Chapter 32

Mu Yurou returned to the Defender Marquis Manor, preoccupied with troubles.

This wouldn’t do!

It was only a matter of time before His Majesty heard of Brother Yu’s matter. When the time came, he would definitely depose the Crown Prince. Moreover, now that Brother Yu was rendered impotent, if she married over, wouldn’t she be ruining her lifetime happiness?

She knew that Brother Yu was no longer fond of her now. But Brother Yu was still going ahead with marrying her and the Premier’s Eldest Young Miss, his aim being to conceal the truth about his body…

In the royal family, the mother’s honor increased as her son’s position rose. Without any children of her own, how would she keep a foothold in the palace?

No way, she had to think of a way to cancel this marriage!

Alas, even after racking her brains for hours, Mu Yurou didn’t manage to think of a way to cancel the marriage. This marriage was by decree from the Emperor after all. She would be defying a royal decree if she refused to comply, and would surely be beheaded!

As the wedding was scheduled to take place a month later, more than half a month had already passed. The Crown Prince Manor had sent over the betrothal gifts—several large red cases with the Chinese character ‘Happiness’ plastered on them. Although Mu Yurou was only marrying over to be a Secondary Consort, he had sent over plentiful betrothal gifts. What inspired the greatest envy from others was the first-grade Essence Cultivation Pill within the gifts.

Never mind the various priceless treasures, there were even one million gold coins among the betrothal gifts. Merely this one Essence Cultivation Pill alone was worth more than one hundred thousand gold coins, for it could speedily elevate one’s capabilities, making it a treasure so rare that it was not easy to seek, even if one had money!

At the sight of this Essence Cultivation Pill, Mu Yurou’s countenance relaxed quite a bit. Gazing at Mu Qianyue next to her, she deliberately said with a snicker, “Sister, I wonder when Prince Jing will send over the betrothal gifts? I’m surprised Brother Yu remembers his promise to me and sent over this Essence Cultivation Pill. He must have pleaded with his master for my sake.”

At the thought of how Nalan Yu was an impotent man now, in spite of her vexed emotions, Mu Yurou had to put up a blissful and happy facade.

Essence Cultivation Pill? Mu Qianyue’s lips curled into a sneer. She could easily cultivate a large handful in one go, okay? Furthermore, regardless of its fragrance or potency, it sure as hell would beat the ones made by Lin Xu.

Did she need to envy her?

“Rou’er, just keep the betrothal gifts sent by the Crown Prince for yourself. When the time comes for you to marry over, just bring all of them along with you. Also, feel free to tell Grandfather if there’s anything you need,” said Mu Hong. Although he was furious about Mu Yurou snatching away Yue’er’s fiancé and the fact that she even nearly drove him to his grave, he didn’t chase Mu Yurou out of the Defender Marquis Manor. After all, Rou’er’s father had saved his mother’s life back then.

“Thanks, Grandfather. I happen to need some medicinal herbs.” Mu Yurou didn’t at all stand on ceremony. She went on to list out all the medicinal herbs she wanted, and amongst them quite a few were precious and pricey.

A cold glint flashed across Mu Qianyue’s eyes. What an insatiably greedy woman. If it wasn’t considering her Grandfather was advanced in age, she would have beaten the shameless woman to a pulp!

Just then, Butler Ding Hao said, “Master, Eldest Young Miss, Prince Jing Manor has sent over betrothal gifts.”

Mu Yurou scoffed in disdain. What good stuff could a down-and-out, blind prince give?

The team delivering the betrothal gifts from Prince Jing Manor formed a long line from the Defender Marquis Manor all the way to the entrance of West Street. A crowd of people had formed to watch the fun.

Cang Ming walked up and recited, “The betrothal gifts from Prince Jing Manor include: three hundred and twenty first-grade Essence Cultivation Pills, one third-grade Beautifying Pill, one hundred Moonlight Rocks, one hundred million gold coins…”

Wah!

Everyone let out gasps of surprise. This was then truly an astronomically-priced betrothal gift! Prince Jing was indeed generous!

Just one Essence Cultivation Pill alone was worth more than one hundred thousand gold coins. And here, there were three hundred and twenty of them! Also, as for that third-grade Beautifying Pill, it was said that consuming it would preserve one’s youth for fifty years. It was highly sought after, and many people would kill to obtain one! However, money couldn’t buy a Beautifying Pill, because it was simply too rare.

Additionally, there were those one hundred Moonlight Rocks. Everyone knew that luminous pearls had the effect of illuminating darkness. But the effects of a Moonlight Rock was even better, and each was priced at an exorbitant price.

