Mu Yao's sudden outburst startled Qu Yue, who shrank back instinctively.
She took a step backward, fear reflected in her clear eyes.
Still, she straightened her chest and explained herself to Mu Yao. "These things rightfully belong to my husband. It's only natural that I give them to him."
Mu Yao grabbed Qu Yue by the neck and tightened her grip. "Qu Yue, have you lost your mind?"
"Those are all silver! Are you really going to bury the money?"
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Now that Mu Yuan is dead, has your brain been buried with him?"
Qu Yue's breathing became labored as Mu Yao tightened her grip. Her fair face turned red as she gasped out, "How could you say such things!"
Although Mu Yao was slender, she had an unexpectedly strong grip.
Qu Yue felt as if there were thousands of needles in her throat, causing her to retch. Tears welled up in her eyes. "He was your elder brother after all..."
In a desperate attempt to free herself, Qu Yue reached up and scratched Mu Yao's hand. Mu Yao winced in pain and finally let go.
"Who told you to scratch my hand like this?" Mu Yao looked down at the red marks on her hand. Anger flared up inside her as she kicked Qu Yue!
"Ugh!"
Just as Qu Yue had managed to catch her breath, the sudden kick in her waist sent her crashing into a chair. Her abdomen hit the armrest, and a sharp pain spread through her body.
Her face turned pale instantly. She clutched her stomach and slumped to the ground helplessly.
"It hurts so much..."
Qu Yue closed her eyes tightly and groaned weakly.
After a few moments, her head tilted to one side, and she fainted.
Seeing this, Liu Xu immediately pushed Mu Yao aside and rushed forward. "Miss! I'll go and find a doctor right away!"
As soon as Liu Xu was about to leave, Mu Yao called out to her.
"Stop!"
She gave a look to the servants around her, and those who received the order quickly closed the door to Qu Yue's courtyard.
Mu Yao raised her hand and slapped Liu Xu across the face. "Do you want me to be scolded by Father?"
Liu Xu covered her face in disbelief. "Miss is in pain!"
"She deserves it." Mu Yao's beautiful face glinted coldly in the sunlight. "All I want is a reward. Is that too much to ask?"
"As for you, you've been challenging me time and time again. Have you forgotten your place?!"
Mu Yao kicked Liu Xu in the legs, which had been severely tortured by Mu Qing.
The old wounds had not yet healed, and the new injury made Liu Xu's legs go weak. She knelt on the ground, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Mu Yao looked at the two women lying on the ground and sneered. She dusted off her hands as if she had just disposed of two bags of trash.
"Wake them up."
With a wave of her hand, she ordered the servants.
Immediately, someone stepped forward and dragged Qu Yue and Liu Xu into the courtyard. A large basin of cold water was poured over their heads, forcing them to wake up.
The cold water rushed into Liu Xu's nose, and she sat up immediately. "Miss!"
She coughed and screamed, her eyes searching frantically.
Seeing Qu Yue coughing beside her, she dragged her painful legs over and hugged her.
"Miss, I'll never let you get hurt again!"
Qu Yue rubbed the water out of her eyes and suddenly noticed a pool of blood on the ground. Her heart skipped a beat as she grabbed Liu Xu's hand. "What's wrong with your leg!"
"Her leg is about to break."
Mu Yao's mocking voice came from the side.
Her cold eyes were like knives, cutting into the two women. "So, you feel sorry for her?"
Qu Yue clenched her fists and struggled to get up from the ground, ignoring the pain in her abdomen. She rushed towards Mu Yao and shouted, "Mu Yao! Do you have a heart! She's injured!"
"What does it matter to me?"
Mu Yao ate the fruit handed to her by a servant, looking very relaxed.
This was in sharp contrast to Qu Yue's sorry state.
In fact, because of Qu Yue's appearance, Mu Yao ate even more happily.
"I've never offended you." Qu Yue's nose twitched. "All those times you asked me for money, I gave it to you."
"You can't forget all the money I've given you just because I don't want to give it to you this time!"
Qu Yue's heartfelt plea fell on deaf ears. Mu Yao spat the fruit peel on Qu Yue's body. "Just because you didn't offend me before doesn't mean you didn't offend me today."
"Besides, I've already told you that I need the money for the family."
The sticky fruit peel slid down Qu Yue's face. She blushed with anger and picked it up, throwing it back at Mu Yao. "Is the Mu family really that short of money?"
Mu Yao blinked. "There's an urgent need somewhere, so of course we're short of money."
Qu Yue's softness turned into determination at this moment. She straightened her neck and said, "What if I don't have any money? Will the Mu family just collapse?"
Ever since she married into the Mu family, Mu Yao had been eyeing her.
Almost every month, she would ask for some silver, thousands of wen each time.
If it weren't for the money she had earned from her work outside, she wouldn't have been able to support Mu Yao's expenses.
She was told that the money was for the family, but... she had never seen any improvement in the family.
Mu Yao's relaxed posture stiffened. "What does this have to do with you?"
The next second, her gaze shifted to Liu Xu. "It seems you don't care about her legs anymore."
She knew Qu Yue's weakness and sneered triumphantly. "Let's just wait then."
"I've got all day."
Qu Yue roared, the veins on her neck bulging. "Mu Yao, are you even human!"
"Aren't you the one who forced me?" Mu Yao's eyes were sharp. "All I want is a reward."
Was that possible?
Qu Yue would rather give up her own life than let anyone touch the reward that belonged to Mu Yuan.
How could she give it up now?
Qu Yue's eyes welled up with tears as she stared at Liu Xu lying on the ground. Every breath she took was filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
She gritted her teeth. "I still have some silver on me. I can give it to you."
Mu Yao sneered. "What good are a few pieces of silver to me?"
"I want the reward."
Qu Yue flatly refused. Her sweet face was filled with determination. "Impossible!"
She would never touch that reward!
Mu Yao shrugged. "Then just wait for your good maid to break her legs."
She didn't care. After all, it was just a servant's life.
Even if Qu Yue went to their parents, it wouldn't make any difference.
She was just a lowly maid.
Qu Yue's chest heaved violently. She could hardly contain her anger as she shouted, "Mu Yao! Don't you care about anyone! When you threatened me with Liu Xu, didn't you ever think that someone would threaten you with your weakness in the future!"
"Weakness?"
The woman on the chair let out a soft laugh.
She did have a weakness once.
But that person was already dead.
Now, she was just a walking corpse.
Coldness flashed in her eyes as she answered indifferently, "I don't have one."
"So, you deserve to be controlled by me."
Mu Yao spread her hands. "If you want her legs to be okay, give me the reward."
Qu Yue's vision blurred, and her head throbbed. She didn't know what to do.
Suddenly, Liu Xu on the ground showed some signs of life.
She struggled to hold on to her last bit of strength. "Miss! You mustn't give it to her!"