WBSGVS Chapter 159 V1

Upon hearing the shocking news, Mu Lan’er’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, her eyes glazed over in disbelief.

Qing Li arrived late and was greeted by a troubling sight—at the mansion’s gate, a man lay sprawled like a corpse. His legs were injured and heavily wrapped.

The few men carrying him looked quite impatient, especially the one in the lead—his expression was grim.

Because of Qing Li’s strict orders, the concubines in the household had all been well-behaved. Thanks to the tonic she provided, even the last one who got pregnant had already been expecting for over a month. Now that they each carried a child, they kept to themselves and rarely caused trouble.

Only one concubine, a former maid sent over by Xie Yuning, hadn’t gotten pregnant yet. Qing Li did care, but that maid didn’t get much news from the outside and was largely ignored by the rest of the household. She had no idea that Xie Rongyun had returned.

So it was only Mu Lan’er who waited anxiously at the gate, and the result she got was this.

Honestly, it was… deliciously ironic.

Qing Li’s presence was a stark contrast to Mu Lan’er’s pathetic state. The official who had just been speaking caught sight of her immediately and stepped forward, his attitude losing its earlier impatience. Though Xie Rongyun had done something disgraceful, Mu Qing Li was still a respected daughter of the Mu family—he couldn’t afford to be rude.

“Madam Xie,” he began, repeating what he’d just said, “you should call a doctor immediately. The journey here was rough, and I fear he might suffer long-term consequences…”

Qing Li frowned slightly. “Thank you for the warning, sir. I understand.”

Seeing that he’d delivered his message, the official ordered his men to lower the stretcher. The servants who had followed Qing Li came forward to carry it inside but paused, looking at her for instruction.

The official had just stepped out the door but noticed the silence behind him. He glanced back and couldn’t help but admire how tightly Qing Li ran the household.

Qing Li met his gaze and gave him a charming smile.

He smiled back, nodded, and quickly took his leave.

Then Qing Li tilted her chin toward Mu Lan’er and said lazily, “Lan’er Concubine is so deeply devoted to the master—I’m sure she’ll take excellent care of him. Take him to Laurel Courtyard.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the servant nodded and carried the man inside.

Hearing her name suddenly, Mu Lan’er flinched. She quickly called for her maid, who had also been frozen in fear moments ago. The girl snapped to attention and helped her up.

“Third Sister…” Mu Lan’er called out weakly, hoping for a hint of sympathy—anything that wasn’t so cold.

She could tell from one look that Xie Rongyun’s condition was dire.

To say she didn’t regret her actions would be a lie. In truth, the moment she’d been publicly punished by the Mu family, regret had already set in. But it was too late by then. Her only option was to keep going—play the part of a love-struck fool, hoping the Mu family would show her mercy.

In the end, she hadn’t been executed—just cast out.

From that moment on, she was no longer a Mu.

Without the Mu family as her backing, even her third sister, who once helped her, completely ignored her. Her only chance of survival was to cling to Xie Rongyun. At that point, regret wasn’t even an option.

After entering the Xie household, she became an unnamed concubine. It was painful and degrading, but she clung to the hope that Xie Rongyun still liked her. As the pillar of the Xie family, his affection carried real weight in the back courtyard.

But now… her heart had completely sunk.

Her third sister had struck hard and clean, cutting off all her possibilities. At this point, Xie Rongyun was a cripple.

If she wanted to survive, she had to win her sister’s favor.

That’s why she called out like that.

But Qing Li immediately frowned and snapped, “How dare you! I’m the legitimate daughter of the Mu family. And you—an unnamed concubine without even a surname—how dare you call me ‘Third Sister’? Qiyue, slap her.”

Mu Lan’er froze, too stunned to even explain. Qiyue had already stepped forward eagerly.

She had long wanted to strike Mu Lan’er, but the gap in status had always prevented her. Now things were different. Mu Lan’er was a concubine, and although she wasn’t technically a servant, her status was barely better than one. In front of the mistress of the house, she was no different from someone bought off the street.

As the main maid beside the mistress, Qiyue didn’t hesitate—smack smack smack—three harsh slaps.

“Ah!” Mu Lan’er’s face was flung to one side. Before she could react, smack smack smack—three more on the other cheek.

In just the space of two breaths, Mu Lan’er’s face was burning with pain, and not just from the slaps.

She clutched her cheeks, not daring to look up or see how the other servants were reacting.

It was utterly humiliating.

Just one call of “Third Sister” and she got slapped six times!

Mu Lan’er was trembling with hurt, fear, and embarrassment. Tears welled up silently in her eyes. She didn’t even glance at the men carrying Xie Rongyun away.

Qing Li smiled in satisfaction and said calmly, “Lan’er Concubine, remember this: I don’t like you. Anyone can call me sister—except you.”

