Everyone was shocked. The Prince of Yan hadn't killed her and had even heard her cry out for justice. Had they heard correctly?
The old woman was also taken aback. What was going on? Wasn't the Prince of Yan known for his volatile temper and disregard for everyone except the emperor? When did he become so meddlesome?
"Yes!" Shen Lixue straightened up and recounted the whole story. Finally, she asked softly, "Does the Prince of Yan think that General Mu should return the money?"
The people pricked up their ears and listened intently to what the Prince of Yan would say, wondering what he would say next.
"Gambling debts are still debts. If you gamble, you have to accept the consequences. Paying back debts is a matter of course!" The majestic voice of the Prince of Yan rang out in the quiet street, simple and concise, yet every word hit the nail on the head.
Shen Lixue turned to look at the old woman, smiling sweetly like a hundred flowers in bloom: "Madam, you heard it, Prince Yan also said that the Duke of Mu's mansion should return the money!"
The old woman glared hatefully at the Prince of Yan's sedan chair. How could a prince of the kingdom speak up for a lowly commoner? He had utterly disgraced the royal family.
Despite her resentment, she dared not be too presumptuous, as Prince Yan was, after all, a member of the royal family. She softened her voice and said, "Prince Yan, it's not that Tao'er is unwilling to admit defeat, but four million eight hundred and eighty thousand taels of silver is not a small amount. The Duke of Mu's mansion cannot raise that much silver in a short time!"
"Didn't that girl propose to use the house as payment for the silver? Why doesn't the old lady consider it!" The Prince of Yan's voice was icy cold, devoid of any emotion.
"Your Highness, this residence is the ancestral home of the Mu family. How can something left by our ancestors be so easily mortgaged or sold off!" The old lady's voice, though feigned calm, was filled with raging anger. The Prince of Yan spoke so lightly. If the Mu family, as a noble family of Xiliang, couldn't even protect its ancestral home, how could it maintain its standing in the capital and the court in the future?
"If the Duke of Mu's mansion does not compensate with silver or give away the ancestral home, it will be branded as untrustworthy, and the reputation of the Duke of Mu's mansion will be ruined." The Prince of Yan's voice was cold and unhurried.
"This..." The old woman was speechless after being refuted, and her expression changed slightly.
"The ancestral home can be sold and then bought back, but if your reputation is ruined, it will be difficult to earn it back!" The Prince of Yan's light words were like a thunderbolt, striking the old woman's face, which turned red and white in an instant, changing color by more than ten different shades. Although the Prince of Yan's words were ruthless, they made some sense.
Money is an external thing, while reputation is related to oneself and cannot be compared at all. Selling off the ancestral home may be ridiculed as a waste of money, but at least they kept their word and won the reputation of being honest and upright.
Prince Yan, the people all know about the gambling. The news will spread quickly. When the officials arrive, they will no longer be able to arrest the couple and throw them in jail. If they don't pay back the money and the ancestral home, they will be seen as untrustworthy and shameless villains. At that time, neither the court nor the capital will have a place for the Mu family.
"This is, after all, the ancestral home of the Mu family, and it concerns the residence of hundreds of people in the family. I'm afraid I can't make the decision on my own. How about I send a letter to the Duke of Mu to discuss it?"
"That depends on what that young lady thinks. Your household owes her money!" The Prince of Yan's indifferent voice made the old lady look at Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue smiled gently: "Madam Mu, it's not that I don't want to give you time. As everyone knows, Duke Mu is at the border. Even if we use carrier pigeons to send messages, it will take a lot of time to send them back and forth. In the end, there are only two possible outcomes: either he returns the money or he pays off the ancestral home."
"Since you know perfectly well that your household cannot raise the four million eight hundred and eighty thousand taels of silver, and it is only a matter of time before the ancestral home is mortgaged, why bother sending a message by carrier pigeon and wasting each other's time? You are the most senior person in the Mu family and have every right to decide the fate of the Mu family."
The old woman wanted to stall for time, but Shen Lixue certainly wouldn't let her have her way.
Shen Lixue's clear eyes and bright smile were particularly irritating to the old lady. Anger simmered in her aged eyes. She seemed to know a lot about the Mu family's affairs. Was the ancestral home really so important that it had to be mortgaged?
"Madam is a wise woman, and I believe you will make the right choice!" Prince Yan suddenly spoke, his calm words acting like a push that gave the old lady's already wavering heart a strong push. The old woman's heart swayed even more, and after frowning and repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, she gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, the Duke of Mu's mansion will move!"
Whether they are ridiculed for their incompetence or their squandering of wealth, at least they did not break their promises or refuse to admit defeat; their character is still noble.
"Grandmother, this is where our Mu family has lived for generations. How can we just move away like this?" Mu Tao was shocked. He never expected that a small gamble would cause him to lose the home he had lived in for more than ten years.
"You scoundrel, how dare you say that!" The old lady was already in a bad mood. Hearing Mu Tao's words, which implied responsibility, her anger flared up. She slapped him hard across the face. "If you hadn't been such a gambler and lost so much money, how could our Duke Mu's mansion have been forced to move out and make room for others?"
