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Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Go to the Backyard to Meet Zhan Lan
The three of them looked stupefied upon hearing the mention of Mrs. Zhang.
Zhan Beicang furrowed his brows and said, "That shrew, what is she here for now? Didn’t I already give her some silver to send her off yesterday?"
As he spoke, he started to head outside when Mrs. Zhang, already cursing and swearing, arrived at the entrance of the living room.
She was a middle-aged woman of short stature, skinny, with a particularly sharp and mean face, and a gold tooth in between her teeth.
Holding a handkerchief, she cried out, "Ah, General Zhan, you must stand up for this common woman!"
"My husband died young, and he once served at the court too. Ever since our family fell into hardship, anyone feels they can trample over my son and me!"
"The General Mansion, you are the great loyal ministers, officials serving the nation with loyalty, but you shouldn’t break the marriage agreements of ordinary folk!"
Mrs. Jiang wept with tears and snot running down her face; Zhan Beicang asked with a splitting headache, "Madam Zhang, what happened now?"
Mrs. Jiang dried her tears and said, "Early this morning, our in-laws, Lord Chu and his family, came to our house personally to break off the engagement, saying their daughter has someone she loves and refuses to marry now!"
She grabbed Zhan Beicang’s sleeve and angrily smacked his arm, scolding, "What high ground are you in the General Mansion claiming? You still say it isn’t your family causing trouble; it was your Zhan Hui who seduced Chu Yin, Chu Yin has no shame, complicit in disgrace!"
Zhan Xinzhang squinted his eyes, at that moment, it was impossible to reason with a senseless woman under so many watchful eyes.
This matter still needed to be settled privately.
Zhan Beicang became so angry his rage soared, yet he forced himself to restrain it because Mrs. Jiang was a commoner, and he an official.
He couldn’t raise his hand to strike her.
With every last bit of his patience, he said, "Madam Zhang, there must be some misunderstanding in this matter..."
Before Zhan Beicang could finish, Mu Yan looked toward Mrs. Jiang and said to Vermilion Bird behind him, "Slap her!"
Without a second word, the Vermilion Bird pulled Mrs. Jiang aside and slapped the shrew twice.
Vermilion Bird’s hand went numb; this was also his first time hitting a woman. He didn’t quite control his strength, and Mrs. Jiang’s gold tooth was knocked out.
Tracing an arc in the air, it fell to the ground.
Mrs. Jiang was stunned by the slap; she hadn’t noticed Mu Yan earlier.
Now seeing Mu Yan, who looked like a celestial being, her eyes surprisingly filled with murderous intent.
Mrs. Jiang dared not look at Mu Yan but turned to the seemingly more approachable Zhan Xinzhang, "Old General, you must stand up for us common folk!"
This was Zhan Xinzhang’s first time feeling the difficulty of being a loyal and good official.
He instead began to appreciate Mu Yan’s straightforwardness; he didn’t care about others’ opinions and acted when he couldn’t stand it any longer.
He remained silent, looking towards Mu Yan.
Mu Yan said to Vermilion Bird, "What happened? You don’t hesitate when it comes to killing; why can she still speak and disturb the Seal Keeper?"
This made Vermilion Bird scratch his head shamefully.
Zhan Beicang’s pupils dilated, this man spoke of killing as if it were slicing a melon.
Both of Mrs. Jiang’s cheeks swelled up, still throbbing with pain, she knelt on the ground and started crying loudly, grabbing Zhan Beicang’s clothes.
"Let go!" Men and women are different, and even Zhan Beicang dared not push her with his hand.
Mu Yan said coldly, "Still talking about someone seducing your son’s fiancée, I see you’re nearly pulling down the General’s pants, shameless!"
Zhan Beicang’s face turned red from what Mu Yan said, he pushed Mrs. Jiang away angrily, shouting, "Impudent!"
Vermilion Bird walked over to Mrs. Jiang sitting on the ground crying loudly and said, "Shut up, you’ve disturbed our Seal Keeper."
Mrs. Jiang stopped crying immediately, the Seal Keeper!
In all of Nanjin, there was only one Seal Keeper, that was the Xingtian Department’s Seal Keeper, Mu Yan.
Who in Nanjin doesn’t know his name.
The Jiang family who bullies the weak and fears the strong is now finally feeling scared.
She pleaded softly to Mu Yan, "Sir, I was wrong, I will leave now!"
Mu Yan sneered, "Is the General Mansion a place where you can come and go as you wish? You want to insult an official of the court and you just open your mouth to do so, weren’t you being very arrogant? You even said that General Hui seduced your son’s fiancée. Where is the evidence? If you can’t produce it, I’ll have the Ministry of Justice take a good interrogation of your son, how about that?"
Mu Yan’s words were forceful and his presence imposing, Mrs. Jiang felt as if a knife was already placed on her neck.
Who doesn’t know that Xingtian Department kills without blinking an eye, and the Ministry of Justice also obeys him.
If her son is taken to the Ministry of Justice and cannot produce evidence, he might end up dying miserably in prison.
Isn’t that just a word from Mu Yan?
General Mansion cares about its reputation and won’t punish her severely, but Mu Yan seems like a man who can do what he says.
She trembled all over, her scalp tingled, her face turned pale, and she kowtowed vigorously, "Lord Mu, I dare not... I really dare not anymore!"
Zhan Beicang saw this scene, and his eyes twitched, Mu Yan’s method was really effective!
To be such a successful villain, could it be so easy?
Mu Yan’s voice was devoid of any warmth, "Quickly annul the marriage with the Chu Family and leave Ding’an City. If I hear any rumors about Zhan Hui and Chu Yin again, you can try whether the words of this Seal Keeper today are true or false!"
Mrs. Jiang swallowed hard, crying as she said, "Yes, yes, yes... Sir, we will immediately annul the marriage with the Chu Family and leave Ding’an City right away!"
Mu Yan didn’t even glance at Mrs. Jiang as he left with a flick of his sleeve.
Zhan Xinzhang and Zhan Beicang exchanged glances, watching Mu Yan’s departing figure.
Mrs. Jiang kneeled down and kowtowed vigorously, "I’m sorry, I dare not make trouble anymore..."
After speaking, Mrs. Jiang’s legs were so weak she limped away from the General Mansion.
Mu Yan’s expression was cold as he reached the doorway, mounting the carriage, with Vermilion Bird and the Hidden Guards quickly following.
The guard holding the horse asked, "Master, should we now head to Xingtian Department or return home?"
Mu Yan spoke somberly, "Take a detour, to the back door of the General Mansion."
The Hidden Guards immediately set off, and Mu Yan sat in the carriage, visibly displeased.
For some reason, he always felt that Zhan Lan was wronged at the General Mansion.
Just thinking about it made him upset.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the back door of the General Mansion, and Mu Yan looked to Vermilion Bird sitting next to him, "You go knock."
Vermilion Bird was surprised, quickly got off the carriage; their master usually used Qinggong to quietly enter.
Today, however, he was asking to knock.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Are you looking for me?" a voice sounded by Vermilion Bird’s ear.
Zhan Lan had just returned from the academy.
He saw a luxurious carriage at the door, and also saw Vermilion Bird, and the person in that carriage was Mu Yan.
When had he become so polite?
Sitting in the carriage, Mu Yan heard Zhan Lan’s voice; his breath hitched, thinking of last night’s kiss, his ears instantly reddened.
He had never been so nervous before, why now, upon seeing Zhan Lan, did his heart suddenly start racing faster?
