Female-dominated society: Striving for the position of powerful minister, doting on Xiao Yunqing

The group followed Tie Zhu upstairs. Along the way, Xiao Ran chattered and told jokes to Mu Yan, who laughed so hard she was bent over. The two of them were extremely happy.

Mu Yunqing carefully examined the pavilion. Although they were just ordinary people, every piece of calligraphy and painting hanging inside was extremely valuable.

He had previously read art books and knew many famous paintings. In addition, he also liked to paint in his spare time. He could tell at a glance which paintings were by famous people.

However, this simple attic was filled with paintings by famous people.

Ah, it looks like tonight will be another sleepless night.

“These…these three rooms are for guests to stay in on weekdays. The three of you can choose whichever you like…” Tie Zhu said as he stepped forward and opened the door.

"Please rest first, all three of you. Call me if you need anything. I... my name is Tiezhu." Tiezhu said timidly, his little hands nervously unsure of where to put them.

He stood on the right side of the door, dressed in coarse cloth clothes, his long hair casually tied up with a thin rope, his face dark red, his eyes full of fear, and the corners of his mouth red, as if he had been beaten.

"Okay. We'll call you if we need anything. You can go now." Mu Yan noticed his nervousness and said softly to him.

"Thank you... thank you, sister..." Tie Zhu said hurriedly as he ran downstairs.

Both of them were lamenting Tie Zhu's tragic fate, but Xiao Ran, being the loner, suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh my, I really can't hold it in anymore. What a fine kid, why is he called Tiezhu?" Xiao Ran's bright little eyes crinkled into crescent shapes as she grinned broadly.

"Your Highness..." Mu Yan rolled her eyes at Xiao Ran without any attempt to hide it.

"Ahem, oh Yan, you couldn't help it, I didn't mean to~ I promise I won't do it again~" Xiao Ran snuggled up to Mu Yan and acted coquettishly.

Mu Yunqing closed his eyes speechlessly and then went inside.

"Oh dear, sister, is brother jealous? Why did he walk away without looking back?" Xiao Ran said in a teasy tone.

"Stop fooling around, come in, I have something to tell you." Mu Yan pulled Xiao Ran inside.

"Oh dear, sister looks so serious. Did I do something wrong?"

"If my younger sister has truly done something wrong, please tell me clearly, lest I, an ungrateful person, get upset and harm my health."

Xiao Ran skillfully showcased her literary talent in the style of Lin Daiyu.

Mu Yan: This girl really doesn't treat her like an outsider.

"Odd changes, even remains the same," Mu Yan said calmly.

Xiao Ran, who had been making a ruckus, suddenly fell silent. At this moment, she really wanted to play a quiet song to ease the awkwardness.

"Ayan, you, you, you... what did you say..." Xiao Ran's words were not very coherent.

She was completely stunned when she heard Mu Yan say "odd changes, even doesn't," her jaw almost dropped.

Mu Yan: "Odd changes, even remains the same."

Xiao Ran: "Does the sign indicate the quadrant?"

"Holy crap, Ayan, you too..." Xiao Ran excitedly gave Mu Yan a bear hug.

"Keep your voice down." Mu Yan covered Xiao Ran's mouth, preventing her from speaking out of turn.

"Um, Yan, why didn't you say so sooner?" Xiao Ran asked her softly, her tone tinged with a hint of complaint.

The two chatted back and forth, getting to know each other's situations.

Xiao Ran said angrily, "I've been here for three years, and I've never seen a single system like those in those novels!"

Who doesn't want a cheat code? Who doesn't want to have a built-in advantage? Who doesn't want to be born with a charm that everyone admires?

"You don't have a system yet?" Mu Yan asked, looking somewhat surprised.

"Yes, there's no system at all."

"Let me tell you, I've found that my life is just so ordinary. I'm starting to wonder if I've been given a cannon fodder role, sob sob sob." Xiao Ran said pitifully.

