Lord Zeng looked tense, with a bad feeling. "This is a prisoner who was exiled by the imperial court. I cannot let anything happen to him. Please show some mercy."
As he spoke, he took out a handful of silver from his bosom and handed it over, as if it were money to ward off disaster.
The man in brown took the money but did not step away. "Whose family is this?"
Lord Zeng looked at the other party calmly. There were more than a dozen of them in total, far less than the number of officials, but they were all strong and robust.
If a fight breaks out and swords are used mercilessly, there will be casualties, which is something he doesn't want to see.
"Former Minister Mu of the Ministry of Revenue and the Director of the Ministry of War..."
The brown-clothed man's eyes lit up. "Mu? I heard there's a lady in the capital who is both talented and beautiful. She's known as one of the two beauties in the capital. She seems to be the daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."
Zeng's expression changed several times, and he finally realized where the inconvenience was. Would ordinary people know it so clearly? They came prepared.
The man in brown was extremely arrogant. "It looks like she is from that family. I have never seen such a famous lady. Come out and let me take a look."
As he said this, his eyes were fixed on Mu Jinyao in the crowd.
There was an uproar at the scene. The Mu family members looked unhappy. Mrs. Mu subconsciously pulled her daughter behind her.
She knew this day would come, but she didn't expect it to come so soon.
Mu Jinyao felt as if she was being stared at by a cold snake, and all the blood drained out of her face. It was coming for her!
Who are they?
Another man growled in a grumpy voice, "Why don't you stand up? Are we brothers not worthy of meeting a noble lady like you?"
He picked up the sword and randomly slashed at an exile. The exile was caught off guard and screamed, falling in a pool of blood.
"This is what happens when you look down on us brothers!"
This was a demonstration and a deterrent, and it also pushed Mu Jinyao to the forefront.
The exiles around him were angry and scared, "Miss Mu, please stand up and don't hurt us."
He also gave Mu Jinyao a hard push from behind.
Mu Jinyao was exposed in front of everyone. Her face was covered with a layer of dust and her hair was dirty, but her temperament and manners were elegant. Some things had been engraved in her bones. Her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque and she was still very outstanding.
The brown-clothed man's eyes flashed with amazement, "As expected of a noble lady from the capital who has attracted countless men, with a beautiful face and graceful manners. Good, very good, I want her."
The Mu family members were shocked when they heard this. Was this a robbery? Or was it a robbery for money and sex?
Madam Mu hugged her daughter tightly, and other members of the Mu family also surrounded her.
"Master Zeng, quickly drive these bandits away."
The man in brown drew his sword as soon as he disagreed with someone and stabbed the Mu family member who was talking. The man fell to the ground and blood flowed all over the ground, shocking everyone.
This attitude is too arrogant. "Don't refuse a toast and drink a forfeit. If you don't want more people to die, just obey me."
The Mu family looked at this scene in disbelief. How could they kill without blinking an eye? It was too scary.
Lord Zeng was secretly worried that these people were definitely not ordinary bandits.
I'm afraid that their target was Mu Jinyao from the beginning.
Mu Jinyao was so famous in the past that countless men fell in love with her. If nothing unexpected happened, she would marry into a wealthy family and enjoy a life of honor and pampering.
However, things are unpredictable, and the once favored girl of heaven became an exiled prisoner.
Without the protection of family background, an overly beautiful appearance would be the source of trouble.
She is well aware of this and is usually cautious, never alone, and tries to be as low-key as possible, even if she gets herself dirty.
Lord Zeng's mind was racing, but he didn't want to find out the other party's identity at all. Knowing too much is not a good thing.
"My friend, it will be hard for me to report to my superiors if you do this. Miss Mu is well-known and many people are watching her. I must send her to the border in one piece."
The brown-clothed man's eyes turned cold, and he pointed at the Mu sisters, including Mu Wanqing, impatiently, "Okay, I'll take all these women. This way, they won't be noticeable, and you can report to your superiors."
No, what kind of bandit logic is this? It doesn't make sense. Okay, they are bandits.
The Mu family members changed color when they heard this, and Second Master Mu was even more furious, "You are forcibly seizing a commoner's daughter."
The man in brown said coldly, "Take the man away. Anyone who dares to stop me will be killed."
His words and actions revealed a condescending arrogance.
At his command, his men moved, rushed to the girl who was named, and reached out to kidnap her.
The girl struggled frantically and her family members rushed forward to stop her.
The scene was in chaos. Master Mu rushed over with his two sons, vowing to protect Mu Wanqing to the death.
Mu Zicheng was slapped hard and flew to the ground. His face was swollen, but he ignored the pain and quickly got up to stop it.
He couldn't let anyone hurt his sister.
There was a flash of anger in Mu Wanqing's eyes. She didn't want to cause trouble, but trouble found her helplessly.
