The Exiled Villainess and Her Shopping Dimension

"From what Fan Yu observed, all this aligns with my own thoughts. However, I don’t intend to make a big deal of it by misusing my title. It would be better if, after this incident, rumors spread that Furen Mu, an Honored Furen, didn’t take offense at the villagers’ loose tongues, despite being a victim of the assailants herself."

"Letting people talk while we remain silent isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Ideally, I’d want even more people to come and curse in front of my manor. This would mean that the Mu manor would become even more lively. People will see how much pressure we’re under, even the Emperor will know, and he might intervene personally."

"After all, this is a title bestowed by His Majesty himself. Yet, we have villagers ignoring it and coming here to insult us. Disrespecting me is one thing, but disrespecting the Emperor’s decree is far more serious."

"So, this is not something to be feared. We will not be punished as long as we are innocent and have enough evidence to catch the real culprits. What we need to focus on now is retaliating against those behind this."

"As Fan Yu pointed out, ordinary villagers wouldn’t dare to act this way. There must be someone stoking the fire. This fuel is raging behind the scenes to damage the Mu family’s reputation as much as possible. Especially targeting me, the furen who recently earned many accolades. Instead of scrambling to meet these demands, why not let our enemies help build our good reputation? It would be like slapping them in the face."

Yueqian smiled wickedly. Fan Yu lowered her eyes, as if she had anticipated this. And yes! What she thought was that Yueqian was a stingy person who would never allow herself to be taken advantage of and even wanting others to give her benefits in return was true.

After hearing this, everyone fell silent. They were unreasonably worried. Who was their mistress? She was an Honored Furen appointed by the Emperor himself. The royal decree was still fresh, yet someone dared to play tricks like this. If they were the Emperor, they would be angry too.

However, if they got angry before the Emperor did, it might seem like they were abusing their power! Who knew ow many outcomes the person who planned this had anticipated?

If it weren’t for the fact that Consort Gui had passed away earlier, one might think it was she who orchestrated this. Ah! No, the mind behind this scheme wouldn’t be Consort Gui herself, but someone who operated behind her.

Yueqian wasn’t without means to discover who was responsible. She knew that the person behind these rumors could only be someone who wanted her position as Furen Mu the most.

"Furen Mu, there’s someone from the Minister’s manor asking to meet you," reported one of the Wang’s soldiers who had been with them for several months, ensuring the safety of the residence. When visitors came, they had to be announced to the manor’s owner first.

"Who is the representative from the Minister’s manor?" Yueqian raised an eyebrow in surprise. Shouldn’t this matter have nothing to do with high-ranking officials? So, why was someone from the Minister’s office here?

She didn’t believe that the Minister himself would send someone. He was too clever—how could he get involved in a game where the only outcome was defeat?! If it was just the villagers talking, it was insignificant. But if the words came from the Minister’s manor, the situation would be entirely different!

It wouldn’t be a low-level conflict anymore; it would elevate to a battle where one side must fall completely!

"It’s the new concubine. Fuqren Mu, you might know her; she is the former eldest young miss of the Ming family." Upon hearing this, Yueqian exclaimed in realization. She nearly laughed out loud upon hearing that surname.

"So, it’s an old acquaintance," Yueqian smiled. It seemed this situation was getting a bit more interesting.

In front of Mu manor,

While the villagers were noisily cursing non-stop, a woman escorted by two guards and two maidservants walked in, her face showing undisguised concern.

"Everyone, please calm down. Can someone tell me what has happened here?" The beautiful woman said in a soft, sweet voice.

"And who are you?"

"Yes, who are you? Do you know the Mu family? Are you here to see them? Are you their friend?" After talking for a long time, listening to one person and then another, the villagers’ anger boiled over. Seeing the elegantly dressed woman, they no longer cared about anyone else and angrily shouted at her. They were frustrated that the Mu family didn’t seem to care, not even coming out to address the situation.

The newly-appointed concubine hesitated for a moment. When she was the eldest young miss of the Ming family, no one would have spoken to her this way. But now, as the concubine of another man, living in another’s manor, life was difficult. She was merely a plaything for a man old enough to be her father. In the household, she had to contend with others and show respect to those from families lower in status than hers. All of this was deeply frustrating.

Who would have thought that upon leaving the manor, instead of being treated with respect, even the common folk dared to look down on her? They were just commoners, after all.

"Calm down, everyone. I am the wife of the Minister. Passing by, I heard of this commotion and came to see what was happening. What exactly is the matter? If I can help, I will."

The stark contrast in tone and demeanor made the villagers pause. Hearing about the Minister, they felt a wave of fear. After all, the Minister was a figure of significant authority, not someone they could challenge easily. Unlike the Mu family, who had only recently gained their noble status and were from the Du Region, they could still deal with someone like that.

Upon hearing who the other party was, many villagers lowered their voices, fearful of making a grave mistake.

"Furen of the Minister, we do have a serious matter at hand."

"Yesterday, Furen Mu was riding in her carriage through the city. The carriage lost control, injuring several people. My nephew was left crippled and unable to work. We came to demand compensation from Furen Mu, but no one came out to address us."

