Chapter 94 – You’re Still Too Green to Fight Me

Liu Qian and the others looked at Mu Nanjin with worry. If it had been anyone else, they would have hurried to apologize by now.

But Mu Nanjin was not an ordinary person. She frowned slightly and said,

“If refusing to meet you counts as disrespect, then when you see the Emperor and don’t kneel, shouldn’t that be grounds to drag you off and behead you?”

【Hmph. You rely on the military achievements you made while following the late Emperor on southern campaigns, and from time to time you use those exploits to pressure the current Emperor. Many times you’ve met the Emperor and still felt perfectly justified not performing the kneeling ceremony. If the Emperor weren’t so benevolent, you would have been dragged out and executed long ago. Do you really think you would still be standing in front of me showing off your power?】

【You yourself are disrespectful to the Emperor, yet you expect others to respect you. How ridiculous.】

Those who could hear her inner thoughts: “……”

“You, how dare you!” Prince Bao trembled with rage. “Guards! Seize her!”

“Yes!”

The four guards who had accompanied Prince Bao strode toward Mu Nanjin.

Liu Qian and Xu Cheng immediately stepped forward, shielding Mu Nanjin.

Colonel Liu was frantic. “Prince Bao, Mu Xiaoqi is young and inexperienced. She doesn’t know how to speak properly. Please, for the sake of your magnanimity, spare her this once.”

Prince Bao’s guards were all eighth-rank martial artists. Liu Qian and the others were no match for them.

Prince Bao snorted coldly. “If she had come to see us immediately after returning, none of this would have happened. Now it’s too late.”

Just as the guards clashed with Liu Qian and the others, Mu Nanjin narrowed her eyes.

The guards suddenly felt as if Mount Tai were pressing down on them. Their bodies froze, unable to move. Taking advantage of the moment, Xu Cheng and the others swiftly knocked all four guards unconscious.

Prince Bao frowned deeply. “What did you do to my guards?”

Mu Nanjin said calmly, “Arrest Prince Bao.”

Everyone: “!!!!”

Prince Fu: “……”

This girl was incredible.

Just a mere seventh-rank official, yet she dared to ignore royal authority.

Colonel Liu was nearly dying from anxiety. “Mu Nanjin! What are you trying to do? He’s a prince. You mustn’t act recklessly!”

Mu Nanjin patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt him.”

Colonel Liu: “……”

Prince Bao laughed in anger. “You think the likes of you can capture me? What a foolish dream. It’s been a long time since I’ve stretched my muscles anyway. Today I’ll use you as practice.”

The Capital Prefect whispered to General Dingguo beside him,

“Isn’t Prince Bao a Martial Arts Grandmaster?”

General Dingguo nodded. “This little girl is simply courting death.”

“You wretched girl! The first one I’ll deal with is…”

Prince Bao angrily rolled up his sleeves. But the moment he stepped forward, he suddenly tripped and fell flat on his face, and once he fell, he couldn’t get back up.

Everyone: “……”

How embarrassing.

“Pfft.”

Prince Fu almost burst out laughing and quickly covered his mouth.

Mu Nanjin said to Xu Cheng and Yang Bo,

“Take Prince Bao to the Imperial Palace’s Imperial Study. Make him kneel there for two hours. Let him make up for all the times he failed to kneel properly before.”

“Yes.”

Xu Cheng and Yang Bo helped the prince up and tossed him onto a horse.

Prince Bao roared angrily, “You wretched girl! What did you do to me? Why can’t I move?!”

Mu Nanjin didn’t answer him. However, in her heart she said,

【Trying to fight me? You’re still too green.】

Those who could hear her thoughts: “……”

Prince Bao nearly coughed up blood from anger.

“Just you wait, you wretched girl! I won’t let you off!”

With a shout, Xu Cheng urged the horse forward and rode away with Prince Bao.

The Capital Prefect hurriedly spoke up. “Mu Xiaoqi, wasn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Mu Nanjin replied with a question. “How is it inappropriate for me to have him kneel before the Emperor?”

The Capital Prefect was speechless.

Everyone: “……”

Mu Nanjin then asked, “Has Prince Fu arrived?”

Prince Fu immediately stepped forward. “I’m here.”

The Capital Prefect and the others glanced at him.

He stepped out rather quickly.

Was he frightened by what happened to Prince Bao?

Mu Nanjin nodded. “Your heir and the heir from Prince Bao’s residence damaged commoners’ property during their street brawl. You need to compensate them. Hand over twenty thousand taels of silver, and your heir can go home. Afterward, educate him properly.”

Prince Fu secretly sighed in relief. “Yes. When we return, I will certainly discipline him and ensure he does not make the same mistake again.”

As long as the problem could be solved with money, it was a small matter.

【They say Prince Fu is always gentle and courteous to others. Seeing him today, it truly seems so. This is the bearing a prince should have, the example for other princes.】

No one disliked hearing praise. Prince Fu couldn’t help smiling.

