Little Mumu Is Far Too Scheming

"My dear, where will I be staying tonight?" Mo Feiyuan suddenly changed the subject, his eyes smiling as he looked at Yun Feiyue.

Yun Feiyue let out a cold laugh and pointed across the way, "Yanyang Pavilion is your residence. Feiyue Pavilion is where Mu Mu and I stay."

Mo Feiyuan's expression shifted ever so slightly. "But you are my wife now."

"Yes, but if we stay together too long, we'll grow tired of each other." Yun Feiyue tilted her chin, gazing at Yun Feng and Jun Shaomo across the courtyard. "We should be like my third brother. Do you understand?"

Mo Feiyuan nodded in deep agreement. "But didn't you just say that a short separation is sweeter than new love?"

Yun Feiyue sighed, her face changing as she slowly exhaled. "My words never count for much."

"Then you still want to go to Jing Kingdom?"

Yun Feiyue heard the threat in his tone. Mo Feiyuan meant that if she went to Jing Kingdom, he'd have to go with her.

Fine, she conceded.

Mu Mu saw how happily the two were conversing and didn't dare interrupt, so he turned toward Luo Yunhuang and Yun Hai.

"Second uncle, second aunt, there's something I want to discuss."

"Second aunt?" Luo Yunhuang rubbed her ear. "You've learned to tease your master?"

Mu Mu shook his head helplessly. "No, I'm just calling you that for fun! I have something important to discuss with Master."

Luo Yunhuang looked at the little fellow with utmost seriousness. From what she knew of Mu Mu, if he came to her so earnestly, it would not be a simple matter.

She picked Mu Mu up and regarded him intently. "Go ahead, what is it? As long as it's something I can do, I will do it."

A sly glint flashed in Mu Mu's eyes; he'd known Luo Yunhuang would agree. Next, Master, don't blame me—what follows may upset you. But for my mother's happiness, it's the only way.

"Master, you know Mo Twelve, right?"

Luo Yunhuang nodded; as a member of the Mo family, of course she knew Mo Twelve. That was hardly surprising, especially given her unusual status.

She was quite familiar with Mo Twelve.

Mu Mu nodded slightly; he had expected as much.

He then turned to Yun Hai. "Second uncle, I want to speak to second aunt alone."

Yun Hai wasn't entirely pleased, but hearing Mu Mu call Luo Yunhuang second aunt, he felt elated and happily took his leave.

Mu Mu and Luo Yunhuang walked deep into the Yun family garden.

"Master, I can't deceive you any longer." Mu Mu looked at Luo Yunhuang with earnest gravity. "Do you remember the Phoenix Sky Forest? Mother was fighting, and I saw you talking with Mo Twelve. But I said nothing at the time—not because I didn't trust you, Master, but because I didn't want anyone beyond my control."

"Later, Mother and I went to the Mo family. I realized the Mo family held you in high esteem. Then, from a servant girl, I learned you were a remarkable figure in the Mo family. Mother knew this too, but she didn't expose you, because she trusted you."

"But for Mother's safety, I couldn't fully trust Master. So I conducted an in-depth investigation. I confirmed you wouldn't harm me. Yet, Master, I have some questions."

Mu Mu's sudden maturity and profound thoughts startled Luo Yunhuang. The child before her was increasingly like Mo Feiyuan. He too, as a boy, had such gentle eyes and deep thoughts.

"Go ahead, what questions?"

She exhaled softly, smiling at Mu Mu. This was her disciple.

Mu Mu waited until he was sure Luo Yunhuang was not angry before continuing. "My question is—why did you approach Mother? I don't want anyone to be a threat to her. Even you, Master. You're the daughter of the Grand Elder, so why get close to Mother?"

That last sentence struck Luo Yunhuang like a thunderbolt. She had thought he only knew her identity as the eighth master, but he had also discovered her lineage as the Grand Elder's daughter.

This child truly was her disciple.

Mu Mu saw Luo Yunhuang's uneasy expression and considered before speaking. "I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean to hide things from you, but you hid things from me. Mother always says, in this world, no one is kind to others for no reason. But she's too kind—she knows this, but won't expose anyone."

"What Mother can't do or won't do, Mu Mu will do. Master, give me a reason."

Those beautiful, starry eyes appeared terrifying to Luo Yunhuang. She had never imagined this child could be so cunning. He seemed like a clever, sharp-tongued boy—how could he be like this?

