C5 Hanging up a Concubine 1

Rumors about her swirled endlessly through the capital, and recently they seemed to have reached a fever pitch. Each tidbit was so sensational that it could easily top the trending searches if released!

The latest and juiciest was the tale of her ghost marriage to Baili Chonghua, spun so convincingly it was as if the gossipmongers had witnessed it themselves. The story was so outlandish that even she, the subject of the rumors, nearly believed it.

The news of her supposed marriage was common knowledge, from the emperor down to toddlers. While the Mu Estate faced various accusations, the backlash wasn't as severe as expected, thanks to Mu Yuxi's timely rescue. Yet, Mu Yunhua suspected that Mu Honghai, ever cautious about his reputation, likely had more maneuvers in store.

After simmering for days, it was time to air everything out!

Sure enough, the nanny froze in her tracks, confirming Mu Yunhua's suspicions. "Nanny, I've already faced death once. Now, there's nothing I fear. Tell me, what further slander does the Mu Family intend to heap upon me?"

"Miss..." The nanny struggled to contain herself, but her emotions burst forth. "How can they be so cruel? It was Aunt Wan who drugged you and sent you off as a substitute bride. Yet now, the rumor mill claims you were lusting after wealth, eagerly awaiting the inheritance from Nether King, and willingly married into the afterlife!"

Mu Yunhua laughed bitterly at the absurdity. "I suppose you haven't told me everything, Nanny. Let me guess, they're also saying I, desperate and dishonored, knowing no one would marry me, eagerly wed a ghost? Who would know if a ghost was cuckolded? And perhaps this ghost had some wealth and influence, making it a doubly advantageous match."

"So, this wasn't a marriage of convenience but a scheme I hatched from the start, a premeditated climb into a coffin for a wedding. And now, my supposedly seamless plan has been exposed, leaving me to reap what I've sown, right?"

The nanny always chose her words carefully, speaking only of the lighter matters. Yet, when Mu Yunhua listened, she could extrapolate wildly from those gentle words, imagining the rumors swirling outside. They probably painted her as a demon, and that was putting it mildly.

To the nanny's surprise, Mu Yunhua's guesses were spot on. Overcome with emotion, she rushed to embrace her charge, sobbing uncontrollably, "Miss, my poor Miss! Why must your life be so filled with hardship? These heartless wretches, they've killed without conscience! The heavens must be blind, utterly blind!"

Mu Yunhua wrapped her arms around the nanny, gently patting her roughened back, a sneer of contempt playing at the corners of her mouth. If the heavens truly had eyes, they wouldn't have let them endure such a hard life.

How had a baby, left in the neglected Mu Mansion, not perished? Instead, she had clung to life, growing to the age of sixteen. It wasn't due to Mu Honghai's kindness, but the unwavering guardianship of her nanny.

This very woman, once discarded, had single-handedly raised her after her mother's disappearance. Especially in the days since she'd been cast back into the Mu Mansion, the nanny's tireless care had pulled her back from death's door.

The nanny had once said that without Lady Butterfly, she herself wouldn't have survived this world. She was living to repay that kindness.

Regardless of whether the nanny remained by her side out of a sense of indebtedness, Mu Yunhua was deeply grateful to her, with a sincerity that encompassed both her own feelings and those of the original mistress of the house.