Chapter 527: Business World’s Queen and the Political World’s Emperor
In the bustling southeastern region of Shanghai, houses were packed densely, but a large mansion stood out. The courtyard surrounding the mansion was covered in golden resplendent walls in its interior. It was extremely extravagant but the exterior was quiet and refined. Flowers thrived amid the lush green grass that made it look like a paradise.
Despite being located in the busiest district, the mansion covered a wide area. There were no buildings around it and all the surrounding plants were grown naturally. The level of extravagance was mind boggling.
Even the most bitter people who had no choice but to rent a confined apartment after coming to the south for work would not dare publicly criticize the owner of the mansion. Even a nouveau riche worth billions would not dare to have any coveting thoughts of the mansion.
It was because the mansion was ‘Crown Prince Manor’.
The reason for its name was because the mansion was indeed once occupied by a tragic crown prince that had been exiled from the capital to the south. However, the royal dynastic era had come to an end about fifteen hundred years ago. A so-called ‘crown prince’ had become history just like a ‘eunuch’.
With the royal dynasty gone, the last royal family had naturally suffered. The tragic outcome of the royal family did not need elaboration but most interestingly of all, the crown prince who had been exiled from the north to the south had escaped the calamity. The reason for his exile was because his blood authenticity was questioned as the empress had been suspected of cheating on the emperor.
More interestingly, the crown prince had endured the humiliation and put up with the imposed hardships. He had secretly continued the royal bloodline and after decades of hard work, he managed to establish a new family clan.
This family clan constantly strengthened in the next fifteen hundred years. And to date, they were still one of the most striking family clans in China. Although they did not dare claim their royal ancestry in an era of democracy, the immense power the family clan wielded made it no lesser than the title of ‘royalty’.
This mansion, which had gone from a simple hut to an opulent mansion, had witnessed the downfall of the royal family and saw the rise and renewal of the royal family. It lived up to the name of ‘Crown Prince Manor’.
The Southern Empire Li family was the royal family of the past.
This mansion belonged to the only heir of the Li family—Speechless Li’s Crown Prince Manor.
However, this boy that stood atop China lived up to the title of ‘crown prince’, be it his background, talent or popularity, was now engaging in an eternal slumber inside a coffin in the middle of Crown Prince Manor’s main hall.
It was already ten at night. As the night proceeded on, the mansion seemed strangely quiet under the illumination of the light.
The vast and bright main hall was emptied of couches and tables which were used to receive guests. There was only a coffin. Even the flower wreaths sent by various factions were not qualified to enter the temporarily set up memorial hall.
Perhaps it was not to disturb Speechless Li’s ‘rest’, as the servants were all dismissed. Guests that came to ‘grieve’ were refused entry at the door.
At that moment, the mansion only had Speechless Li’s closest relatives in it.
The memorial hall only had two closest loved ones of Speechless Li—his mother, Mu Zhaorong and sister, Mu Lengxi.
Mu Zhaorong was past the age of forty. Despite being a middle-aged woman, time did not leave much of a mark on her face. Her beautiful face made her look like a woman in her twenties. She had beautiful silver hair like Mu Lengxi but her hair was cut short, making her look more capable and experienced.
However, Mu Zhaorong did not look as radiant as she usually was. Her eyes were puffy and red. There were streaks of dried up tears on her cheeks and she looked haggard. Her body was slumped sideways next to the coffin. She was looking at the sleeping handsome youth in a daze. Her eyes were glazed over as she would sob from time to time. It looked like she had aged more than a decade.
Mu Lengxi was standing beside Mu Zhaorong and clenching her mother’s hand tightly. She looked laden with grief and she had a worried look in her puffy red eyes.
In the Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower, she had cried together with Mu Yuesheng for three days. She had believed that her tears had dried up and that she would be able to face the sorrow in a ‘composed’ manner. However, when Mu Zhaorong saw her son’s corpse and broke down into tears, Mu Lengxi’s tears had rolled down as well.
Before this, Mu Lengxi had never seen her mother cry in such a manner. She had never ever seen such a weak side to her mother.
