going out and preparing her emotions, waiting for an opportunity—a chance to deal with the letter hidden in her clothes properly.

Li Mu wasn’t truly foolish. She knew that even if she took the letter hidden in the poetry collection, the Li family still hadn’t entirely escaped the fate of being executed.

Li Wendao’s lack of response might not necessarily make the Grand Tutor think he had refused them. They might suspect Li Wendao hadn’t discovered the secret letter and would find another way to contact him without King Yan’s knowledge.

To prevent Li Wendao from getting involved in the assassination plot that would lead to the family’s execution, taking the letter wasn’t enough. She needed to make Li Wendao himself abandon the idea of participating in the assassination.

Once everything was almost tidied up, Feixing told Qianyun and Nanny Zhao to take a break and went to help Li Mu change clothes herself.

People in other courtyards thought Li Mu’s behavior was unusual and difficult to serve, but those in the old madam’s courtyard knew that although Li Mu occasionally did inexplicable things, she was quiet and rarely caused trouble, making her easier to care for than her siblings.

However, today, she seemed possessed. First, she sneaked out of the courtyard early in the morning, and now she refused to change clothes, even climbing onto the bed and curling up in a ball at the foot of the bed to avoid Feixing’s hands.

Feixing’s attempts to persuade Li Mu at the bedside were futile. Nanny Zhao and Qianyun also came to help, but despite their combined efforts of coaxing and cajoling, they couldn’t get Li Mu to cooperate, leaving them all anxious.

The commotion in the courtyard, separated by several doors, quickly reached the old madam.

The old madam, leaning on her cane, entered the room and sat by the bed, calling out, “Mu girl,” and gesturing for Li Mu to come to her side.

Li Mu, who had ignored everyone else, finally moved. She shuffled to the old madam’s side, clutching the old madam’s sleeve with one hand and holding her own collar with the other. Her head was bowed, and she refused to speak.

The old madam glanced at Nanny Qiao, who understood and called Nanny Zhao and the others to wait outside in the courtyard.

For a moment, only the old madam, Nanny Qiao, and Li Mu remained in the room.

The old madam gently coaxed Li Mu, asking why she wouldn’t change her clothes and if someone had bullied her.

Li Mu shook her head, then released her collar, unbuttoned the double bee flower buttons on her inner jacket, and loosened the collar of her undershirt. She took out the thin piece of paper she had hidden for a long time, now warm from her body heat.

Initially puzzled, the old madam took the paper, but her expression turned serious when she saw what was written on it. She quickly hid the contents in her palm, glanced at the door and windows, and asked Nanny Qiao to check that no one was eavesdropping outside. Once assured, she turned back and asked Li Mu in a low voice, “Where did you get this?”

Li Mu’s voice was even softer, “The study.”

The old madam remembered that Li Mu had been found in her eldest son’s study that morning and confirmed, “Your father’s study?”

Li Mu nodded.

The old madam took a deep breath, silently pondering for a moment, then asked Li Mu, “Did you see what was written on it?”

Li Mu shook her head, keeping her head down.

Nanny Qiao reminded the old madam, “Fifth Miss forgot many characters after her illness. She probably couldn’t understand it.”

Like most mainlanders who learned simplified characters from a young age, Li Mu could generally understand the context of traditional characters even if she hadn’t formally studied them. However, there were always a few characters she couldn’t recognize. To quickly master the commonly used characters of this era, she would write down uncertain characters while reading and, once she had a full page, muster the courage to ask others.

She often asked the old madam and Li Yunxi, who frequently visited the old madam. It was one of the few times she would take the initiative to speak, so it wasn’t a secret in the old madam’s courtyard.

The old madam remembered this and patted Li Mu’s shoulder, comforting her, “Don’t be afraid, Mu girl. Tell Grandmother, why did you take it?”

Li Mu shook her head again.

The old madam asked, “Then why won’t you change your clothes? Are you afraid someone will find it?”

Li Mu didn’t shake her head this time. She tightened her grip on the old madam’s sleeve and spoke even more slowly than usual, “I… stole… something.”

She looked like she knew she had done something wrong and was too scared to face it, only wanting to avoid the situation.

The old madam finally felt relieved, “Good child. It is indeed wrong to steal from your father. Grandmother will keep this secret for you, but you must not tell anyone else, understand?”

Li Mu obediently nodded.

In the evening, the family gathered in the old madam’s courtyard for dinner.

Li Mu quietly focused on eating and drinking. After dinner, everyone chatted for a while before dispersing, except for Li Wendao, whom the old madam found an excuse to keep behind.

Nanny Zhao took Li Mu back to the east wing. As the door closed, she glanced back, her gaze sweeping past the east side room and the hall, landing on Li Wendao, who was following the old madam into the west wing.

Once the door was fully closed, Li Mu looked away and was led by Nanny Zhao to wash up and take her medicine.

After a year of living together, Li Mu knew that the old madam valued the interests of the entire family. Therefore, the old madam would likely advise Li Wendao not to get involved in the power struggle between King Yan and the royalists to avoid implicating the whole family.

