The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 170 - 169

Chapter 169

After the morning court session concluded, the officials dispersed to their respective residences. As Mu Gongzhen exited the palace gates, he noticed someone waiting for him, pacing with a tense expression. When the person spotted Mu Gongzhen, he rushed over angrily.

"You ungrateful son! Didn’t you say you’d keep this a secret? Why did you announce it in front of everyone and humiliate me so thoroughly!?"

Mu Cui Ming berated as he pointed at his son, unable to contain his rage. During the court session, he had been deeply embarrassed by his son’s public condemnation, feeling his honor and reputation shattered beyond repair.

"Did I ever say that? It seems you misunderstood, Master Mu. Since the day you handed us the separation documents, we have no ties whatsoever. Thus, whatever I do is solely my concern,"

Mu Gongzhen replied coolly, his demeanor unshaken by his father’s outburst. His composed attitude and his words only fueled Mu Cui Ming’s anger further, like pouring oil on a raging fire.

"Fine! Very well! Even if we’ve separated, my blood still runs in your veins! The debt of gratitude for giving birth to an ungrateful son like you will never be repaid! What if we’ve separated? I won’t let you prosper!"

Mu Cui Ming sneered maliciously. Though they had formally separated, the bond of father and son wasn’t so easily severed. He believed that by exposing his son’s unfilial actions, outsiders would surely scorn him, ensuring he never thrived.

"Oh...really?"

Mu Gongzhen stepped closer to the person who was his father, reducing the gap between them to mere inches. "Whether I prosper or not is for me to decide. But as for you? I see only a bleak future..."

"You..."

"Instead of wasting time berating me here, you’d be better off hurrying back to your manor. Otherwise, there might not be a Mu family left in the capital by tomorrow,"

Mu Gongzhen revealed a mocking smile, his eyes cold enough to send a chill down Mu Cui Ming’s spine.

"W...what do you mean?" Mu Cui Ming’s eyes widened with panic. "What have you done!?"

"You’re overthinking, Master Mu. I don’t need to do anything. You’ve already paved your own path to a miserable end with your own hands...No, not just your hands, but also those of the Furen beside you,"

Mu Gongzhen replied, chuckling softly before stepping past his father and boarding the waiting carriage, leaving Mu Cui Ming standing in stunned silence. It took a moment for Mu Cui Ming to regain his senses. His face turned pale as he quickly ran to his own carriage, urgently ordering the coachman to return to the manor at once.

Mu Manor

When Mu Cui Ming returned to the manor, he headed straight to the main quarters to see his wife with a dark face. On the way back, he had been trying to piece together what his son had said, wondering what had actually happened. Despite his efforts to recall any wrongdoing, he couldn’t think of anything he might have done wrong.

If the problem didn’t lie with him, it must have been someone in the manor!

Mu Gongzhen’s words had mentioned Bai Lijun, suggesting that both he and Bai Lijun were leading themselves to their downfall. This indicated that whatever had happened was connected to Bai Lijun!

What had she done?

Why did his ungrateful son speak as if it was something serious?

Mu Cui Ming clenched his jaw, his face tense. He soon arrived at his beautiful wife’s quarters and found Bai Lijun calmly embroidering. When she looked up and saw him, she greeted him with a gentle smile.

“You’re back, husband? I’ll have someone prepare tea and snacks for you.”

Bai Lijun set down her embroidery and instructed her close maid. She then walked over to help her husband remove his outer cloak and massaged his shoulders to relieve his tension, as was her usual routine.

After the tea and snacks were served, Mu Cui Ming took a sip of tea to quench his thirst before voicing his suspicion.

“Have you done anything recently that might cause trouble?”

Bai Lijun paused briefly before replying calmly, “Cause trouble? What are you referring to? I’m no longer young and certainly not careless enough to cause any trouble.”

“Are you sure there’s nothing you’re hiding from me?”

Mu Cui Ming narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her for any signs of deceit. However, Bai Lijun maintained her calm demeanor, showing no signs of guilt.

"I’m sure. How could I dare hide anything from you?”

