“Your Majesty, this daughter would rather spend her days beside the oil lamp before the Buddha than marry a man who treats me with such contempt! I beg Your Majesty to grant this daughter’s wish!”
Mu Yao’s words rang out with force as she knocked her head heavily against the floor.
Such determination only deepened the emperor’s headache. He had meant to offer a way out, but it seemed this Mu family girl was just as stubborn, refusing to yield an inch.
At the end of the day, it was the Lu family’s lack of propriety that had stirred up such a mess!
With that thought, the emperor’s gaze toward Lu Zhi grew increasingly weary.
What a muddle-headed fool!
“At the root of it, I was foolish to bestow this marriage upon you, causing you such grievance.”
The emperor’s voice rang out with a hint of reflection, as if discussing some trivial household matter.
But Mu Yao felt a chill run down her spine, well aware of the deeper meaning hidden within.
The emperor’s authority brooked no defiance!
She had used the Mu family’s old ties to force the emperor into delivering justice today, and he was already displeased with her. If she did not make her stance clear, then no matter whom she married in the future, the rest of the Mu family would not fare well.
Seeing the few of them standing with heads bowed in silence, the emperor gave a cold snort inwardly, his tone turning even frostier than before. “Since you plead so earnestly, I suppose I have no choice but to grant your wish. But if everyone comes begging me to revoke my betrothals in the future, where would my dignity stand?”
“How about this—I shall give you one month. If no noble son accompanies you at the Mid-Autumn family banquet… I recall the imperial mausoleum is still short a Shouling Gugu.”
A shadow flickered across Mu Yao’s lowered eyes. Noble sons?
Was the emperor saying she must choose from among the noble families’ sons?
As for the Shouling Gugu… everyone knew that once one entered the imperial mausoleum, one could never leave in this lifetime.
And besides, how could the imperial mausoleum possibly be short a Shouling Gugu? This was clearly the emperor’s punishment for her.
If she could not find a marriage candidate within a month, the emperor would certainly not allow someone who had damaged his authority to continue living freely.
Mu Yao closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, her gaze was resolute. “This daughter thanks Your Majesty for your grace and will not disappoint you!”
Seeing her accept, the emperor’s expression softened somewhat. He then turned his gaze to Pingyang Hou.
What a fine son this old fool had raised!
“Pingyang Hou, what say you?”
Even though he knew that annulling the marriage would inevitably make Pingyang Houfu a laughingstock, under the emperor’s authority, Pingyang Hou dared not voice a single word of objection. He quickly said, “Everything is at Your Majesty’s discretion.”
“Mm.” The emperor nodded in satisfaction. “Then return to your respective residences.”
Only after Eunuch Li’s shrill voice fell did the others dare to breathe freely.
Mu Yao rose with Ningzhu’s support, ignoring the venomous glare Lu Zhi cast her way. She slowly turned her gaze toward Pingyang Hou, her tone cold and distant. “I would ask Pingyang Hou to return my family’s betrothal documents and jade ornaments tomorrow.”
Pingyang Hou’s aged face was filled with fury, his gaze coiling around Mu Yao like a poisonous serpent. “Miss Mu truly has remarkable courage, no less than your Mu family’s legacy!”
Anyone hearing those words would understand the mockery laced within.
Mu Yao curved her lips into a smile and shot back with equal sarcasm. “Pingyang Hou’s praise is more than my Mu family can bear. Though the Mu family now has few members left, we still know how to conduct ourselves properly. We would never allow the daughter of a servant to presume above a young lady of a noble house.”
“Pingyang Houfu’s family conduct truly makes this young woman feel ashamed by comparison.”
“You—!” Pingyang Hou’s hands trembled with rage.
Mu Yao offered the man before her a graceful smile, then walked out with her back straight, Cui Zhu at her side.
Seeing this, Lu Zhi followed with a cold, furious expression, determined to demand an explanation!
Pingyang Hou took a deep, angry breath and shot a glare at Liu Xiyin, who was still kneeling on the ground trembling.
At the thought that today’s entire affair had been caused by this Liu Xiyin, Pingyang Hou’s face darkened as he barked, “Take this wretch back at once! What are you doing here making a spectacle of yourself?!”
Liu Xiyin tried to struggle and call out for Lu Zhi, but someone covered her mouth and dragged her roughly onto the Houfu carriage.