“Wuu… wuu…” Mu Lan’er sobbed harder, even more aggrieved.

Qing Li had never treated her like this before. Back then, when their mother didn’t favor her due to her birth, and she was constantly bullied, it was her third sister who once stood in front of the whole Mu family and said, “She’s still a member of the Mu family. She’s my sister, too.”

Qiyue frowned slightly and said coldly, “Concubine, the lady asked you a question. Did you hear her?”

Mu Lan’er flinched and answered softly, “Yes… I heard…”

Her voice was thick with sobs, and pitiful enough to make anyone feel bad for her.

But all of this… was her own doing.

Xie Rongyun’s legs were completely ruined this time. Due to his reckless ambition, he fell off a cliff and had his legs crushed by rocks. He also hit his head badly, and the rest of his body wasn’t in great shape either, though none of the other injuries were as severe as those to his legs and head.

When they found him, he was covered in blood.

They had gone out on a mission to eliminate bandits, but medical conditions were extremely poor in the field. All they could do was save his life and bring him back.

Even after returning, his condition remained critical. He was in and out of consciousness, never fully awake. Qingli called a physician to examine him.

All the doctors shook their heads. They said that even if he recovered, this was as good as it would get. His legs would never heal properly.

After sending the doctors away, Mu Lan’er wept even harder in the courtyard. Her last pillar of support was gone. Now, as a concubine without even a family name of her own, she had no choice but to live under the authority of Qingli, the official wife.

Just the thought of it was terrifying.

If Mu Lan’er had a bit more resolve, she might have hanged herself and escaped a bleak future she could already see laid out before her. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Just like when Qingli had subtly hinted that she should give up on Xie Rongyun, Mu Lan’er couldn’t. The idea of letting him go was too painful, more frightening to her than the danger ahead, so she chose to stay.

This time was no different. Suicide was terrifying. She couldn’t bear to let go. So she lived fearfully, anxiously, one day at a time.

The five pregnant concubines were shocked when they heard the news. Their panic wasn’t about Qingli herself, but rather the possibility that she might remarry. Now that Xie Rongyun was practically crippled, someone of Qingli’s status as the legitimate daughter of the Mu family certainly had other options.

If she remarried, their unborn children would no longer be welcome.

So each of them rushed to Qingli’s residence as soon as they heard, hoping for a clear answer, so they could decide whether to keep the babies or not.

Qingli smiled and said, “Relax. I brought you all back for a reason. As long as you don’t cause trouble, you’ll be fine. If you don’t want to have the child, you’re free to terminate. But if you give birth, I’ll raise them.”

The five concubines were overjoyed. One by one, they knelt and kowtowed before her.

“Thank you, Madam, for your mercy! You’re so righteous and kind!”

Even in a situation like this, she still cared about them.

Any other ruthless mistress would have taken advantage of the master’s illness to sell off all his concubines.

Back when the five of them followed Qingli and bought back their freedom just to avoid serving other men, they were mocked for it. But now, in hindsight, that decision had been incredibly wise.

As for the children, they decided not to terminate. They were about to become widows—without children, they would have no support in the future.

Meanwhile, in the capital, news that Xie Rongyun had lost everything during a bandit suppression campaign stirred up gossip.

“See? Doesn’t matter how good he was at studying—he made it to top scholar, and still ended up crippled. Useless.”

“Exactly. I heard they didn’t lose many men in the operation. Even the deputy commander from the Jin Yiwei and the Nie family’s second son were involved. And Xie Rongyun still couldn’t handle it? Worthless!”

“I mean, is he really that useless? Didn’t a bunch of his concubines end up pregnant?”

“Who knows? Maybe it was just for show, so no one would suspect he’s impotent. He’s a high-ranking official—using someone else’s seed to cover things up isn’t unheard of.”

“???”

Rumors grew wilder by the day. Most people didn’t care, aside from mocking Xie Rongyun’s damaged reputation and the complete breakdown of Xie Yuning.

After all, Xie Rongyun was the Xie family’s last hope. Her ability to marry Yu Zhi despite her past was all thanks to her brother. Now that he had fallen, what was she supposed to do?

That’s why, the very afternoon he was brought back, Xie Yuning rushed over.

She thought her brother would be in the main residence, but was instead led to the Laurel Courtyard.

Even though she was married now, nobody had told her Xie Rongyun had taken another concubine, let alone that it was Mu Lan’er.

Everyone knew Xie Yuning hated Mu Lan’er. If she found out, it would’ve caused a huge scene.

So as the steward guided her in, she frowned and asked, “Are you sure this is the right way? My brother isn’t in the main residence?”

The steward awkwardly replied, “Madam said the Master loves Concubine Lan’er the most. Since she isn’t feeling well, she let Concubine Lan’er take care of him.”

“Concubine Lan’er?” Xie Yuning hesitated. “When did he get a new concubine?”