Chapter Three: Mo Zixiao Truly Became a General

The second young lady, Chu Yue, entered with her maid.

“Father, Mother,” she bowed respectfully to the Chu marquis couple, then turned to look at Chu Xi, who was seated there.

With a smile curving her brows and eyes, she asked, “Is this my eldest sister?”

Madam Liu scolded, “Yue’er, you must not be rude. Your eldest sister would be hurt.”

Chu Yue deliberately looked at Chu Xi and said, “My eldest sister is here. Her surname is Qian. She lingers in our marquisate all day, acting like the spoiled eldest miss, living in both places and refusing to go home. Don’t think I don’t know what she’s up to.”

Since childhood, Chu Yue had been at odds with Qian Mengyun. Quarrels and fights were common. Before, it didn’t matter that she was a fake heiress, but now that it was known Qian Mengyun was not her true elder sister, Chu Yue targeted her at every turn.

The marquis, unable to bear it any longer, suddenly slammed the table. “Enough! This is only the first day back at the manor, and already the household is in chaos. What sort of decorum is this?” He pointed directly at Chu Xi.

Chu Xi leisurely swallowed the last bite from her bowl before setting down her chopsticks.

“I have suffered greatly and endured much pain these past three years. My body is weak and needs rest. Otherwise, if tomorrow or the day after, the marquisate requires me but I fall ill, that would be unfortunate.”

There was more implied in Chu Xi’s words, causing both the marquis and Madam Liu to lower their gazes, feeling uneasy.

Yet no matter what, they could not allow a mere maid to dominate them. Chu Jingzhi was about to lose his temper again, but a look from Madam Liu silenced him.

“Very well, Mother has arranged a separate courtyard for you. Let the maids escort you there to rest,” Madam Liu said, eager to send Chu Xi away before more harm was done to the household harmony.

Chu Xi rose, still without uttering “Father” or “Mother.” She bowed slightly and walked out.

The marquis’s face turned pale with anger behind her. “Where did she get such arrogance, daring to act so imperiously before us?”

Seeing the marquis’s fury and clear disdain for Chu Xi, Qian Mengyun finally relaxed. The anger she had felt from Chu Xi’s presence vanished instantly.

“Father, please calm down. Xi’er is probably just not used to being back yet. Considering all she has suffered over the years, please forgive her,” Qian Mengyun behaved obediently and sensibly.

But Chu Yue was not buying it. She sneered, “Qian Mengyun, don’t think that just because Father doesn’t favor you, you can cause trouble. At the very least, Chu Xi is of the Chu bloodline—the legitimate eldest daughter of the marquisate.”

“And you aren’t even a proper concubine’s child. Otherwise, by eighteen you wouldn’t have failed to find a good match,” Chu Yue’s words struck at Qian Mengyun’s very core, making her flush with shame and pain.

She wanted nothing more than to rush forward and silence Chu Yue’s sharp tongue with a chokehold, just like old times when they would fight and wrestle.

But now she dared not. Before, as the elder sister and legitimate eldest daughter, she could fight Chu Yue. Now, Chu Yue always brought up her false heiress status. If she fought back, who knew how Chu Yue might twist it against her?

From now on, she must stop fighting Chu Yue physically. She must learn to use her mind.

Chu Xi was escorted by a maid to the courtyard Madam Liu had prepared for her. Cai Ping was already waiting there.

“Miss,” Cai Ping greeted joyfully.

Chu Xi hurriedly asked, “Have you and Wang Mu eaten? For these three years, eating well and keeping warm has been our top priority.”

Cai Ping nodded, “We have eaten and are full, Miss. Please rest assured.”

“Where is Wang Mu?” Chu Xi was worried since she hadn’t seen him.

“He’s a footman and can’t stay in your courtyard. After being cleaned up and changed into warm clothes, he left with the steward,” the maid beside her, Xu Mama, smiled.

“Rest assured, Miss, Wang Mu ate and then went to the footmen’s dormitory to rest,” Xu Mama reassured her.

Chu Xi finally exhaled. “Understood. Thank you, Mama.” Then she entered the room with Cai Ping.

Lifting the curtain, a wave of warm air greeted them.

“I lit the charcoal fire, just waiting for you to come in,” Cai Ping said happily.

Chu Xi smiled sadly. “How wonderful.” Then tears began to flow down her face.

Cai Ping, seeing her cry, thought she was shedding tears of joy, but to her surprise, Chu Xi’s expression was heavy and her gaze vacant.

“Miss, what’s wrong? We finally escaped that hellish Duke’s manor. Now we can eat and dress well. How could you be so sad?”

Chu Xi sighed softly. “I’m just worried that having escaped the tiger’s den, we’ve fallen into the wolf’s lair. Their sudden invitation to return to the marquisate today is not simply because they want to acknowledge me as their daughter.”

The memory of being bound to the bridal sedan chair three years ago was like a long-unhealed wound, throbbing painfully in her heart.

Suddenly, Cai Ping’s eyes lit up. “Miss, when I looked at Mo Zixiao today, I saw affection in his eyes.”

Chu Xi lifted her gaze, frowning slightly. “Don’t speak nonsense. I have no connection with him anymore.”

Cai Ping shook her head and smiled. “You may think so, but Mo Zixiao may not. When I scolded him today, he looked humiliated but held back—all out of respect for you. Perhaps Mo Zixiao is another way out for you from the marquisate.”

Chu Xi lowered her eyes in silence.

Cai Ping was filled with excitement. “Miss, it turns out Mo Zixiao never truly wanted to marry Qian Mengyun. I just overheard the maids saying that when you were forced to marry into the Duke’s manor, Mo Zixiao used your engagement contract to blackmail.”

“If the marquis didn’t agree to marry Qian Mengyun to him, he threatened to join the army—and even become a deputy general.”

“The marquis had opposed the current emperor’s appointment of the crown prince and feared reprisal like the Duke, so he was reluctant. But Mo Zixiao refused to just take a minor post in the marquisate.”

“At that time, the Northwestern borders were under attack, and the court was desperate for capable men. So the marquis begrudgingly recommended Mo Zixiao, never expecting him to be so brave and skilled in warfare, with strict discipline and clear rewards and punishments.”

“He led troops to a series of crucial victories, earning great military merit. The emperor then appointed him Tiger Fang General, a third rank officer, now commanding two hundred thousand elite soldiers.”

Hearing this, Chu Xi’s lips curled into a faint smile. “He loved reading military strategy even as a child. Now he has finally fulfilled his wish.”

Cai Ping sneered, “Isn’t it just that he took advantage of your misfortune?”

Chu Xi smiled bitterly. “Mo Zixiao knows how to seize opportunities.”

Cai Ping’s eyes sparkled. “Miss, do you think the marquis regrets not agreeing to marry that fake Qian Mengyun to Mo Zixiao?”

Just then, a maid outside the door called through, “Miss, General Mo sent something over. The marquis and madam request your presence to take a look.”