Chapter 69 Right of Disposal

“No matter what happened, you were the one who deceived your superiors and kept it from everyone. I never thought you… and you…” Jin Fangjun Muzhen obviously didn’t care what happened, and pointed at Mu Xun, “You dared to make decisions without my knowledge and do you even respect your father?”

Mu Xun already felt guilty about the matter and was unable to answer.

Mu Xi, however, was never afraid: "Cao Pan'er was wrongfully imprisoned and no one came forward to uphold justice. As the heir of the Jun family, I stepped forward. What's wrong with that? I did this for the sake of the Jun family. How can you say I don't respect my father?"

"You...you...you wretch...you know nothing and yet you act on your own initiative, this is reckless, reckless...cough cough..." Mu Zhen was speechless with bitterness and was so angry that he was half-dead.

Madam Gao, standing to the side, tried to appease Mu Zhen while simultaneously sowing discord: "Your Highness's words are rather inappropriate. Cao Pan'er is a servant of the Jun family; how she is dealt with is entirely up to Your Highness. This Cao Pan'er was first sent to the Court of Justice for stealing from the treasury, but for some reason, she reappeared in Your Highness's East Courtyard. Now, not only is she hiding there, but she has also given birth to a child of unknown origin. Such a disgraceful incident has occurred in our Jun family; shouldn't Your Highness be concerned?"

"The case of Cao Pan'er being wrongly accused of theft and sent to the Court of Justice for imprisonment, which has been delayed for a long time, is this also what Your Excellency intends?" Mu Xi asked rhetorically.

“Uh…” Gao choked.

Not only did Jin Fangjun and Mu Zhen find out about Cao Pan'er's affair afterward, but even she herself did not know about it.

All of them were her good sons, the Third Young Master Mu Chong, who, together with the Second Steward Li Fu, carried out the "act first, report later" scheme.

"Give me back my child, give me back my child..." At this moment, Cao Pan'er, who had just given birth, suddenly rushed out of the house.

Cao Pan'er, like a moth drawn to a flame, disregarded everything, but was stopped by Gao's men.

"Aww, aww, aww..." The baby's cries, which had been calmed down, started again.

Cao Pan'er was weak after giving birth. When she was stopped, she collapsed to the ground, her face covered in sweat and tears that clung to her disheveled hair, making her unrecognizable. With her last bit of strength, she desperately reached for her child: "My child...my child...give me back my child..."

"Aww, aww, aww..." The newborn baby was also desperately responding to its mother.

The cries of the mother and child were heart-wrenching.

Lady Gao seized the opportunity to say, "This is outrageous. This shameless servant has disgraced the Lord's household. My lord, this servant should not be kept."

“Didn’t you just say that all matters concerning the Jun family should be decided by the Lord? Then whether to keep him or not should also be decided by the Lord.” Mu Xi was about to rush over, but was secretly stopped by Mu Xun.

Cao Pan'er, still crying and shouting, finally came to her senses and struggled to plead with Mu Zhen: "My lord, my lord, please have mercy! For the sake of my mother and me serving your household for so many years, please return my child to me! I beg you, my lord, please have mercy..."

Jin Fangjun and Mu Zhen frowned: "You... are Granny Cao's daughter?"

Cao Pan'er knelt on the ground, trying to grab Mu Zhen's sleeve: "Yes, yes...My lord, my mother has served your household for so many years without ever slacking off...My lord, please have pity on me, for my mother's sake..."

Gao's angry voice left Cao Pan'er no room to continue: "How dare you say such a thing? Have you forgotten why Granny Cao died? Just for that reason, you should no longer have the face to stay in the Jun Mansion."

Cao Pan'er was weak after childbirth, her face pale. She had been kneeling on the ground, but upon hearing this, she mustered her strength and wiped her face: "My mother and I have been servants in the West Courtyard for so many years, and we have suffered countless humiliations from that Han woman, both openly and secretly. It's fine that Madam turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it. But now my mother has quarreled with Han woman, resulting in a death, and she should pay with her life. If you, my lord and madam, do not allow me to stay in the manor, I am willing to leave now. But please, madam, return my child to me, and I will not stay any longer."

"Child? How dare you mention the child?" Madam Gao sneered. "You are a servant of the Jun family, and the child you gave birth to is also a servant of the Jun family. This child is a bastard, and how to deal with him is not up to you, a servant."

"You...you give me back my child." Cao Pan'er pleaded desperately, but it was no use in the end, so she rushed towards the swaddling clothes again.

Mu Xi had a bad feeling when she observed her scumbag father's expression.

If her scumbag father doesn't care about the bond between master and servant, she'll have to find another way.

As for the solution...

Mu Xi turned around and whispered to Mu Xun, "Where is Mu Chong? Go quickly and bring him here."

"Huh?" Mu Xun wasn't that he didn't hear clearly, but he hesitated.

Mu Xi gave him a hard push: "Go quickly."

Mu Xun had no choice but to step back.

On the other side, with a glance from Madam Gao, a burly maidservant stopped her.

Taking the opportunity, Lady Gao said to Jin Fangjun Muzhen, "My lord, this servant girl originally belonged to the inner court, so I can deal with her directly. If it weren't for the heir's constant interference, she shouldn't have appeared in the manor causing you trouble. Now that things have come to this, perhaps..."

“Madam, this is settling a personal score.” Seeing that Cao Pan’er’s pleas were useless, Mu Xi had no choice but to step in forcefully.

"What did the young master say?" Lady Gao feigned ignorance.

Mu Xi had recovered by now and said proudly, "As Madam herself just said, Cao Pan'er's mother, Granny Cao, killed Madam Han. Everyone here knows that Madam Han is Madam's wet nurse, but in reality, she is... just like Madam's birth mother. Granny Cao killed Madam Han and is now making things difficult for Cao Pan'er. It's hard not to suspect that she is taking revenge for personal reasons and using this as an excuse."

“Your Highness is slandering me.” Now, Madam Gao had no intention of maintaining a facade of peace. “Everyone has seen what Cao Pan’er has done. According to the rules of the Jun family, she should not be spared for such a disgraceful act. As the mistress of the Jun family, I advocate for her to be punished. How can this be considered settling a personal score? On the contrary, Your Highness has slandered his elders in public and defied the Lord Jun. This is truly a breach of filial piety.”

Mu Xi sneered: "Madam, there's no need to rush to use the big label of 'filial piety' to pressure people. Since you keep saying that you want to deal with it according to the rules of the Jun family, shouldn't you first find out whose sin Cao Pan'er gave birth to? You can't let one person bear the blame for the mistakes made by two people, can you?"

Lady Gao also had her own explanation: "This shameless lowly servant girl must have met her lover somewhere outside. If she doesn't tell anyone, no one else will know. If the young master wants to investigate, it will only delay things and make the Jun family a laughing stock."

"How can you be so sure that the adulterer is from outside the manor?" Mu Xi retorted, then turned to Cao Pan'er, "Many people here heard what Cao Pan'er said before she gave birth. Now that the Lord is here, we are not afraid to clarify things in front of him."