Utilizing the Useless

After a night of revelry, Mu Shi Jie's anger had largely dissipated, and he left feeling refreshed.
As soon as he left, a young lady who hadn't received guests last night came to the adjacent room: "How was that young master? Was he generous?"
"Quite generous. Has Sister Bao'er woken up yet? If not, wait until she wakes up and tell her for me that I didn't sleep at all last night, so I want to rest well during the day. Don't wake me up."
Hearing these words, these young women, naturally not as shy as proper ladies, asked in surprise: "Was that young master so formidable?"
"Not really. He just tormented me for a quarter of an hour, then rested for half an hour, repeating the cycle. His stamina is truly abundant."
The young women chuckled, realizing he was a weakling who enjoyed tormenting others.
Mu Shi Jie was completely unaware of what the young women in Huanxiang Pavilion were saying. He was still very confident in himself. As soon as he and his attendant exited the door, he was stopped by someone.
"Second Young Master of the Mu family, Mu Shi Jie?" The newcomer spoke.
"Who are you?" Mu Shi Jie scrutinized the other party, seeing that the person's clothes were ordinary and unremarkable. His tone unconsciously carried the disdain of a superior.
Xiao Wu looked at his demeanor, wanting nothing more than to give him a beating, but he restrained himself: "Who I am is not important. I have a few matters to discuss with Young Master Mu. Shall we go somewhere else to talk?"
Mu Shi Jie glanced at him, treating Xiao Wu as some family's minion, and coldly snorted: "Did your master teach you such manners? If you want to invite someone, shouldn't you introduce yourself first? Otherwise, if you tell me to go and I go, I'll lose face."
"Don't hit him, don't hit him..." Xiao Wu secretly chanted in his heart. He took a step forward and said in a low voice: "Young Master Mu, do you want to deal with Mu Xiang Li, or Mu Kuan, for that matter? If you do, we can join forces. To be honest, relying solely on Young Master Mu's subordinates won't achieve anything."
Mu Shi Jie immediately perked up. After being tormented all night, he wasn't tired; on the contrary, he became even more excited, truly brimming with energy: "You also want to deal with that bastard?"
"This isn't the place to talk." Xiao Wu finished speaking and left, confident that Mu Shi Jie would follow.
Indeed, as he expected, Mu Shi Jie decisively followed, winding through various paths until they reached a quiet place.
Entering the room, Mu Shi Jie saw a person sitting. Although the room was very simple, the person's attire was not ordinary but rather splendid. Most importantly, a saber lay on the table; its scabbard alone was carved with fish patterns and inlaid with jade, clearly not an ordinary item at first glance.
Mu Shi Jie looked further into the room and saw a figure leaning against the door, clearly unafraid of being discovered by him.
"Why doesn't that person come out?" Mu Shi Jie asked.
"Inconvenient."
Mu Shi Jie was a little displeased but didn't show it: "Can you tell me who you are now?"
"You can call me Manager Xue. Mu Kuan stole something from us, changed his appearance, and came to the Royal City, using the false name Mu Xiang Li, thinking we wouldn't find him."
Mu Shi Jie was curious: "What did he steal?"
"I cannot tell you. He is very cautious now; we need to find a way to lure him out. Can you do that? If you can, then we will only take the item, and the person will be handed over to you to deal with."
"Is this true?"
"It is true, on the condition that you can lure him to the location we designate."
The enemy of my enemy is my friend; this saying was indeed true. Everyone was merely using each other. Mu Shi Jie felt he was very understanding and intelligent, and quickly had an idea: "Alright, I'm sure I have a way. You wait for my news. How do I contact you?"
"His name is Xiao Wu; he will follow you."
Mu Shi Jie scrutinized Xiao Wu, who had led him here: "Is he capable?"
"Ha." Xiao Wu sneered, suddenly attacking the attendant beside Mu Shi Jie. That attendant was one of the two Qi Mansion martial artists the Second Madam had sent earlier. In his haste, he couldn't even withstand a single move from Xiao Wu.
Seeing this, Mu Shi Jie dared not be arrogant anymore, his attitude becoming much more subdued: "Truly formidable. Go, just watch me."
After Mu Shi Jie left, Shen Hong Yue emerged from the room.
The man who called himself Manager Xue on the chair asked: "This kind of waste, at most, only has some value as a sacrificial lamb. Do you think he can accomplish the task?"
Shen Hong Yue said indifferently: "We'll see. If he fails, we lose nothing."
Mu Shi Jie acted very quickly. As soon as he returned, he sought out Mu Wan Qiu: "Little sister, can you help your older brother with something?"
Mu Wan Qiu was puzzled: "What is it?"
Mu Shi Jie smiled and said: "Help your older brother invite Mu Kuan—no, Mu Xiang Li—out. I see your relationship isn't bad; you even secretly reported to him before, didn't you?"
Mu Wan Qiu was shocked, not expecting her actions that day to have been discovered.
Mu Shi Jie gnashed his teeth in hatred. He had indeed known early on, but Mu Wan Qiu had passed the examination for Wenhua Academy, and her status in the Mu family was no longer what it used to be, so he couldn't openly vent his anger.
"Cousin, I just feel that since he has changed his appearance, why must we be so aggressive, so determined to drive him to his death?" Mu Wan Qiu advised.
She said this, but in her heart, she didn't hold much hope. She knew that with Mu Shi Jie's personality, he fundamentally wouldn't listen.
But what surprised her was that Mu Shi Jie nodded: "Indeed, this time, I'm asking you to invite him out precisely because I want to reconcile with him."
Perhaps fearing Mu Wan Qiu wouldn't believe him, Mu Shi Jie further explained: "I certainly can't swallow this anger, but news has come from home, saying that fellow has passed the examination for Longwu Academy. Our past affairs have also been exposed. If we make a big fuss, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince finds out, it will be detrimental to Grandfather's reputation and might even affect the Mu family's future.
The family's intention is to clarify things with him. As long as he agrees to completely sever ties with the Mu family from now on and not oppose us, then we will go our separate ways, and the river water will not interfere with the well water."
If this were Mu Shi Jie's own idea, Mu Wan Qiu would certainly not believe it, but if it was the family's decision, she still had some trust: "Cousin, are your words true?"
Mu Shi Jie lied without batting an eye: "Why would I lie to you?"
Mu Wan Qiu thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Alright, I'll try to invite him out."
Mu Shi Jie then said: "How about this, let's meet at Guangju Pavilion. I've already reserved a large table there."
"I understand." Mu Wan Qiu heard that the meeting was at a wine house, and her worries dissipated somewhat. After agreeing, she led her little maidservant to find Mu Xiang Li.
Watching her retreating figure, Mu Shi Jie's smile gradually faded, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.
Mu Wan Qiu entered Wenhua Academy, yet dared to defy his decisions and even secretly report to Mu Xiang Li. She truly bit the hand that fed her. If she were to gain power later, his position in the Mu family would be difficult to maintain.
Perhaps he should just deal with Mu Wan Qiu as well? After capturing Mu Xiang Li, he could administer some drugs, throw the two onto a bed, and then call people to catch them in the act.
At that time, upon entering the room and seeing the sordid scene, he would feign anger and accidentally kill Mu Xiang Li... No, his subordinates would accidentally kill Mu Xiang Li. Then, Mu Wan Qiu would also be ruined in reputation and standing. Truly, killing two birds with one stone.
"How am I so smart?" Mu Shi Jie chuckled eerily.
Xiao Wu had seen all sorts of people. Looking at his expression as he stared at Mu Wan Qiu's retreating figure, he could guess his thoughts. He turned his head and spat, "Even family members scheme against each other. What scum!"