The Favored Heiress
Chapter 694: The Past of the Mu Family

Chapter 694: Chapter 694: The Past of the Mu Family

Shang Zonghai’s typically inscrutable face froze for the first time because of Mo Jue’s call of "Dad."

He was at first shocked, then laughed dismissively, "You child..."

Li Qiao tugged at Mo Jue’s arm, correcting her terminology, "Call him uncle."

Mo Jue uttered an "oh" twice, her ears turning red as she awkwardly greeted, "Uncle, hello."

After speaking, she bowed deeply.

Shang Zonghai’s gaze swept over Mo Jue, as he feigned support for her arm, "Good child, no need to be formal."

As shrewd as he was, he could tell at a glance that Mo Jue was a woman disguised as a man.

After a while, Shang Zonghai had Housekeeper Xiao take her out for a stroll, and then he narrowed his eyes at Li Qiao, "Girl, how can you be sure she is Mu Jue?"

The child had fallen into the ocean in a kidnappers’ car years ago, and normally speaking, her chances of survival were almost zero.

More than twenty years had passed, and suddenly she had reappeared; Shang Zonghai harbored concerns and couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Li Qiao met his gaze and brought up a topic they had avoided in the past, "Dad, although you never said it explicitly, I have always accepted myself as a member of the Mu Family, so I did a DNA test. The results show that I share genetic markers with Mo Jue."

Shang Zonghai’s eyes flickered as he looked at her, "Well done, well done indeed."

The Li Qiao that they had gone to such lengths to protect all those years ago, had indeed not disappointed them.

And as for Mu Jue, it seemed her life was not meant to end so soon.

Shang Zonghai was somewhat moved as he pressed his palm heavily onto her shoulder, his tone leading, "Do you have anything else you want to say by coming here today?"

Li Qiao pressed her lips together, looking directly into Shang Zonghai’s eyes, "I want to know everything about the Mu Family."

Shang Zonghai adjusted his glasses, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "Girl, I can tell you, but you should know what that means."

"Of course." Li Qiao nodded calmly, her poise unshaken, "I will do my best."

"Good!"

Shang Zonghai patted her shoulder firmly, sighing heavily as if a burden had been lifted, "I have finally waited for this day."

...

Five minutes later, Mo Jue was brought back by Housekeeper Xiao.

The sisters sat side by side opposite Shang Zonghai, while Shang Yu took a seat alone to the right of the tea table.

Housekeeper Xiao and Luoyu stood guard outside the door, and for a full hour, the conversation inside never ceased.

Through Shang Zonghai’s statements, Li Qiao gained a deeper understanding of the mysterious Parma Mu Family.

Parma’s first family of blue-blooded nobility, at its peak, was unrivaled in power in the realm, second only to none.

As the saying goes, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow.

The Mu Family controlled over half of Parma’s mining resources, their family wealth and influence even capable of swaying the decisions of the Tribal Chief’s Council, and the election of the Chief himself.

No sovereign of an independent country could tolerate a vassal who overshadowed the throne, especially not a family as esteemed as the Mu Family, which had a legacy spanning over a hundred years.

Speaking to this point, Shang Zonghai rubbed his brows, his gaze calm yet distant as he looked towards Li Qiao, "If Ao Fan had not married your mother back then, perhaps the Mu Family wouldn’t have come to where it is today. On the documents I gave you, there’s a stock market account. Have you looked into it?"

Li Qiao nodded and honestly replied, "I have looked at it, and the account is still operating normally."

The amount of money in there was astonishing.

Shang Zonghai took off his glasses and placed them on the table, leaned back in the Taishi Chair, and let out a long sigh, "Yi Lan truly was an exceptional woman. She wasn’t hailed as the Female Stock God for nothing. That account was specifically created by her for you, and the money inside is also left for you. Yet, that’s only a tiny portion of all her accomplishments."

A tiny portion?

Even with Li Qiao’s considerable family wealth, she didn’t think nearly ten billion in stock assets could be described as a tiny portion.

If it had been left especially for her, the account’s password ending in 312 made sense now.

It was her birthday.

Possibly sensing Li Qiao’s amazement, Shang Zonghai tapped the armrest of the Taishi Chair, "Your mother had extremely sharp and unique insights in stock investment and securities trading. She was revered as a legend for her remarkably high rate of investment returns. Those who followed her investments filled their coffers to the brim, breaking numerous records for investment returns, and even disrupted the fundamental rules of many traditional industry stocks. Not everyone is capable of that."

Li Qiao slightly furrowed her brow upon hearing this.

Driven by interests, Jing Yilan would certainly have many followers, but also more enemies because she disrupted others’ chains of interest.

The finance world is interlaced with countless noble clans and powerful households; her actions stirred the stock market and inevitably laid hidden dangers.

At this moment, Shang Zonghai picked up the teapot to refill his cup and observed Li Qiao with a lift of his eyelids, "No matter who was right or wrong back then, as your mother, Yi Lan would not have let me send you away unless she had no other choice."

Li Qiao hung her head in silence, but an old photograph surfaced in her mind.

Mo Jue was listening on the side, baffled by all the talk, unfamiliar with the stock market and what leverage meant, she was more curious about how exactly the Mu Family had come to their end.

Eventually, she leaned forward with her hands on the table edge, tilted her head, and asked, "Uncle, who harmed my family?"

Shang Zonghai’s gaze moved to Mo Jue’s face, examining it over and over before he could faintly make out the combined shadow of Mu Aoran and her husband.

Li Qiao also took the opportunity to ask, "How many families in Parma were involved?"

He sipped his tea, his eyes cold yet filled with helplessness, "Back then, out of the eighteen noble families, the participants wouldn’t exceed half, but it also means anyone could be a suspect. On the night the Mu Family met their demise, there was no disturbance in the whole city, and it was impossible to guard against. Even today, I can’t be sure who all were involved."

Reminiscent of the past, Shang Zonghai’s expression held an indelible sorrow. He moistened his throat with the tea, his voice growing deeper, "The Ho Family, the Lan Family, the Wu Family, you can investigate them closely. As for several other families I suspect, they have moved out of Parma many years ago."

Li Qiao’s expression turned frosty, "Can we confirm it was indeed them who did it?"

Shang Zonghai shook his head, speaking with profound implications, "It’s impossible to confirm. There are still many mysteries as to why the Mu Family was exterminated, and following their downfall, the power dynamics of Parma’s noble families have undergone earth-shattering changes.

Having learned from past lessons, numerous families chose to hide from the world, fearing they might suffer the same fate. Those who remain in seclusion aren’t necessarily the true culprits."

The conversation ended, and the room fell into a prolonged silence.

Until the "click" of a lighter broke the quiet, drawing everyone’s attention.

Shang Yu sat to the side, his head down as he lit a cigarette, the thin smoke mingling with the man’s gravelly voice in the air, "If we can find the real culprit, what do you want her to do?"

Shang Zonghai also casually took a cigarette from the box on the table, holding it between his fingers as he thought.

His eyes downcast, his tone neither hurried nor slow, "Reclaiming the Mu Family path is bound to be challenging, and it’s indeed unfair to make you bear all the past burdens."