"Of course I'm not using the Mu family as a shield, but rather pushing your family toward that supreme position." The sharp glint in Ye Lanshan's eyes showed her confidence that through careful planning, she could gradually devour the Yue Kingdom.
"Ye Lanshan really said that." Mu Ziming stared in astonishment at the woman before him—she was an exact replica of the portrait hanging in the Ye family ancestral hall, down to the finest detail.
"Mm." Mu Xinlian nodded, a flicker of emotion stirring within her as she watched Mu Ziming. How long had it been since she'd last laid eyes on a member of the Mu family?
"This isn't something I can decide on my own. I need to inform my father and let him make the call." Mu Ziming neither refused nor agreed. The plan was undeniably audacious, and the Mu family currently lacked such grand ambitions.
Besides, with the Sun family's fate as a cautionary tale, the Mu family was hardly eager to rebel.
Mu Xinlian understood this well. When she first heard Ye Lanshan's proposal, she too had been stunned and reluctant to cooperate.
Yet Ye Lanshan seemed unfazed, merely saying: "The Holy Land has long been dissatisfied with the Yue Kingdom and certainly won't help Yue Jinghong. Plus, after the battle with the Sun family, Yue Jinghong has suffered considerable losses. And my Ye family isn't to be underestimated—though the three armies have been absorbed, their hearts still belong to us. When the time comes, why worry about the Mu family not claiming that throne?"
To be honest, Ye Lanshan had her own motives and plans. When she fled, she didn't go to the Ye family, subtly signaling to Yue Jinghong and the Holy Land that she didn't care about them. So for now, they wouldn't pay much attention to the Ye family.
Unfortunately, Ye Lanshan didn't know that the Ye family was already fractured. If not for Yue Yinuo's support, they would have been wiped out long ago.
In fact, Yue Yinuo had played a significant role in enabling Zhou Haiming to control Ye Luotian. Now she was helping the Ye family again—it was hard to guess her true intentions.
"Can I return to the Mu family with you now?" Mu Xinlian's voice trembled with longing—a yearning for homecoming, for kinship.
"Well..." Mu Ziming looked hesitant. He still wasn't sure if the woman before him was truly the one from the ancestral hall portrait—the person who had once led the Mu family to make the pivotal decision to side with the Yue family.
"It's normal for you to doubt my identity. But since you've seen Ye Lanshan's token, you know I'm her ally. And Ye Lanshan holds many of your Mu family's secrets."
Mu Xinlian's eyes darkened. She hadn't wanted to resort to this, but how could someone long thought dead simply reappear in the Mu family's eyes? With everyone who could confirm her identity gone, she had no choice but to issue a veiled threat.
"Fine, I'll take you to the Mu family. But you know the emperor is suspicious. I hope you won't slip up if you encounter him." Mu Ziming finally relented with a resigned sigh.
"Do you know if Yue Shu is still in the palace?" Mu Xinlian asked, a sudden melancholy creeping into her voice as they walked.
"Yue Shu? Didn't he perish in a fire years ago? Why bring him up now?" Mu Ziming was puzzled. Could Yue Shu still be alive?
He had always felt a pang of regret for that frail but prodigious infant who died in the flames. If not for that fire, Yue Shu might have become the Yue Kingdom's greatest genius, rivaling figures like Lan Yexin of the Star Kingdom and Ye Yutian of the Night Kingdom.
"Nothing."
Seeing Mu Xinlian unwilling to elaborate, Mu Ziming dropped the subject.
"Are you my great-aunt?" Mu Yifeng hurried over excitedly, scrutinizing Mu Xinlian closely.
"If your great-aunt is Mu Xinlian, then yes, I am." Mu Xinlian finally relaxed in the presence of the Mu family, allowing herself a rare moment of humor.
"So you really didn't die." Mu Yifeng quickly ushered her inside, as if he'd known all along she was alive.
But in truth, she had been dead for countless years. By seniority, Mu Yifeng was several generations her junior.
"May I ask why you've appeared now, great-aunt? Is there something you wish to discuss?" Before Mu Ziming could speak, Mu Yifeng had already posed the question.
"It's like this..." Mu Xinlian recounted Ye Lanshan's plan once more.
"Well, it's not that I disagree, but the Mu family already has someone suited for that position." Mu Yifeng was clearly hesitant. In truth, their interest lay in wealth, not in ruling a kingdom.
"If you don't want the throne, that's fine. But Yue Jinghong must die. Two of the three great families have already fallen. Do you think he'll let the Mu family grow unchecked?"
Mu Xinlian had her own selfish motives. Having lingered as a ghost in the palace for so long, she knew its secrets inside out. She had called Zhou Haiming her enemy because he was the successor of that person—the one who once wielded the Yue family's puppet art, capable of controlling minds and souls, bending others to his will.
The Mu family had once helped the Yue family destroy the Li family and seize the throne, thinking they had avenged Mu Xinlian. But they were wrong. Perhaps no one realized that her greatest hatred was for the Yue family's puppet practitioners.
"I'll need more time to think. You must be tired from your journey, great-aunt. Ziming, escort her to the guest quarters to rest." Mu Yifeng ultimately didn't agree.
Mu Xinlian knew this couldn't be rushed, so she stopped pressing and followed Mu Ziming to rest.
"Can Mu Xinlian really convince the Mu family to help us against the Yue Kingdom?" Yun Di was skeptical.
By now, Ye Lanshan had released everyone from the space. She had originally planned to let them cultivate there until they reached a certain level, but with the monsters appearing and Fu Feng heading to the Xuanling Academy, she had to adjust her plans.
"Of course. If Mu Xinlian could make the Mu family help the Yue family destroy the Li family, she can make them help me take down Yue Jinghong." Ye Lanshan smiled, clearly confident in her success.
"To be honest, you've been a bit rash. A gentleman's revenge is never too late, but recklessly rallying the families to attack Yue Jinghong will surely catch the Holy Land's attention." Yun Di still disapproved.
"Don't worry. No matter how bad my situation gets, I'll make sure you enter the Sikong family." Ye Lanshan lifted her chin at him, assuming he feared she'd die and leave him unable to claim the family head position.