Mu Nanjin said to Liu Qian, “Go release the heir from Prince Fu’s residence.”

“Yes.”

Liu Qian hurried off eagerly.

Colonel Liu: “……”

Was that really his son?

He looked more like a lackey.

Soon, the heir of Prince Fu’s residence and his guards were brought out.

“Father! You’ve finally come! Do you know…”

The heir was about to complain, but Prince Fu’s face suddenly darkened.

“Silence.”

The heir: “……”

Prince Fu bid farewell to everyone and left with his disappointing son.

Mu Nanjin turned to the others. “Come inside with me.”

With Prince Bao as a cautionary example, everyone realized that trying to suppress her with rank was impossible. Their arrogance immediately shrank, and they obediently followed Mu Nanjin into the prison.

Mu Nanjin deliberately left the matter of the Capital Prefect’s son until last and first dealt with the others.

Their cases were simple. Once they paid compensation, they could leave.

In the end, only the sons of the Capital Prefect and the others remained.

Mu Nanjin sat behind the magistrate’s desk, frowning as she stared at them and their sons.

The sons looked pitifully at their fathers for help, but their fathers didn’t even give them a glance.

At that moment, only one thought remained in the minds of the Capital Prefect and the others:

Was Mu Nanjin really just a young girl who had only recently come of age?

Sitting behind the judicial desk, Mu Nanjin carried even more authority than the Capital Prefect himself during a trial. Her presence was more imposing than anyone else present.

Shi Yongfeng, the son of General Dingguo, could not hold back any longer when his father remained silent.

“Father…”

Mu Nanjin interrupted calmly. “You still have the nerve to call him Father?”

Shi Yongfeng angrily retorted, “He is my father. Why shouldn’t I call him that?”

“Your father shed blood and was wounded defending the Great Qian and protecting its people. He even nearly lost his life on the frontier. Yet you, his son, beat the very citizens he risked his life to protect. You even harassed another man’s wife and tried to take her home as a plaything. Your actions truly disgrace your father. If it were me, I would be too ashamed to admit I was the son of General Dingguo.”

General Dingguo cast his son a cold glance.

“I, I…”

Shi Yongfeng shrank his neck guiltily. “I didn’t harass her. I was just standing nearby watching.”

“Failing to stop wrongdoing is the same as aiding it.”

Shi Yongfeng didn’t dare say another word.

Mu Nanjin snorted and turned to the heir of the Marquis Wenle’s residence.

“Before becoming a marquis, Marquis Wenle was a teacher. His students are spread across the world, all well-learned and refined. So I must ask, why would his own grandson commit the act of harassing another man’s wife in the street? Do you think your family’s reputation is too great and needs to be tarnished a little?”

“Of course not! It’s because I failed to discipline him properly. In the future, I will supervise his studies strictly.”

The heir of the marquis’s residence was so embarrassed he wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it.

His son, Zheng Hongyi, angrily said, “This was my own doing. It has nothing to do with the marquis’s residence!”

Mu Nanjin asked, “Have you severed ties with your family?”

“Of course not.”

“Then how could it have nothing to do with them?”

Zheng Hongyi: “……”

Mu Nanjin then looked at the Capital Prefect.

“You judge cases for the people, yet your son commits crimes outside. Capital Prefect, how do you think this case should be judged? What sentence should your son receive?”

The Capital Prefect fell silent.

If it were up to him, he would have the offender tortured and thrown into prison for life.

His son, Ma Xuanming, anxiously said, “Father, say something!”

“What should I say? How should your crime be sentenced?”

If his son had been sent to the Capital Prefect’s office, he might have shown favoritism. But now, in front of so many people, how could he defend him?

If he showed favoritism, the matter would certainly reach the Emperor.

And he could see that General Dingguo and the marquis’s heir had no intention of interfering anymore. That meant he absolutely could not side with his own son.

Ma Xuanming panicked. “Father, I’m your son! How can you sentence me?!”

“Who told you to do such disgraceful things? Who else can you blame?”

The Capital Prefect turned to Mu Nanjin. “Mu Nanjin, you may judge it however you wish.”

“Father!” Ma Xuanming grabbed his arm. “Father, you can’t ignore me! I don’t want to go to prison!”

Zheng Hongyi and Shi Yongfeng also looked anxiously at their fathers.

General Dingguo and the marquis’s heir turned their heads away, clearly unwilling to intervene.

Mu Nanjin was satisfied with this outcome.

“Clerk.”

“Yes, milady.” The court clerk stepped forward.

Mu Nanjin asked, “How should this case be judged?”

The clerk replied,

“They injured commoners but caused no deaths. Although they harassed another man’s wife, she was not truly harmed. Therefore, imprisonment for half a month would suffice. However, they also insulted court officials. For that alone, they could be imprisoned for three to five years. Considering it is their first offense and they are officials’ sons, a sentence of six months would be appropriate.”

