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Chapter 179: Chapter 179 Ah, Miss save me!
As Zhan Xuerou was reveling in the joy that Mu Yan had noticed her,
Mu Yan came to a halt, pointing at Zhan Xuerou’s face with his slender finger, he ordered the Shopkeeper, "Remember, whenever you see this woman, kick her out immediately!"
"Yes, Master!" The Shopkeeper nodded in agreement.
Zhan Xuerou was startled, what, Mu Yan is the owner of Baoxiang House!
What did Mu Yan mean by this? She would no longer be allowed to visit Baoxiang House...
She couldn’t recall when she had ever offended Mu Yan!
Could it be that he was taking it out on her on behalf of Zhan Lan, but she had not had a major conflict with Zhan Lan just now.
It was the foppish brats who couldn’t stand Zhan Lan, who stepped in to stop them; what did that have to do with her?
"You!" In an instant, rage and shame surged into Zhan Xuerou’s heart; the heart that had been wildly thumping just moments ago had now calmed down.
Those who had been dining also came to a realization.
"So it turns out that Seal Keeper Mu is the owner of Baoxiang House!"
"Lord Mu indeed holds immense power, not even sparing a glance for the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion!"
"It’s not entirely like that; you see how tightly Lord Mu is protecting Miss Zhan Lan!"
"I fail to see it, could it not be due to Miss Zhan Lan’s newly acquired rank as Deputy General?"
"You just wait and see, I think Lord Mu has something special in mind for Miss Zhan Lan!"
...
Mu Yan then turned to Meng Ling and said, "And this troublemaking maid, daring to cause trouble for General Zhan, not knowing her place at all, slap her mouth until it’s swollen!"
Meng Ling hid behind Zhan Xuerou, frightened and knelt down, "Lord, I am at fault, however, I am part of the General Mansion’s household, you can’t punish me like this."
Zhan Lan glanced at the sharp-tongued Meng Ling; she had indeed brought up the name of the General Mansion.
Suddenly, the conflict had shifted towards a family matter.
But she underestimated Mu Yan; what kind of person was Mu Yan to allow a maid to act so presumptuously!
Zhan Lan wasn’t wrong, a chill enveloped Mu Yan, "Miss Zhan, what is the usual punishment in the General Mansion for a maid who makes mistakes and bullies her Master?"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Xuerou thought to herself, it seems that Mu Yan indeed knew she was the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion and still valued her opinion.
She slightly smiled and was about to speak, "I..."
Who would have known, Mu Yan abruptly interrupted her, "Lady Zhan Lan, what do you say?"
Zhan Lan smiled faintly, ready to speak.
Zhan Xuerou frowned, "Lord Mu, I am the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion!"
Mu Yan didn’t even glance at Zhan Xuerou, saying, "But the only young lady from the General Mansion this Seal Keeper recognizes is Miss Zhan Lan, and besides, a maid who has disgraced the General Mansion by going outside deserves punishment. General Zhan Lan, compared to any legitimate daughter, has more right to uphold the honor of the General Mansion."
Zhan Xuerou swallowed all her words; Mu Yan’s meaning was clear: he did not recognize her, only Zhan Lan.
Zhan Lan looked at Meng Ling and said, "According to family rules, Meng Ling should receive thirty cane strokes and be expelled from the mansion."
Meng Ling was shocked, looking towards Zhan Xuerou for help, "Miss, I dare not do it again!"
"Lord, I am wrong, I will return and accept punishment at the mansion!" Meng Ling knelt down and kowtowed towards Mu Yan.
Zhan Xuerou was extremely angry due to Mu Yan’s attitude; she was after all the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion, and yet Mu Yan did not take her into account at all.
Finally, under everyone’s gaze, she revealed her true feelings, clenching her teeth in temper, "Lord Mu, this is a family affair of mine. I will take the maid back and discipline her myself; there’s no need for you to trouble yourself!"
Mu Yan scoffed coldly, "Drag her out and give her thirty strokes!"
Zhan Xuerou desperately intervened, "Lord Mu, are you disregarding the royal laws?"
Mu Yan looked at Zhan Xuerou with a cold expression, "Using royal laws to pressure me? Are you challenging the authority of this Seal Keeper?"
