Chapter 5: You're Still Too Green

“Rebellious child, hurry up and come kowtow to apologize to your elders and neighbors!” Mu Dalian scolded harshly, his eyes filled with nothing but disgust, as if even looking at her was an utterly revolting matter.

Yu Mei’s cold eyes narrowed. “What wrong have I done!” Her voice was so firm, her confidence and composure so absolute; even facing the suppression of so many people, Yu Mei did not even frown.

“You!” Mu Dalian was momentarily speechless, unable to find a reason to refute her words. Indeed, today the Emperor had issued an edict to answer the people's call to capture the rebellious child Mu Yanqing for execution by fire to appease the world. He was merely following orders and had no other intentions, and she truly had done nothing wrong.

Being questioned by Yu Mei in such a manner, Mu Dalian finally realized that he had spoken wrongly the moment he opened his mouth, which was why he could not find words to argue against her.

“The Eldest Miss of the Prime Minister's Estate, receive the edict!” A high-pitched, piercing voice came from a man dressed in eunuch palace attire standing behind Mu Dalian. Perhaps seeing Mu Dalian choked up, he stepped forward holding the imperial edict and announced it loudly.

As soon as the edict was issued, everyone bowed their heads, yet Yu Mei had no intention of kneeling. Her slender figure looked so desolate standing before the only small tree in this courtyard.

“Mu Yanqing, how dare you be so insolent! Why do you not kneel?” The eunuch stared straight at her, looking as if he wanted to skin her alive.

*Swish—* Yu Mei felt that her rate of attention today was incredibly high!

“I am the legitimate Eldest Miss of the Left Prime Minister's Estate. I only kneel to the current Emperor. You, a eunuch, by what right do you demand this lady kneel to you?” Hmph, she, Yu Mei, was not someone to be bullied. Coming from the twenty-first century, she was not bound by any constraints. Here, although it was not a democracy, it was absolutely impossible for her to kneel.

“You!” The eunuch’s face turned green with rage. Seeing he could do nothing about her, he shifted his gaze to Mu Dalian, who was kneeling beside him, and squeezed out a vicious sentence: “Prime Minister Mu, this is the fine daughter you have raised!”

Mu Dalian hurriedly kowtowed, his tone humble. “Please do not take offense, Excellency. This old man severed ties with this woman years ago. I also do not know how she became so extreme...” After a pause, he raised his head and roared at Yu Mei, “Rebellious child, why haven't you apologized yet? Do not implicate the entire family of the Prime Minister's Estate...”

“Heh...” Yu Mei let out a cold laugh. After hearing Mu Dalian's words, her small face slowly lowered, her long hair obscuring her features. Just as the crowd wondered what she intended to do, her small face suddenly snapped up. Her glass-like eyes shimmered with light, looking incredibly pitiable.

“Father, at this very moment, how can you treat me like this? When I was little, you always told Qing'er that the eunuchs in the palace are the lowest of the low. You told Qing'er that even if I died, I must never kneel to a eunuch, because eunuchs are lowly and humble... Today, Qing'er is merely doing as you said. If you are afraid that the Excellency beside you will blame me, then Qing'er will simply bear it herself. Why must you speak of severing ties with Qing'er...”

Her voice was thick with emotion, her beautiful eyes swirling with grievance and sorrow, occasionally accompanied by soft sobs. Her pitiful appearance truly made one's heart ache. At this moment, the crowd almost forgot the purpose of their visit, preoccupied with whispering curses about Mu Dalian's heartlessness.

If television dramas were anything to go by, the one coming to announce the edict must be a favorite of the Emperor. Mu Dalian, oh Mu Dalian, you are in for it this time. Hmph, the more you try to escape responsibility, the more I will ensure you fail. To fight me, you're still too green...

Yu Mei looked at the eunuch's even greener face and Mu Dalian's dark expression, feeling amused in her heart, yet her face maintained that expression of being abandoned by her father...

In the twenty-first century, high-level figures all knew that Yu Mei was someone who could change her face in an instant. One second, she could kill you ruthlessly; the next, she could weep for you with deep emotion. She could be cold-blooded and bloodthirsty like a demon, or she could be as innocent and naive as a girl who knew nothing of the world. Furthermore, no matter which version of her it was, one could not see a single trace of pretense, so no one could ever grasp what kind of personality Yu Mei truly possessed...

“Rebellious child, you... what nonsense are you talking about? This old man...”

“Prime Minister Mu,” before Mu Dalian could finish, the eunuch shouted him down, the fury in his eyes enough to set Mu Dalian ablaze. “We will settle our matters another day. Enough, enough, I must announce the edict.”

Mu Dalian still wanted to explain, but seeing that the man had already produced the edict to speak, it was inappropriate to interrupt. He could only stare at Yu Mei with a venomous gaze.

“Mu Yanqing, listen to the edict—” Likely fearing she would say something else that would cause him to lose face, the eunuch turned a blind eye to her refusal to kneel. He directly unfurled the bright yellow scroll and read in a shrill voice—