Mu Nanjin shook her head. “Six months is too little…”

Before she could finish speaking, Ma Xuanming shouted anxiously,

“Mu Nanjin! You can’t secretly increase the sentence!”

Mu Nanjin glanced at him coolly.

“I didn’t say I would increase the sentence. In fact, I don’t intend to send you to prison. I want you to sweep the streets, just like the Seventh Prince.”

“While sweeping the streets, if you commit another wrongdoing, your sentence will increase. But if you do something good for the people, your sentence will be reduced.”

Ma Xuanming quickly asked, “What counts as a good deed?”

“Figure that out yourselves. I will also have people watch you. If you truly do good deeds, I will reduce your punishment.”

After a moment’s thought, she added,

“You must supervise each other. If one of you commits wrongdoing, the other two will be punished as well.”

Shi Yongfeng asked, “If one of us does a good deed, can all of us receive a reduced sentence together?”

“Of course not.”

Shi Yongfeng protested angrily. “How can you do that? If one person does wrong, everyone is punished. But if someone does good, we can’t share the benefit? That’s unfair!”

“When you all ganged up to beat a commoner, did you think about fairness? When you used your status to bully others, did you think about fairness?”

Shi Yongfeng fell silent.

Mu Nanjin then looked at their fathers.

“Pay three hundred taels each and you can take your sons home. Starting today, they will sweep from the east side of the city to the west side, no less than four li per day. And it must be done properly. Don’t try to fool me.”

Ma Xuanming complained unwillingly, “We’re already accepting punishment. Why do we still have to pay money?”

“That is compensation for the injured commoners’ medical expenses.”

“That’s too much.”

Mu Nanjin sneered. “If I beat you and paid you nine hundred taels afterward, would you accept it?”

Ma Xuanming blurted out, “Of course not! Nine hundred taels wouldn’t even cover the tonics I’d need!”

The Capital Prefect was nearly driven mad by his son.

“If you don’t know how to speak, then stop talking! Mu Nanjin, we accept your punishment.”

He pulled out five hundred taels in banknotes.

“This is compensation for the injured man. Please convey our apology to him.”

General Dingguo and the marquis’s heir also produced five hundred taels each before leaving with their sons.

Shi Yongfeng rode behind General Dingguo in silence.

General Dingguo said sternly, “Why so quiet now?”

Shi Yongfeng lowered his head. “Father, I’ve disgraced you. I won’t behave like this again.”

Hearing his son admit his mistake, most of General Dingguo’s anger faded instantly.

“Learn from this lesson. If you dare do it again, I’ll break your legs.”

Shi Yongfeng nodded. “Yes.”

In the marquis’s carriage, Zheng Hongyi also remained silent.

The heir sighed heavily. “When we return, apologize to your grandfather.”

“Mm,” Zheng Hongyi responded.

Meanwhile, inside the Capital Prefect’s carriage, the Capital Prefect angrily grabbed Ma Xuanming’s ear.

“You fool! Of all people to offend, you had to offend her!”

“Ow, ow, ow! It hurts! Father, let go! My ear is going to fall off!”

The Capital Prefect released him and sighed.

“When will you learn to behave? If you keep acting like this, even if I were a first-rank official, I wouldn’t be able to protect you.”

“She’s only a seventh-rank official. Why are you afraid of her?”

The Capital Prefect frowned.

“She’s not ordinary, but I can’t explain it to you. Just remember this: stay far away from her in the future. Otherwise, you won’t even know how you died.”

It was the first time Ma Xuanming had seen his father so serious, and he nodded.

“Alright.”

Outside, Mu Nanjin watched the carriages depart before handing the banknotes to Liu Qian.

“Deliver these to Hongyun Inn in the outer city.”

“Yes.”

Liu Qian stuffed the banknotes into his clothes and rode off.

Mu Nanjin turned around and met the complicated gaze of Colonel Liu.

Colonel Liu seemed to have a thousand things to say, but in the end he only said one sentence.

“I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”

Mu Nanjin nodded.

At the same time, inside the Imperial Study of the palace, the Emperor woke from a short nap on the couch. After stretching and yawning, he walked outside, only to see Prince Bao kneeling in the courtyard.

The sight amused him.

He pointed at Prince Bao and asked,

“Why is Prince Bao kneeling here? Did he commit some offense and come to beg for my help?”

Eunuch Yuan explained the entire situation.

The Emperor couldn’t help laughing.

“That little girl always handles matters in the most unexpected ways. Pass down my order to Kan Chaoyan. For the next few days, have that girl patrol the streets. Some people truly need to be dealt with.”

Eunuch Yuan asked, “And Prince Bao?”

The Emperor looked up and met Prince Bao’s pleading gaze.

“Let him keep kneeling.”