By the end of his words, vaguely, it sounded as if he was mocking how ridiculous his past deeds had been.
When Qing Bai heard the words "master - servant bond", he couldn't bear to listen and turned his head away.
"Everything is predestined by heaven. It's too late to say all this now. Your Highness, if you still remember our master - servant bond, could you please grant me one last request?"
Shi Muyuan was almost amused by this. Although she was indeed disappointed in this step - son, it didn't mean that just anyone could take advantage of him.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and didn't hesitate to interrupt.
"Aren't you two ashamed? By now, your affair has been exposed to the public more than once, and you've been caught red - handed. The elder sister killed the younger sister and then committed unforgivable crimes. Now you have the nerve to ask someone to raise your son for you. Do you really think the royal family is easy to bully?"
Qing Bai's cheeks flushed slightly, perhaps feeling ashamed at Shi Muyuan's straightforward words.
However, for the sake of his only bloodline, he had no other choice now.
"I was the mastermind of all this. If it weren't for me, Hui'er wouldn't have done these things. As long as Your Highness can promise to provide a place for Hui'er and Jun Lin to live in peace in the future, I'd rather die a thousand times."
The young girl gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes.
"Pfft! Such a poisonous woman doesn't deserve to be Jun Lin's mother anymore! Huang'er! Don't be foolish. If you're played around by these two, I won't recognize you as my step - son anymore!"
Ji Huang could tell that she was really angry and had lost her temper.
Actually, even if Shi Muyuan hadn't said so, he didn't intend to agree to any of Qing Bai's requests.
"Mother, please rest well. I won't be blinded by villains anymore. I definitely won't agree to such a request."
"Not bad. You're not completely stupid."
Having received his definite answer, Shi Muyuan felt relieved. She sat down on one side, crossed her legs, and watched to see how this farce would unfold.
The head of the He family's face turned pale and then red. He didn't expect that his words would become the reason for He Hui's downfall. He was also a bit disappointed in his daughter.
However, he couldn't just watch his painstakingly - laid plan go to waste.
"Your Highness, calm down. Even if my daughter was ignorant and made a big mistake, she was also used by someone with ulterior motives. Maybe this Qing Bai wanted to betray you long ago, so he used my daughter as a breakthrough."
Without hesitation, he shifted all the blame onto Qing Bai. He could see clearly that this guard was extremely loyal to his daughter. He would rather die himself than let his daughter get into trouble. So he could still play some tricks.
Qing Bai didn't let him down.
"Your Highness, don't blame Hui'er. I lured her into doing all this. I'm willing to commit suicide to atone for my sins. She can be regarded as a victim in this incident."
"Pfft! What kind of victim is she? Your shamelessness has really refreshed my three - outlooks. The father forces others to take the blame to protect his daughter and the family's interests, while the daughter plays the innocent one on the side. Is Lady He a chef? She's so good at shifting the blame. I should have nipped you in the bud instead of luring the snake out of its hole."
Shi Muyuan really couldn't hold back anymore. Having lived two lifetimes, she had never seen such shameless people, which made her even swear in modern - day terms.
Even though the people present didn't quite understand, they knew that Shi Muyuan wasn't saying anything good.
After scolding, she finally felt a bit better.
The father - daughter of the He family didn't look good either. If it weren't for their upbringing, they might have started shouting at Shi Muyuan by now.
The head of the He family's face was as black as ink.
"Didn't the Empress Dowager say that she would let Your Highness handle this matter? Why are you still interfering?"
"What? Since when do I need to argue with people like you about the right and wrong of my words?"
"Of course I don't mean that. It's just that the Empress Dowager shouldn't forget that the He family has helped Your Highness to where you are today. We're also meritorious officials in front of Your Highness. Moreover, the interests of the He family are closely related to Your Highness. The Empress Dowager is now in Your Highness's hands."
His implication was too obvious for anyone present to miss.
Shi Muyuan still smiled. She wasn't angry because of the head of the He family's words. Instead, she was a bit happy.
"So in the eyes of the head of the He family, the fact that I'm in Your Highness's hands means I'm in your hands?"
The head of the He family didn't notice the trap in her words at all. She was the mother that His Highness had always cared about. If anyone dared to do anything to her, they would be touching His Highness's sore spot.
"What's the difference?"
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Ji Huang's face darkened even more.
"The difference is huge. Do you really think I'm just a brute?"
The head of the He family was stunned for a moment. He received a hint from his eldest daughter, but it was already too late.
He forced out a couple of awkward smiles, trying to cover up his words.
"Your Highness misunderstood. I just hope that the Empress Dowager can always think for you. That's what you've always thought before. I'm just helping you achieve your wishes."
"Humph! Stop using my name to do such things. I still remember what Jing Hong said before. Your He family has always wanted to seize the throne. Do you really think I'll give you such a chance? But the head of the He family has to wait a bit. I'll settle the score with your adulterous eldest daughter first, and then it'll be your turn soon."
"Qing Bai! I won't let any of you escape from here."
With a glance from him, hundreds of shadow guards descended from the sky, and many other guards rushed in from outside.
Actually, he had arranged many people in the mansion long ago, but they just didn't know about it.
At first, he arranged these people just to maintain the safety of the people in the mansion. He never thought that one day they would be used in such a situation.
However, he didn't want to live muddle - headedly anymore.
Actually, from the very beginning, he didn't want the throne. He just hoped that his mother would notice him and that he could prove his own abilities.
He never thought that everything would become an opportunity for others.
Today, he was cleansing his own house, which was also an explanation to himself.
He Hui and Qing Bai opened their mouths in surprise. They didn't know when so many people had appeared in the mansion.
Shi Muyuan was also quite surprised. It seemed that her step - son wasn't so stupid as to be used as a gun by others. That was good. Otherwise, she would really be mad.
Thinking of the next plan, the young girl felt more confident.