C19 Angry Reply to the Consort

"Hua'er, how could you become so heartless, so cruel, and so malicious!" Aunt Wan's words were charged with emotion, so much so that even Mu Yunhua, who overheard, nearly believed she had unwittingly slaughtered a horde of cats and dogs in her own courtyard!

Was it her, then, who was unfeeling, cold, and irrationally cruel from start to finish?

"No, the young lady has never done such things! You mustn't make unfounded accusations, Madam," the nursemaid exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Cats and dogs? The young lady and I haven't even stepped foot outside our courtyard. How could we possibly bring back such things? Please, Madam, refrain from making such baseless claims!"

How could Aunt Wan fabricate such lies and viciously slander us?

If people were to believe her words, what would become of the young mistress?

The nursemaid's concerns, of course, were readily accepted by the eager onlookers.

"I thought she was just a simpleton, but who knew she had such a black heart!"

"A simpleton? More like she's been feigning ignorance all along. Why else would she dream of marrying into Nether King's Manor to live a life of luxury?"

"Absolutely appalling, despicable!"

In a flash, the crowd gathered at the gates of Mu's Mansion erupted in a chorus of insults, their anger stoked by Aunt Wan, as if they wished to drown Mu Yunhua in their spit!

"It's not true, it's not..." The nursemaid's pleas were desperate, but the crowd was deaf to her explanations.

How could one voice hope to be heard over the clamor of dozens?

Predictably, the nursemaid's voice was lost in the sea of noise.

Despite her efforts to continue explaining, Mu Yunhua took her hand, signaling her to stop. She lifted her gaze, her eyes briefly meeting Aunt Wan's.

That fleeting look sent a shiver down Aunt Wan's spine, as if she had glimpsed a lurking demon in Mu Yunhua's eyes—fear!

But before Aunt Wan could process what she'd seen, Mu Yunhua had already looked away.

Her gaze swept over the crowd gathered at the door, and with a light, deliberate motion, she brought her four fingers together and forcefully pinched them with her thumb, making a clear gesture for silence that all could see.

"Shut up!" Two voices, not particularly loud but somehow piercing through the crowd's chatter, erupted from her lips.

In an instant, the previously boisterous onlookers, who seemed ready for a brawl, simmered down to a hushed silence.

One moment, the scene was as chaotic as a marketplace; the next, it was as serene as a scholarly academy.

It was uncannily effective!

The onlookers were baffled, unable to comprehend how Mu Yunhua's simple gesture had silenced them so effectively. Even Aunt Wan was puzzled.

What on earth had just happened?

Lost in her confusion, Aunt Wan was abruptly snapped back to reality when Mu Yunhua called her out, forcibly yanking her from her thoughts.

"Li Wan, do you truly understand your actions? It seems to me you're clueless!"

Mu Yunhua didn't hesitate to address Aunt Wan by her full name, leaving her stunned. Meanwhile, the mama beside her immediately objected, "Second Miss, such insolence! How dare you address the lady of the house by her name?"

"Madam?" Mu Yunhua let out a scoff, her laughter dripping with scorn. "The staff in the manor call you 'Madam' because you wield power over their lives. They flatter you. Have their flattery inflated your ego so much that you've lost touch with reality?"

"What makes you a true lady of the house, Li Wan? My father brought home a wife with great ceremony, someone honored by the rites of heaven and earth—her name is Chu, Die! That woman is my mother, not some shameless concubine who, pregnant and without a shred of decency, forced her way into our home!"