As the Mu Corporation’s youngest helmswoman, Mu Zhaorong could be considered a wondrous woman of the business world. She remained composed in the business world that did their best to scheme and outwit each other. She handled them easily and in just a decade of taking the position as the chief executive, the Mu family’s assets had doubled. It immediately skyrocketed to become a huge conglomerate just second to the Xiao family in China.
She had not frowned when she was initially doubted and ostracized by the old-timers of the company.
When the Mu Corporation faced its greatest crisis with shareholders turning traitor, with internal and external strife happening simultaneously, she was still able to remain calm.
Even after she divorced the young ‘Emperor’ of the Li family who wielded immense power, she still maintained a smile.
Regardless of what difficulty Mu Zhaorong faced, Mu Lengxi had never seen her mother reveal an inkling of panic. But now, having encountered the pain of losing her beloved son, Mu Zhaorong was wailing. She was frailer and more depressed than anyone else.
Perhaps, she had refused entry to relatives and guests because she did not wish others to see her weak state, one that did not match her status as the ‘Business World’s Queen’.
Mu Lengxi was wallowing in sorrow. She was both feeling sad for her brother’s death and also feeling sorry for her mother.
However, she did not know how she could console her mother. She could only hold her hand and accompany her in sadness.
Creak!
Suddenly, the door to the hall that was tightly closed was forcefully pushed open.
Mu Lengxi turned her head in shock.
Who would suddenly disturb so late in the night?
When she realized who it was from the illumination, Mu Lengxi heaved a sigh of relief but her relaxed heart immediately tensed up once again.
The person who had suddenly opened the door before walking towards the coffin was a middle-aged man. He was handsome, with bright eyes and sword-like eyebrows. As he had a deadpan expression, he looked mature and responsible. He was an existence that could instantly mesmerize girls that had a fetish for mature men. His facial features were somewhat similar to Speechless Li’s and he was clearly the father of Speechless Li and Mu Lengxi, the presiding ‘Emperor’ of the Li family—Tyger Li.
If Mu Zhaorong was deemed the queen of the business world, then Tyger Li was the emperor of the world of government. At the age of forty-five, he had become the premier of the state council. He had finesse in dealing with matters, making him a redoubtable force.
Mu Zhaorong and Tyger Li’s matrimony was a story on everyone’s lips. It also insinuated the alliance of the powerful Li family and the Mu family conglomerate.
But unfortunately, eight years ago, when Mu Lengxi was five, Mu Zhaorong and Tyger Li’s marriage that happened for the benefits of the family came to a rushed ending because of an incompatibility in personalities. The couple had given birth to a boy and girl, with each gaining custody of one. Mu Zhaorong even changed the surname of her daughter to ‘Mu’. Hence, Li Lengxi turned to the present Mu Lengxi.
Mu Lengxi had not met her father for eight years and the only impression of him was when she was a child. She remembered that her father was not a person who enjoyed engaging in idle banter. He was an extremely serious person and she had never once seen him smile.
An even deeper impression of him was that her father seldom came home. Most of the time, he was outside working hard. During that period of time, he had overcome one mountain after another in the political world. Even his daughter’s birthday was left as an afterthought.
And today, Tyger Li had received the grievous news of Speechless’s accidental death but he had continued working till ten at night before coming home.
As such, Mu Lengxi was not close with her father and in fact, felt somewhat distant from him.
More importantly, she was hiding a secret. She was concealing a truth.
She could not let anyone know that Speechless had been killed by Shi Xiaobai, who had lost control. She could not let anyone know, including Mu Zhaorong and especially, Tyger Li.
Tyger Li and the Li family would not spare the murderer of the ‘crown prince’, regardless if it was unintentional or innocent.
This was because it was a matter that dealt with the Li family’s dignity. It involved the prestige of the ‘royal family’.
Tyger Li strode toward the coffin without any expression. He did not even glance at his former wife or his daughter who had the same blood running through her body.
Mu Zhaorong did not lift her head either as she continued staring at Speechless Li who was in repose. It was as though she did not hear Tyger Li’s approaching footsteps.
Mu Lengxi lowered her head slightly as her hands could not help but clench. She was extremely nervous.
Could she conceal the truth?