Zhan Xuerou was frightened by the coldness in Mu Yan’s eyes, and she took two steps back.
Mu Yan continued to speak: "Drag the person out and give her fifty more lashes, and don’t forget the face-slapping!"
The people from the Xingtian Department immediately dragged Meng Ling away, and Meng Ling screamed, "Ah, Miss, save me!"
Zhan Xuerou was so intimidated by Mu Yan’s aura that she dared not move, and a hint of unwillingness and hatred appeared in her eyes.
Why should such a powerful man only be good to one woman, Zhan Lan!
She thought to herself that when Si Jun returned and one day became emperor, she would definitely settle the score with Mu Yan!
No matter how powerful Mu Yan was, he was just a subject after all.
Nothing but a slave to the Si Family’s empire!
By then, she would make Mu Yan kneel before her, begging her...
Zhan Lan withdrew her gaze from Zhan Xuerou, having witnessed Zhan Xuerou’s progression from nervousness at the sight of Mu Yan, to infatuation, to jealousy, to unwillingness, to hatred.
That’s the kind of man Mu Yan was; he had the ability to make a woman fall in love with him at one moment, and also the ability to make her hate him the next.
She hadn’t had much interaction with him in her past life and didn’t understand him well, but now it seemed that although he appeared to be a womanizer, he was actually as merciless as ice towards women.
There wasn’t just one woman whose heart he had broken and who he had enraged, beyond Zhan Xuerou.
The agonizing screams of Meng Ling came from outside, and Zhan Hui had also arrived with the Protectors from the General Mansion.
Zhan Hui didn’t understand what exactly had happened, but he saw Meng Ling, Zhan Xuerou’s maid, being beaten.
Seeing her brother, Zhan Xuerou approached him with grievances, "Brother, please ask Lord Mu to stop, Meng Ling is about to be beaten to death!"
Zhan Hui gave Mu Yan a nod, "Lord Mu, could you please have them stop? I’ll take the maid back and handle the punishment myself!"
Zhan Hui saw Zhan Lan was there too, and he roughly guessed what had happened.
From childhood, his sister Zhan Xuerou always enjoyed provoking Zhan Lan, so it was no wonder that Mu Yan saw fit to discipline her maid.
Mu Yan’s gaze turned to Zhan Lan, "Miss Zhan, what do you think?"
Seeing Zhan Hui’s embarrassed look, and knowing that Meng Ling had been beaten to a pulp, Zhan Lan relented, "Big brother, take her back. I won’t hold it against her."
Zhan Xuerou clenched her teeth silently; what a saint Zhan Lan was pretending to be now.
It was apparent that Meng Ling had almost been beaten to death by the people from the Xingtian Department!
Zhan Lan’s saintly demeanor was nothing but an act!
Upon hearing Zhan Lan’s words, Vermilion Bird immediately ordered his subordinates to stop, and Meng Ling rolled off the bench, her face so swollen that it was unrecognizable, covered in wounds.
Zhan Hui led his men away.
Zhan Lan turned to Mu Yan, "Thank you, Lord Mu!"
After speaking, she intended to leave with Liu Xi and Xiao Tao, but Mu Yan said in a heavy voice, "Didn’t you come here for dinner?"
Zhan Lan replied softly, "I must take the imperial decree back. I won’t be eating."
Mu Yan, with one hand behind his back, ordered, "Vermilion Bird, go help Miss Zhan bring the imperial decree back to my residence, watch it carefully, so Miss Zhan can have a peaceful meal."
"Yes!" Vermilion Bird quickly reached out to take the imperial decree from Zhan Lan’s hands.
Zhan Lan held on tightly, "No need..."
Mu Yan said coldly, "With the Xingtian Department’s escort, you needn’t worry; it’s very safe. If you don’t stay for the meal, I will have someone escort you home!"
"Bai Chen, you should go home as well, it’s not often you come back, make sure to visit your mother." Mu Yan turned to look at Bai Chen behind him.
At this point, Zhan Lan finally noticed Bai Chen standing behind Mu Yan.
Bai Chen had just returned from Heifeng Pass, dressed in white, with a carefree demeanor, he refused, "No way, I want to have dinner with Miss Zhan!" 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
