When my vicious stepmother mistakenly married me to the Immortal Lord

"No, Your Majesty, it's just a burial. What kind of crime is that?"

"I, an old minister, simply wish to find a companion for my deceased child. This is out of love for him. How can this be considered rebellion?"

Mu Huiren still tried to argue, his face full of dissatisfaction.

Ximen Liu sneered, "Love for your son? Humph, you are selfish and disregard human life! Jiang Shu is an innocent woman, how can you force her to be buried with you?"

"Your Majesty, Jiang Shu was welcomed into our Mu family as a bride. How could she be forced?"

"Besides, Lord Jiang, as her biological father, also agrees to this matter. Why should you, Your Highness, meddle in other people's affairs?"

"Everyone in Taixi, from the royal family to the common people, knows that you, Prince Jingyuan, are extremely powerful, but you can't abuse your power to bully others like this, right?"

"The system of burying people alive with the dead isn't something our Mu family invented; it's been practiced throughout the dynasties. If you're dissatisfied, you can go and argue with His Majesty. Why make things difficult for our Mu family?"

Mu Huiren spoke with great confidence, trying to direct the blame towards Ximen Liu and the royal family.

Ximen Liu remained unmoved. He stared at Mu Huiren coldly with a sharp gaze. "Mu Huiren, don't try to quibble. I will take care of today's matter!"

After saying that, he waved his hand and the black-armored guards immediately stepped forward and surrounded Mu Huiren, Liu and the others.

"Your Highness, what do you mean? Are you going to become an enemy of my Mu family just for a mere woman?" Mu Huiren's face turned ashen and he glared at Ximen Liu.

Ximen Liu smiled contemptuously, "Mu Huiren, you take yourself too seriously. In my eyes, your Mu family is nothing but an ant that can be destroyed at any moment."

"You! You... who do you think you are?"

"My dear Ximen Liu, my Mu family has followed the imperial family since the founding of the country, fought on the battlefield, and made great contributions. How dare you insult my Mu family like this?"

Mu Huiren roared, his eyes almost spitting fire.

Ximen Liu laughed heartily, his laughter full of sarcasm.

"Mu Huiren, do you think I'm bluffing? To be honest, today's matter was handled by me, the king, under the order of His Majesty."

"Okay, even if the burial alive issue can't punish your Mu family, what about these?"

As he spoke, Ximen Liu pulled out a bright yellow imperial edict from his bosom and slowly unfolded it. He swept a cold gaze over Mu Huiren and the others in the Mu family, "Mu Huiren, accept the edict."

Mu Huiren's heart sank, and he barely managed to kneel down, then took the imperial edict with trembling hands. He glanced at it, his face instantly turning pale, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

"This...how is this possible?" he muttered to himself. The imperial edict in his hand seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

The imperial edict clearly listed all the illegal activities of the Mu family in recent years, from embezzling military funds and abusing power to oppressing the people and taking human lives. Every one of them was shocking.

What shocked Mu Huiren the most was that it even involved the serious crime of colluding with the enemy country and attempting to rebel.

"Mu Huiren, do you have anything else to say?" Ximen Liu asked coldly, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

Mu Huiren was trembling all over. He looked up at Ximen Liu, his eyes full of pleading, "Your Highness, this is all a misunderstanding. Someone is framing my Mu family! Please investigate!"

"Framed? Humph, Mu Huiren, do you think I'm a three-year-old child?"

Ximen Liu snorted coldly and waved his hand to signal the black-armored guards to step forward. "Capture all the members of the Mu family and take them to the Sky Prison to await your fate."

"No! Your Majesty, you can't do this! My Mu family is loyal to the royal family. You can't just believe one side of the story and destroy my Mu family!"

Mu Huiren struggled, trying to break free from the black armor guards, but it was all in vain.

"Mu Huiren, the glory of your Mu family ends here." Ximen Liu said lightly, with a hint of indifference in his eyes.

As Mu Huiren was taken away by the Black-Armored Guards, the entire Ningguo Mansion instantly fell into chaos.

The guards and servants of the Mu family panicked and fled in all directions, while the children and security guards of the Xie family guarded Qiao Wanyu and Jiang Shu to prevent any accidents.

"What? Mu Yunlan, are you not convinced?" Ximen Liu looked down at Mu Yunlan, with a hint of deep meaning in his eyes.

Mu Yunlan stood quietly there, looking at Mu Huiren and his group who were being taken away with a deep gaze, feeling mixed emotions.

It's not that he was completely unaware of what the Mu family had done, but he had never expected that everything would collapse so quickly.

"Submit? Or not, what's the point?"

"Your Highness, the Mu family has indeed committed sins, but not everyone in the family is evil. I implore Your Highness to distinguish right from wrong when thoroughly investigating this matter and not to implicate the innocent."

Ximen Liu narrowed his cold eyes and looked at Mu Yunlan.

"Mu Yunlan, ever since you joined the Lingxiao Sect fifteen years ago, you severed your secular ties with the Mu family in front of the royal family. This king followed the old system and did not count you as part of the Mu family.

"What kind of identity are you using to beg for mercy? What does the Mu family's honor, disgrace, rise and fall have to do with you?"

Mu Yunlan was slightly stunned when he heard this, then smiled bitterly.

Yes, he is no longer a member of the Mu family, so why should he continue to defend the sins of the Mu family?

Mu Yunlan bowed with his hands clasped together, his expression solemn. “Yunlan understands that although Yunlan has left the Mu family, the ties of blood are hard to sever.”

"Yunlan only asks that when the prince settles the accounts with the Mu family, he can show some mercy and spare my sister Mu Siwan's life. She has been kind-hearted since childhood and has never been involved in family disputes. She is innocent."

Ximen Liu was silent for a moment, his eyes as sharp as a sword.

"Mu Yunlan, you know that once you are involved in the sins of your family, it is difficult to remain unscathed. However, considering your sincerity and your past assistance in pacifying our borders, I can grant you this favor."

"As for Mu Siwan's matter, I will consider it as appropriate. But the rest of the Mu family, hmph, they deserve it."

Mu Yunlan felt a little relieved upon hearing this. At least his sister still had a glimmer of hope. He bowed deeply to express his gratitude. "Thank you, Your Highness, for your generosity. Yunlan will always remember this."

The Mu family is a century-old family. Their ancestors followed Emperor Taizu in his campaigns and made great military achievements, which earned them this title, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

Even the families of first-class dukes and marquises could be destroyed overnight, let alone other less powerful families.

Jiang Buli watched the Mu family being suppressed by King Jingyuan with iron-blooded means, and couldn't help but feel a sense of grief.

He realized that the Mu family's today might be the Jiang family's tomorrow.

If I don't stop and reform soon, I will probably end up in disgrace and my family will be destroyed.

"Well, Your Majesty, since I see you still have official business to attend to, I will not bother you any further."

Jiang Buli bowed to Ximen Liu tremblingly, then pulled Jiang Jun and tried to get out of the storm.

"Jiang Buli, did I let you go?" Ximen Liu glanced at Jiang Buli coldly, his tone full of unquestionable majesty.

Jiang Buli froze, forcing a smile onto his face. "Your Highness, this old minister... I just saw that the matter here is over, and I want to take my leave early..."

"Hmph, Jiang Buli, do you think I'm blind?" Ximen Liu snorted coldly, his gaze piercing Jiang Buli like a knife. "Why are you running away? What are you feeling guilty about?"

Jiang Buli's face suddenly changed, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. "Your Highness, this old minister...this old minister doesn't understand what you are talking about."