It's not just her bragging, but her life has become more and more comfortable over the past three years. There's no scheming or backstabbing, no love-hate relationships, and even the Empress dotes on her.

But the more she thought about it, the more panicked she became. What kind of good person would transmigrate to another world and end up accomplishing nothing, just sitting around waiting to die?

Therefore, she took the initiative to request to go to Wenzhou to manage the floods, though of course, she was mostly after money.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran's thoughts returned.

"Ayan, do you have a plan for dealing with the floods in Wenzhou?" Xiao Ran looked at Mu Yan expectantly.

"Build a reservoir?"

"Right on my mind!"

_

Mu Yunqing's room

Tie Zhu brought out the prepared food, and Mu Yunqing sat at the table and picked up a pen to write.

"Sir, please enjoy your meal."

"Come here." Mu Yunqing beckoned to Tie Zhu with her finger.

"Young master... is there anything you need?" Tie Zhu was still timid.

"Do as instructed." Mu Yunqing put the note she had just written into Tie Zhu's sleeve.

"Yes."

"Alright, you can go now." Mu Yunqing waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Upon hearing this, Tie Zhu obediently left, closing the door behind him.

Just as Mu Yunqing picked up his chopsticks to take a bite of food, he saw Ling Qi, who was hanging from the beam, jump down.

“It’s poisoned.” Ling Qi said, reaching out to snatch Mu Yunqing’s chopsticks.

"I know." Mu Yunqing looked up at Ling Qi, his eyes full of disdain.

"Then why are you still picking up food?" Ling Qi asked him, somewhat annoyed.

"I just wanted to see if the people of Red Moon would stand by and watch someone die." Mu Yunqing said casually, as if he wasn't one of Red Moon's people.

"Haha." Ling Qi chuckled lightly, then said seriously, "This old woman is no simpleton."

"Hmm." Mu Yunqing responded perfunctorily, resting his chin on his right hand and toying with the teacup in his left.

"Mu Yunqing".

"I'm listening, please speak." Mu Yunqing looked up at her politely.

"The Empress wishes to see you."

"Tonight?".

"Ah."

"I have an appointment tonight, tell her to reschedule for another day." Mu Yunqing's expression showed some impatience.

Mu Yunqing: I hate the empress who has no sense of time.

Lingqi: I'm speechless.

"Don't forget who you are."

"Are you threatening me?" Mu Yunqing looked up and met her eyes. A sharp light flashed in his light blue eyes, and his already cold and handsome face became more gloomy.

Ling Qi was genuinely startled. For a man to possess such a powerful aura, it seemed that Ni Yu hadn't misjudged him after all.

"How dare I threaten you? You'd better not threaten me in the future~" Ling Qi said gently, afraid that this man would lose his temper again.

"Why wait until later? There's no time like the present," Mu Yunqing said calmly, then placed the dagger against Ling Qi's neck.

"How...how can you be so fast?" Ling Qi was truly amazed. She had heard Ni Yu say that Mu Yunqing was powerful, but she thought that Ni Yu was just letting Mu Yunqing win. However, after seeing him today, she realized that he was indeed as good as he was.

Just as Mu Yunqing was about to speak, there was a rapid knocking at the door. Ling Qi hurriedly flew back to the beam and hung up again.

"Dong dong dong."

"Dong dong dong."

"Is there...something wrong?" Mu Yunqing asked Mu Yan softly outside the door.

Ling Qi, who was hanging from the beam, almost vomited. The person who had been so fierce just moments before had suddenly become gentle.

But out of professional ethics, she chose to keep quiet.

"Where's the food? You... haven't eaten, have you?" Mu Yan panicked a little. In her memory, Mu Yunqing was always dull and obedient, eating whatever was given to him.

"I haven't eaten yet. Is there something wrong with the food?" Mu Yunqing asked, looking very curious.

