Li Xian schooled his expression, bowed his head deeply, and called out, "Your Majesty, I ask for nothing else. I only ask that Your Majesty bear witness."
"My Li family will return everything the Anle Marquis Manor gave us. If any of it is gone, we'll replace it with something of equal value."
"I only hope to sever all ties with the Anle Marquis Manor and restore my daughter's good name."
Jun Tianxiao had barely managed to wait until he finished speaking before he couldn't hold back any longer. He immediately cut in:
"You old bastard! If Li Qinghan really has nothing to hide, why did she accept my gifts so readily when she clearly didn't want to be with me?"
Li Xian slowly raised his head. He didn't even bother to look at Jun Tianxiao as he replied expressionlessly:
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, every time my daughter accepted a gift, it was because Jun Tianxiao forced it on her. She never accepted anything willingly."
"On several occasions, Jun Tianxiao even threatened to kill himself, leaving my daughter no choice but to accept his gifts."
Faced with this explanation, Jun Tianxiao cursed his predecessor with all his heart. He knew that his predecessor had really done what Li Xian described.
It was all true, without the slightest room for rebuttal. Jun Tianxiao stammered for ages, yet couldn't come up with a single excuse.
As Mo Yunxuan watched Li Xian prostrate himself before the throne, he mused to himself:
This guy's pretty good. I don't really understand what deeper meaning there is behind his words.
But from the way Ji Ruxue's expression is getting uglier by the second, it's clear Jun Tianxiao's in for it!
Heh, satisfying!
Ji Ruxue glared at Jun Tianxiao, her expression dark. "Beloved Minister Li, rest assured. I'll have Hong Yu make the trip in person on my behalf and oversee the matter from beginning to end."
Then her voice rang through the entire hall. "If there's nothing else, the court is dismissed!"
With that, she paid no heed to whether the officials present had anything to report. She rose and headed for the Imperial Harem.
The officials watched Ji Ruxue leave first. None of them wanted to draw attention to themselves, so they all lowered their heads in tacit agreement.
When the palace guards called out, "The court is dismissed," Mo Yunxuan turned and headed out of the hall.
As he passed Jun Tianxiao, he saw him standing motionless. Mo Yunxuan walked over and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
He hooked an arm around Jun Tianxiao's neck and whispered in his ear, "Brother Tianxiao, when is your Zhao Yun heading to the barracks? I'll have someone make the proper arrangements for him."
Jun Tianxiao didn't like being so close to another man. He twisted from side to side, trying to break free of Mo Yunxuan's hold.
But after several attempts, he couldn't budge him at all. He could only turn his head and snap impatiently, "Mo Yunxuan, stop putting on an act. If you've got an agenda, just say it!"
Mo Yunxuan lifted his chin slightly and looked down at Jun Tianxiao with scorn. His words carried a veiled meaning. "You really are heartless, Brother Tianxiao! Aren't you afraid your Zhao Yun will be killed in there?"
"Hahaha! You think I'm worried about that rabble of yours?"
Jun Tianxiao scoffed at Mo Yunxuan's threatening words, and he had complete faith in Zhao Yun's reputation.
He had investigated the matter before. Though the Wei State Duke Mansion was still a massive power, ever since the Old Duke's unexpected death—
The mansion still had several Spirit Transformation cultivators, but ultimately, it no longer had a Void Refinement cultivator to anchor it.
With Zhao Yun's strength, even if he really couldn't win, he could still escape unscathed and save his life.
Besides, he could summon a Hero of Huaxia once every month. If only he had enough time,
he could absolutely bring the Left Wei Guard firmly under his control and leave everyone stunned.
Even if someone in the Wei State Duke Mansion broke through to the Void Refinement Realm, by then the Left Wei Guard would already have changed masters.
Watching Jun Tianxiao suddenly turn arrogant, Mo Yunxuan slowly released the arm he had hooked around his neck.
He straightened his court robes, glanced at the brightening sky outside the hall, and spoke in an unhurried voice:
"Since you're so confident, Brother Tianxiao, I wish you the best of luck in taking control of the Left Wei Guard."
"But let me remind you, Brother Tianxiao: the Left Wei Guard's waters run deep. If your Zhao Yun happens to get killed in there, don't take it too hard."
Mo Yunxuan finished with a soft laugh, then flicked his sleeves and strolled out of the hall, looking as carefree as ever.
Watching him leave, Jun Tianxiao felt a shadow fall over his heart.
Although he had complete faith in Zhao Yun's strength, spears in the open were easy to dodge, while arrows in the dark were hard to guard against. Even he was beginning to feel a little less certain.
Could Mo Yunxuan really have something up his sleeve?
But as soon as the thought occurred to him, Jun Tianxiao dismissed it.
No! Probably not. If he really had something up his sleeve, why would he give up the position of Commander of Left Wei Guard?
Besides, the matter had already been settled at court, and he had the Empress's backing.
Even if Mo Yunxuan had something up his sleeve, it was too late now.
He was probably just bluffing!
Having made up his mind, Jun Tianxiao smiled confidently and left the court hall.
Inside the Council Hall at Left Wei Guard Barracks,
the many Left Wei Guard officers sat gathered together, their expressions all a little strange.
One of them spoke up. "So the Duke has abandoned us?"
His exaggerated tone earned eye-rolls from everyone present.
A musclebound general scoffed at him. "Old Wang, will you ever quit? Everyone else is trying to figure something out, and you're still fooling around!"
The general they called Old Wang didn't take offense at Muscle General's words. He grinned. "Hey, Old Qi, the mood in here was just too weird. I was trying to lighten it up!"
"Besides, what's there to discuss? We'll just follow the Duke's arrangements. It's only for a month—not that long. We can grit our teeth and get through it."
Old Qi sucked in a sharp breath at Old Wang's words. His eyes went wide, and he retorted irritably:
"That's not what I mean! I just don't understand. Even if they weren't going to choose a Commander from among us..."
"There are plenty of Spirit Transformation mid-stage generals in the Left and Right Xiao Guards. They could've picked any one of them. How did things end up like this?"
Old Wang pursed his lips and shrugged. "It's the higher-ups' decision, anyway. Why should we care?"
"We should just look after ourselves and make sure we don't betray the Wei State Duke Mansion! Thinking about it too much is just asking for trouble."
As he spoke, Old Wang's restless gaze traveled up and down Old Qi, as if to say that Old Qi was the one making trouble for himself.
Old Qi couldn't take it anymore. He bellowed, "Hey, you little brat! Just wait—I'll teach you a lesson!"
The people around them hurriedly pulled the two apart. It seemed this wasn't the first time.
Meanwhile,
Mo Yunxuan returned to the Wei State Duke Mansion. As soon as he turned into the garden, he spotted a familiar girl sitting in the pavilion.
When he got a better look at her, he suddenly realized that this was another one of his fiancées!
The girl was named Meng Zhirou. She was two years older than him, yet only one and a half meters tall.
Since they shared the same surname, she often called Meng Qianxue her older sister, though they weren't actually related by blood.
But since she was already here, Mo Yunxuan naturally had no reason to avoid meeting her—especially when she was his fiancée!
As he recalled, though, Meng Zhirou seemed to have a bad habit, much like right now.
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