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The red lanterns were hung high at the entrance of the Mu mansion.
The sweet-smelling osmanthus flowers looked splendid and covered the pavilions in red, making them look beaming.
Today was the birthday of the old lady of Mu Mansion and various guests were invited to congratulate the old lady on her birthday.
In the main hall, the birthday star, the old lady Mu, was dressed in noble and rich clothes.
The old lady was sitting in the middle like the moon surrounded by stars and entertained the daughters of various families with a smile on her face.
Several of the old lady’s granddaughters accompanied her, each looking more beautiful than the other.
Among them, the one who was standing at the front was the eldest granddaughter of the Mu family, Mu Jin Yao, whose father was the head of the Mu family, the official of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
She was beautiful and talented, the most famous lady in the capital. Among all the granddaughters of the Mu family, Mu Jin Yao was always in the limelight.
Since she was ten years old, the threshold of the Mu family had been trampled by countless matchmakers.
As soon as she reached marriageable age, a perfect marriage was matched.
Today’s protagonist was naturally the old lady Mu.
She gave birth to two sons and two daughters. The eldest son was now the third-rank official in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and he was going to be promoted soon.
The two daughters were also married well, and there was a granddaughter who was famous for her beauty in the capital.
The Mu family’s future looked promising.
A lot of people gathered around the old lady Mu to flatter her, “Each granddaughter of the old lady looks better than the other. The eldest lady is kind and virtuous, with both talent and beauty, even the Imperial concubine has praised her.”
Mu Jin Yao was wearing a gold and white satin jacket with peony strands, and a light pink brocade skirt. The pearls in her hair looked round and splendid making her look more and more attractive.
The old lady Mu rubbed her slender hand, and with eyes full of kindness, said, “The proudest thing in my life is to teach such an excellent granddaughter. Having her alone is better than countless other children. Speaking of which, I really don’t want her to marry so soon.”
Mu Jin Yao’s marriage partner was Jiang Ming Ye, the prince of Marquis’s mansion.
The most important thing was that Jiang Ming Ye’s aunt was the most favored concubine in the palace, and she might be able to go even higher in the future.
Hearing the old lady’s words, Mu Jin Yao blushed with shame and secretly glanced at the madam of Marquis’s mansion who was sitting on the left, her future mother-in-law.
The graceful and luxurious Madam Hou gently smiled at Mu Jin Yao, it seemed that she liked her very much.
Mu Jin Yao was secretly happy, and couldn’t help but look forward to a better life in the future.
Mu Jin Yao stole the limelight, and the other girls in the Mu family were unhappy in their hearts, but they could not show it on their faces.
They stood there smiling silently and gave their birthday gifts to the old lady, like a painting, a music piece, or some embroidery work done by themselves to show filial piety.
Not only to show their talents but also to get a good reputation for filial piety, killing two birds with one stone.
Everyone’s talents won applause from the audience, and happiness and laughter continued. The atmosphere was extremely warm.
In all the noise and laughter, the second-room granddaughter Mu Wan Qing lowered her eyes, standing quietly looking low-key in the crowd.
After all, she was the daughter of the second son of the Mu family, who was born from a concubine.
Except for showing up during the festivals, the second son’s family usually lived behind closed doors. Living inconspicuously without causing any trouble.
Just then, there was a huge commotion outside.
The mistress of the house, the wife of the first son, Madam Mu, frowned slightly.
A hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes, and she winked at the old butler beside her.
The guests looked at each other and felt that the Mu family couldn’t manage such a big function.
Then they saw a girl come rushing in, with a terrified expression on her face, her lips were trembling, and she couldn’t say anything for a while.
The hall became surprisingly quiet, and the atmosphere was terrifyingly tense.
Like a thunderclap, the faces of the Mu family members changed, and with just a few words from the girl their frightened souls flew away.
“How could this be…”
Before the person could finish his sentence, a group of officials in black clothes rushed in.
The men leading the guards shouted, “Follow the order of His Majesty to raid the house, Mu Family members are not allowed to leave without permission, and the idle people are required to leave as soon as possible.”
The Imperial guards were responsible for supervising hundreds of officials, arresting, interrogating, and directly reporting to the emperor. They were a frightening existence.
Seeing the imperial guards, the old lady Mu became dizzy, her eyes were blackened, and there was only one thought in her mind, ‘It’s over, everything is over!’
The old lady fell to the ground, and the Mu family members exclaimed, “Old lady.”
The guests immediately dispersed, even Madam Hou stood up and quickly left without saying a word.
Mu Jin Yao glanced at the future mother-in-law who had fled, and her heart sank sharply.
“Do it.” The head gave an order, and the wolf-like Imperial guards rushed in and rummaged through the Mu mansion.
The huge movement was very scary.
The man leading the guards in black swept his eyes around, and his eyes were like thunder, imposing manner was threatening.
“Hand over all the valuable things on your body, and you can only keep the clothes on. Don’t force me to search you, otherwise…”
The meaning of the unspoken words was very clear.
Hearing the words, the female members of the Mu family panicked immediately.
Mu Wan Qing tremblingly pulled out the small bead hairpin on her head and the jade bracelet on her hand.
Just as she was about to hand them over, she didn’t know what was under her feet, but she lost her balance and fell heavily at the feet of the man in black, and immediately fainted.
The sudden change made everyone stunned, and a voice full of shock and pain sounded, “Qing’er.”