“Good, then. Just today’s events alone have given me enough of a headache,” Mu Cui Ming sighed in relief, thinking that Mu Gongzhen’s threats were empty.

“What happened today?” Bai Lijun asked curiously, pouring more tea for her husband.

“That ungrateful son, Mu Gongzhen! Today he announced the family separation in front of His Majesty and all the officials in the court. He even condemned me for failing in my duties as a father, forcing him to separate from the family. Nonsense!”

Mu Cui Ming spoke through gritted teeth, his face contorted with anger. He didn’t notice Bai Lijun’s face, standing besides, change color multiple times upon hearing this.

“M...Mu Gongzhen wants to separate from our family?”

“Yes. The family separation was something Mu Gongzhen and I agreed on long ago, even before you returned to the manor. Back then, I needed the ungrateful brat’s help to get through a crisis. The condition was that I had to give him the separation documents. We agreed to keep the separation secret, but who would have thought he’d break his word and announce it in the royal court!”

Mu Cui Ming’s infuriation grew with each word. Today, he had faced endless humiliation as the court officials looked at him with disdain. Mu Gongzhen’s public denunciation had made him a laughingstock.

It was infuriating!

Bai Lijun was deeply alarmed by what she heard. She had no idea that Mu Gongzhen and his sisters had already separated from the Mu family long ago. That explained why they had distanced themselves and moved out of the manor.

So, they had planned this all along!

If Mu Gongzhen had indeed separated the family, it meant he no longer had any ties to the Mu family. Now, the Mu family was solely under Mu Cui Ming’s leadership. Initially, the Empress Dowager and Shin Wang had married Mu Luofei because of Mu Gongzhen’s influence. If they found out about the separation, it would be disastrous for Bai Lijun and her daughter!

If Mu Luofei’s actions came to light, they would have no one to protect them. They were destined to meet a tragic end!

Bai Lijun’s face turned ashen, her eyes wide with a clear sign of panic and fear. Mu Cui Ming started to notice her unusual behavior. Upon seeing his wife’s reaction, a bad feeling began to form in his mind.

“Why is your face so pale? What’s going on?”

Bai Lijun met eyes with her husband, but hesitated, unable to speak, confirming his suspicion that she was hiding something from him.

“What are you hiding? Tell me now!”

Mu Cui Ming demanded; his voice harsh. His instincts screamed that whatever she was about to reveal was serious. Bai Lijun, realizing the severity of the situation, decided to come clean.

“The truth is, the incident with Shin Wang was caused by...”

After hearing her full confession, Mu Cui Ming’s face instantly twisted unsightly, looking horrifying like a vicious beast, his eyes burning with a murderous glint, as if wanting to kill someone. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Smack!

“You wretched woman! How could you do something so disgraceful? You’ve raised a daughter who causes such disgrace! You might not fear for your life, but I do!”

Mu Cui Ming slapped Bai Lijun hard across the face while berating her with harsh words like never before. The force of the blow sent her sprawling to the floor, her face numb, the sharp pain bringing tears to her eyes as the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

Bai Lijun, fighting through the pain, crawled on her knees to clutch her husband’s legs. “Husband...I was wrong! Fei’er herself regrets it too! If not for Shin Wang’s favoritism towards that wretched Mu Tingge, bringing shame to Fei’er, she wouldn’t have acted rashly. And Mu Tingge, if she hadn’t schemed to steal her sister’s husband, Fei’er wouldn’t have been driven to such desperation.”

“Despicable! No matter what Shin Wang did, you and your daughter have no right to bear a grudge against him! Even if he had a hundred concubines or beat your daughter, Mu Luofei cannot oppose him! That’s the duty of a wife, to submit to her husband! And Shin Wang is royalty. Marrying your daughter was already a blessing. How dare she harbor such resentment over a minor issue? Disgraceful!”

Mu Cui Ming kicked Bai Lijun, who clung to his leg, away, sending her crashing to the floor again.

Endure?

Must they endure and submit to such things?

They had no rights to resent him just because he’s royalty?

Bai Lijun gritted her teeth in defiance. She knew her husband was selfish and power-hungry, but she never realized he could be so heartless as to lack any sympathy for his own daughter. If Mu Luofei were to be killed by Shin Wang one day, he likely wouldn’t even care to ask why...

