"Your Majesty, it's this bitch who was unchaste. She was standing in the imperial garden, giggling lasciviously. I was just temporarily muddled and seduced by this bitch, so I followed her back," Mu Rendong said with absolute conviction. He thought that by saying so, the emperor would not only punish this bitch but also reward him.
If it weren't for him, the emperor would never have known that this woman was so promiscuous.
However, Mu Rendong never expected that the emperor did punish and reward, but the recipients of the punishment and reward were the opposite of what he had thought.
"Guards! Mu Rendong has despised the imperial authority, offended the imperial concubine, and shown disrespect to the noble concubine. Take him to the prison and execute him immediately after autumn!" Yuan Yuchuan looked at Mu Rendong. He never thought that such a stupid idea had come from this bastard. How dare he try to compete with the Son of Heaven? He deserved to have his head chopped off ten times.
"No, Your Majesty, you've made a mistake! You should kill this bitch, not me, Your Majesty..." Mu Rendong finally panicked when he heard that the emperor was going to execute him. He turned his gaze to Mu Xingrou. Now only she could save him.
"Sister, sister, please save me! Hurry up and plead with the emperor," Mu Rendong said frantically, looking at Mu Xingrou. "Kneel down and kowtow to the emperor to beg for mercy!"
Seeing Mu Xingrou standing still, Mu Rendong panicked completely. He never thought that Mu Xingrou would not save him at this critical moment.
"Mu Xingrou! I'm the only man in the Mu family. If I die, mother will never forgive you! Then you'll be the one who offends the entire Mu family and makes the Mu family have no descendants!" Mu Rendong roared hysterically. His eyes were bloodshot. Maybe he was really desperate, and the veins on his neck were bulging. His whole face was hideous.
"Mother, I'm scared," the imperial concubine murmured, snuggling into Lady Xu's arms. It was really an eyesore.
"Don't be afraid, my dear daughter. Mother is here," Lady Xu patted the imperial concubine on the back, her eyes filled with distress.
Hearing the voice of the imperial concubine, Mu Rendong suddenly rushed over like a madman. "Bitch, I'll kill you!"
"Ahh!!" The female relatives around were so frightened by Mu Rendong's appearance that they stepped back quickly, afraid that they would be the next ones to be killed if they were a bit slower.
Just as Mu Rendong was about to rush in front of the imperial concubine, a foot suddenly kicked him back.
"How dare you! Are all the guards outside dead? Didn't you hear what the emperor said? Hurry up and drag this madman out for this marquis!" Jing Xunchao didn't use his internal strength for that kick, but even so, Mu Rendong was kicked far away.
If it weren't for Qier asking him to come and help, he wouldn't have bothered with the emperor's mess.
Mu Rendong was kicked to the ground. When he looked up, he saw the guards coming in from outside. He couldn't die! Suddenly, Mu Rendong remembered Mu Fengqie. He crawled towards her with his hands and feet.
"Mu Fengqie, please save me. I'm your elder brother. You can't just watch me die," Mu Rendong said. Maybe he was really on the verge of death, and his mind was much clearer than usual.
Jing Xunchao frowned when he saw Mu Rendong crawling towards them. "What are you guys doing? Why are you so slow? Do you want this marquis to do it himself?" Jing Xunchao looked at Mu Rendong with disgust and stepped back with Mu Fengqie.
"Mu Fengqie, please save me!" Mu Rendong looked at Mu Fengqie unwillingly. "Don't you have a heart? I was so good to you back then. How can you just watch me die now!"
Mu Fengqie gave Mu Rendong a sarcastic look and then shifted her gaze. It was really ridiculous. Where did this Mu Rendong get the nerve to say that he had been good to her in front of her?
"Mu Rendong, you've offended the emperor, the Son of Heaven. No one can save you. Just enjoy your remaining days," Mu Fengqie said expressionlessly, looking at Mu Rendong.
After hearing Mu Fengqie's words, Mu Rendong became completely quiet. He was motionless as the guards dragged him out. When he was almost at the door of the palace hall, Mu Rendong suddenly burst into crazy laughter.
Since he was going to die, he would take someone with him. Mu Rendong looked at Mu Xingrou kneeling on the high platform with a fierce look in his eyes and shouted.
"Mu Xingrou! You slut! If I deserve to die, your crime of deceiving the emperor deserves death even more! Hahaha..." Even after Mu Rendong was taken out of the palace hall, the people inside could still hear his voice clearly.
Mu Xingrou felt as if she had been fished out of the water after hearing Mu Rendong's words. Her back was covered in sweat, and she didn't even dare to raise her head. She was afraid that the emperor would notice something.
"Concubine Mu, what does Mu Rendong mean by that?" the noble concubine asked curiously, looking at Mu Xingrou with a smile in her eyes.
"Your Highness, it doesn't mean anything. Mu Rendong bears a grudge against me and said that on purpose," Mu Xingrou tried her best to calm herself down. She couldn't panic now, or she would be confessing her crime without being questioned.
"Really? Mu Rendong is your younger brother," the noble concubine said in a tone as if she were talking about the weather.
"Mu Rendong is a very selfish and vengeful person. He must be angry with me because I didn't plead for him just now. Besides, Your Highness, no one knows better than the emperor what kind of person I am," Mu Xingrou said. She had to fight back now, or she would always be at a disadvantage. One wrong move, and she would be accused of deceiving the emperor.
"Enough! Stop arguing," Yuan Yuchuan said, rubbing his temples in pain. He never thought that such a small palace banquet would cause so much trouble.
"I'm tired. You can continue," Yuan Yuchuan said and then got up and left the palace hall.
"See Your Majesty off."
Mu Xingrou let out a sigh of relief when she saw Yuan Yuchuan leaving. She had escaped this disaster. The emperor didn't suspect her.
"Concubine Mu, you should be more careful in the future," the noble concubine said. You still owe this palace 400 taels of silver notes. You can't have an accident until you've paid back the money, or Princess Tianlin will lose 400 taels.
Mu Xingrou gritted her teeth and lowered her head. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
The noble concubine didn't pay any more attention to Mu Xingrou. She went straight to the imperial concubine. The wound on that girl's face was quite serious.
"Lord Xu."
"I pay my respects to Your Highness," Lord Xu frowned. He didn't understand why the noble concubine had come. He could only deal with it first.
"Lord Xu, don't be nervous. This palace is just here to see the imperial concubine," the noble concubine said, looking at Lord Xu's vigilant expression. She felt a bit helpless. She had just helped his daughter. Why was he still so distrustful of her?
The imperial concubine explained it to Lord Xu. Then Lord Xu and Lady Xu looked at the noble concubine gratefully.