Food: ??? Who just said they knew I was poisonous? You're being hypocritical, aren't you?

"It's good that you didn't eat it. The food was poisoned, but the tea is safe to drink."

"You should get some rest tonight, and don't get up no matter what noise you hear, understand?"

"Okay." Mu Yunqing obediently replied.

"Alright, be careful." Mu Yan finished her instructions and turned to leave.

Halfway there, he remembered he hadn't given him the dagger yet, so he hurriedly turned back.

"Mu Yunqing".

"Ok?"

"Keep this dagger for self-defense. If anything happens, shout my name and I will come to your rescue."

Mu Yan felt that this sentence was strange, awkward, and quite unreliable, but there was nothing she could do. The other party was the innocent and naive male lead, and she had to protect him.

Regardless of whether we can protect them properly, at least we need to take care of their mental well-being first.

They dared to poison Mu Yan; tonight we must teach them a lesson.

"Okay." Mu Yunqing responded softly as before, and then took the dagger from her hand.

After delivering the dagger, Mu Yan went back inside. She had a lot of things to discuss with Xiao Ran and was very busy.

_

Mu Yunqing closed the door and turned to walk into the house.

Ling Qi sat at the table, sipping her tea. When she saw Mu Yunqing enter, she looked up and said, "I think I've discovered some incredible secret."

"Is that so?" Mu Yunqing sat down in front of her and poured a cup of tea.

"You like this?" Ling Qi asked with a hint of disdain.

She thought someone like Mu Yunqing would like a great general or a chivalrous woman, but she never expected him to like the little lamb in the Prime Minister's mansion.

"What? Are you going to offer me some advice?"

"That's not necessary. Since it's her duty, Lingqi shouldn't interfere."

"Hmm," Mu Yunqing responded indifferently.

"I'll find an excuse to deal with the Empress for now, but you'll have to go and apologize to her yourself tomorrow night," Ling Qi said, putting the cup aside.

"Find an excuse to deal with it, haha, it seems that Red Moon is not loyal to the Empress either." Mu Yunqing raised an eyebrow at Ling Qi, his eyes full of provocation.

"I'm trying to help you, you..." Ling Qi wanted to explain, but Mu Yunqing interrupted her.

"Okay, thank you. I'll go find her myself tomorrow night, alright?"

Mu Yunqing didn't want to listen to her nonsense, so he waved his hand to signal her to leave.

Ling Qi didn't argue with him; she tied on her veil and jumped out of the window to leave.

_

Into the night

Mu Yunqing went to the backyard alone. He had arranged to meet Tiezhu there, but the child was so timid that he wondered if he would come.

“Young Master…” Tie Zhu called out softly.

"Let's sit down and talk," Mu Yunqing said, finding a way to sit down.

"Can you really get me out of here?" Tie Zhu looked up at Mu Yunqing, his eyes full of anticipation.

He desperately wanted to get rid of the old woman, but she watched him every day and would verbally abuse and beat him from time to time. He had had enough of these days.

"Do you believe me?" Mu Yunqing asked him softly.

"I believe you." Tie Zhu's eyes were very firm.

Let alone people, he would even be willing to leave if a dog were to take him away. He doesn't want to stay in this hell on earth for even a second longer.

"Where did you get the Green Slave Seal on your hand?"

A hint of fear flashed in Tie Zhu's eyes, "Young Master...I..."

"It's okay, just say it."

Tie Zhu stammered, seemingly preoccupied with something.

"Then let me ask you, and you can say yes or no, okay?" Mu Yunqing asked him softly.

"can."

"She took you there."

"Yes."

Are there many people there?

"Uh-huh."

……

After a series of questions and answers, Mu Yunqing learned that the place was called Qingshi Village, and the old woman was named Xue Jianing. She was skilled in using poison and had two sons and a daughter, but they all died at her hands.

The remains of those three are now buried under the attic, where the old woman weeps every night.

