After they had both left, Jia looked up at the gradually brightening sky and said faintly, "The night has passed just like this." He then looked at Feng Qishi again, "Alright, we should go too."
Feng Qishi nodded, "Let's go."
Jia hummed, turned to look at Lou Yi, who was still holding the woman, and said, "I'll lead the way, you follow me."
"Fine." Lou Yi agreed, nodded to Feng Qishi, and turned around.
Immediately after, Jia began to lead the way.
After they left, Feng Qishi looked at the woman in the green dress and said, "Thank you for taking care of her recently."
The woman in the green dress shook her head slightly.
Two hours later.
Feng Qishi escorted Mu Hua into the palace. He went to the outside of King Jin's study, awaiting punishment.
Inside the room.
King Jin sat at the desk, holding a book in one hand and a teacup in the other. He then glanced at the woman standing in place, looking down and smiling at him, and asked, "Why aren't you sitting?"
"Your Majesty, Shen Moyun has been waiting outside for an hour. Are you really not letting him in?" the woman asked in a low voice.
King Jin: "I just asked him to bring that Mu Xiao in. In the end, he went to arrest a criminal and ended up injuring Mu Xiao." He sighed, "He is disrespecting me."
"Your Majesty..."
"That's enough, don't persuade me. When my anger subsides, I will naturally let him in. You don't need to say it." King Jin interrupted the woman, pointed to a chair, and said, "Sit down. Your standing makes me uncomfortable."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The woman nodded slightly and sat down.
Outside, Feng Qishi stood calmly in the sun, looking at the closed door. He couldn't help but worry about Mu Anxiao's safety. However, if he didn't explain things clearly to King Jin, it would also cause considerable trouble for Mu Anxiao.
Therefore, for Mu Anxiao's sake, he took a deep breath and persevered.
Finally, after another half an hour of waiting, King Jin's anger subsided. Feng Qishi entered the room, first paid his respects to King Jin, and then said, "King Jin, your subordinate is guilty." As he spoke, he cupped his hands.
"Don't you like to call yourself 'subject'? Why are you calling yourself 'subordinate' now?" King Jin deliberately picked at his words.
"Your subordinate thought it was acceptable before, but after asking today, my previous self-appellation was wrong. So," Feng Qishi nodded slightly, "Please forgive me."
Previously, Feng Qishi rarely stayed with King Jin. He had never thought about issues of address. But this time was different; he was here to help Mu Anxiao out of danger.
Most importantly, this matter was also his fault, and coupled with King Jin's bad mood, he corrected his long-standing slip of the tongue.
Unexpectedly, this attracted King Jin's attention.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Forgive you? You agreed so readily last night."
"Replying to King Jin, Mu Xiao's mother was arrested," Feng Qishi said intentionally.
"What happened?"
"Someone died in the Mu mansion, and they all said it was Mu Xiao's mother's doing, so your subordinate intervened. Because of this, Mu Xiao was very angry and fled the Mu mansion, saying she wanted to find the killer. Who knew," Feng Qishi shook his head slightly, "She got into trouble as soon as she went out. When I found her, she was lying at the alley entrance, covered in blood."
"Blood?"
"Yes. Upon examination, she was only injured in the arm, but she fainted from excessive blood loss. The doctor said she needed rest, so I didn't bring her in, for fear of frightening Your Majesty," Feng Qishi said, cupping his hands. "Please punish me, King Jin."
"You essentially saved her life."
"I dare not."
"Since that is the case, then this matter is over. That can be considered as the girl's punishment. As for the matter of her entering the palace," King Jin hesitated for a moment, "let's forget it."
"King Jin, are you sure?" Feng Qishi asked cautiously. He suddenly felt a little sorry for Mu Anxiao.
King Jin: "My consort has already chosen a maidservant for herself, so Mu Xiao is dispensable. I was looking for her just to teach her a lesson. Since she is already in that state," he said, "I will not pursue it further."
"Exactly, there's no point in having her. That girl doesn't seem like an easy one either," the woman chimed in.
Feng Qishi glanced at the woman, then thought about the palace rules, which were really not suitable for Mu Anxiao. Furthermore, this consort was not an easy one either.
What if she came in, investigated nothing, and was instead tormented by this consort? It wouldn't be worth it.
Thus, he agreed with them, "Indeed, that girl is a bit too much of a troublemaker."
"Moyun, where is she now?" King Jin asked suddenly while drinking tea.
Feng Qishi didn't want to lie, so he told the truth, "Replying to King Jin, she is at your subordinate's residence. You also know that no one in the Mu mansion wants to see her, and the matter of her mother is enough to drive her mad. If she returned, it would surely cause trouble, so your subordinate brought her to the residence for the safety of the Mu mansion's people."
"That's good. It would be a shame if anyone from the Mu mansion was harmed because of her," King Jin said. "But speaking of this case, you investigate it."
"This..."
"Humming and hawing, that's not like your character."
"Your subordinate is just a general. Arresting people is already beyond my scope. If I were to take on this case, it wouldn't be appropriate," Feng Qishi said deliberately.
King Jin laughed, "There's something you're afraid of? Handle this matter for me."
"But..."
"No buts. Mu Xiao is at your residence, so it's best to avoid causing trouble there, which would be bad for everyone."
"Yes, King Jin."
And so, Mu Anxiao legitimately entered the General's mansion.
A quarter of an hour later.
As Feng Qishi stepped out of the room, the woman said, "King Jin, that girl Mu Hua has a scheming mind... May your consort discipline her properly?"
"This is your consort's affair. Your consort may handle it as you see fit," King Jin said, lowering his head to look at the booklet in his hand.
The woman smiled, "Then, your consort will not be polite."
"..." King Jin remained silent, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.
In the guest room of the General's mansion, Mu Anxiao lay on the bed and slowly opened her eyes.
The woman in the green dress stood by the bedside, looking down at Mu Anxiao as she woke up, and smiled, "You're awake." As she spoke, she slightly bent down, meeting Mu Anxiao's eyes.
Mu Anxiao looked up at the woman in the green dress, then suddenly remembered being injured and exclaimed, "You came down too." As she spoke, she sat up.
She thought she had already died.
The woman in the green dress also stood up, looked down at Mu Anxiao, and smiled, "What are you saying? You're well."
"I'm well..." Mu Anxiao said, quickly touching her stomach, which no longer ached, and exclaimed, "What's going on?" As she spoke, she tilted her head up and stared at the woman in the green dress.
The woman in the green dress did not want to tell Mu Anxiao the truth, so she shifted her gaze.