He truly was a bastard beyond redemption!

“How can you say that? Fei’er is your daughter. She was wronged first. This isn’t her fault—it’s Shin Wang and that harlot Mu Tingge who wronged her first!”

Bai Lijun shouted back harshly, her demeanor no longer gentle. Her eyes blazed with hatred and resentment as she glared at her husband, infuriating Mu Cui Ming even more.

Crash!

Bang!

Clang!

“You dare talk back to me!? You wretched woman! How dare you raise your voice at me!? You’re worthless!”

Mu Cui Ming raged, hurling teacups, food trays, and vases at Bai Lijun. The objects struck her, causing pain to ripple through her body.

“This mess is your doing, so you will fix it yourself. You and your daughter must go and confess your sins and apologize to Shin Wang and the Empress Dowager!”

After some time, Mu Cui Ming demanded, his voice harsh as he started to calm down. He knew the gravity of the situation—if the Empress Dowager and Shin Wang discovered the truth and exposed it one day, even he, who was ignorance, might be dragged into their punishment. As a father and husband, he might not escape their wrath, and surviving would be hard to achieve.

Therefore, the best solution was for Bai Lijun and Mu Luofei to confess and accept their punishment by themselves. Only then would he be free from guilt and avoid any consequences!

Bai Lijun, her body aching all over, struggled to stand. She looked at her husband in disbelief, shocked that he would suggest such a thing.

He was so afraid of losing face and his life that he would push her and their daughter to face death instead!

Was he even human?

“No! I won’t let Fei’er confess to anything! All the evidence is destroyed. If Fei’er confesses, it’s as good as admitting guilt. I won’t allow it!” Bai Lijun argued, refusing to give in.

“You have no choice! I won’t risk being dragged into this mess! If you and your daughter want to die, do it yourselves! Don’t involve me!”

Mu Cui Ming shouted back angrily, flicking his sleeves and turning to leave. However, he had taken only a few steps when a maid rushed in, panic evident on her face.

“Master, several imperial guards have entered the manor. They said they have orders from the Empress Dowager to arrest the culprits who attempted to kill Shin Wang!”

Both Mu Cui Ming and Bai Lijun froze, their faces turning pale. Bai Lijun, feeling her strength leave her, collapsed to the floor. Her lips trembled as she whispered,

“It’s over...everything is over.”

Mu Cui Ming clenched his fists, asking in a stern voice, “Did the guards say who the culprits are?”

“They didn’t say. But they are heading straight to the Furen’s quarters. They should arrive any moment now.”

No sooner had the maid finished speaking than the figures of more than five imperial guards appeared, approaching with grim determination. Seeing this, Mu Cui Ming realized that the situation was beyond saving.

"Master Mu, I am here under the Empress Dowager’s orders to arrest Bai Lijun on charges of attempting to assassinate Shin Wang. We will take her to the imperial prison for further investigation. I hope you will cooperate and hand her over without any resistance,"

One of the guards declared sternly. It was clear that if Mu Cui Ming refused, a confrontation was inevitable.

"She is inside..."

Mu Cui Ming didn’t hesitate for a moment, stepping aside to allow the guards to pass. They found Bai Lijun sitting on the floor, showing no signs of resistance. The arrest went smoothly, much to the guards’ surprise.

Bai Lijun knew that at this point, it was too late to rectify the situation. She allowed the guards to arrest her without struggle, letting them lead her out of the quarters. As she passed by Mu Cui Ming, she gave him a look of pure hatred, as if she wanted to tear him apart.

Mu Cui Ming...don’t think you’ll get away with this so easily!

Today, you discarded our relationship as husband and wife and as father and daughter, personally kicking us mother and daughter to the abyss. I will drag you down to hell with me!

With Bai Lijun taken away, Mu Cui Ming felt a huge sense of relief. The Empress Dowager’s order to arrest only Bai Lijun, at least it meant he wouldn’t be implicated.

Although Bai Lijun’s hateful glare gave him chills, he believed that a lone woman in the imperial prison couldn’t cause him any harm...

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