Chapter 553 I’ll Look Into Her Later

Chapter 553: Just Wait Till I Look Into Her

Wei Shiqing couldn’t help but laugh again: "If your half-sister heard that, she’d probably cause trouble again."

Mu Rujun gripped her whip, completely unbothered: "Let her come. Last time, she told me something like, ‘Since you can’t bear children anyway, why not let me marry into the Eastern Palace as your concubine? I’ll bear a child and raise it under your name.’"

The smile instantly vanished from Wei Shiqing’s face: "She actually said that?"

Mu Rujun let out a sharp, mocking laugh: "Of course. But I told her, ‘Your brother-in-law the Crown Prince isn’t so desperate he’d settle for someone like you.’ She burst into tears, covered her face, and stormed off, saying I insulted her and that she’d go complain to the Crown Prince."

Wei Shiqing frowned: "Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her recently."

Mu Rujun replied calmly: "Naturally, because right after she ran off crying, I had her tossed out of the palace."

Wei Shiqing was stunned at first, then started laughing, harder and harder. Finally, he pulled Mu Rujun into his arms and kissed her cheek.

Mu Rujun feigned disgust and lightly pushed him away, but Wei Shiqing caught her hand. The two tussled playfully for a while before tumbling onto the bed, the bed curtains drawn...

...

On the day of the palace examination, it was a bright, sunny day. Early in the morning, Yu Yongliu entered the palace alongside his peers.

The wait for results was torture, so Bai Xiaofeng took Xingxing to a teahouse and got a private room.

But as soon as they sat down and had half a cup of tea, someone pushed the door open.

Bai Xiaofeng started to say, “Who’s there?” when she saw it was her son, Gui Geer.

She immediately jumped up: "You’re never around! Your brother’s taking the palace exam today, and you finally decide to show up?"

Gui Geer nimbly dodged his mom’s swings around the table, knowing he only had to evade for half a lap before Xingxing would surely intervene.

Sure enough, Xingxing swiftly talked her down.

Once the routine was over, Gui Geer could finally sit down.

A maid poured tea for Gui Geer while Xingxing studied his outfit. Bai Xiaofeng, however, had already started criticizing: "What on earth are you wearing? … If you’re out of money, can’t you just ask your mother?"

As she spoke, her eyes welled up, and she couldn’t help but nag, "Never home, day after day. Your father, your mother, your grandfather, your grandmother—none of us expect you to achieve some grand success. Just look at yourself, a total mess..."

She dug through her pockets, pulled out a few banknotes, and shoved them at Gui Geer.

It turned out Gui Geer was dressed in coarse linen, his face chapped and grimy, as if he’d been toiling in the fields for some time.

Xingxing said nothing, silently taking out a handkerchief and handing it to Gui Geer: "Fourth Brother, wipe your face."

Gui Geer kept grinning cheekily: "Heh, Mom, don’t overthink it. See, Xingxing gets it—" He took the handkerchief and wiped his face haphazardly.

The yellowish layer on his face peeled off instantly, smudging everywhere and revealing the outline of a handsome young man beneath.

Bai Xiaofeng was stunned: "You—you—"

"Just handling some business outside!" Gui Geer grinned, waving the banknotes Bai Xiaofeng had shoved at him. "But Mom, once this money’s in my hands, it’s mine now, got it?"

Bai Xiaofeng’s hands itched again, and she nearly leaped up to wring this brat’s neck.

But seeing the coarse clothes on her son, she held back—she couldn’t bring herself to hit him.

In the end, she had no choice but to close her eyes and mutter, "I hope Bang Geer doesn’t grow up to be like his fourth brother! Otherwise, how many years it'll shave off my life!"

Gui Geer laughed cheekily and went to wash his hands.

Bai Xiaofeng got worked up again seeing this. "You'll be gone in no time anyway—why bother washing your hands? Are you planning to eat with us?"

"Mother, I came here today on important business," Gui Geer’s voice came through.

Bai Xiaofeng snorted.

After making himself look fresh-faced and clean-handed, Gui Geer plopped down grinning beside Bai Xiaofeng. "Mother, my arms are long—I’ll help you with the dishes later."

Bai Xiaofeng scolded him a few more times but was eventually coaxed into smiling by Gui Geer.

Once he had gotten his mother to calm down, Gui Geer turned to Xingxing. "Xingxing, this actually involves you."

Xingxing blurted out, "Huh?"

Gui Geer continued, "Xingxing, someone's been investigating you."

Xingxing gasped. "Investigating me?"

Gui Geer nodded. "Yes, but it's only been a short while. My people are still tailing them and haven’t figured out their motives yet."

Bai Xiaofeng freaked out. "What should we do? Why would anyone investigate Xingxing for no good reason? Do they mean her harm?"

Gui Geer reassured her. "Mother, we don’t know yet if they’re friend or foe. But as long as Xingxing brings escorts whenever she goes out these days, she’ll be fine."

Though still unsettled, Bai Xiaofeng latched onto his words for dear life and nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, you’re absolutely right."

Then, suddenly realizing something, she asked, "Gui Geer, did you make yourself look like this to follow those people?"

Gui Geer grinned. "My subordinates handle the tailing. I made myself look like this to check out something else—though I came across some unexpected information along the way."

Xingxing looked at him curiously. "What information?"

"Feng Ran."

The name slipped from Gui Geer’s lips, leaving Xingxing taken aback.

"Feng Ran?"

Xingxing still remembered this maid—she had served in Yu Mingzhu’s courtyard. More importantly, she was the one who sabotaged Wei Shuangyan’s Fate-Changing Tower, nearly wiping out the entire household of the Jiping Commandery Prince and almost harming the Dowager of the Duke of Xinguo.

Yet hearing this name from Gui Geer felt somewhat...

Gui Geer nodded firmly. "A couple of days ago, I was searching for something and flipped through a register—only to find Feng Ran’s name listed there. That maid is no ordinary person."

Noticing Bai Xiaofeng’s anxious gaze, he paused and adopted a lighter tone. "She was a washed-out recruit from our ranks, knowing some basic spy tricks... Hardly the type to be blinded by love into foolishness."

Xingxing nodded silently and shared her own findings. "...Actually, that Miss Cen from the Yu family, Yu Mingzhu, is also suspicious. When they searched her courtyard, she was acting all jumpy. Later, when Granny Da Xi exposed Feng Ran, Yu Mingzhu made a big show of explaining Feng Ran’s motives as if afraid she couldn’t come up with an excuse herself."

Gui Geer rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, she does seem shady. Good!"

He clapped his hands. "Let's dig into her next!"