Chapter 3: 003 都不是好货

In a corner far from the crowd, there was still that same all-black carriage. A man pulled back the curtain, revealing a face as warm and clean as fine jade, with exquisitely carved features that were nothing short of peerless.

If Mu Qi were to see this man, she would surely be unable to help but feel a sense of pity. This man was so handsome it was truly an affront to both gods and men; it was just a shame his complexion was deathly pale and his lips were dull, giving him the appearance of someone suffering from a lingering chronic illness—a complete invalid.

"This girl is truly interesting." A smile played at the corners of the man's mouth as he gazed at Mu Qi. In his twenty-odd years of life, this was the first time he had discovered such an interesting person in this world. Thinking that she still owed him a favor, he actually felt an impulse to collect it immediately.

Seeing that the people had finished their gossiping, Mu Qi cleared her throat and began to speak eloquently: "Fellow villagers and elders, today, I, Mu Qi, the eldest young lady of the Marquis of Anding's Manor, ask you all to act as my witnesses."

Mu Qi's slender body stood upon the steps, her frame wrapped in a wide black cloak. White snowflakes fell upon her from time to time. Her palm-sized face was frighteningly pale, and to make matters worse, it was wrapped in a strip of cloth with the word "blood" written on it. No matter how one looked at her, she appeared to be an orphaned girl who had been bullied with no one to turn to for justice. Looking again at those fair,素 hands, they were currently covered in blood, a sight that was both shocking and gruesome.

Some soft-hearted people had already begun to shed tears. Wiping their eyes, they cried out, "Please speak, Young Lady! Even if you want to take this to the Dali Temple, we will testify for you!"

"Yes, yes, Young Lady, we will help you!"

To play a role, one must go all the way. Mu Qi pinched her wounded palm hard. The sudden surge of pain caused her eyes to redden, making her look like a wronged girl on the verge of tears. "Mu Qi thanks you all in advance. My father, Mu Mingyao, was a general. To protect the people of the Eastern Wu Kingdom from the ravages of war and the suffering of displacement, he had been leading troops in battle since he was eighteen, using his life to protect the territory of Eastern Wu."

As Mu Qi spoke, she observed the people's reactions. Mu Mingyao was a victorious general with a very high status in the hearts of the common people; she seized upon this point to win their respect and sympathy.

Unsurprisingly, the people were moved. "Fifteen years ago, just as I was born, the Northern Barbarians invaded our Eastern Wu territory. My father and mother took me, a newborn, and traveled far to the battlefield. That war was fierce; both my father and mother died on the battlefield. The war was won, but my family was left with only me, less than six months old, wailing for milk night after night. Thanks to the Emperor's great grace, my father was posthumously titled the Marquis of Anding, and he was granted this Marquis Manor..." As Mu Qi spoke, her voice broke with sobs. As a mercenary, she knew all too well the cruelty of the battlefield; all merit was bought with one's life.

Mu Qi's voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear. Inside the manor, Leng Shaocai heard her voice and cried out inwardly that things were going wrong. Terrified, he scrambled and crawled toward the Plum Courtyard.

"Madam, Madam, something terrible has happened! The... the Seventh Young Lady is outside the gate saying the Master is a scoundrel, a..." Although Leng Shaocai was bold, he did not dare to utter such sacrilegious words.

Seeing Leng Shaocai in such a state, Leng Rumei felt her brow twitch; she had a very bad premonition. "Scoundrel what? Just say it quickly, don't act so startled!"

Leng Shaocai gritted his teeth and forced himself to say, "The Seventh Young Lady is outside saying the Master has lost all conscience, seizing property and taking lives!"

"What? Quick, quick, go fetch the Old Madam!" Leng Rumei felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Her body staggered; she had just stood up when she fell back again, only to tremble as she stood once more and rushed toward the gate.

Before she even reached the gate, she heard Mu Qi's voice drifting from outside: "My eldest uncle not only seized the manor, but also slandered me for committing adultery! And that's not all—he drugged me to knock me unconscious, put me in a pig cage, and threw me into the Nu River..."

Hearing this, Leng Rumei felt her blood rush to her head. A metallic taste rose in her throat. She strode forward, flung the door open, rushed out, and delivered a palm strike to Mu Qi: "You disgraceful wretch, shut your mouth!"

Leng Rumei had used almost all her strength in this strike. With a loud *slap*, a red handprint appeared on Mu Qi's pale face, quickly swelling up. Mu Qi possessed the alertness unique to a soldier; she had sensed Leng Rumei's approach long before she arrived, and avoiding the strike would have been effortless. But she did not. To make the performance more effective, she took the blow head-on.

Mu Qi caressed her cheek and turned to look at Leng Rumei. Her face bore a trace of mockery and her eyes flashed with coldness, yet her voice remained stubbornly defiant: "Eldest Aunt, is hitting me at home not enough for you? To hit me in front of so many people like this... your niece is truly heartbroken."

Looking at Mu Qi's expression, hearing her words, and then looking at her own hand, Leng Rumei instantly regretted it so much her heart turned bitter. She had been driven mad by anger to rush out and slap Mu Qi without thinking. Only now, having reacted, did she realize she had fallen into this girl's trap. Mu Qi's words had already incited the indignation of the crowd; this slap of hers had undoubtedly confirmed that what Mu Qi said was true.

"You... you... you are framing me!" Leng Rumei trembled with rage, pointing at Mu Qi, her words incoherent.

Mu Qi met her gaze. "Aunt says I am framing you? I just fought through countless perils to save my life from the water; how could I frame you? You came up and slapped me without even knowing the facts, with so many people watching below—how could I possibly frame you?"

Mu Qi's gaze was piercing and filled with killing intent, causing Leng Rumei to retreat step by step, while Mu Qi pressed forward. Finally, Leng Rumei backed into a pillar with no way to retreat. Seeing Mu Qi approaching, she cried out in fear, "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I won't be polite to you!"

Mu Qi stood before Leng Rumei and sneered, "How exactly does Aunt plan to be impolite to me? Are you planning to slap my left cheek as well?"

As soon as the words fell, Mu Qi's hand shot out, squeezing Leng Rumei's wrist with force. "Never fighting back" had never been her style.

"Ah! Ah!" A scream like a slaughtered pig erupted from Leng Rumei's mouth.

"Presumptuous! Seventh Girl, how can you be so vicious, even striking your own aunt?" The speaker was the Old Madam, who had just arrived. The way she looked at Mu Qi was not at all like a grandmother looking at a granddaughter, but like an enemy looking at a foe.

Supported by Mu Xiaoqing, the Old Madam walked over unsteadily. Upon hearing Mu Qi denouncing her son at the gate, the Old Madam had been so angry she had nearly fainted.

Mu Qi looked at the silver-haired Old Madam with hatred in her eyes. This old hag was no better; she had allowed her eldest son's family to bully the only bloodline of her second son. How could she remain so indifferent?