She looked at the man in brown and asked loudly, "May I ask which prince's men you are?"
It was like a blockbuster bomb exploding in the crowd. The whole audience was boiling and everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over.
Even the masked men were stunned. The man in brown had a flash of surprise in his eyes and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Mu Wanqing was not intimidated at all. "You don't think you can pretend to be a bandit just by covering your face, do you? If you don't want to make a big deal out of this, just retreat quickly and pretend that this incident never happened."
The man in brown frowned. How could she be so confident? "Oh, how did you know that?"
"I'm not blind." Mu Wanqing pointed at the men's feet, "You're wearing official boots, and the way you walk shows that you're not ordinary people."
Only officials and guards were qualified to wear such official boots, and they were obviously trained, so the answer was self-evident.
The man in brown subconsciously looked at his feet, and sure enough, he had missed it.
When dressing up, people only remember to change clothes, but who would think of changing shoes?
Since he was seen through, he simply stopped pretending and released a wave of murderous intent, "You are very smart, but smart people usually don't live long."
His murderous aura was so strong that it made people around him shudder.
Mu Wanqing's heart trembled, but it aroused her desire to win and her blood boiled.
Damn this desire to win regardless of the situation!
She showed no fear at all, and controlled her expression perfectly. "You look murderous, obviously because your hands are stained with blood and you have killed people before."
She changed the subject, "But do you really want to slaughter all these 300 prisoners and 30 officers? Even if you are as noble as a royal descendant, you may not be able to bear the consequences of the crime."
She curled her lips meaningfully, "After all, who doesn't have a few rivals these days? As a prince, all I can rely on is the emperor's favor, but the emperor's favor can disappear at any time."
The man in brown looked at her deeply. This girl reminded him inexplicably of the majestic and powerful Prime Minister.
Obviously, these two people have nothing in common, but they just... make people feel unfathomable.
“No one will know.”
As long as it is done cleanly and there are no witnesses, everything will be fine.
Mu Wanqing narrowed her eyes slightly and raised the corners of her mouth. "Impossible, because we have been very conspicuous along the way, doing business and making money. I don't know how many people are paying attention to our whereabouts. There are people ahead waiting for us to deliver goods. Your idea of killing people to silence them will not work."
Man in brown: ...
MD, a fugitive doing business? Why don't you go to heaven?
"Who are you?" He just wanted to know what cards she had in her hand.
"Mu Wanqing from the second branch of the Mu family." She spoke frankly. It was useless to be afraid now. If they were a little weak, a catastrophe would be waiting for them.
The man in brown couldn't tell her depth and didn't dare to act rashly.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"I'm so scared that my hands are shaking." Mu Wanqing performed a scene of shaking her hands wildly in public, leaving everyone confused.
After a while, she slowly said, "How about I give you five hundred taels as hard work fee and call it a day?"
The brown-clothed man looked at her steadily, weighing the pros and cons in his mind, "One thousand taels plus Mu Jinyao, and I'll spare your lives."
Mu Wanqing's guess was confirmed. It was indeed a planned action.
She said that a tall tree attracts the wind, and the more famous Mu Jinyao's past reputation was, the more dangerous he would be.
In the past, she was so awe-inspiring that countless men coveted her. Now, she can be played with at will, greatly satisfying men's perverted desire for conquest.
Mu Jinyao looked ashen, deeply regretting her arrogance. Why did she have to strive for a reputation for talent? Why did she have to fight for nothing?
She blocked other people's way, stole other people's limelight, won a great reputation, and naturally attracted countless covetous people.
The man in brown came over, and his attitude became a little more polite. "Miss Mu, follow me. We will be well-dressed and well-fed. That person will not treat you unfairly."
Mu Jinyao felt as if a basin of ice water was poured over her head and she was shivering from head to toe.
"A daughter of the Mu family will never be a concubine."
If that man had any sincerity in his heart, he would have found a way to exonerate her and then proposed to her openly.
Instead of pretending to be a bandit to rob people like now, completely disregarding her reputation and future.
The man in brown had an unhappy look on his face. "Being a pampered concubine with a man to love her is a hundred times better than being a displaced exiled criminal."
Mu Jinyao has her own pride, even if she falls to this point, she will never become anyone's mistress.
A mistress is worse than a concubine. She has no name or status, and her children are not recognized, let alone recorded in the family tree.
To put it bluntly, it is a toy that can be discarded at any time.
"I would rather die."
She would rather die in glory than live in disgrace.
The subordinates of the man in brown clothes said impatiently, "Boss, stop talking nonsense with them and take them away quickly. Anyone who dares to stop us will be killed on the spot."
