Chapter 85: Threatened?
Taking advantage of the moment, Cao Pan'er quickly said in a muffled voice that only the two of them could hear, "This servant knows that the young master is a woman."
Mu Xi's heart tightened suddenly, just like when she grabbed Cao Pan'er's hand.
Cao Pan'er winced in pain, but pretended to be unsteady and leaned against Mu Xi: "As long as the young master is willing to save our lives, this servant will keep the secret to the death."
Mu Xi's head was buzzing; as expected, Cao Pan'er knew.
Cao Pan'er quickly said this and then fell down, grabbing Mu Xi's clothes and crying out, "Your Highness, I am innocent! My senior brother Lu Cao and I did not participate in the destruction of the royal tomb, nor did we intentionally damage Zhilan Terrace. We are innocent! Please, Your Highness, save us! Save us..."
"Am I being threatened?" Mu Xi's mind went blank, and her body stiffened.
At this moment, Gao Quan and Mu Xun also arrived separately.
Gao Quan ordered the guards: "What are you standing there for? Take them back! This is the royal palace. How can we allow these criminals to make such a racket here?"
Only after receiving orders from the Grand Marshal did the Imperial Guards dare to step forward and drag Cao Pan'er away.
Cao Pan'er, afraid that Mu Xi hadn't heard her clearly, said, "Your Highness, my mother left a message before she passed away, saying that you would definitely help me in times of difficulty. You must keep your word..."
Mu Xun then pulled Mu Xi away.
As soon as Mu Xi saw Mu Xun, she wanted to tell him what had happened.
Just as he was about to speak, Gao Quan interrupted, "Your Highness, do not delay any longer. His Majesty has been waiting for a long time."
Unable to find a chance to speak, Mu Xi could only turn around and follow Gao Quan.
Mu Zhen had already stopped at the foot of the jade steps and stood up from his wheelchair.
Mu Xun went over to help Mu Zhen up.
Mu Xi wanted to follow along and take the opportunity to tell the story, but Gao Quan was right beside her. At this moment, the eunuchs came up and led the way.
All the way into the Juntian Palace, Mu Xi still couldn't find a chance to speak.
Mu Zhen led Mu Xi and Mu Xun to pay homage to King Yu.
On the throne, black brocade was laid out, with embroidered gold dragon patterns subtly surging.
Yu Wang Muji wore a black court robe with dragon patterns. His face was chiseled, with a broad forehead, a straight nose, and deep, unfathomable eyes that made people afraid to look directly at him.
If Yu Wang Muji and Jin Fangjun Muzhen were brothers, they would not look alike at all. However, if they were half-brothers, they would resemble their respective mothers, which would make sense.
The three of them stood up.
Mu Ji bestowed a seat upon Mu Zhen.
As soon as Mu Zhen sat down, Mu Ji turned his gaze to Mu Xi: "This must be Prince Jin Fang?"
Mu Xi was already panting from climbing the high jade steps, and the matter of Cao Pan'er made him even paler. He managed to bow again and said, "Your subject Mu Xi bows to Your Majesty."
"Do you still remember when you were little, I held you in my arms?" Mu Ji's tone was much gentler than his appearance.
"Uh..." Mu Xi didn't know how to answer, as she had no memory of it.
Mu Zhen bowed from his seat and said, "Your Majesty, how could he possibly remember what happened when he was an infant?"
Mu Ji casually slapped his thigh: "That's true, but I haven't seen this nephew since that time... Looking at him today, he really is... not so healthy."
Mu Xi didn't need to pretend; he readily admitted, "I am indeed weak and sickly, and unable to bear the burden."
Mu Ji nodded, and then said, "It doesn't matter. You are my nephew. As long as you have the title of heir apparent, that's fine. In the future, you will have officials to take care of you when things are appropriate."
Um?
Mu Ji's attitude and tone were unusually friendly.
This was quite unexpected for Mu Xi; it didn't seem like they were about to interrogate her.
If that's the case, then is there any way to save Cao Pan'er's life?
Mu Xi was lost in thought about Cao Pan'er's matter.
Mu Zhen then took the opportunity to say, "Xi'er's health is what he was born with. It was thanks to His Majesty's early bestowal of the title of Crown Prince for a marriage of good fortune that he was able to grow up smoothly. It is a pity that even as an adult, he still suffers many misfortunes. Not long ago, he was robbed by mountain bandits and almost lost his life. Only today was he able to get out of bed and walk. In recent years, my younger brother's health has been deteriorating, and so has Xi'er's. It is all thanks to my second son, Mu Xun, that we are able to keep him healthy."
Upon hearing these words, Mu Xi felt that they were not very clever.
The reason why King Yu showed her such kindness was probably because he hoped that she, the weak and sickly crown prince who was unable to go to the battlefield, could inherit the title of King Jinfang.
In this way, she, as the crown prince, will not pose any threat to the royal power, and even the troops in the western border can be gradually taken back in the future.
However, her scumbag father was rather "sensible" and was still strongly recommending Mu Xun.
Mu Ji had seen Mu Xun countless times; how could he not know his abilities?
But the more you know, the more you need to be wary.
She understands this principle, so how could her scumbag father not understand it?
Mu Ji's deep gaze swept over Mu Xun, and as expected, he stopped and changed the subject: "However, the reason I summoned the Crown Prince here today is because of a matter concerning the remnants of the previous dynasty."
Mu Xi noticed that every time the words "former dynasty" were mentioned, her scumbag father, Mu Zhen, would appear calm on the surface but be extremely nervous inside, almost jumping up from his chair: "Your Majesty, how could the Jin Fangjun Mansion be associated with these four words? There must be some misunderstanding."
"Brother, don't be anxious. Now that you're here, whether it's a misunderstanding or not, we'll know after asking." Mu Ji's attitude was calm, and on the surface, he didn't seem to be trying to pin the blame on anyone, but it was also impossible to tell what he was really up to.
As soon as Mu Ji finished speaking, the Imperial Guards escorted the group of criminals to the palace.
Mu Xi then saw clearly that the group of prisoners being escorted consisted of dozens of people of all ages, from old to young, but all of them were male, except for Cao Pan'er, who was escorted up last, and was a woman.
Mu Xi glanced at Cao Pan'er and immediately felt troubled.
If Cao Pan'er isn't saved, she'll probably expose her secret of being a woman disguised as a man on the spot.
If she wants to save Cao Pan'er, even if everyone warned her not to talk nonsense, how can she save Cao Pan'er under these circumstances?
Ultimately, this disaster was caused by her insistence on saving people, but why did she save Cao Pan'er? It was all because of Granny Cao.
Granny Cao took the blame for her again.
The cause of this crime was once again Gao's biological mother's attempt to uncover her secret of disguising herself as a man...
Mu Xi was lost in thought, unable to come up with a solution.
Mu Ji stared at the man in the lead, a man around thirty years old with a weathered face, and asked, "Are you the leader, Lu Cao, the former slave from the previous dynasty? Tell me about yourself."
Lu Cao's face showed signs of hardship, but his eyes remained steadfast and unwavering.
When King Yu asked a question, he slowly kowtowed first: "This sinful servant, Lu Cao, greets Your Majesty. This sinful servant once studied under Cao Ren, the former chief craftsman of the Yan State, but after less than three years of study, the Yan State perished. This sinful servant was demoted to a slave and sent to the Western Mountain Royal Mausoleum to serve as a slave for more than ten years without ever leaving. This has absolutely nothing to do with the recent events."
Mu Ji then said, "What a fine phrase, 'no connection whatsoever.' This treacherous criminal is cunning; summon him to the Court of Justice."
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