Chapter 66 The Foodie is a Big Help
More than a month passed in the blink of an eye. On the surface, Mu Xi was waiting for the previous events to settle down and recuperating, but in reality, she was planning Plan A, Plan B, C, and Plan D...
However, none of them may be needed.
"The day before yesterday marked the 49th day since the 7th day of the lunar calendar." Mu Xun seemed to visit Mu Xi every morning before leaving home these days, but in reality, he was keeping a close eye on her.
Mu Xi didn't elaborate, and seemed somewhat distracted: "What forty-nine days?"
Mu Xun paced back and forth a couple of times: "From the day Han died to the day before yesterday, forty-nine days have passed. Her funeral, including the rituals and prayers, has been completed. Last night, when I came out of my father's place, I saw from afar that Gao was wearing a bright red hairpin again."
"So what?" Although Mu Xi had been staying in the East Courtyard to recover from her injuries these days, she hadn't been idle.
Although she was physically weak and had no money or manpower, she could not remain passive as before. She had to find a way to turn the situation around so that she could start doing things.
Mu Xun said, "The Gao family has always been a firm believer in gods, ghosts, and witchcraft. The West Courtyard has not made any moves and everything seems normal on the surface, but they are waiting for the Han family's ritual to pass. Once that time is up, they will probably take action, and we need to be careful."
The only place Mu Xi can be targeted is Cao Pan'er, and Cao Pan'er refuses to reveal the father of the child in her womb, leaving Mu Xi with no way to exploit her.
Just then, Tao'er rushed in from outside: "Young Master, Second Young Master, something bad has happened! Steward Li led his men to the side courtyard and found Cao Pan'er. They're about to take her away now."
"Now?" Mu Xi jumped up and walked out. "Cao Pan'er is about to give birth. Is it a sin for them to make trouble at this time?"
Mu Xun stepped forward to stop him: "Don't get involved. I'll go and check and stop them."
Mu Xi was finally looking forward to the other party making a move, because only with a move could there be a flaw, but she couldn't say what she was planning. She had to put on a righteous and awe-inspiring act: "I forced Cao Pan'er out of the Court of Justice. Do you think they don't know that? Hiding things at this point is useless. Maybe, as you said, the reason why Gao Shi waited so long was just to wait for the mourning period for her birth mother to pass. Since that's the case, there's no way to avoid it. We might as well meet force with force and water with earth."
“But…” Mu Xun still had some concerns. “If that’s the case, we can go over there, but Li Fu needs a reason to arrest people. You need to stay calm and not give others any leverage against you first.”
"I understand," Mu Xi said, and rushed out.
Mu Xun had no choice but to follow.
The two hurried toward the side courtyard where Cao Pan'er lived.
Before even getting close, a large crowd of onlookers had already gathered inside and outside the side courtyard.
Across the crowd, Cao Pan'er's cursing voice could be heard: "You bunch of scoundrels, how dare you touch me? Let me tell you the truth, the child in my belly is the Third Young Master's bastard, you dare to lay a finger on me..."
Um?
Is this considered an "unexpected bonus"?
Previously, Cao Pan'er had kept her mouth shut and refused to admit that the child in her belly was Mu Chong's despite repeated probing. Now, she actually announced it in public.
Mu Xi quickened her pace, just as she heard Li Fu's sarcastic tone pierce through the crowd: "Is that so? You, a woman who steals from the manor and has no self-control, have the nerve to say such things? Who knows whose child is in your belly?"
Mu Xi quickly pushed aside the onlookers.
Li Fu then ordered two strong, middle-aged female servants to drag Cao Pan'er out of the courtyard: "Take this shameless slut away."
"Stop!" Mu Xi shouted.
Li Fu glanced sideways at Mu Xi and the others, showing no surprise at their sudden appearance. He stepped forward, feigning respect: "Oh, Young Master, Second Young Master, what brings you two here?"
"Where is this? Isn't this the Jin Fangjun residence?" Mu Xi had to catch her breath before she could even stand up.
Li Fu feigned ignorance: "Your Highness is joking. This is of course the Marquis's residence, which is why Cao Pan'er is even more despicable. She stole valuables from the manor and had already been handed over to the authorities, but for some reason she hid back in the manor. Today, this servant has learned of this and will arrest her and hand her over to the Madam for punishment."
"The case of Cao Pan'er's theft has been closed, didn't you know?" Mu Xi also glanced at Li Fu.
Li Fuzao prepared his explanation: "Cancel the case? Yes, the theft may be cancelled, but she is shameless, pregnant out of wedlock, and has disgraced the reputation of the Jun family. According to the rules of the Jun family, such a servant cannot be kept."
"Hmm?" Mu Xi looked puzzled. "What exactly did Steward Li come here for today? Is it to arrest Cao Pan'er for theft or for her being pregnant out of wedlock?"
“This…” Li Fu’s eyes darted around, afraid of giving the wrong answer.
Mu Xi waited for Li Fu to decide before saying, "As I just said, if it's a theft, the case has already been closed. As for the matter of an unmarried pregnancy... I will protect her. We'll discuss everything after Cao Pan'er gives birth to the child safely."
Just kidding, I've been looking for something to use against the West Courtyard lately.
Many people heard what Cao Pan'er just said, which must be a good opportunity to manipulate the West Courtyard.
Li Fu suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Your Highness, you may not know this, but Cao Pan'er's case has indeed been closed. However, something was stolen from the manor the day before yesterday. Cao Pan'er is a habitual offender and is the prime suspect. Therefore, I had no choice but to bring her to the madam to clarify the matter."
"Something's gone missing again? What's gone?" Mu Xi hadn't expected Li Fu to come up with such a dirty trick on the spot.
Li Fu said, "These two top-quality thousand-year-old ginseng roots, I guess this lowly maid took them to nourish herself."
“That’s rotten ginseng.” Before Mu Xi could speak, Bao Fan, who had followed them, suddenly interjected.
"Huh? What rotten ginseng?" Mu Xi didn't understand.
Bao Fan stepped forward, carrying a large box, and pointed at Li Fu with his chin: "The ginseng he gave me yesterday was fake."
Li Fu didn't recognize Bao Fan and didn't take him seriously. He quickly explained to Mu Xi, "Young Master, the medicinal herbs in the manor's storeroom are all carefully selected treasures. This young man shouldn't speak carelessly."
Bao Fan, true to his foodie instincts, puffed out his cheeks and said, "A thousand-year-old ginseng, you'll know once you taste it."
It's rare to see Bao Fan speak in complete sentences.
But with his baby face and innocent, naive air, Li Fu looked down on him: "You think you can tell just by eating it? What thousand-year-old ginseng have you eaten that you can tell?"
“The thousand-year-old ginseng I’ve been consuming lately wasn’t all taken from the government treasury. Bao Fan is someone close to me, and he’s probably consumed more thousand-year-old ginseng than you have. How come you didn’t know?” Mu Xi stepped forward to support Bao Fan.
Previously, Qi Yingyu gave Mu Xi a thousand-year-old ginseng, which Mu Xi then gave to Doctor Luo to see if it was suitable for medicinal use.
The physician Luo was overjoyed upon receiving it, saying it was a rare and excellent tonic for replenishing qi, and that it was best to use it frequently.
When Mu Xun found out, he mentioned it to Mu Zhen, who then wrote a note and gave Mu Xi two old ginseng roots from the treasury.
Unexpectedly, Tao'er took Bao Fan and a note to collect ginseng.
The treasury had always been in Li Fu's hands. At that time, Li Fu gave Tao'er two ginseng roots. After she brought them back, Bao Fanzhi tasted the roots and said they were very different.
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