The Mu family members turned pale upon hearing this, and Third Master Mu even urged them loudly, "Niece, why don't you go with them? There's nothing to be afraid of as a concubine. As long as you are favored, you can enter the family. Once you enter the family, you will have the opportunity to become a regular wife."
Once you become a noble, you can help your natal family and exonerate them from guilt.
Mu Jinyao's eyes turned red with anger. "Third Uncle, your hand is broken. Are your bones also broken? Your last name is Mu, and you are a member of the Mu family."
Master Mu was also very angry, "How can you talk like that? I'm doing this for your own good..."
The two of them started arguing in public, talking back and forth.
The man in brown watched with interest. If the Mu family offered their daughter voluntarily, they would have no trouble.
Suddenly, he felt a chill behind him as if something cold and hard was pressing against him.
A cold voice rang out, "Don't move. My hands are very unstable and it's easy to puncture your aorta. Do you know what the aorta is? It's the most vital part of a person's body. If it's punctured, you'll die."
The man in brown turned his head in disbelief, only to see Mu Wanqing holding a kitchen knife and pointing it at his vital points.
He was both angry and furious. How could a powerless woman dare to threaten him?
"Mu Wanqing, you are so brave, you are dead...ah."
With a scream, he looked at his bleeding right arm in disbelief, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground involuntarily.
He could never have imagined that a weak woman would actually dare to use a knife.
What was even more shocking was that Mu Wanqing didn't even blink after she chopped him down, and even smiled sweetly at him, "I'm sorry, I'm a coward, and I can't control my hands when I'm frightened."
A chill rushed to his head, and the man in brown shivered. This is a madman! A madman dares to do anything! "Do you... know who my master is?"
When two brave men meet in a narrow road, the brave one wins. The man in brown actually showed his cowardice.
Mu Wanqing was full of vigor and said, "I don't know, but he must be a bastard who is obsessed with sex and treats human life as worthless."
She cursed so harshly that the man in brown gasped. How could she dare to curse a prince so brazenly? The emperor was above her, so she wasn't afraid at all?
"My master can kill you as easily as crushing an ant. If you kneel down and beg for mercy now, you might be able to keep your body intact."
Mu Wanqing sneered, "Beg for mercy? Not even in the next life! I dare to assert that your master will be a waste in this life and will never achieve anything great."
Anyway, I have already offended the person so much that I might as well do whatever I want and vent my anger first.
The man in brown was stunned by her rebelliousness, "You...you are simply crazy."
"Is it the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, or the Fifth Prince..." Seeing his pupils dilate unconsciously, Mu Wanqing couldn't help but laugh, "So it's the Fifth Prince, tsk tsk tsk, the Fifth Prince turned out to be a despicable villain, does the Emperor know? Do the people of the world know?"
"By the way, if your master knew that you revealed his identity, would he forgive you? If I can't survive, then all of you will be buried with me."
Her reaction was so fast that the man couldn't keep up and subconsciously retorted, "I didn't, it wasn't me..."
As soon as he said this, he realized he had said the wrong thing. His eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Mu Wanqing saw it all, "It's too late for you to kill him now. My second brother ran very far away, you can't catch up with him."
She took every step ahead, predicted ahead of time, and made arrangements in advance.
The man in brown suddenly realized that she was acting like she was shaking her hands violently not because she was sick, but because she was taking the opportunity to attract everyone's attention and cover others to escape and report the news.
He thought for a while and said, "Okay, I will leave now and this matter ends here. But all of you must swear not to leak what happened today, otherwise I will be struck by lightning."
Mu Wanqing looked at Lord Zeng, and Lord Zeng nodded at her and said, "Okay." No one dared to break their oath.
"Then you must also swear that if you dare to hurt us in the slightest, then..." Mu Wanqing rolled her eyes a few times, "your family will be extinct, and your master will be a slave forever."
She didn't believe in it, but people of that era believed in ghosts and gods.
Everyone: ...So cruel!
The man in brown and his men turned pale, but they still endured the humiliation and swore an oath.
Even when he was swearing, his voice was shaking, his expression was completely out of control, and he was gritting his teeth.
The more this happened, the more reassured Lord Zeng became. If anyone dared to break their oath, no one else would agree.
If you don't believe it, others will. Unless you want to be abandoned by your friends and relatives, become the target of public criticism, and be accused of harming the Lord.
He, his men and the exiles also swore an oath, and the two sides reached an agreement.
"Let's go." The man in brown picked up the sword on the ground and led the crowd away.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they didn't expect the man in brown to suddenly turn around and throw the sword in his hand viciously at Mu Wanqing's heart.
The strong wind was coming and it was already in front of her. Seeing that there was no escape, Mu Wanqing's mind went blank and she had only one thought: I miscalculated! My life is over!
Just when her life was hanging by a thread, with a whoosh, a long arrow shot straight at her...
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