The guards took off Qin Hai's pants as instructed. Jiang Muyu stared at the ugly thing between his legs and drew his sword without hesitation.

A huge, sharp and piercing wail echoed throughout the sky above Lihua Manor.

Tan Hai passed out from the pain.

Jiang Muyu ordered the guards to find a doctor, then threw down the bloody sword and walked to Yunyan who was curled up beside the haystack.

The bright light from outside poured in, illuminating only half of her body. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair was disheveled, and her exposed fair neck and shoulders were covered with purple marks. She buried her face in her knees, suppressing her tears and shaking all over.

Jiang Muyu just felt heartbroken. He took off his outer robe, wrapped it around her, and hugged her gently.

"It's my fault for not protecting you."

Yunyan still kept her head down and said nothing.

The doctor hired by the guards also arrived. As soon as he entered the room, he couldn't help but gasp and his legs trembled when he saw Qin Hai's miserable condition.

The tenants of Lihua Manor rushed over upon hearing the news and surrounded the warehouse. Jiang Muyu wrapped Yunyan in his robe and ordered the guards to carry her back.

She stayed behind to take care of the rest.

Jiang Muyu only asked the doctor to stop Qin Hai's bleeding to save his life temporarily, and then ordered the guards to drag him to his yard.

When Mrs. Zhang heard this, she fainted immediately. It was another housekeeper who was on good terms with her who pinched her philtrum and woke her up.

She hurried to the courtyard where the princess lived. As soon as she entered, she saw her precious son, naked, with his hands and feet tied and hanging on a beam under the corridor opposite the gate. His body was wrapped in thick cloth strips, which were all soaked in blood.

There was a large crowd of people gathered outside the door, and no one dared to go in.

Jiang Muyu set up a chair and sat in the open space in the middle of the yard, staring at Qin Hai with cold eyes.

Mrs. Zhang rushed in, knelt before her, kowtowed several times, and cried, "Please spare my son's life, my lady. He was blinded by lust and committed such a serious crime. This is my only son. I will discipline him strictly in the future. Please show mercy and spare his life."

"Forgiven?" Jiang Muyu snorted coldly, lowering his eyes slightly and staring at her, "Has he ever spared my people?"

"He...he's just a kid..."

"Child? How old is your son? He should be sixteen, right? At this age, he can get married and have children, but you say he is just a child. No wonder he is so bold. I guess it's your habit."

Mrs. Zhang knelt on the ground, trembling, but she could not find any words to refute for a while. After a while, she kowtowed to her and begged for mercy.

Jiang Muyu was annoyed by her noise and gave a look to the guard. Mrs. Zhang was immediately dragged away and her mouth was gagged with a cloth.

Over there, Qin Hai woke up slowly. The first thing he did was to look down at himself. When he saw the cloth strips wrapped around him and felt the obvious and unbearable pain, he immediately burst into tears.

"Save me, mother, save me..." He looked at Mrs. Zhang who was pressed aside, crying helplessly.

"I'm afraid no one can save you now." Jiang Muyu stared at him with a heavy and cold look, and said slowly: "If you honestly explain the process of committing the crime, I can spare your mother's life for the time being."

"No, no, I was wrong, I know I was wrong, Princess... Please let me go, don't kill me, I will work like a slave for you, please don't kill me." He cried with snot and tears, looking wolfish and ugly.

When Jiang Muyu thought that Yun Yan was bullied by such a person, he wanted to cut him into pieces on the spot.

She gripped the armrest of the chair tightly and said through gritted teeth: "My patience is limited. If you keep talking nonsense, I don't mind executing you right now."

Qin Hai was frightened by her and stopped crying immediately, then sobbed and told her what had happened.

It turned out that he was also one of the tenant farmers in charge of the vegetable greenhouse. He had long been interested in Yun Yan, and today, while Jiang Muyu was inspecting the project, he privately approached Yun Yan to express his feelings.

But Yunyan actually rejected him in person.

He was very unwilling at the time and drank two more glasses of wine during the dinner. He had a poor alcohol tolerance and even worse drinking habits. On his way home, he met Yunyan who was looking for the princess, and he had evil thoughts.

He thought that if he could get Yunyan's body first, he could then ask the princess for a marriage. Why would he be afraid that she would refuse?

So, he took advantage of Yunyan's passing by, picked up a stone on the ground and smashed it on the back of her head, and when she fainted, he took her to a nearby abandoned warehouse.

Jiang Muyu had someone write down his confession, put his fingerprints on it and put it away. He then ordered him to be tied up and hung outside the manor, and ordered people to take turns to guard him for twelve hours.

Mrs. Zhang knew that the princess wanted to kill her son, and she cried until she fainted.

Jiang Muyu had her thrown out of the yard, then dismissed everyone, closed the gate, and left only Supervisor Shang in the yard.

Manager Shang knelt down and apologized to her: "It was my fault that I didn't follow my orders and let Tan Hai make such a big mistake. I am willing to accept the punishment."

Jiang Muyu rubbed her aching temple, sighed, and said, "Your daughter has done me a great favor today. The merits and demerits are offset. You can get up first."

"yes."

It was November, but Manager Shang's forehead was covered with sweat, which felt chilly when the wind blew, but he didn't even dare to raise his hand to wipe it off.

Jiang Muyu said: "I hope this matter will not be made public, do you understand?"

"Yes, yes."

"Remove Mrs. Zhang from her position as manager. Tan Hai must be in mourning for three days, not even a quarter of an hour less. He must not be properly buried after his death. Leaving him with an intact body will be my last act of mercy."

"Yes, I will follow your instructions."

"Well." Jiang Muyu waved his hand, "Go away."

Manager Shang bowed to her and then stepped back with his body bowed.

Jiang Muyu went to the bathroom and saw Yunyan still soaking in the bathtub. The water had cooled down. She curled up and stared at the water without moving.

Her heart ached, and she tried to keep herself calm: "Yunyan, it's time to get up. You will get sick if you stay like this."

Yunyan heard the voice and slowly raised her head. She looked at her, tears streaming down her cheeks. She spoke in a hoarse voice, "My queen, why didn't I escape such a fate in the end?"

Jiang Muyu saw the doubt and unwillingness in her eyes, and felt a burst of bitterness in his eyes. He endured it and suppressed it. He squatted down, looked at her level, and said softly: "This is not your fault. Beauty has never been a crime. Those who are guilty are those who have ulterior motives."

"But...if I'm not wrong, why am I still injured? I just want to survive..."

I just want to live a good life, why does God treat me so unfairly?

Jiang Muyu didn't know how to persuade her, as she couldn't relate to the situation unless it happened to her.

She couldn't persuade Yunyan to look at things more positively as a bystander, and could only gently hold her cold hand.

A strong sour feeling spread from the bottom of my heart to my throat.

After a long while, she said, "Yunyan, get up."

This time, Yunyan finally nodded obediently.

"I'll wait for you outside. Call me if you need anything."

"Um."

Jiang Muyu walked outside the house and tilted her head slightly to hold back the tears that were about to burst out. She looked at the dark sky and felt only desolate all around.

Obviously, today should be a day of celebration...