In ancient times, the concept of “filial piety” held significant sway.

However, she wasn’t entirely confident. After all, the world was full of uncertainties.

What if the old madam couldn’t make Li Wendao listen? What if the old madam was persuaded by Li Wendao instead? What if the old madam also wanted King Yan dead? What if the worst-case scenario happened?

What then?

After drinking her medicine and changing into her nightclothes, Li Mu sat by the bedside, thinking for a long time. It wasn’t until Li Wendao left and the main hall lights were extinguished that she silently slid under the covers, turning over to bury her face in the blanket.

Li Mu was usually the first in the family to go to bed, even earlier than the old madam.

Firstly, because nighttime activities suitable for someone with social anxiety were limited in ancient times, and the dim candlelight made reading and practicing calligraphy likely to cause nearsightedness. Secondly, because she had poor sleep quality, often suffering from insomnia and not getting enough rest, she preferred to lie down early to cultivate sleepiness and prevent sudden death.

After she lay down, only she and the maid on night duty, Feixing, remained in the room.

Unlike the timid and fearful Qianyun, Feixing was lively and bold. She could chat with everyone in the mansion and often brought back gossip and interesting stories from other courtyards to share, making her the complete opposite of Li Mu, a social butterfly.

Whenever Feixing was on night duty, even if Li Mu didn’t respond, she would still chat with her, and tonight was no exception.

Feixing talked about this and that, eventually bringing up Li Mu sneaking out of the courtyard in the morning, asking when she learned to climb out of windows and how she managed to do it when they were all busy and distracted, scaring them half to death.

“Sorry.” The soft, hoarse voice suddenly emerged from the darkness, interrupting Feixing’s chatter.

The room fell silent. Li Mu got up from the bed, and by the faint candlelight on the table, she divided the New Year’s money under her pillow. Then, she got out of bed and walked to the couch, handing the divided money to the bewildered Feixing.

Li Mu wanted to say more, but after struggling for a while, she could only repeat what she had just said, “Sorry.”

Because I want to rewrite the plot where the Li family is executed, causing you almost to get beaten and have two months’ wages deducted, I’m sorry.

Feixing, holding the three portions of silver, stared blankly at Li Mu.

Li Mu turned back to bed, covered herself with the blanket, and, after a few seconds of lying flat, curled up into a ball under the covers, frustrated with herself for not daring to say more. Those two light apologies seemed insincere and arrogant.

Li Mu fell into her usual self-loathing but had done her best. She even cunningly gave all the money to Feixing, asking her to pass the other two portions to Qianyun and Nanny Zhao, avoiding further contact with them.

—Wait.

Li Mu poked her head out of the blanket. Wouldn’t giving the money to Feixing make others think Feixing had stolen her New Year’s money?

Overthinking, Li Mu started a new round of anxiety, not noticing that Feixing hadn’t spoken since she apologized.

Time flowed quietly in the silent night. After much thought, Li Mu decided to let the old madam know she had made up for Nanny Zhao and the others’ wages to avoid causing trouble with her good intentions.

Afterward, Li Mu kept telling herself, “Stop thinking, stop thinking, whatever it is, deal with it tomorrow after you wake up,” trying to relax and catch some sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, her consciousness finally began to drift into sleep. Just as she was about to fall asleep, her rebellious brain reminded her of the words she had said to Lin Qiwu during the day. The embarrassment of speaking impulsively and the awkwardness of no one responding swept over her, making her instantly awake.

Li Mu: “…”

Li Mu kicked the blanket in frustration and shame a few times, trying to kick away the memory.

After kicking, she worried about disturbing Feixing, so she paused for a few seconds and quietly pulled back the bed curtain to look at the couch, only to find that Feixing was gone.

---

On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, at King Yan’s residence. Lin Que sat in a huanghuali armchair, resting his head on his left hand, listlessly flipping through Lin Qiwu’s recently completed homework.

Beside him, Lin Qiwu was in high spirits, happily eating honey oranges transported from the south by water. The table was covered with writing materials and a small mountain of orange peels.

After finishing her share, Lin Qiwu still wasn’t satisfied and eyed the plate of untouched honey oranges on the incense table next to Lin Que. She got up, wandered over, and took one. Seeing that Lin Que didn’t react, she happily peeled the orange.

Next to the fruit plate was a palm-sized scroll and an opened letter. Lin Qiwu glanced at the scroll and noticed the label read “Li Mu, daughter of Li Wendao, Deputy Minister of War.”

She asked, “Is this the Li family’s sister you asked me to test a few days ago?”

Lin Que didn’t even look up, “You can’t even do your own homework properly, and you still have the mind to worry about others?”

Lin Qiwu thought she had done her homework quite well and didn’t understand what was wrong with it, but she didn’t dare to argue. She hummed twice and then asked, “Can I take a look? I really want to know if that Li family sister is truly foolish or just pretending.”

Lin Que glanced at her, “Don’t get the paper dirty.”

“Got it.” Lin Qiwu quickly finished the remaining half of the orange, turned around, and threw the orange peel she had been holding onto the table where she had just done her homework. She then washed her hands and dried them before returning to pick up the scroll.