She could hardly believe her eyes and ears, but the reality before her confirmed it all.

"If Master says it was because of Mo Feiyuan at first, would you believe me?"

Mu Mu shook his head. "No, because you don't love him. Why would you care about the woman he loves?"

Luo Yunhuang exhaled slowly. "Just curiosity—he was a companion. I was curious about the woman he liked."

"Master, if you don't tell the truth, I'll have to get rough." Mu Mu bit his lip, holding some strange object in his hand, its purpose unknown.

Luo Yunhuang smiled lightly. "Do you think you can hurt me? Since you knew all along, why reveal it only now?"

She suddenly felt outplayed by this child.

Mu Mu lowered his head, pondering for a long time before smiling gently at Luo Yunhuang. "Because you're my master. I waited for you to tell me, but you never did. Mother hadn't reached the eighth level then, but now she has."

That smile, to Luo Yunhuang, was anything but gentle—rather, it was cold.

She pursed her lips, forcing out a cold smile on her delicate face. "As expected of my disciple. I should be happy to have a disciple like you!"

Mu Mu extended his small hand, palm open, full of helplessness. "I'm sorry. I know this hurts you, Master. But when you hid things from me and Mother, did you realize we would be upset? My mother is rather dense and never says what she feels, so perhaps you've already hurt her deeply."

Hurt her deeply?

Luo Yunhuang eyed Mu Mu suspiciously. He said she'd wounded his mother—it seemed impossible.

Luo Yunhuang glanced at Mu Mu, then snorted. "Well, you've already made Master unhappy."

Mu Mu thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "Master, you haven't answered my question. Why did you stay by Mother's side? If it's a secret, I won't tell anyone."

At this moment, Luo Yunhuang felt truly wounded.

Until Mu Mu knelt before her.

He apologized sincerely.

"I've never knelt to anyone. I should have when I became your disciple, so I'll make up for it now." His childish face was full of earnestness.

Luo Yunhuang took a deep breath, walked to Mu Mu, and extended her hand.

"Master forgives me?"

Luo Yunhuang nodded. "Do you want the truth?"

Mu Mu replied, "Yes."

Luo Yunhuang smiled softly. "Actually, you already knew, didn't you? Why did you insist on hearing it from me?"

"Because you're my master," Mu Mu emphasized seriously.

Luo Yunhuang took a deep breath and then gave a helpless smile. "You want to hear me admit it's connected to Yu Jue?"

Mu Mu responded, "Yes, I want to know why it's connected to Yu Jue. Does Master like him?"

"He's my brother. I can say no more."

Mu Mu pondered for a long time, finally realizing something was off—it wasn't as he'd expected. He knew Yu Jue was connected to Master; otherwise, when Yu Jue came to the husband selection, Master wouldn't have seemed so shocked.

Brother...

"But the Grand Elder clearly dislikes Mother—why would Yu Jue like her?"

"He never hated Yun Feiyue; what he despised was the disobedient Mo Feiyuan. If it were anyone else, it would be the same. Yet Yu Jue's affection for Yun Feiyue has nothing to do with that."

Mu Mu evidently understood now.

It was all his father's enemies who had caused trouble for his mother.

But now his head hurt—how should he handle this?

If only he could ditch his ice-cold father. But his mother seemed to love him dearly.

What should he do...

After much thought, Mu Mu looked at Luo Yunhuang. "Master, whose side are you on?"

Luo Yunhuang didn't know, so she only smiled.

"None of this concerns me."

Mu Mu nodded, "Thank you, Master."

"But if you ever need help, call me. No matter how far, I'll come to you, no matter what difficulty. Don't worry."

Luo Yunhuang patted Mu Mu's head.

Mu Mu replied, then nodded emphatically. Master still cared about him.

But he knew he shouldn't press her anymore.

His conversation with Master had ended well.

Though he didn't know why Yu Jue liked his mother, there would be an answer eventually. It would be best for Mother to unravel it herself.

Mu Mu's duty was to protect her.

Though he wasn't strong enough yet, he was striving to grow stronger.

In Feiyue Pavilion, Yun Feiyue was speaking intimately with Mo Feiyuan.

"Mother, are you flirting with Father again?" Mu Mu frowned in displeasure.

Yun Feiyue sighed in frustration—this child really knew how to irritate her.

"Ahem, your father and I are discussing cultivation. Would you like to join us?"

