Chapter 270 Second Miss
"Knock knock knock..." Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er knocked for a long time, but no one answered.
Doctor Luo and Bao Fan hid in the shadows at the alley entrance, watching silently.
"Knock knock knock..." Mu Xi didn't give up and increased the force, with her and Cao Pan'er taking turns banging on the door.
In the dead of night, with such a loud noise, it's impossible that no one could have heard it.
Just as Mu Xi was wondering if there was a mistake, there was finally movement inside the door.
An elderly man's voice asked from inside the door, "Who's banging on the door in the middle of the night?"
“I know this is the residence of Marquis Shen Lun of Yong State. Go and inform him immediately that his nephew, Prince Jin Fang, has come to request an audience.” Mu Xi made her intentions clear from the start.
"Ah..." came a gasp from inside the door, followed by the sound of footsteps quickly fading away.
After waiting for a long time, a series of footsteps approached, and the wooden door was finally opened.
When the door opened, Mu Xi did not find Shen Lun, only a few Jingwei guards.
Fortunately, one of the Jingwei recognized Mu Xi at a glance, and the two were then invited inside.
The study was warm and inviting.
Shen Lun did not sit in the main seat, but casually draped a cloak over his shoulders, having just woken up from his sleep.
He wasn't surprised to see Mu Xi, but his long, willow-leaf-shaped eyes scrutinized her intently for a while before he slowly spoke, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Xi'er, why did you come here so late at night?"
“Although Uncle’s place is secluded, I still have some ways to find it.” Mu Xi tried his best to appear calm, but his voice was still somewhat tired and hoarse. “I’ve been away from the East Sea since then, so I’m sure Uncle already knows. I was ambushed and killed along the way, and after several brushes with death, I finally made my way back to Moyang. Now I have nowhere to go, so I’ve come here to seek refuge and ask for a place to stay.”
Shen Lun's face remained calm throughout, but his scrutinizing gaze was undisguised.
His insightful eyes swept back and forth between Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er several times. Finally, as if confirming something, he relaxed, turned around and sat in the main seat of the study, gesturing for Mu Xi to sit down as well. Then he began a detailed interrogation.
Mu Xi answered Shen Lun's questions without reservation, even revealing that Pei Dong had discovered the residence. Finally, she recounted everything that had happened at Fangfei Tower that night.
Because not a single word of what he said was false, Shen Lun could not find anything amiss even after repeatedly pondering the questions and answers.
Even more so because of Mu Xi's frank attitude, her expression softened a bit. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Now that you and your servant are the only ones with nowhere to go, you might as well stay here in peace. There's no need to worry about Fangfei Tower. According to you, Mu Chong is dead. Gao Quan will definitely investigate this matter, but I'm afraid he might not have time to deal with it right now. Even if someone does investigate, they won't be able to find you for a while."
"Thank you, Uncle." Mu Xi nodded from her seat, but immediately followed up, "Uncle, now that I have nothing left and the title of Prince Jin Fang is merely nominal, could you please tell me where Mu Xun is? So that we can meet?"
The reason she was so calm was because she had no cards in her hand, so Shen Lun didn't need to be wary of her at all.
Shen Lun's brows remained furrowed, and his gaze suddenly deepened: "Three years have passed, and you still think about the prince?"
"Yes." Mu Xi answered without hesitation.
Shen Lun remained silent for a moment, seemingly calculating something, before his tone carried a chilling warning: "Rest assured, the former Prince Yan is of great importance, and I will ensure his safety. He is currently in a very safe place. For his sake and for yours, it's best if you don't know his exact whereabouts."
Mu Xi knew that she was nothing in Shen Lun's eyes now, and might even have little use left. He probably only took her in because of their uncle-nephew relationship.
As the saying goes, "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head." Since we can't recognize them directly, we can only wait it out for a while.
He then lowered his head and remained silent.
Shen Lun made no attempt to hide his cold attitude: "The more you know about certain things, the more disadvantageous they become for you. Since you have come to me, you must trust me. I have promised to protect you, and I will not go back on my word, but the condition is that you must obey me."
After saying this, Shen Lun stood up, as if to see the guest out, and called out, "Zhang Mao, come in."
At the call, a middle-aged man with a goatee, dressed as a steward, pushed open the door and entered, bowing deeply: "What are your orders, Lord Marquis?"
"This is the Second Miss. Go arrange a room for her and take her to rest," Shen Lun said casually.
Upon hearing the words "Second Miss," Mu Xi's heart skipped a beat.
Shen Lun, however, spoke as if it were the most ordinary matter: "Also, go and call over Granny Yan and the other two. They are supposed to be serving the Second Miss."
"Yes." Zhang Mao agreed immediately, without showing the slightest surprise on his face.
Shen Lun made no further explanation to Mu Xi, but after thinking for a moment, he added, "From today onwards, you shall stay in the manor and shall not step out of the manor without my permission."
"Yes, I will follow Uncle's arrangements." Mu Xi lowered her eyelashes to hide her displeasure and appear obedient.
Shen Lun frowned again when he heard Mu Xi still use the title "uncle," which was clearly inconsistent with the identity of "Second Miss Shen Zhixi." However, he did not correct her in the end, but instead added, "From now on, you should get used to wearing women's clothing. Don't feel that I am restricting you. Young ladies should not go out easily. In addition, Pingting has been staying at home all the time. If you are bored, you can keep her company and learn from her how to be a noble lady of a noble family."
Mu Xi was surprised that Shen Pingting was also in Moyang City, but Shen Lun had clearly revealed her emotions despite her attempts to conceal them, so he didn't ask any more questions and simply answered "yes".
Finally, Shen Lun waved his hand, signaling Zhang Mao to take Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er away.
Afterwards, Zhang Mao arranged a courtyard for Mu Xi. Mu Xi did not want Zhang Mao to wake up Granny Yan and the other two women immediately, as it was almost dawn and there was no need to disturb them in advance.
Moreover, she needed to speak privately with Cao Pan'er about what had happened in the study earlier.
Zhang Mao didn't say much more, just added that everything needed would be taken care of during the day the next day, and then left.
After a day and a night of tossing and turning, their emotions were in turmoil. Now they finally had a place to stay, and although they were exhausted, neither of them felt sleepy.
Now that Cao Pan'er has become the only person Mu Xi can trust, he naturally took this opportunity to explain to her her relationship with Shen Lun and the origin of Shen Zhixi's identity.
After Cao Pan'er understood, the sky outside began to brighten, and Granny Yan brought Chaolu and Xixia over excitedly. The three of them were overjoyed to see Mu Xi, as if they had been waiting for the dawn.
After introducing Cao Pan'er to the three of them, Mu Xi couldn't help but sigh, "I never expected that you would be able to stay with the Marquis and live peacefully here. It's truly remarkable."
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