Don’t forget the one hundred million gold coins…

As the gifts were read out, Mu Yurou’s face slowly turned into the shade of pig’s liver. Her countenance looked terrible, and flames of jealousy were churning in the depths of her eyes.

Even Mu Qianyue herself looked stunned. Was Prince Jing that rich?

“Miss, the Prince said to let you know this isn’t even 1% of what he has in his treasury. If you marry over, the Prince’s entire treasury will belong to you.” Just then, Cang Ming’s voice rang in Mu Qianyue’s ear. This was him sending her a secret voice transmission.

Mu Qianyue snapped out of her trance and stared at him in astonishment. This wasn’t even 1% of what Nalan Jing had in his treasury?

Damn, just how wealthy was he exactly?!

It was practically obscene!

Also, was Nalan Jing planning on seducing her with money? Didn’t he know that she was a person who looked upon money as dirt?!

Ah ah ah… this darned blind man. To think he actually caught her weakness. Wait a minute. How did he know her favorite thing in the world was money? She didn’t recall telling anyone about it.

“Tell your Prince to wait for me.” Hmph, she must swallow his entire treasury.

Although Mu Hong and Ding Hao had been through much turbulence in their lifetime, they had never seen such a lavish betrothal gift. It was perhaps the first incident of its kind in the Phoenix Shadow Nation, ever!

“Master, you ought to be at ease now. Although Prince Jing has lost his sight, he is devoted to Eldest Miss,” Ding Hao murmured, unable to restrain the emotion in his voice.

Mu Hong nodded. Yet, there was no joy in his eyes, and only worry and a solemn graveness on his face. “With so many Essence Cultivation Pills, plus this Beautifying Pill and one hundred million gold coins, it will attract the greed of some.”

Mu Yurou, whose eyes nearly turned red at the sight of so many betrothal gifts, clutched her sleeves tightly. If one could kill with a gaze, she would have killed Mu Qianyue countless times already!

…

That night, Mu Qianyue gathered all of the shadow guards and distributed those over-three-hundred Essence Cultivation Pills to each of them. The Essence Cultivation Liquid they consumed previously did not clash with this pill.

The shadow guards were thrilled. Over this period of time, they had been skipping stages consecutively, so much so they had become numb to it.

But the overly-quick elevation of one’s capabilities would result in unsteady breathing. That was why they ramped up their training recently. Naturally, Mu Qianyue had also joined them in the training.

As for the Beautifying Pill, Mu Qianyue gave it to Mu Hong.

“Grandfather is so old already, what need do I have for this? I’m not vain anyway. I won’t take it!” Mu Hong’s mouth twitched. Yet, as he spoke there was a smile on his face.

“Grandfather, not only does this have beautifying effects, it can prolong one’s longevity. It’s most appropriate for you to consume it.” Now that her grandfather had gotten old, his health wasn’t as great as before. Seeing that Mu Hong was adamant about not taking it, Mu Qianyue scoffed. “Forget it. Since you’re not going to take it, I have no use keeping this around. I’ll just toss it away then.”

As she spoke, she threw it towards a faraway pond.

“Hey hey hey, that’s a third-grade pill!” Mu Hong hurriedly leaped over and caught hold of the treasured Beautifying Pill. With an expression of heartache, he said, “I can’t believe you really could bear to throw it away.”

With this, Mu Qianyue only laughed. “I never keep useless things.”

“Master, just take it. This is Eldest Young Miss’s act of filial piety. You mustn’t deny her this.” Next to them, Ding Hao had a smile on his face.

“Alright alright, I’ll take it.” Mu Hong stopped refusing and consumed the Beautifying Pill.

Shortly after, Mu Hong’s appearance underwent a drastic change. The wrinkles on his face slowly smoothed out, and his head full of white hair visibly turned black and shiny. With a radiant face, he appeared spirited. It was like he became thirty years younger in an instant!

“Tsk tsk, the Beautifying Pill truly lives up to its name. No wonder so many people are crazy over it!” Ding Hao marveled with an astonished sigh.

“Grandfather Ding, don’t worry. When I become a third-grade Pill Apothecary, I will help you regain your youthfulness too,” Mu Qianyue said with a smile as she took his arm.

After these days of interaction, she knew Ding Hao truly regarded her like his own granddaughter. Moreover, Ding Hao had sacrificed his entire life for the Defender Marquis Manor, and never married his entire life. Such loyalty was hard to find in one’s lifetime!