Chapter 121 The matter is not over
The essence and the soul master share all their experiences.
The drunken man recognized Liu Qi at a glance, broke free from Mu Xun's embrace, and rushed over: "Lord Liu, you've come at the right time. Two lives have been forced to their deaths here by your Court of Justice. Since tonight is to celebrate the Lord's birthday, it can't be just my men offering 'gifts'; your Court of Justice must also shed blood."
Liu Qi had followed Mu Zhen inside and was about to find his seat when the drunken man suddenly rushed over, nearly scaring him to death.
Mu Xi, overwhelmed by her height, grabbed Liu Qi's collar with her drunken rage: "Lord Liu, wouldn't you like to check me too?"
Her clothes were not yet fully closed, revealing gruesome scars that were faintly visible.
"Xi'er, what kind of behavior is this?" Mu Zhen's face was dark yellow with a hint of red, which looked very strange.
The drunken man ignored him and shoved Liu Qi to the ground: "Isn't your Court of Justice always investigating this and that? Lord Liu can't find the assassin, but you've come to me instead?"
"Crash..." Liu Qi fell down, knocking over the table next to him.
When Jin Fangjun Muzhen entered, everyone in the hall had already stood up.
The situation had become so chaotic that Shen Lun stepped forward to dissuade her, saying, "Xi'er, that's enough."
The drunken man glanced down at the half-exposed fake scar on his chest and gave a wicked smile: "This isn't enough! This is nothing! I..."
Before she could utter a word, Mu Xun appeared in front of her in a flash, shielding her from everyone's view. Pinghu Yingyue's eyes trembled more than ever before, and her voice was choked with unconcealed sobs and helplessness: "Don't do this..."
Mu Xun's voice seemed to possess some kind of magic.
The man with the alcoholic personality suddenly froze.
Taking advantage of the opening, Mu Xi lunged forward to regain control of her body and casually gathered her collar.
Seeing that Mu Xi had stopped, Jin Fangjun Mu Zhen finally caught his breath and slowly sat down: "It was a misunderstanding, please sit down, everyone."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their seats.
Mu Xun took off his outer robe and draped it over Mu Xi, saying, "Your Highness, be careful not to catch a cold."
Mu Xi should have been able to catch her breath, but a surge of anger was still stuck in her heart.
Liu Qi was barely helped up by the people next to him, and was about to flee in a sorry state: "This humble official...this humble official is ashamed, I will take my leave now."
"Wait..." Mu Xi stepped in front of him, then glanced at Ma Zheng, "You disrupted the Marquis's birthday banquet, do you think you can get away so easily?"
Ma Zheng's situation was hopeless, but he reacted faster than Liu Qi: "My lord, we clearly have witnesses here. These two country bumpkins are just spreading rumors and misleading the public."
Liu Qi also reacted: "Yes, yes...it's all them..."
"We're innocent! We didn't want to come, it was all because of this Lord Ma..." The farmer and his wife cried out in fear, pointing at Ma Zheng.
Unfortunately, no one present cared.
Liu Qi smiled obsequiously, "My lord and the heir, it's all the farmers' ignorance that caused this trouble. Please allow me to take them away and punish them severely."
Mu Xi sneered: "Will you deal with it later?"
"What does Your Highness intend to do?" Liu Qi asked hastily.
Mu Xi glanced at the trembling farmer couple: "In retrospect, they helped me when I was in danger. If you hadn't been so malicious in dragging them into this mess, I wouldn't be in this predicament today. You can be so greedy and ungrateful, but I cannot."
Liu Qi's face immediately fell again.
Mu Xi then turned her gaze to the corpses of Li Mama and her daughter, which had been moved aside: "Two of my lives are lying here, and you must give me an explanation."
"What exactly does the Crown Prince want?" Liu Qi was utterly defeated.
Mu Xi turned around and drew the long sword from Mu Xun's hand beside her: "Shouldn't one life pay for another?"
Liu Qi's eyes widened: "What does Your Highness mean? Do you expect an official of the court to pay with his life for a servant?"
"People have different social statuses, but can human lives be divided into noble and lowly?" Mu Xi placed the tip of her sword on Liu Qi's shoulder. "If they can be divided into noble and lowly, how much is Lord Liu's life worth? I'll buy it."
Liu Qi, his goatee trembling, looked around for help: "Lord, Lord Shen, Grand Marshal Gao... please say something..."
Jin Fangjun and Mu Zhen looked extremely pale and showed no reaction whatsoever.
Gao Quan glanced sideways with his wolfish eyes, completely unconcerned.
Finally, only Marquis Shen Lun of Yong State spoke up: "Xi'er, let's leave it at that. The Marquis's birthday banquet has not yet begun tonight, so let's not disturb the enjoyment of our distinguished guests."
Mu Xi refused to give up and used force to pierce Liu Qi's neck: "The Court of Justice must give the Jin Fangjun family an explanation today."
"Ah..." Liu Qi was so frightened that he knelt down.
At this point, no one in the hall dared to utter a sound.
After a long while, Princess Yan Ya suddenly spoke from behind the curtain on the west side: "Your Highness, may I have a word to say?"
Princess Yan Ya's voice was not loud, but it was clear and melodious, like the song of an oriole suddenly heard in a quiet valley.
Mu Xi turned her head and looked through the curtain.
Princess Yanya slowly rose and walked to the curtain: "Today was supposed to be the Marquis's birthday banquet, but it was disrupted for no reason. It is only natural for the young master to be annoyed. But if the young master were to argue with these petty people, what would he become?"
Mu Xi was not by nature the type to hold grudges.
Princess Yanya didn't wait for Muxi's answer, but asked again: "Even if the Crown Prince kills the two court officials now, he can't save two lives. It would be better to spare their lives as compensation for the dead and the living, which can also be considered an explanation."
Mu Xi was truly blinded by the deaths of Granny Li and her daughter, but killing was not her wish. So she returned the sword to Mu Xun and bowed to Princess Yan Ya: "Your Highness is kind and compassionate, I have learned much from your teachings."
Princess Yan Ya bowed slightly: "Your Highness is joking. There is no princess left, only slaves of a conquered nation."
Mu Xi looked down at Liu Qi: "Lord Liu, have you heard this? What sincerity do you intend to offer?"
"Five...five hundred taels...give..." Liu Qi struggled to get up from the ground again, and with great effort held up five fingers.
"Five hundred taels? Is Lord Liu's life only worth five hundred taels?" Mu Xi was not about to let it go easily.
Liu Qi, being a pragmatic man, asked, "How much does the Crown Prince want?"
"Five thousand taels, I suppose." Mu Xi had no idea of the exact amount and immediately multiplied it tenfold.
"Ah...ah...ah..." Liu Qi seemed to have his throat choked, and it took him a while to finally utter a complete sentence: "Alright, as Your Highness wishes."
"Guards, take Granny Li and her daughter away and give them a proper burial." Mu Xi then turned to give the order, before turning back to the farmer couple. "As for you, since you were innocently implicated and it was not your own choice, I'll give you five hundred taels, which should be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your lives. From now on, I don't want to see you again."
The farmer and his wife were extremely grateful and kept kowtowing.
Mu Xi turned to look at Liu Qi: "Lord Liu, words are no proof. Give me some evidence. All five thousand five hundred taels will be on your shoulders."
Liu Qi was momentarily at a loss for words: "What... what kind of proof do we need? What proof could I possibly have?"
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