Chapter 62 The Last Meeting
Coercion and bribery are methods used when all else fails.
Liu Qi's goatee trembled for a long time before he finally understood what Mu Xi meant.
The meaning behind Mu Xi's smile could freeze even the water in the hottest days of summer.
Liu Qi was startled: "As you wish, Your Highness."
Mu Xi put down the seal in a second: "If Lord Liu had agreed earlier, it would have been fine."
Liu Qi watched the imperial edict fall, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Xi then instructed those accompanying him, "You must take good care of Lord Liu. I heard that it is dark in the prison, and it would be bad if he were to fall or get hurt."
"Yes." The four bodyguards were dressed in ordinary gray linen clothes, making it impossible to tell where they came from.
Liu Qi was unwilling, but being supported by the four men, he had no choice but to walk out.
In broad daylight, the officials of the Court of Justice, including the Left and Right Supervisors, the Commandant of the Guards, and the Gentlemen of the Palace, were all puzzled to see Mu Xi leading Liu Qi out and heading straight for the women's prison.
But Mu Xi, with her flowing robes, walked beside Liu Qi, blocking everyone's view, so no one could see anything amiss.
As Liu Qi entered the women's prison, he seemed to give up struggling. Sometime later, he had already slipped the brocade box containing gold leaves into his sleeve.
Once inside the women's prison, he immediately ordered the jailer and the warden to prepare to remove the person and take the case file to close the case.
Then, led by the jailer, they went to the cell where Cao Pan'er was being held.
Mu Xi followed them as they traversed the dimly lit and cold prison cells, finally stopping in front of a solitary cell at the very back.
Through the cell door, one could see Cao Pan'er, heavily pregnant and dressed in dirty, tattered prison clothes, leaning against a simple wooden bed covered with a quilt.
The cell was reasonably well-equipped, with a window, a bed, and even a square table with a clay pot and a clay bowl on it.
Mu Xi guessed that this was probably the treatment pregnant women received.
Cao Pan'er's face was covered in dirt and grime, making it difficult to discern her beauty or ugliness. Moreover, her protruding belly was much smaller than Mu Xi had imagined for her to be "eight months pregnant," likely due to the harsh conditions in prison.
The jailer opened the cell door.
Cao Pan'er remained motionless, only glancing sideways: "Don't waste your energy, I will not give in. If you have the guts, kill me and the child in my womb, and see if you will be punished by heaven."
"Uh..." Mu Xi knew it must be a mistake, so she first instructed Tao'er behind her, "Go and help her out."
Tao'er was extremely unwilling, but she went anyway.
Upon hearing the unusual sound, Cao Pan'er turned to look at Mu Xi.
Mu Xi said, "I'm here to close your case. From today onwards, your case of being wrongly accused of theft is considered closed."
Upon hearing this, Cao Pan'er propped herself up and stood up. Her movements were nimble and she did not appear as bloated as an August pregnant woman.
Tao'er basically got nowhere.
Cao Pan'er stood up on her own, looked Mu Xi up and down, her gaze burning like a flame, but it quickly subsided and eventually vanished. She spoke calmly, "Are you His Highness Prince Jin Fang?"
Mu Xi was both surprised and puzzled by this attitude, but she did not want to say anything more. She simply nodded slightly and turned to Liu Qi: "Lord Liu, where is Cao Qinshi? Before I take Cao Pan'er away, let them see each other one last time."
Liu Qi hesitated again: "This...Cao Qinshi is imprisoned in a death row cell..."
"Shouldn't the family members be allowed to see the person who is to be executed tomorrow at least once in a while?" Mu Xi was unaware of whether such a rule existed here.
Liu Qi had already accepted the gold leaf, so he could only nod and say, "Alright, please come with me, Your Highness."
So Mu Xi followed Liu Qi and took Cao Pan'er to the death row.
Upon reaching the entrance to the death row, Mu Xi suddenly stopped: "Oh, I won't go. Lord Liu, have someone take Cao Pan'er in. Didn't Lord Liu just ask me to retrieve Cao Pan'er's case file? There must be some paperwork involved. I'll go with Lord Liu to close the case."
Mu Xi was completely unable to resist the cold and dampness of the cell. Even in the sweltering heat of June, the damp chill seeped into her pores, and she was unwilling to linger for even a minute longer.
"Very well." Liu Qicheng fully cooperated, waving his hand to let the jailer take Cao Pan'er into the death row.
With Liu Qi cooperating so readily, there was no need to hold him back any longer. Mu Xi waved her hand and made a "please" gesture as she walked out, saying, "Lord Liu, please. Let's talk outside while we wait."
Liu Qi quickly declined, shaking his head helplessly, "Please, please... Your Highness, please."
Mu Xi quickly left the cell and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the light of day again.
Her reluctance to see Granny Cao stemmed from a deeper, more personal motive.
In the end, Cao Mama died taking the blame for her. What did she say to Cao Mama?
She couldn't save Granny Cao, and the fact that she could forcibly take Cao Pan'er away today was the most she could muster.
Granny Cao was destined to die for her, and since she had never even met her, then perhaps she should just disappear.
Just as Mu Xi had finished catching her breath, a sudden exclamation rang out.
Before Liu Qi and the others could even step forward to investigate, Mu Xun had already led his men in, his face as cold as ice, his gaze as sharp as ice spikes, sending chills down their spines. But the moment they saw Mu Xi, their icy demeanor melted away, and they slowed their pace: "Young Master... Young Master, what brings you here?"
Mu Xi had anticipated that Mu Xun would receive the news and come to stop her.
Therefore, we must act first and bring Cao Pan'er out before Mu Xun stops us, then it will be too late to stop her.
Now that her plan was almost complete, there was no need to be nervous: "You've come at the right time. When Cao Pan'er comes out in a little while, one carriage won't be enough, and she'll need your carriage to escort her."
"This..." Mu Xun had obviously expected this outcome, but he still hesitated. "Your Highness, please reconsider. Are you really going to just take Cao Pan'er away like this..."
He could only say half of what he wanted to say before he couldn't continue.
With so many people present, it's really hard to say some things.
Mu Xi wanted this effect, so she pretended not to understand the hidden meaning in her words: "Since she is a servant of our Jun family, and her mother is about to be executed, she should be allowed to see Granny Cao one last time."
"How can this be? This..." Mu Xun seemed to have accepted the fact that Cao Pan'er had been rescued, but when he heard that Cao Pan'er was meeting with Granny Cao, he became anxious again. "Lord Liu, where is Cao Pan'er? Since the young master has already brought her up, hand her over to us immediately and we will take her away."
Liu Qi was truly distressed: "It's not that His Highness wanted to let the mother and daughter see each other, but they're in death row..."
Mu Xun was about to rush in.
Mu Xi grabbed him, asking, "What are you doing?"
Unable to speak directly, Mu Xun was frantic: "This woman talks too much, saying everything that should and shouldn't be said. No matter how much time I give her, it's never enough. The young master is merciful and willing to give them this opportunity, but since they've met once, shouldn't they have finished by now?"
How can you say something so demeaning to women?
Just as Mu Xi was about to protest, she suddenly realized something, and her head went "buzz".
Whether Cao Pan'er knew anything about their meeting with Granny Cao is still unknown.
If Granny Cao had been following Madam Han that night, she might have also found out about Madam Han's disguise as a man.
If we meet now, I'll tell my daughter about this...
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