Pampered Poisonous Royal Wife Chapter 106

~ IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY, THEN I AM HAPPY ~ 

Mu Yunyao raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. “May I ask where Lord Su has seen my embroidery?”

Ever since she’d come to Jingling, she’d only made clothes for the various madams. Yesterday, Su Qingwu had been dragged to a banquet by Governor Zhang. The only two women who’d actually seen her—Madam Governor and Madam Jin—weren’t even wearing clothes made by her.

So, where exactly had Su Qingwu seen her work? How did he know her embroidery was anything special?

Su Qingwu paused, then gave a faint, helpless smile. “Did I offend Miss Mu somehow… that you’re so hostile toward me?”

Mu Yunyao lowered her eyes, smiling lightly.

Oh, you’ve offended me in more ways than you’ll ever know.

But on her face, she looked innocently confused. “Lord Su, what are you saying? I’m only curious. Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?”

“It’s just… I feel like you have prejudice against me.”

“How could that be?” Mu Yunyao’s smile stayed sweet. “Lord Su is young and accomplished. The moment you entered the city yesterday, your outstanding presence spread through all of Jingling. Who knows how many people are secretly admiring you right now. Haven’t you noticed? On the way here, how many young ladies blushed when they saw you?”

In her previous life, even the Sixth Princess had pined for Su Qingwu until she could barely eat, and she even threatened to starve herself to marry him. She’d even forced Su Qingwu to break off a marriage discussion with the Grand Secretary’s household.

Otherwise, at his age, he would’ve already been married.

“And Miss Mu?” Su Qingwu asked.

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

The instant he said it, he pressed his lips together. It was far too improper.

Mu Yunyao kept smiling. “Naturally I admire you as well. Lord Su achieved fame and success at such a young age. I’m only a woman, and can’t enter officialdom. If I could, I’d want to learn from Lord Su too.”

“You spread embroidery techniques and benefited the people of an entire region,” Su Qingwu said. “You’ve done better than many officials.”

“You flatter me.” Mu Yunyao glanced around. The riverside was quiet—no one nearby—so she continued, voice lowering slightly. “I spread those techniques for selfish reasons.”

Su Qingwu chuckled. “Miss Mu is truly amusing.”

“I’m speaking the truth.” Mu Yunyao’s tone stayed light, but every word was a needle. “Do most officials truly seek to benefit the people? Eight or nine out of ten don’t. Even the ones who do still chase achievements—rank badges, plumes, greater power. And in the end, it still comes down to money. They just refuse to admit it.”

She smiled, bright and innocent, and stabbed even deeper.

“Otherwise, how do people say it? A ‘clean’ prefect for three years can still rake in a hundred thousand taels of silver. ‘Clean’ is reputation. Silver is real profit. When you have both, that’s perfection.”

Su Qingwu’s smile thinned. His fingers rubbed lightly together, and his lips pressed into a line.

Mu Yunyao saw it instantly.

He was angry.

And the corner of her mouth lifted just a touch more.

Seeing him unhappy felt… wonderful.

“Miss Mu is generalizing,” Su Qingwu said evenly. “His Majesty is wise and selects talent widely. There are countless good officials in court—”

Mu Yunyao knew her words were extreme. Officials like Lord Cao and Governor Zhang really were decent men.

But she wasn’t here to be fair.

She was here to annoy Su Qingwu.

So she cut him off neatly and changed the subject as if nothing had happened.

“We’ve walked so long—Lord Su must be hungry. How about we rest at the inn nearby and sample Jingling’s local dishes?”

Su Qingwu’s sentence was clipped in half. His brows twitched slightly, but he looked at her smiling face and nodded.

“Fine.”

Mu Yunyao brought him to a private room upstairs. She pushed open the window and gazed toward the Jingling River not far away.

“Lord Su says I’m generalizing,” she said softly, voice drifting like a sigh. “But you don’t understand what it’s like for people with no power and no backing. I taught embroidery and even earned praise from His Majesty, and I still have to endure bullying and swallow my anger. How much worse is it for the countless ordinary people?”

She had circled right back and reopened the same topic.

Su Qingwu lifted his teacup, a sharp glint flashing in his phoenix eyes. “What has Miss Mu encountered? Perhaps I can help.”

So that’s what this was, he thought. Everything Mu Yunyao’d said along the way—was it all to lead here?

Mu Yunyao only laughed lightly. “I wouldn’t dare trouble Lord Su. I’ll find my own way to resolve it. Since I promised today was to show you Jingling’s sights and customs, let’s not talk about unpleasant things.”

After eating, Mu Yunyao took Su Qingwu around more than half of Jingling City, showing him the most famous and beautiful spots.

Su Qingwu admired the scenery, but three parts of his attention stayed on Mu Yunyao.

Listening to her explanations, he could tell her upbringing was excellent and her knowledge refined—nothing like what an ordinary household could produce. And strangely, every word she spoke now landed comfortably in his ears and heart, completely unlike the earlier barbed exchanges.

“Lord Su, it’s getting late,” Mu Yunyao said at last. “I should go back. If you haven’t had enough of Jingling’s scenery, we can look again tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Su Qingwu nodded. “I’ll have someone escort you.”

“No need.” Mu Yunyao refused smoothly. “I have maids with me, and this is not far from Ni Yun Fang. I’ll go back directly. Farewell.”

With that, she turned and left without hesitation.

Su Qingwu’s brows tightened slightly.

This meeting had been meant to test Mu Yunyao. Instead of probing her, his own thoughts had been thrown into disorder first.

On the way back, he passed a street corner stall selling embroidery. At a glance, he saw the sweat cloth with orchids stitched into the corner.

He walked over and examined it closely.

The cloth itself was ordinary. The orchid had some spirit, but it wasn’t dazzling.

And yet… he’d noticed it immediately.

“Does the young master like it?” the vendor asked. “Eight copper coins.”

Su Qingwu nodded. His attendant immediately paid.

The vendor’s smile widened. That wealthy young master had just walked by with Miss Mu from Ni Yun Fang—how could he forget?

“Miss Mu is beautiful, and her temperament is top-tier too. No one in Jingling doesn’t praise her. I wonder who’ll be lucky enough to marry such a girl in the future.”

Su Qingwu gave the vendor a slight nod, tucked the cloth away, and left.

When he passed by Jinling Bridge again, he couldn’t help rubbing the embroidered orchid in his sleeve.

Beautiful, yes.

But “top-tier temperament”? That was debatable.

And more importantly…

What did she have to do with that screen?

Back at Ni Yun Fang, Su Qing was still counting the imperial rewards.

“Yao’er, look at these bolts of fabric—so fine. His Majesty must know you’re good at embroidery, so he specially rewarded them for you to make clothes.”

“If Mother likes them, I’ll make you an outfit tomorrow,” Mu Yunyao said gently.

“That’s perfect!” Su Qing beamed. “And this gold—our hands are finally flush. We must keep it carefully. In the future it’ll be part of your dowry.”

Su Qing’s face was radiant. For the first time in a long while, she looked genuinely happy.

Mu Yunyao thought up the plan in her heart and silently apologized to Su Qing.

To deal with Su Qingwu…

She would have to pay a price.

Edited by Little Kitty on 07/06/20

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