As Mu Yao waited for the Mu family carriage, Ningzhu suddenly stepped back two paces and stood guard behind her mistress, saying warily, “Men and women should not touch without propriety. I must ask Young Master Lu to mind his boundaries!”
Ningzhu’s voice was crisp and clear, slapping the words “Young Master Lu” squarely onto Lu Zhi’s face.
Lu Zhi was so furious he could have ground his teeth to dust. His eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at the woman who had turned around.
“Mu Yao, if you were unhappy with my arrangements, you could have simply told me directly! Why did you have to make a scene before the emperor?!”
“Now that the emperor has given us a way out, I’ll give you the Batai Zhi Li you wanted. There’s no need for you to keep making a fuss—why must you insist on annulling the marriage?! What do you take my Houfu for?!”
Watching the man roar with bulging eyes, Mu Yao’s face remained utterly unruffled, cold as winter ice.
Just as she was about to speak, a cold laugh sounded from beside her.
She followed the sound and saw that the newcomer was none other than Yan Xun, the one who had helped her in the great hall.
“Chu Wang, I wish you good health.”
Mu Yao lowered her eyes in greeting, inwardly surprised. Was Chu Wang so free of matters today?
Seeing it was Chu Wang, Lu Zhi’s arrogance instantly receded, and a flicker of fear appeared in his eyes. He clasped his hands in salute. “How is it that Chu Wang…”
Yan Xun did not spare Lu Zhi so much as a glance, walking straight toward Mu Yao. “Miss Mu left in such a hurry—it seems you dropped something.”
Mu Yao looked over in confusion. When she saw the red bridal veil pinched between his fingers, she quickly took it back and handed it to Ningzhu.
“Thank you, Chu Wang.”
Yan Xun lowered his gaze to sweep over the red veil, a flicker passing through his eyes. He then turned to look at Lu Zhi. “Rather than interrogating others here, Young Master Lu would do better to hurry back to the Hou residence. That beauty you brought along—I believe I saw her being dragged off by an enraged Pingyang Hou.”
Xi Yin!
Lu Zhi’s heart jolted. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and ran toward his carriage.
Watching Lu Zhi’s hastily retreating figure, Mu Yao felt her entire body lighten.
Thank goodness she had called off the engagement—otherwise, she would only have faced more torment in the future.
Perhaps noticing the look in her eyes, Yan Xun raised an eyebrow and curved his lips slightly, as if in a good mood. “I noticed Miss Mu’s carriage has yet to arrive. As it happens, I’m heading in the same direction—why not let me give you a ride?”
Mu Yao turned around and only then noticed that not only had Yan Xun not left, but he was even offering to take her home.
Weighing the propriety between men and women, she instinctively stepped back half a pace. “Thank you for your kindness, Chu Wang, but my family’s carriage…”
Before she could finish, the Mu family’s carriage driver came running over, drenched in sweat.
“Miss, something happened to the carriage on the way—the wheel suddenly came off. I’m afraid it won’t be arriving anytime soon.”
The rest of Mu Yao’s words caught in her throat.
She knew full well that the distance from the palace to the Mu residence was considerable. Dressed as she was today, walking back was hardly realistic.
Just as she was deliberating, Yan Xun, standing behind her, curved his lips even higher. “If Miss Mu continues standing at the palace gates dressed like this, it will surely invite gossip. I am merely following His Majesty’s decree to escort Miss Mu home—no one can say a word against it.”
Mu Yao hadn’t expected him to be so thorough in his consideration.
Her gaze swept over the gathered crowd, and she finally nodded. “Then I shall trouble Your Highness. I, Mu Yao, will surely repay this kindness another day.”
The moment she finished speaking, Yan Xun suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned back to gaze at her. “Does Miss Mu mean those words?”
Mu Yao’s tone was solemn. “I never tell lies.”
“Then that is well.” The curve of Yan Xun’s lips deepened by another measure. He then extended his hand, as if to help her into the carriage. “In that case, I shall have to think carefully about how to have Miss Mu repay me.”
For some reason, seeing that smile on his face, Mu Yao couldn’t shake the feeling that she was about to walk straight into a den of wolves and tigers.
Seeing Mu Yao avoid his hand and let her maid help her into the carriage instead, Yan Xun’s eyes darkened slightly before he swung himself onto his horse.
“Let’s go.”