Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

"Minister Mu has arrived."

When she heard the announcement, Mu Tingting was staring blankly in front of the mirror.

Today, Rong was supposed to take her to the palace to meet the Empress.

Empress Zhang had been trying to summon her ever since she learned of her arrival in the capital.

The sun had been shining brightly these past few days, and the plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, so I thought I'd use the excuse of "appreciating the plum blossoms" to invite her to the palace for a meeting.

Therefore, she got up before dawn this morning.

He instructed Ying'er to bring out the various clothes from the chest and cage for her to choose from.

It took almost half an hour to choose a dress that was neither too plain nor too flashy, and was suitable for the audience.

However, at this moment, news suddenly came from the palace that Empress Zhang's headache had flared up again and that she would be summoned again on another day.

This instantly plunged Mu Tingting's previously high spirits into a slump.

When news of Mu Zheng's arrival arrived, her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly asked, "Who is it?"

The maid Rong Shu, who was in charge of announcing the news, smiled and said, "Miss Xia, it's your uncle—Minister Mu."

"uncle…"

Mu Tingting pushed away Ying'er, who was combing her hair, stood up, but hesitated for a moment, her emotions fluctuating wildly.

Rong Shu added, "Minister Mu said that the young marquis personally went to his residence yesterday, but he happened to be out. He thought something was wrong, so he chose to come and inquire early this morning."

"He also added that if Miss is busy, there's no need to see her."

Mu Tingting's expression was gloomy and uncertain.

She knew her father wouldn't come to their door without a reason.

Something must have happened.

A sudden, inexplicable panic made her unconsciously clench her sleeves. She then forced herself to calm down and said, "My uncle has come all this way; it wouldn't be right for me not to see him."

"How about this, Sister Rongshu, could you please ask the Marquis or his wife if I could meet my uncle in the outer flower hall of the East Garden?"

As she spoke, she took out a silver ingot from her dressing case and handed it over.

Rong Shu didn't want to accept it.

But after spending time with "Miss Xia" these past few days, she knew that the other person was a cautious and polite person.

Not wanting to offend her, he smiled and said, "Miss, that's too formal. The Marquis and his wife are both reasonable people, so why would they prevent you from meeting them?"

"This servant will go to the front hall to invite Lord Mu over."

"Thank you for your trouble, sister."

Watching Rong Shu's figure disappear into the distance, Mu Tingting sat back down in front of the dressing mirror.

It was just a pair of hands, yet they were inexplicably trembling uncontrollably.

Ying'er noticed her fear and whispered to comfort her, "Miss, don't worry. Since Lord Mu has agreed to let you come to the capital, he will naturally pave the way for your future."

Mu Tingting gave a cold smile to herself in the mirror.

She knew her father's temperament.

Back then, Xia Ximo was seriously ill and took expensive medicine every day to prolong his life, but his health still did not improve.

Her father was terrified that if she died, he would lose the protection of the Marquis of Renxuan's mansion.

Every time he wrote home, he would mention Xia Ximo in every word, completely forgetting that he had a biological daughter.

In the end, it was her mother who suggested that she replace Xia Ximo to meet the Lady of the Marquis.

She will always remember what her father said to her mother: "If this gets out, you'll have to take the blame yourself. It has nothing to do with me."

He wanted to both distance himself from the matter and reap all the benefits!

Mu Tingting knew that after her mother's death, she would have to rely on herself.

My father's agreement to let me go to the capital was a last resort.

He was probably afraid that the real Xia Ximo would expose his scandals after arriving in the capital, and he didn't want to affect his own career, so he had no choice but to make this last move.

But in the end, if things really come to light, who knows if he won't be eager to distance himself from me?

A short while later, Rong Shu came to report again.

"Miss Xia, Minister Mu is already waiting for you in the flower hall."

Mu Tingting responded and left the East Garden with Ying'er.

Speaking of which, since my father went to Beijing to serve as an official, he has rarely returned to Xiling County.

Father and daughter rarely see each other.

Not long ago, she secretly went to Beijing. Fearing that people would suspect something, the two only exchanged letters once before she left.

At this moment, she saw her father's figure in the distance, and her emotions were complicated.

Upon entering, she called out softly in front of everyone.

"uncle."

Mu Zheng's back trembled, and he slowly turned around, his eyes glistening with tears: "Good child."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries about their "uncle-nephew relationship" until Rong Shu and the maids from the Marquis's residence left.

Mu Zheng lowered his voice and said, "Tingting, my dear daughter, you've really suffered..."

Upon hearing this claim, Mu Tingting was stunned for a moment, then sneered inwardly, but remained obedient on the surface.

She lowered her head and sighed, "My mother has passed away. Now, my father is my only remaining relative in the world. Coming to the capital and being able to be so close to him, I have no regrets."

Mu Zheng sighed, "If you could marry into the Marquis's family, that would be the best thing, but right now, there might be some obstacles."

Mu Tingting knew something was wrong.

She asked in a trembling voice, "Has the young marquis... found out anything?"

Mu Zheng glanced outside the hall before replying, "He has already sent someone to Xiling County."

Mu Tingting's face turned pale.

"Then he..."

No wonder he suddenly returned to the Marquis's residence without making a sound.

Mu Zheng explained, "Fortunately, all the servants in the house have been dismissed, leaving only Steward Zhou and a few old servants, all of whom are trustworthy."

"Besides, I've already confessed everything that needed to be confessed, so I'm not afraid of being investigated..."

"It's that old gatekeeper Zhang, he gets drunk and talks nonsense."

Mu Tingting's heart pounded, but a fierce glint flashed in her eyes: "We shouldn't have kept him in the first place!"

"The young marquis is naturally suspicious. He must have found out something on this trip, otherwise he wouldn't have suddenly come to me and then to you."

Mu Zheng was first surprised by his daughter's look, then asked, "He... suspects you too?"

"Yes."

Mu Tingting responded softly, her expression changing rapidly, even showing a hint of sorrow: "From the first moment he saw me, I knew he didn't trust me."

Upon hearing this, Mu Zheng paused for a moment before saying, "It must be because of Xi Mo..."

Mu Tingting's heart pounded even harder. "What do you mean? Xia Ximo is really in the capital?"

Mu Zheng nodded.

"Not only did she go to the capital, but she also sought out the young marquis, and she has even been living in his residence all this time."

Mu Tingting seemed incredulous, unsure of her own feelings: "She... she actually has such abilities?"

"No wonder the young marquis didn't believe me, it turns out..."

She slumped into a chair, her face extremely pale.

Suddenly, I remembered what I heard at the Duke Du's mansion that day...

"Father, you must help me. If I'm exposed..."

Mu Zheng glanced outside in a panic, then patted her shoulder: "If we want things to get done, Xi Mo can't be kept alive."

Mu Tingting grabbed his sleeve excitedly, "Father, you mustn't be soft-hearted, you can't leave any future trouble!"

Mu Zheng paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Her movements after arriving in the capital were very strange, and she was often with the young marquis, making it indeed difficult to take action against her."

"However, you can put your mind at ease. Since the young marquis did not bring her back to the manor, he probably does not trust her."

"You should stay in the manor and behave yourself. With the Lady of the Marquis's trust in you, you should be even more confident."

Mu Tingting paused for a moment.

Her father's words were undoubtedly saying that she could only rely on herself.

"Father."

She suddenly uttered a soft cry, then said, "We can no longer sit idly by and wait to die."

"Our daughter now has a way out; would you be willing to give it a try?"

When Mu Zheng was asked this question by his daughter, he felt a chill run down his spine for no reason.

She continued, "Have you ever heard of a place in the capital called Fu Lou?"