Mu Mu shook his head vigorously. "No, I'm sleeping with Master tonight. Goodnight, Mother."

With that, Mu Mu turned and left.

Yun Feiyue watched him go, feeling something odd in the atmosphere between Master and disciple today—was it just her imagination?

She shook her head.

"Dearest, what are you thinking?" Mo Feiyuan smiled at Yun Feiyue.

Yun Feiyue pointed at Mu Mu's retreating figure. "Do you think my son is hiding something from me?"

Mo Feiyuan pondered for a long time. Mu Mu seemed naive and lively, but his eyes were truly deep.

"You should ask him yourself."

Yun Feiyue agreed, nodding. "You little rascal, come here—Mother wants to be close with you."

Mu Mu scowled, but walked over to her.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

Yun Feiyue smiled gently, patting Mu Mu's cheek. "Did you quarrel with Master today?"

Mu Mu shook his head earnestly. "No. I'm just tired today! Don't Father and Mother want to sleep?"

He turned to look at Mo Feiyuan.

Mo Feiyuan, understanding, yawned to show his fatigue.

"Dearest, let's rest."

Yun Feiyue's face darkened—these two...

Mu Mu stuck out his tongue. "Mother, Father is sleepy, you should sleep. I'm spending tonight bonding with my beloved master."

Yun Feiyue blinked, staring at Mu Mu, making sure he wasn't lying.

But after much confirmation, she found no answer.

Fine.

Yun Feiyue gave in.

"Go ahead."

Once Mu Mu had left, Yun Feiyue lay down, reclining on the couch.

Mo Feiyuan toyed with her long hair. "Yue'er, what are you thinking? Is it about Mu Mu?"

Yun Feiyue didn't deny it, nodding deeply.

Mo Feiyuan pinched her cheek. "Sleep with me. Mu Mu will sort things out himself."

"I know. That's why I'm worried."

...

Night grew dark. Mu Mu lay by the window, Luo Yunhuang on the couch; neither spoke.

A long, long time passed...

Dawn crept over the eastern horizon.

The small figure finally turned stiffly towards Luo Yunhuang. "Master, I've decided to keep your secret. So you must keep mine. Don't let anyone know what I know."

Luo Yunhuang, after pondering all night, nodded and clapped his hand. "Deal."

The two reached an understanding.

But the matter of Yu Jue still troubled Mu Mu.

Yet, since Mother had married Father, he resolved not to dwell on it.

"Master, let's sleep."

In the morning, Yun Feiyue woke up, her waist aching from last night's exertions.

Mo Feiyuan, that fellow, was nowhere to be found.

The thought annoyed her—he was always running around.

"Mu Mu..." Yun Feiyue called from her bed.

No reply.

"Mu Mu." She called again.

Still no answer.

So Yun Feiyue got up to look for him.

Yesterday, they'd agreed to go to Jing Kingdom. With Mo Feiyuan absent, it was the perfect time to sneak away.

That rascal, so inconsiderate, still sleeping in!

The thought made Yun Feiyue even more irritable.

She walked toward Mu Mu's room.

Mu Mu sensed someone opening the door, slowly raising his eyes to look at Yun Feiyue, rubbing his dark circles.

"Mother, why are you here?"

Yun Feiyue motioned for silence, then pointed outside.

Mu Mu hurriedly got up and walked to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Come. We're going to Jing Kingdom."

Mu Mu glanced at the still-sleeping Luo Yunhuang. "Shall we bring Master?"

Yun Feiyue wasn't thrilled, but she nodded her agreement.

Mu Mu, seeing her relent, quickly woke Luo Yunhuang.

The group planned to leave for Jing Kingdom that day.

Luo Yunhuang actually didn't want Yun Feiyue to go, since Ye Qi might already be dead.

The gods never intended to support Ye Qi; otherwise, they wouldn't have had her disguise herself as a man for so many years.

Heaven decreed that if Consort Ye gave birth to a prince, the kingdom would be doomed.

In this era of faith, Ye Qi was never meant to be a boy from birth.

Although no one knew why the gods acted thus, perhaps it was some arrangement with Eastern Bureau Grand Duke Ye Heng.

But seeing the mother and son, she knew stopping them would be impossible.

She could only agree.

She packed a few things and joined them.

Yun Feiyue dared not make her departure too public, leaving only a letter behind.

They hurried toward Jing Kingdom.