Mu Tao's face was instantly swollen from the blow, and a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. Looking at the furious old woman, he stammered, "Grandmother, I..."
"Shut up and get back to your room to pack your things!" Old Madam Mu shouted angrily, interrupting Mu Tao. This grandson was single-minded. He caused minor troubles when he was young, and even after growing up and spending so much time training at the border, he still couldn't change his nature. He had only been back in the capital for a few days and had already caused a major disaster. Everyone in the entire Mu State Duke's Mansion was implicated because of him.
"Yes!" The old lady was furious, and Mu Tao dared not say anything more. He glared hatefully at Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng, covered his swollen cheek, and turned to enter the Duke of Mu's mansion.
Mu Tao walked through the second gate, turned the corner, and disappeared. The old lady's anger subsided somewhat, but her chest was still heaving. She looked at the servant beside her and said, "Notify everyone in the Mu household to pack their bags and move to the villa in the suburbs!"
Noble families all have summer estates and villas, and the Duke of Mu's mansion naturally has one too. However, those are just villas for leisure, with beautiful scenery, far from the bustling streets, where one can stay occasionally and feel relaxed. Now, they are forced to make it their permanent residence, and they are extremely depressed. Where is there any joy left?
"Yes!" The servants obeyed and left, and the entire Duke Mu's mansion bustled with activity.
"Thank you for your wise decision, Prince Yan!" Shen Lixue smiled and curtsied to the person in the sedan chair.
"Hmm!" The person in the sedan chair responded calmly. The guards lifted the sedan chair, passed over the kneeling commoners, and proceeded steadily along the main street.
Shen Lixue watched the sedan chair disappear into the distance, raising an eyebrow: "Did the Prince of Yan leave so calmly? Has he forgotten about the people blocking his way? Or is he not going to hold a grudge against them?"
The people were overjoyed, but then they realized that their clothes were soaked with cold sweat. They tried to stand up, but their legs were too weak to stand. Looking up at the clear blue sky, the white clouds, and the bright sun, they breathed a long sigh of relief. They had been saved. What a close call!
"Madam, the sun is setting and it's windy outside. Why don't you come inside and rest for a while?" The old woman's suggestion rang in my ears.
Shen Lixue frowned, looked at the old lady who was being helped by her maid and was about to enter the mansion, and smiled, "Old lady keeps her word, I admire her the most. The Mu State Duke's mansion is so big, there are many people inside, and there must be a lot of things. You can take your time moving, there's no need to rush. I will come to take over the house at this time tomorrow!"
The old lady suddenly stopped in her tracks, her sharp gaze shooting towards Shen Lixue: "You're coming to take over the house tomorrow? Doesn't that mean you've given them a day to move out? And you're still giving me this fake advice to move slowly and not in a hurry? Shameless wretch."
"It's getting late, farewell!" Seeing the old lady's gloomy face, Shen Lixue smiled faintly and gently took Dongfang Heng's arm: "Let's go home!"
“Okay!” Dongfang Heng nodded, his gaze gentle, and led Shen Lixue forward slowly. Even after walking a long distance, she could still feel the old woman’s sharp gaze directed at her.
The dignified Duke Mu's mansion, burdened by gambling debts and forced to relocate, unable even to protect its ancestral home, will surely become a laughingstock in the entire capital of Xiliang. The Duke Mu's mansion's reputation in the court will plummet. Next, she has a series of plans to ensure that the Duke Mu's mansion is utterly disgraced and has no place in the court.
Without the protection of her maternal family, Consort Shu will face great difficulties in the harem. Let's see how arrogant and domineering she can still be.
A jade-like hand gently grasped her fair hand, the fingertips slightly cool. Shen Lixue looked up at Dongfang Heng: "Heng, what's wrong? Why are your fingers so cold?"
Dongfang Heng lowered his head, his dark eyes unfathomable, his voice low and solemn: "Li Xue, don't you think that Prince Yan is strange?" Just now, he stood at the entrance of the Duke of Mu's mansion, watching the sedan chair in which Prince Yan was.
“It is a bit strange!” Shen Lixue frowned. He kept saying that the people were blocking his way, but after the matter of the Duke of Mu’s mansion was resolved, he didn’t mention the people blocking his way at all. He just left leisurely, as if he came here only to help her deal with Old Madam Mu.
"He's been sitting in the sedan chair the whole time without showing himself, how mysterious!" The sedan curtain was half-transparent, and Dongfang Heng could vaguely see the figure inside, as well as his voice, which sounded vaguely familiar.
“I met Prince Yan once at the palace. He’s a very strict prince, but he also seems to dislike the people from the Duke of Mu’s mansion. Could it be that he’s helping us because he wants to use our situation to suppress the Duke of Mu’s mansion?”
Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng both wore masks, and their identities were those of ordinary people. For a prince of a kingdom to condescend to help them deal with the Mu family, they couldn't think of any other reasonable explanation.
Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened: "You've met the Prince of Yan, so what does he look like?"
"A square face, very heroic, and handsome..." Shen Lixue carefully recalled the appearance of the Prince of Yan. The Emperor of Xiliang, the Crown Prince, and the princes all had outstanding appearances. Standing among them, the Prince of Yan's appearance could only be considered average.