It had been two days since Princess Zhaoming returned from Mingtai Temple, and all the information about Li Mu had been collected and sent to Lin Que. It was all in the scroll Lin Qiwu held and the opened letter.

The scroll stated that Li Mu was born to a concubine who died in childbirth. She was raised in the courtyard of her stepmother, Madam Qian, who was dignified and serious, focusing all her attention on her two biological sons. She treated Li Mu, her only “daughter,” fairly but not affectionately.

In the spring of her fifteenth year, Li Mu caught a cold from playing too much, which left her with a chronic illness. She frequently fell ill, and many doctors couldn’t cure her.

In early March of her sixteenth year, Li Mu nearly died from an illness. After recovering, her health improved, but she became mentally impaired.

The old madam reacted strongly to Li Mu’s illness, not only blaming her beloved eldest daughter-in-law but also taking Li Mu into her own courtyard to care for her. As for the negligent servants, they were all sold off if possible.

The Jinyiwei spy, Feixing, was assigned to Li Mu during this time of vacancy. Li Mu’s successful use of “hide and seek” to sneak into Li Wendao’s guest area to eavesdrop was mainly due to Feixing’s secret assistance, as Feixing also needed more time to gather intelligence on the Li family. Feixing had already figured out that Li Mu liked to hide in the alley next to Li Wendao’s study. So, on the morning of the ninth day of the first lunar month, as soon as Li Mu ran out of the old madam’s courtyard, Feixing found her. However, Feixing didn’t immediately take Li Mu back because she also wanted to know what Li Wendao and Wen Bingren were discussing in the study.

When Li Wendao and Wen Bingren left the study, she was about to take Li Mu back, but Li Mu jumped into the study first and took the letter hidden in the poetry collection. Afterward, Feixing released a carrier pigeon to send the news of Li Mu stealing the letter to King Yan’s residence. She sent another small note on the night of the ninth day of the first lunar month, confidently stating that Li Mu was indeed a fool.

Besides these, an old incident from six years ago had just been discovered and sent over, so it wasn’t included in the scroll but was written in the letter. The letter said that when Li Mu was eleven, she went to Mingtai Temple with the old madam to burn incense and pray. On the way, their carriage encountered a ragged, disheveled monk who asked them for water.

The old madam ordered Nanny Qiao to give the monk a bowl of water. Young Li Mu, curious, lifted the carriage curtain. Upon seeing her face, the monk was stunned and sighed repeatedly, making Nanny Qiao anxious and prompting her to ask why.

After drinking the water, the monk didn’t explain his sighs but instead recited a Buddhist saying, “The appearance changes with the heart,” and praised Li Mu highly. Finally, he said, “When she comes of age, even if the whole family faces disaster, she will turn misfortune into fortune.”

The monk’s praise startled Nanny Qiao, but the monk had disappeared by the time she realized it.

The old madam reported this to the monks at Mingtai Temple, but they didn’t know the monk’s origins and couldn’t discern anything special about Li Mu’s appearance. Thus, the matter was left unresolved.

Two years ago, when Li Mu began to fall ill, the old madam remembered the monk who had asked for water. Previously, the old madam had focused on the phrase “the whole family faces disaster.” When Li Mu fell ill, she realized the hidden meaning in the first part of the monk’s words.

When she comes of age… what if she doesn’t live to come of age?

This is why the old madam was so angry and anxious after Li Mu fell ill. She blamed Madam Qian for inadequate care, sold off negligent servants, and finally took Li Mu into her own courtyard for care.

After reading this, Lin Qiwu’s impression of Li Mu gained a mystical and theological aspect. She even asked cautiously, “This isn’t something taken from a storybook, is it?”

It was too strange.

And, “Is she really a fool?”

Lin Que replied, “You don’t believe it?”

“The information from the Jinyiwei, I naturally believe, but I always felt that Sister Mu didn’t seem like a fool,” Lin Qiwu thought for a moment. “How about I invite her to our house to play and test her again?”

With more interactions, it should become clear.

“You dare to invite her, but the Li family may not dare to let her come,” Lin Que changed the subject. “I heard you got along well with another girl from the Li family?”

Lin Qiwu replied, “Yes, her name is Yunxi, Li Yunxi.”

Lin Que tossed Lin Qiwu’s homework to the side of the fruit plate, “Now that you’ve moved back to the Princess’s residence, shouldn’t you write her a letter to inform her?”

“Oh! I almost forgot. I had asked her to find me at the temple,” Lin Qiwu put the scroll and letter back. “I’ll write her a letter now. As for the homework…”

Hearing Lin Qiwu mention homework, Lin Que instantly looked more exhausted, “Get out.”

Lin Qiwu’s eyes lit up, “You said it! I’m leaving then. If Auntie asks, you have to cover for me.”

As she spoke, she grabbed two more oranges and ran out of the room before finishing her sentence.

…

Early the next morning, two letters from the Princess’s residence were delivered to the Li family. Both were said to have been written by Lin Qiwu. One was for Li Yunxi, and the other was for Li Mu.