Chapter 45

Half a month ago, Xiao Yichen finally tracked down the two kidnappers' trail, but he didn't expect to be too late—the kidnappers were dead, the simpleton in the Imperial Court of Justice prison was also dead, and the Imperial Court of Justice got no leads, making it hard to catch the mastermind behind it.

Xiao Yichen always felt he should do something for Mu Yuanzhi, so he volunteered to go to Huangli State to escort the coffin back.

The emperor made a grand show, and all the city's residents came out to welcome him, everyone praising the emperor's boundless grace and sympathy for loyal officials.

"After all these years, I never thought the Grand General and his wife could still come back!"

"It's all thanks to the emperor not giving up, constantly negotiating with that hateful Huangli State; otherwise the Grand General and his wife wouldn't know how long they'd have to stay in the enemy's ghostly place!"

"The emperor even took the Grand General's daughter into the palace to raise as his own daughter; the Grand General and his wife, even in the netherworld, can now rest in peace!"

Mu Yuanzhi in the carriage heard the people's discussion, and in her heart there was only one thought: she just wanted to quickly bring her parents back to the General's residence, bury them soon, so that they could rest in peace in the netherworld.

"Princess, we've arrived." The carriage stopped at the former General's residence, and Mu Yuanzhi got out.

The emperor dispatched half of the Imperial Guards to maintain order; the common people could only watch from the outskirts, the liveliness unable to affect the deserted General's residence.

Mu Yuanzhi gazed at the desolate General's residence and sighed softly, wondering if it used to be constantly filled with guests.

At that moment, the Imperial Guards made way, and the coffin escorted by the Black Armor Iron Cavalry slowly appeared before Mu Yuanzhi's eyes; her eye sockets instantly reddened.

Dad, Mom, you've finally come home!

Happy days, she shouldn't cry.

Mu Yuanzhi suppressed her tears, she walked quickly, and Hongdou and Linglong couldn't keep up.

"Thank you for bringing my parents back, Premier Xiao." Mu Yuanzhi nodded at Xiao Yichen.

This thanks was full of sincere gratitude; Xiao Yichen's originally plain eyes softened with a hint of smile: "Officially, it's my duty; privately, this is also what I should do."

Today she wore plain white mourning attire, her former sharpness restrained, giving her a faint resemblance to her former self, but Xiao Yichen stared longer and felt she wasn't quite the same—he really hadn't seen the old Mu Yuanzhi in a long time, so long he almost forgot what she used to look like; certainly not like this now, so unfamiliar.

In such good days, Mu Yuanzhi had no quarrels with Xiao Yichen over public or private matters, especially since her heart and eyes were filled only with the safe return of her parents' coffin, leaving no room to attend to anything else.

"Brother Chen, you've worked hard!" Pei Yunxi, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, suddenly came to Xiao Yichen's side and grabbed his arm.

When she first returned to the palace, Pei Yunxi was still proper and dignified, everywhere remembering the etiquette taught by the old palace ladies; as the palace's favor toward her grew greater and greater, she gradually stopped caring about these things, since whatever she did seemed good in the eyes of the emperor and her brothers.

But this moment should be solemn; Xiao Yichen originally wanted to pull his hand away, but noticing Pei Yunxi's oddness, she coughed twice, and he let it be.

She had just recovered from poisoning, still weak; let her be.

Pei Yunxi, having achieved her goal, felt pleased in her heart; she glanced proudly at Mu Yuanzhi, only to find that Mu Yuanzhi seemed not to care at all.

Pei Yunxi didn't believe Mu Yuanzhi could stop liking Xiao Yichen in such a short time; in her view, Mu Yuanzhi's current indifference toward Xiao Yichen was just a ploy of playing hard to get.

She turned her gaze back, and actually saw Xiao Yichen's eyes filled with the retreating figure of Mu Yuanzhi escorting the coffin; her heart immediately knotted.

It seems the ploy of playing hard to get is still working—look, Brother Chen is again drawn by Mu Yuanzhi's gaze!

Last time she was poisoned and didn't die, count Mu Yuanzhi lucky, but people aren't always that fortunate!

I want to see how long Mu Yuanzhi can keep her lucky streak going!

The coffin lay in state at the General's residence for half a day, then would be escorted by the Black Armor Army to the Imperial Mausoleum for burial; in mourning attire, Mu Yuanzhi, under the guidance of the Office of Sacrifices which oversees funerals, performed three bows and nine kowtows to bid farewell to her parents.

"Rise!"

As the Office of Sacrifices loudly cried "Rise", the pallbearers were about to step forward when Pei Yunxi said: "Wait!"

Mu Yuanzhi felt a chill slice through her heart; she turned her head to look at Pei Yunxi.

Pei Yunxi shifted slightly to Xiao Yichen's side and weakly said: "I, I want to say that the General and his wife's coffin has never been opened for inspection since leaving Huangli State; just lifting it straight into the Imperial Mausoleum for burial—what if..."

"What if?!" Mu Yuanzhi's fierce gaze pierced Pei Yunxi.

"Sister, don't get agitated; I heard Brother Xiao say that in the arson case at the Ministry of Justice Secretary's residence, the suspects, your father's old troops, are hiding in Huangli State, and recently Huangli State has had many secret agents mixed in with merchant caravans; for safety's sake, it's better to open the coffin and inspect."

After speaking, Pei Yunxi looked toward Xiao Yichen seeking agreement.

The Office of Sacrifices didn't know what to do for a moment; the emperor hasn't arrived yet, maybe we should wait for him?

After all, opening a coffin is no small matter; although the General and his wife haven't been laid to rest yet, Huangli State already had them entombed and sealed, and now opening the coffin to disturb the dead's peace is really inappropriate!

Standing before the coffin, Mu Yuanzhi stepped in front of Xiao Yichen and Pei Yunxi, coldly saying nothing as she stared at them.

Xiao Yichen didn't speak, but walked toward the coffin; Pei Yunxi naturally followed step by step, enduring Mu Yuanzhi's terrifying gaze, she continued: "Sister Yuanzhi, for the safety of the Imperial Mausoleum and for your parents' peace in the netherworld, let's inspect the coffin..."

Pei Yunxi kept harping on, but before she could finish, a slap came down on her head and face!

It was too fast; she couldn't even see when Mu Yuanzhi had approached, she hadn't even time to be startled before another slap ruthlessly struck the other side of her face!

By the time she reacted, she had already been shoved hard to the ground by Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi's long-suppressed anger was completely ignited by Pei Yunxi; at this moment she didn't care about anything like Yong Alley or slow slicing, she just wanted to teach this lowly wretch a lesson!

"Yuanzhi, what are you doing?!" Xiao Yichen also finally reacted, rushing over to pull Mu Yuanzhi: "Let go of Yunxi, speak calmly, Yunxi is also thinking of everyone's sake!"

"Shut up!" Mu Yuanzhi shouted, her eyes never leaving Pei Yunxi, slapping left and right nonstop; soon both of Pei Yunxi's cheeks swelled up, bearing red handprints.

"Yuanzhi, what are you doing?!"

The belated Virtuous Consort, disregarding decorum, rushed over to grab Mu Yuanzhi, but Mu Yuanzhi, having faced daily harassment from the stout palace matrons and the powerful mad concubine in Yong Alley in her past life, the Virtuous Consort couldn't budge her; seeing Pei Yunxi already beaten and crying by Mu Yuanzhi, the Virtuous Consort almost had a heart attack.