But as they left Chu Capital, they found the city gates tightly shut by approaching soldiers.

Soldiers?

No, that couldn't be right!

"Aren't those Chu troops? Why won't they let us in?"

Yun Feiyue grabbed a gate guard to inquire.

The guard snorted. "You haven't heard? The King of Chu is purging the court, entering the palace to secure the throne. It's been chaos these days."

Securing the throne? Purging the court?

"Beichen Yu is rebelling?"

The guard affirmed with a grunt, then reconsidered. "Not exactly rebellion—he just doesn't want to stay at the border anymore. Our king is considering his response. He's sent word: if Beichen Yu truly wants to secure the throne, he must come alone."

He chuckled. "What a joke. Beichen Yu isn't foolish. If he comes alone, he'll die."

"How would he die? The Yun family and Imperial Consort Yun are his backing," Yun Feiyue commented casually.

The guard only smiled.

Mu Mu spoke up, "Mother, the guard thinks the Yun family has abandoned him, so the purge isn't aimed at them directly, but at those key figures supporting Beichen Yi."

So that's it!

Yun Feiyue realized Beichen Yu must indeed be rebelling.

Life at the frontier was harsh, and Imperial Consort Yun had long called him back.

She wondered how Consort Yun and Beichen Yu had communicated, for it had ended with him raising arms in rebellion.

Could her aunt be helping Beichen Yu?

With this possibility, Yun Feiyue immediately went to the palace.

The palace was in chaos.

Chu's army was winning all the way to the capital, everyone in a panic.

And Yun Feiyue had somehow missed all this news.

She slapped her own head—how had she not heard?

Entering the palace, she hurried to find Beichen Yi.

In the throne room, Beichen Yi sat on the dragon seat, his face paler than ever, clutching a blood-red spider silk, expressionless.

Seeing Yun Feiyue, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Sister Yue, you've come?"

Yun Feiyue nodded, sitting down. "I hear there's trouble?"

Beichen Yi replied, "Yes, my royal brother is rebelling against me. I can't fathom his courage. Is he here to die? Doesn't he know Chu Capital is full of defensive arrays? In here, I can destroy him completely. Why would he risk it alone? It's so annoying!"

He laughed, but his pallor made the smile even more desolate, like a lone blossom in snowy wasteland.

"Sister Yue, for Imperial Consort Yun, what should I do? I've done everything I can, but in the end, I can only kill him. Sister Yue, I've brewed Seven-Despair Flower tea with spider venom—it's incurable. I'll give it to Imperial Consort Yun, or let her give it to her precious son."

The words 'precious son' were full of sarcasm.

Yun Feiyue gripped the teacup, smiling lightly to show she understood Beichen Yi's intent.

They had reached this point; the Yun family had no choice left. She just hadn't expected Beichen Yu to risk his life.

She went to Imperial Consort Yun's palace.

There, Consort Yun was chatting with Empress Dowager Nangong, seemingly quite amiable.

When had they become so close?

She heard Consort Yun laugh softly, "So Empress Dowager Nangong was already familiar with Beichen Yu."

"I never make uncertain moves. Unfortunately, Beichen Yi is too disobedient and learned forbidden royal arts. You know, those arts make it impossible to produce heirs. For the sake of the realm, I must sacrifice him."

When Nangong said this, she showed no guilt, only excitement.

Everything was in her calculations.

The royal family was truly ruthless.

Just as Beichen Yi had once wiped out the Nangong clan without hesitation.

It's the reason Empress Dowager Nangong would never forgive him.

"But, Empress Dowager, you'll succeed," Consort Yun smiled gently.

Empress Dowager Nangong acted as if she hadn't heard.

"Whether I succeed or not, Beichen Yi's death or Beichen Yu's death are both good for me. I can rule behind the curtain. I hear Beichen Yu has a child, already three years old."

"Shameless!" Consort Yun's hand trembled with rage.

In the end, it was all part of Empress Dowager Nangong's schemes.

But Beichen Yi, unaware his mother held all the cards, still sought to punish Consort Yun.

Yun Feiyue entered, interrupting their conversation.

Seeing the cup in her hand, Empress Dowager Nangong smiled 'kindly'. "Yue'er, are you here to send your aunt off?"

－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－

Ah, so many secrets revealed in this chapter~ Author passes by~ So, how will Yun Feiyue deal with Empress Dowager Nangong?

This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy. Please do not repost!