106 Playing the Whore While Setting Up a Memorial Arch to Chastity

The Lian residence was ancient and imposing, a stark contrast to the alluring and enchanting Mu Zhijin.

With his long hair cascading down and his collar pulled open to reveal his collarbones, Mu Zhijin leaned lazily against the doorframe, exuding the seductive charm of a former courtesan. The guard standing closest to him stared wide-eyed, the sound of him swallowing hard loud enough for Mu Zhijin to hear clearly. Mu Zhijin cast a sidelong, flirtatious wink, causing the guard’s face to flush instantly.

"Hmph, indecency!" Xu Zhenglin turned away, refusing to look directly at him. "I have two sons and three daughters, all well-versed in the classics and devoted to virtuous deeds. There is absolutely no possibility that anyone of your character could be related to me! Have some self-respect, Master Mu!"

The implication was clear: *Who is your father?*

Mu Zhijin’s seductive smile did not fade, though a chill emanated from him, reaching from his head to his toes. "Bloodlines are ordained by heaven. Do you really think you can just deny it because you say so, Magistrate Xu?"

Xu Zhenglin tilted his head, looking up at the sky. "I heard your birth mother was a famous courtesan in Pingcheng, her jade arms pillowing a thousand men and slept on by ten thousand. As for the son she bore, I doubt even she knew who the seed belonged to. I can understand your desire to rewrite your own origins, Master Mu. But please understand that my understanding does not mean I can be casually identified as your father!"

"Heh, Xu Zhenglin!" The gaze Mu Zhijin fixed upon him held no warmth—even if it had once existed, it had been obliterated long ago when he was demoted to the Chu Courtesan House after passing the imperial examinations. "I never expected that after all these years, your hypocritical ways—playing the whore while demanding a memorial arch for your virtue—would still be so impressively consistent!"

A flash of murderous intent crossed Xu Zhenglin’s face. "Enough nonsense! I ask you, where is the Lian family?"

Mu Zhijin picked at his fingernails. "I don’t know. The courtyard was already empty when I arrived."

"I suspect you intentionally let them escape."

Mu Zhijin twirled a lock of his hair. "Why would I do that? And how could I? According to you, Magistrate, consider our respective stations. Why would they ever listen to me?"

"You!" Xu Zhenglin choked on his anger, turning to order a guard, "Ride my horse back to the palace at once and report this matter to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Yes." The guard rode off.

Xu Zhenglin finally turned back to Mu Zhijin. "I advise you to disclose their whereabouts before the Crown Prince orders a city-wide search. If you do, I may consider your cooperation as a meritorious service and seek leniency in your sentencing."

Mu Zhijin flicked his hair and stepped down from the stairs. "Leniency in sentencing? What have I done to warrant a sentence? Just because I happen to be at the Lian residence? Magistrate, if you want to make an arrest for merit, you need a reason that makes sense! I have only just returned to Shengjing and intended to visit some of my former patrons. It just so happens that the young master of the Lian family is out, and I encountered you just as I was leaving! Meeting me here is, absolutely and entirely, a coincidence. If this requires sentencing, it seems your official career is coming to an end."

With that, Mu Zhijin began to walk toward the gate.

"Stop." Xu Zhenglin signaled the guards to block him. "I have heard that your tongue is as eloquent as a lotus flower, and today proves it is no mere rumor. However, no matter how you spin it, you cannot wash away your suspicion today. Men, seize him! If you have so much to say, go say it to the Crown Prince in the main hall!"

The guards swarmed forward. Mu Zhijin stretched his limbs, preparing to fight his way out.

Xu Zhenglin’s voice rang out again. "You dare resist? At the very least, that is resisting arrest, and the Imperial Guard has the right to kill on the spot. Are you certain you can defeat hundreds of guards alone? At worst, you are a county magistrate from Pingcheng who abandoned his post to enter the capital without imperial decree. Once that charge is brought, do you think the Second Prince, who appointed you, will have enough standing left to prevent the Crown Prince from formally stripping him of his influence in the court?"

The salt road in Pingcheng had been seized, and the magistrate had turned from an ally into an enemy overnight. Though they were stretched thin, it did not mean they were ignorant of the situation.

Mu Zhijin paused his movements. The reason he hadn't revealed himself after returning to Shengjing was precisely to avoid this. The Crown Prince certainly had spies left in Pingcheng; it would be no surprise if he used Mu Zhijin's appearance to strike at the Second Prince’s faction.

However, after a brief pause, Mu Zhijin continued to loosen his muscles. "But the premise for all your assumptions, Magistrate Xu, is that you must first be able to catch me!"

As soon as the words left his lips, Mu Zhijin lunged toward the left, where the encirclement was thinnest. He could not fight hundreds of guards, but he had an eighty percent chance of breaking through the perimeter.

He seized the spear of the first guard with his left hand, pulled a sunflower from his tunic with his right, and drove it into the guard’s throat. The man died instantly. Mu Zhijin took the spear, gripped it with both hands, and thrust it forward; the second and third guards were run through together.

In the blink of an eye, Mu Zhijin had killed three men.

Xu Zhenglin, who had retreated behind the crowd, panicked. "Attack! Attack! I don't care if he’s dead or alive—take him!" He knew Mu Zhijin practiced martial arts, but he hadn't realized he was skilled enough to fell three guards in an instant. If he escaped now, he would be impossible to catch later.

Xu Zhenglin quietly signaled an archer on the perimeter. "Shoot him! Quickly!"

The archer replied, "Yes," but lowered his bow after several failed attempts to aim. "Magistrate, there are too many guards, and they are all pressing in. If I shoot now, I am more likely to hit our own men."

"Then when is the right time?"

"When there is a distance between him and the guards."

No sooner had he spoken than Mu Zhijin forced the guards back with his spear and leaped into the air.

The archer’s nerves tightened. "Now."

Xu Zhenglin immediately ordered, "Fire!"

*Whoosh—* A sharp arrow whistled through the air, piercing Mu Zhijin’s back as he attempted to clear the wall.

*Thud—* The arrow struck home. Mu Zhijin arched backward, tumbled from the wall, and fell to the ground outside.

"Pursue!" Xu Zhenglin led his men out of the courtyard, but when they reached the spot where Mu Zhijin had fallen, there was no one there.

The sound of hooves approached. Xu Zhenglin whipped his head around, only to see the back of a carriage disappearing around the corner of the street.

Someone had been waiting outside to receive him. In their haste to slaughter the Lian family, they had failed to post a guard outside the wall.

"Pursue!" Xu Zhenglin ordered again. "I want to see him alive or dead—chase him!"

A squad of guards raced off after the carriage tracks. Xu Zhenglin prepared to follow, but was interrupted by a guard galloping from the opposite direction. "Magistrate, the Crown Prince summons you to the palace immediately."

Without waiting for a reply, the guard dismounted and helped Xu Zhenglin onto his horse. "The Crown Prince says it is a matter of the utmost urgency and orders you to return to the palace at once, regardless of what you are doing."

With that, the guard slapped the horse’s rump. Before Xu Zhenglin could process what was happening, he was carried away, back toward the palace.