Chapter 36 Tell the Truth
When it was completely dark, Mu Xi took the "risk" of having dinner again, changed into a dark purple brocade robe, put on a black hooded cloak, and followed Mu Xun out from the northeast corner gate of the Jun residence.
The two of them, along with the coachman Jiang Meng from that night, traveled in the same carriage, rumbling, to the city of Moyang as the lanterns began to light up.
Mu Xi estimated that the carriage must have circled most of Moyang City, until it was completely dark, before finally stopping in front of a two-story gate.
After getting off the carriage, through the darkness, Mu Xi could barely make out the three large characters on the plaque above her head—Zhu You Pavilion.
Just by looking at the name, you can tell it's a place where people seek divine guidance, pray for blessings, and have their fortunes told.
After a quick glance, they hurried inside, led by Mu Xun.
Inside the gate, there was already someone leading the way, who had dismissed the others.
We walked through the front hall, the main hall, and the side courtyard, without seeing a single person.
Just as Mu Xi thought they had entered the corridor and were about to go around Zhuming Pavilion to the back alley.
At the other end of the corridor, a group of people wearing masks of demons and monsters walked towards them.
Under the dark night sky, Mu Xi was startled.
Mu Xun gently grasped her wrist from the side without turning around: "It's okay, don't be afraid."
Mu Xi then regained her composure, and the two groups proceeded towards each other.
Upon approaching, the group recognized Mu Xun and immediately removed their masks to make way and pay their respects.
Mu Xun neither returned the greeting nor uttered a sound, but simply stood in front of Mu Xi without leaving a trace.
In this world, only two kinds of people wear masks: shamans and bandits.
With most of her face hidden under her hood and her head slightly bowed as she passed by, it was clear that she had encountered a group of male shamans.
Continuing forward, passing through halls and rooms, they finally arrived at a secluded and quiet room.
Upon entering the room, Mu Xun first invited Mu Xi to sit down before saying, "That basement is dark, damp, and the air is stuffy. After thinking it over, I think it would be better for Your Highness to meet them here."
Mu Xi glanced at the stone walls by the lamplight. The room, with only one small window, was more like a prison than a prison, but she had no objections: "Alright, are you planning to bring people here? Then bring Qi Erniang here first."
"Yes," Mu Xun agreed, then turned and gave Jiang Meng a few instructions.
Jiang Meng turned and left.
Mu Xun poured Mu Xi a cup of hot tea that had been prepared beforehand, and then said, "There is no one around here, so you can speak freely. Even if something happens in a while, no one will know. You can rest assured, Your Highness."
Jiang Meng returned shortly after leaving with Qi Erniang.
When I saw the Smiling Buddha again, he was still the same person, and even his clothes from that night hadn't changed, but he no longer looked like the Smiling Buddha.
His hair was a mess, and his short, stout body had lost a lot of weight. When he was brought in, he was like a lump of dead flesh thrown to the ground.
Mu Xun sent Jiang Meng out to stand guard, then stood discreetly to Mu Xi's side and said first, "Second Madam Qi, don't you know who we are?"
Qi Erniang was arrested without cause, and it is clear that she does not yet know why.
Or perhaps she had her own guesses.
But after being locked up for several days, without seeing the light of day or anyone, he experienced a mental breakdown and despair, and was on the verge of collapse.
Hearing this, she slowly raised her head and stared at him with wide eyes.
After a long while, she recognized Mu Xi and seemed to finally understand why she had been arrested without cause. She suddenly grinned and began to wail, "Ah, Your Highness, Your Highness... I didn't hear anything, I didn't see anything, I didn't hear anything, I didn't see anything..."
"Are you deaf or blind?" Mu Xi asked.
"Huh?" Qi Erniang's performance, which had just begun, was interrupted before she could even reach the climax of her "howling".
Mu Xi followed up with, "I'm asking you, do you think I'm a man or a woman?"
In a split second, Qi Erniang used all her brain cells and answered without hesitation: "Of course the young master is a man."
"Heh, when lies don't work, you have to tell the truth." Mu Xi's face was calm and expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger. "I'll ask you one more time, when you saw me that night, did you know whether I was a man or a woman?"
"Ah...ah...ah..." Qi Erniang opened her mouth wide, kneeling on the ground like a big toad, not knowing how to answer.
"To be honest, telling the truth at this time is your best strategy." Mu Xiping said something plain and simple, without even any threat, but it still gave people a sense of pressure.
Qi Erniang swallowed hard and finally said with difficulty, "The young master claimed to be a woman that night."
"Very good, that's a clever answer." Mu Xi's praise was genuine; if she were in her shoes, she might not have been so quick-witted. "Since you're so clever, then please tell me, how can I feel at ease enough to spare your life?"
Qi Erniang seemed to have heard a divine message and took two steps forward: "Oh, Your Highness, you are so merciful! I swear I didn't see or hear anything. No...no...I have never seen Your Highness before. Please, Your Highness, have mercy and let me go."
"That's it?" Mu Xi was very dissatisfied. "I'm asking you for a solution to give you a chance. If you can't save your own life, then I'm out of ideas."
That's the truth.
Without a "miracle drug" like the "Leopard Fetus Tendon-Changing Pill," and unable to think of any other way, then the only reliable method is indeed "the mouth of a dead man is the most trustworthy."
"This...this..." In a panic, Qi Erniang racked her brains, "I have money...yes...Young Master, I have money, I am willing to give all my wealth to you, just please spare me."
Mu Xi seemed intrigued: "Oh? You have money? How much can you offer?"
"The brothel..." Qi Erniang's eyes darted around as she silently calculated in her mind, "The ten... no, twelve shops on Gui Street next to the brothel all belong to me, and I'd be willing to..."
"Only twelve shops?" Mu Xi said with disdain before he could finish speaking.
Qi Erniang blinked and added, "Add Qingguan, and there are five more in a row, making a total of seventeen, all of which are the best shops in Moyang City."
Mu Xi tapped the table lightly with her fingers, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of "extortion": "Hehe, you seemed to have just said your entire fortune, didn't you?"
"All...of course, of course, of course it's all. I also have silver in the bank, silver..." Qi Erniang seemed to be thinking about what number to give.
Mu Xi disliked being swayed by her hair: "Just tell me, how much wealth do you have in total, converted into silver?"
"This..." Qi Erniang seemed to have actually made an estimate in her mind, "One million taels."
Mu Xi understood all too well the nature of merchants who would "risk their lives for their wealth": "Hehe, do you think I've been idle these past few days, or did I come here tonight to chat with you?"
"No, no, no... I underestimated it," Qi Erniang's heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, along with the fat on her face, trembled. "It's two million taels."
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