Even after her children died, the old woman remained unrepentant and continued to kill people every now and then.

This woman was extremely greedy, but also extremely afraid of death. Many of her men died, including Tie Zhu's family.

Countless families like her have been killed because of her.

The Qingnu mark on Tiezhu's hand was branded on him by someone she had done.

Regarding the Green Slave Seal, there is a huge trading place underneath, and the type of trade is similar to human trafficking today.

Boys and girls were being sold there, and everyone had a brand on their hands.

Xue Jianing was one of the human traffickers.

_

Inside Xiao Ran's house

"Hmm...Are you sure she'll come? We've been waiting for her for quite a while now," Xiao Ran asked Mu Yan, yawning.

"Trust me, sweetie, go lie down on the bed," Mu Yan patted her head reassuringly.

"Okay, then you have to protect me, okay?" Xiao Ran said as she climbed onto the bed.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you're completely unharmed!" Mu Yan patted her chest confidently.

Having killed people for eight years, I still have that much confidence.

"Alright, but Ah Yan, why did you choose to do it at night?"

“Because…a dark and windy night is a good time to kill. Shh, don’t talk, there’s noise outside.” Mu Yan said as she walked outside.

Perhaps knowing that Mu Yan was going to commit the crime against the wind, the moon hid itself tonight, leaving the corridor pitch black—a scene perfectly suited for murder.

Before long, Mu Yan saw the old woman tiptoeing over.

She gently opened the door, tiptoed into the room, and wow, her movements were quite practiced. It seems she's done this kind of thing quite often, so you can't blame her for being heartless.

The old woman walked around the house, and when she found that the person was not there, her face gradually became ferocious.

"Are you looking for me?" Mu Yan held the dagger to her neck.

“You…” The old woman struggled to move the dagger away.

Mu Yan deliberately moved the dagger a little closer and said with a smile, "Don't move around too much. I'm a pretty honest person overall, except for my hands... tsk, they always tremble involuntarily."

"If you move, and I tremble, it will be a whole different story."

"You...you...let me go!...Let me go!" The old woman struggled violently.

"Tsk, I told you not to move, can't you understand human language or what?" Mu Yan scolded sternly.

The old woman shuddered in fright and quickly quieted down.

"Aran, tie her up!"

"Alright!" Xiao Ran walked in carrying a bundle of thick rope.

The two men tied the old woman up and hung her from the attic.

"Tell me, how many lives have you taken?" Mu Yan raised her eyes to meet the old woman's gaze.

"I...I didn't...Today was an accident...I haven't harmed anyone..." The old woman shook her head repeatedly.

"I'll ask you one more time, how many lives were lost?"

"I..." the old woman stammered, unable to speak.

“A family of three from Tong County, two men from Huxun Village, a girl and a woman, Tiezhu’s family… five people in total, plus the three people today, making a total of 15 people.”

Mu Yunqing calmly announced the number of people, with Tie Zhu following closely behind him.

“If you’ve taken someone’s life, you should at least go and keep them company, don’t you think?” Mu Yan said, using her dagger to lift the old woman’s chin.

If it were before, this person would have been dead by his own hand long ago. But now that he is in Fengqi Kingdom, he has to follow the rules. Sure enough, it's not good to run wild when you're not on your own turf.

"According to the law, how should this be handled?" Mu Yan asked calmly.

"All nine clans should be executed."

Mu Yan looked up at the elderly woman and then laughed: "Does she look like she has nine generations of relatives?"

Old woman: Are you being polite?

Mu Yunqing chuckled lightly, but Xiao Ran almost burst out laughing. Mu Yan was really straightforward.

"Let's take them to Wenzhou tomorrow and see how the local officials handle it."

"So, is that all?" Xiao Ran looked at Mu Yan expectantly.

"That's all done, go back to sleep!"

"Okay!" Xiao Ran said, then scurried into her room. She was so tired that she needed to catch up on her sleep.