Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop. The horse leads the carriage calmly but the person who rode it was otherwise.
"…so? What is this?" Mu Xinyi sat crossing her legs, she asked her servants with a monotone voice though, her face was stern. She held the hairpin she wears during the banquet with her two fingers—a thumb and an index finger.
"…" Bao bit her lips while Ruyang averted her eyes. Both of them refused to sell themselves first.
'It seems miss know about the hairpin...' thought Bai. She did not know what happened during the banquet because she was waiting outside; at the carriage. Roughly, she guessed it based on Ruyang's darkened face. She was able to catch up with the situation and understand that her master was mad because of the hairpin that she and Ruyang told her to wear - Bai felt unsettled because she was responsible for that too.
Zap. A sharp knife landed between their legs; it pierces through the wooden floor
"Ha…ahahaaa… that's just a hairpin, miss," Bai who was more coward than Ruyang, answered in flustered. She was afraid the knife would land on her throat the next time it was thrown by her master.
"Ahh…So, it is."
"Yes… it is." Ruyang muttered.
"But Bai, Ruyang…a hairpin also can be used as something else, right? like…to kill someone? Or maybe scratch their face? Which one did you two thinks? Hah?" Mu Xinyi stopped and look at them with sharp eyes, "Hmm…should we test it on you two first?" she gave off an evil smile. Then, she laughed crazily.
"B-b-both!" Bai answered unwittingly.
"Heh…so it both. It seems I need to scratch your face first then kill you right?" she smirked
Shocked, "Miss, please forgive us, servants!" Two of them plead guilty with pale faces. They put their palms together begging for forgiveness with teary eyes.
'Miss' face…!' Both lowered their head.
Though their master is kind and treats them more special than others, they knew that if they had crossed the line they would also be punished; The least punishment is being flogged and the worst is giving up their life which means they would be dead meat.
Because they had served her for a long time, they had witnessed the punishment with their own eyes, so they knew best, what punishments would be waiting for them once they arrive at Mu residents if they did not act pity right at the moment.
Kong. Kong. Both of their head had a taste of their master's fists.
"Haaah. This is…such a hassle, did you two know?" Mu Xinyi felt her life just became more complicated thanks to her two loyal servants.
Ruyang and Bai swallow in guilty.
"So? Hurry up tell me before this sharp hairpin kill you both." Mu Xinyi threw the hairpin in her hand in the air several times, asking for some explanations.
'Ahhh…how pretty, how gorgeous! Even with that foul mouth she still the best, my absolutely master!'
Pap. "Ouch" Bai slapped the back of Ruyang's head. Bai knew exactly what was in her partner's head as they have been together for several years. Though Ruyang is always the serious and reasonable one, she totally lost it when it comes to their master's 'charms'.
'She lose it,' Bai then explained, "This hairpin...it was given by your father miss, he left it with us before he goes on the business trip with the merchants. He said something like, if she entered the palace, give this to her to wear as the accessory."
"Father?!" Mu Xinyi startled. She was truly surprised because she did not know why he would give her the hairpin.
'Why me…?'
"Did he say anything else?" Bai and Ruyang shook their head. The faces telling that they truly did not know the reason stopped Mu Xinyi's questions.
She stared at the hairpin in her hand and mumbled, "We need to wait at least one month or more to get the answer…" Her head began to calculate the time when her father will be back home with the Mu group merchants.
'He's already gone for two months and a half...maybe one month…'
Mu Xinyi closed her pair of eyes, she wanted to rest for a while before reaching her house. The banquet took quite a long time to finish even though they just ate, chatted and do some performances.
Unfortunately, her mind did not allow it – A thought crossed her mind, 'Why did he give this to me? Isn't Mu Ra Huo should have it? What are you thinking, father…?'
Mu Xinyi let out a long sigh – That made her two servants try to ease her mind, "It's okay miss! I'm sure that nothing complicated would happen! Right, Ruyang?"
"Yes, miss. Although second miss looks mad at you during the banquet, I don't think she would make a fuss over it...I mean maybe she would not?"
"Huh? What happened Ruyang?"
"Well…that's...I'll tell you when we arrive," Ruyang who had her eyes on their master all the time decided to stop talking about it. She cursed herself, 'Why I had a loose mouth like Bai, all of the time?!'
Ruyang did not want her master to feel stressed and she also did not want to disturb her rest.
However, her decision was too late. Upon hearing that, Mu Xinyi's expression changed even though her eyes still close tightly. Her brows knitted and her lips twitched for an instant.
In that second, she remembered the tragedy at the banquet because of the hairpin, where even the emperor was involved.
Now, her head in a mess, she just remembers another thing that she never realized – these past years, she had a big misunderstanding toward her sister; The two of them are sisters but, never once they talked to each other and, never once, they middle each other business.
Mu Xinyi thought her sister would just let it slip because she knew her sister never mind her, 'However, it seems her pride is higher,'
'I thought she only wants to play a little trick on me because she was boring while waiting for the banquet to start…but…it's not…'
'I never thought she would openly do that in front of them…tsk! Now, I'm in trouble!'