"The Mu manor has been silent, as if no one is home. We’ve been shouting until our throats are sore, but no one came to help. How can Official Mu be good nobles if they refuse to take responsibility?"

"That’s right. We’ve been standing here since morning without food. Some people have fainted from hunger, yet the Mu family doesn’t care. They’d rather let us die here. We’ve heard rumors that women from the Du Region are heartless. Today, we’ve seen the truth. Having such a woman in the Mu manor only tarnishes Official Mu’s name."

The villagers took turns speaking emotionally, frustrated that those inside refused to open the door or engage in any discussion, as if they didn’t even exist. If they had known that such actions could actually warrant execution, these foolish villagers would have been bowing in gratitude to the heaven and earth that the Mu family hadn’t opened the gate.

"Is this true? Did such a thing happen? Why has no one done anything? At the very least, the injured should be tended to, right? This won’t do. I’ll handle it. I’ll promise to go in and speak on your behalf, though I’m not sure if I’ll succeed." How could a minister’s concubine not know about what happened to Furen Mu?

Of course, she knew about the incident and saw it as an opportunity for revenge, to mock Furen Mu. Little did she realize she was about to face a disaster so severe that even the Minister would want to scold her for it!

"Is this true? I knew that someone associated with the Minister wouldn’t allow the wrongdoers to go unpunished."

"Thank you, Miss, truly thank you," everyone expressed their gratitude. This prompted the foolish former Eldest Young Miss Ming, who thought herself clever, to demand to see Furen Mu from the gate guards.

Being associated with nobility, the guards had to ask their mistress despite the ongoing chaos outside. After Yueqian heard this, she immediately instructed them to invite Concubine Ming inside.

Once adversaries, they now faced each other again. Yueqian wore elegant silk robes bestowed upon her by the Emperor, her high status evident. The sight of Yueqian in such finery filled the visitor with envy and hatred, causing her to clench her fists tightly to restrain herself.

Yueqian glanced at Eldest Young Miss Ming who had become much thinner. She was no longer as plump, beautiful, and radiant as before. It was clear that life in the Minister’s residence must have been full of hardships. Despite this, Yueqian’s gaze showed no sympathy, only undisguised contempt.

"How could you be so slow? Leaving a guest from the Minister’s manor waiting is quite disrespectful," Yueqian emphasized the other’s status before speaking further.

While Concubine Ming didn’t think much of it, she had already fallen into Yueqian’s trap. After all... Yueqian was not a kind person. Previously, someone had been shouting and cursing her, calling her all sorts of vile names all day. To say that she felt nothing at all would be untrue.

Now that Yueqian had someone to vent her frustrations on, how could she not smile in delight?!

Yang Ji hurried to fetch the pastries she had prepared earlier to welcome her. Today, it was lava mooncakes, a unique pastry that the mistress had demonstrated before. Unlike ordinary mooncakes, these were much more delicious with a runny egg yolk filling that made them even more appetizing. Luckily, she had made extra today. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been enough for the mistress to enjoy herself, let alone offer to a guest.

Yueqian chose ginger tea to serve today. Its warm flavor paired perfectly with the lava mooncakes. Ginger tea also helped alleviate morning sickness and stimulated blood circulation, making it a healthy choice.

"These are called lava mooncakes. Would you like to try one?" Yueqian didn’t sit down, leaving Concubine Ming standing there, looking at her.

"Aren’t you going to sit?" Concubine Ming raised an eyebrow, not even touching the teaspoon. This was her own wariness after experiencing Yueqian’s schemes before.

She was convinced that it was Yueqian who had poisoned her before. Given that she had falsely accused Furen Mu, no one else would have had such a strong motive to hold a grudge against her.

"Ah... I simply wanted you to show your respect first," Yueqian smiled. She still didn’t sit down but instead adopted a gentle expression.

"What do you mean?" Concubine Ming frowned, clearly displaying her displeasure. Why should she have to show respect first? However, as she spoke, she seemed to understand something.

"Oh, you mean your appointment, right? That’s right. I apologize for forgetting," Concubine Ming said, her voice filled with anger and humiliation. Nonetheless, she stood up. She was not as ignorant as the common villagers. When it came to rank and status, they had to be tens of times stricter.

"Greetings, Furen Mu. May I sit now?" She said begrudgingly, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Yueqian sighed before slowly sitting down across from Concubine Ming, looking at the younger woman with a pitying gaze. This only served to infuriate Concubine Ming even more, yet she couldn’t sit down until permitted in front of such a high-ranking honored furen.

"I would like to have you join me for tea, but it’s not quite appropriate at the moment. You are no longer Eldest Young Miss Ming; you are merely a concubine surnamed Ming. For the sake of propriety, I will have a small tea table brought for you," Yueqian said, feigning a hint of regret before glancing at Rui Beng.

The young maid nodded and hurried out, but the former eldest young miss nearly lunged at her, barely restraining herself from slapping and hitting her!!

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