Chapter 276 Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey
Although Mu Xi did this in the sense of a "last meal," she truly sat at the same table with Granny Yan and the other two girls, solemnly bidding them farewell with a cup of wine. She had nothing to leave the three of them, and felt both apologetic and helpless, offering only her blessings.
The five of them had a farewell dinner, and then each went on their own to prepare.
After dark, Granny Yan and the other two followed the plan, while Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er changed their clothes and hid in a corner of the courtyard in advance.
When cries of "The Second Miss has committed suicide..." rang out, chaos erupted in the mansion.
Zhang Mao and Shen Pingting were the first to arrive with their group.
Following Mu Xi's prior instructions, Chao Lu first locked the inner room door from the inside, and then positioned herself in the room as if she were hanging from a beam.
More and more people are gathering inside and outside the compound.
Shen Pingting saw a slender figure standing on a table with a stool under the lamplight outside, looking as if she were about to hang herself. She was horrified and tried to stop him while banging on the door.
Zhang Mao rushed to the study to inform Shen Lun.
Taking advantage of this moment, Mu Xi led Cao Pan'er and slipped away to the backyard under the cover of night.
The side gate in the backyard where they had knocked on the door late at night was still there, but when they got closer, they found that the door had been locked in advance.
Judging by the time, this was just a short break between dinner and night.
Based on what Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er knew about the mansion during this period, it wasn't time to lock it yet.
But having come this far, there's no time to think about so many other things.
Since it's locked, I might as well jump over the wall.
Just as Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er were about to reach the wall to find something to climb, a voice sounded behind them: "Where are you going, Second Miss? It's late and the dew is heavy, be careful not to catch a cold."
Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er froze, then turned around abruptly.
They had just watched Zhang Mao go to inform Shen Lun, how did he suddenly appear behind them in the blink of an eye?
Just as Mu Xi was about to assess whether Zhang Mao would dare to attack her, and whether she should take advantage of her status to forcibly climb the wall, Shen Lun suddenly appeared behind Zhang Mao. Looking around more closely, she noticed that the backyard, which had been deserted just moments before, was now filled with many guards.
Shen Lun strolled out leisurely with his hands behind his back: "It seems that all my earnest advice to you in the study during the day was in vain."
Having been caught red-handed, Mu Xi knew she couldn't escape anymore, but she had nothing to say and only responded to Shen Lun with a stubborn expression.
Shen Lun didn't say much in front of everyone, only giving the order: "Come back with me."
After saying that, he stopped looking at Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er and turned to walk towards Mu Xi's courtyard.
Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er were surrounded by guards and had no power to resist.
Zhang Mao's goatee didn't move at all, and his face remained expressionless. He simply made a gesture: "Please, Second Miss."
Mu Xi grew increasingly annoyed by the title, but there was nothing she could do, so she could only return to Cao Pan'er.
The two walked back under the invisible escort of the guards, without encountering a single person along the way. When they returned to the courtyard, the crowd that had gathered there earlier had vanished without a trace, as if they had never been there at all.
The door to her main room was open and the lights were on.
As soon as Mu Xi entered the main hall, she saw that Granny Yan, Chao Lu, and Xi Xia were being held down on the ground by guards dressed in the same clothes, unable to move.
These guards were people Mu Xi had never seen before. Thinking back to how they had probably been cleared out by these guards disguised as Jingwei along the way, a sudden chill ran from the soles of her feet to the back of her heart.
When Granny Yan and the other two saw that Mu Xi had not escaped, they were overjoyed and called out, "Second Miss, Second Miss..."
Without saying a word, Shen Lun sat down in the main seat in the hall, then coldly swept his long, willow-leaf eyes over the three people being held captive: "You traitors, it's a wonder I've raised you for so many years, you're ultimately useless."
Mu Xi felt a chill run down her spine: "Uncle, releasing them has nothing to do with them. It was all my idea. They were forced into it."
“They were indeed forced.” Shen Lun’s gaze returned to Mu Xi. “Since you are unwilling to be Shen Zhixi, then they are useless people. What use are they?”
Shen Lun's eyes were sharp, sending a chill down Mu Xi's spine. His words made her tremble even more: "What do you mean by that, Uncle?"
Shen Lun's voice remained completely flat: "Drag him away and deal with him."
Mu Xi was momentarily stunned, unable to comprehend the meaning of the words "dealt with".
The three women, including Granny Yan, immediately cried out and begged for mercy: "My lord, spare us! My lord, spare us! Second Miss, Second Miss, save us! Save us!"
Mu Xi suddenly realized what was happening and rushed forward to stop Jingwei from making a move: "No...no...you can't..."
Jingwei completely disobeyed Muxi's orders, but she couldn't very well offend Muxi either.
Shen Lun snorted again: "Cover your mouth, don't make a sound that annoys people."
"Yes." Jingwei, having received the order, didn't hesitate to push Muxi aside and carried the three of them out like three poultry.
Unable to stop him, Mu Xi, her eyes blazing with fury, charged at Shen Lun: "Is Your Excellency making an example of someone?"
"It is indeed a case of making an example of someone to scare others," Shen Lun admitted calmly.
Mu Xi sensed that Shen Lun's chilling killing intent was not just empty talk.
Seeing that the three of them were sobbing and had no chance to beg, he could only plead, "There's no need for that. Your Highness has achieved your goal. As long as you don't hurt them, I will agree to anything you ask."
"Too late. I did give you a chance." Shen Lun watched the three figures being dragged away, as if they were already dead.
Mu Xi was panicked and tried to turn around and rush out to pull the person away, but was stopped by Zhang Mao, who was standing at the door at some point.
Mu Xi was utterly devastated and collapsed, abandoning all dignity, she knelt down and cried out, "My lord... as long as you spare them, I swear I will only be Shen Zhixi and obey your every command."
"Whether you kill them or not, you can only be Shen Zhixi. But since they can't tell who the real master is, they deserve to die. You don't need to beg anymore." Shen Lun's words were just a warning to Mu Xi.
A chilling coldness she had never felt before spread throughout Mu Xi's body. She never imagined that Shen Lun, who usually appeared to be a refined scholar and whose family had been a scholarly family for generations, would be such a different person tonight, so cold and ruthless.
When further pleading proved futile, he got up from the ground and rushed toward Zhang Mao, who was blocking the door, but Zhang Mao subdued him in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Cao Pan'er rushed forward, but Zhang Mao only used his other hand to restrain her.
Mu Xi watched helplessly as Granny Yan and the other two were dragged into the dimly lit courtyard. Then, the guards, in pairs, each took one of them, one holding the other's head and twisting it forcefully.
In the night breeze, "click, snap, snap..."
Mu Xi didn't know if she saw clearly or heard clearly, or if the sound only existed in her imagination, but the next second, the heads of Granny Yan and the other two fell to the ground at an impossible angle.
Mu Xi was heartbroken. The strong smell of blood filled her nostrils, and with a "plop," blood gushed from her mouth and nose, and she collapsed.
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