The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 47 - 46

Chapter 46

Two days later, the militia discreetly investigated the employer of the middleman who ordered the kidnapping of the Mu family’s young misses, based on the confessions from the criminals. They gathered enough evidence and witnesses to identify the true mastermind behind the scene.

The chief of the militia reviewed the case documents with a heavy heart, feeling an unprecedented weight upon him.

The investigation concluded that the kidnapping of the second and sixth young misses of the Mu family resulted from a plan gone awry, originally orchestrated by the Furen of the Mu family.

The intended target was the seventh young miss, but a twist of fate led to the abduction of the wrong individuals, causing subsequent chaos.

As both the victim and perpetrator belonged to the same family, and it concerned the Mu family’s internal affairs, the chief felt reluctant to intervene directly...

Sighing heavily, he realized ignoring the issue was not an option, given the mysterious observer monitoring his actions. Yet, delving too deeply into the Mu family’s affairs risked offending Deputy Chancellor Mu Cui Ming excessively.

There were only losses, no matter which way he chose!

So, this was the meaning of whenever the deities fought each other, the lowly individuals suffered...

"What should we do now...Chief?" His close subordinate asked, swallowing nervously.

"Sigh! What else can we do..."

The chief momentarily massaged his temples before reaching a decision. "Let’s go! Prepare to visit the Mu Manor!"

"How many men should I take along, sir?"

"No need to bring everyone! Just get some gifts to present to Elder Mu Furen!"

With that command, the subordinate was momentarily baffled. Weren’t they going to apprehend someone from the Mu family?

Why not brought people and just brought gifts instead?

Upon arriving at the Mu Manor, the confusion dissipated. The chief had informed Elder Mu Furen of his visit, requesting a private meeting.

Initially surprised, she assumed it must be a matter of importance, or else why would the chief come in person? She had her servants guide him to the main hall.

As Su Ming escorted Elder Mu Furen into the hall, the chief, already seated, nodded respectfully in greeting.

"We are all familiar here. You’ve been helping search for my granddaughters these past days. No need for such formality, Chief."

Elder Mu Furen smiled warmly, easing the chief’s tension.

He chose to speak with her, instead of Deputy Chancellor Mu, because of the domestic nature of the issue, involving women in the house. He believed that a senior lady like Elder Mu Furen could handle it most appropriately.

"Elder Furen, I must trouble you again today regarding the kidnapping incident. We’ve apprehended the middleman responsible for planning the abduction of the two young misses. Upon interrogation, we’ve discovered this matter is quite complicated..."

Elder Mu Furen frowned slightly, noting his unease. "What exactly is it?"

"Originally, I thought this matter was trivial,"

The chief of the militia paused briefly, inhaling deeply before continuing in a measured tone, "However, the authorities have been able to gather solid evidence and witnesses pointing unequivocally to the mastermind behind this abduction. To act directly according to the law would somewhat disgrace the Mu family. Therefore, I needed to report to Elder Mu Furen first."

"Please, speak on, Chief. What exactly transpired?" Elder Mu Furen inquired with a grave voice. Though her face remained gentle, her eyes sparkled with seriousness.

The chief swallowed hard, releasing a deep sigh. "The culprit confessed that this whole scheme was orchestrated by the Furen of the Mu family. The initial plan was to kidnap the seventh young miss, who was to board the last carriage back to the manor. However, due to an unexpected turn of events, the wrong person was taken; instead of the seventh young miss, it was the second and sixth young misses who were abducted."

"By the time it was realized that the wrong individuals were taken, it was too late. The children had already been handed over to the bandits. Everything thus became as we knew it..."

Bang!

"Nonsense! How could this be possible!"

Elder Mu Furen slammed her hand on the table, her face turning fierce, eyebrows knitting tightly together in anger.

Could Bai Lijun, that cunning vixen, be capable of such cruelty!?

To think that all the misfortunes befalling her granddaughters could trace back to their own birth mother!

What kind of joke was this?

"However improbable it may seem, it has happened..." The chief of the militia pressed his lips together, watching the Elder Furen’s wrathful demeanor with apprehension.

"Our team went out to gather evidence and witnesses. Many locals from the fourth alley in the western district reported seeing two women, resembling the Furen of the Mu family and her personal servant, meeting with these middlemen frequently."

"There were also pieces of hiring evidence clandestinely kept by the criminals, including contracts bearing Mu Furen’s own signature..."

Upon hearing these details, Elder Mu Furen felt a wave of weakness wash over her. With such overwhelming evidence and witness testimonies, she had no choice but to believe!

She never thought that Bai Lijun could be such a vicious woman, capable of committing such cruel deeds!

She even dared to harm Ying’er!

Ying’er was only nine years old; had she fallen into the hands of those bandits, who knows what might have happened? Just the thought that her own beloved granddaughter was meant to be the unfortunate victim in this incident, 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Elder Mu Furen’s heart tightened with unbearable pain. The flames of anger churned inside her, nearly bursting forth.

Bai Lijun, you nefarious woman!

In the past, she overlooked many things Bai Lijun did, hoping for peace in the residence. But this time, she couldn’t tolerate it any longer!

"Thank you, Chief, for discussing this matter with me directly. Do not worry; I will handle it myself," Elder Mu Furen stated, forcing a smile filled with bitterness.

Hearing this, the chief understood that Elder Furen intended to handle the matter within the family, not wanting governmental interference. Thus, he felt it was time to take his leave.

"Let’s not be too harsh, Miss. Now, I must excuse myself," he said, rising and leaving the Mu Manor with a sense of relief.

However, Mu Manor was about to become the center of a huge storm once again...

After the chief of the militia left, Elder Mu Furen remained seated in the room, her face clouded with gloom. The atmosphere became instantly heavy.

"Should I call for Mu Furen?" asked Su Ming, gently massaging her mistress’s temples to ease her tension while seeking her decision.

"Not yet," Elder Mu Furen replied weakly, her gaze falling to the floor as she pondered deeply.

This issue was significant and could not be allowed to leak out; it had to be dealt with as quietly as possible!

"Wait until Cui Ming returns. Call them and Cui Ming together. I must resolve this matter decisively!" Elder Mu Furen ordered resolutely.

Was she angry? Absolutely, she was furious that Bai Lijun had caused such chaos!

She even planned to harm the Mu lineage so brutally. If she let Bai Li off this time, who knew which grandchild might suffer next?

Yet, part of her also felt deep sorrow for her two granddaughters. Although she did not particularly cherish Mu Luofei and Mu Qin Shuang, they were still her flesh and blood.

Seeing them endure such hardships was agonizing enough, but knowing Bai Lijun, their own mother, had sent them to this hellish fate was unbearable.

Her heart hung heavy to the point that she couldn’t render her feelings!

Elder Mu Furen sighed heavily, her eyes reflecting deep pain. "Retribution indeed..."

...

..

.

That evening, when Mu Cui Ming returned from outside, he was summoned to the main hall by his mother. Upon arrival, he found not only himself and his mother but also his beautiful, yet haggard wife and an old servant gathered there.

"Mother, you called for me?"

Mu Cui Ming swept his gaze over his wife’s frail form before asking his mother with a faint smile.

Bai Lijun, feeling the coldness from her husband, instantly felt heartbroken. He had never treated her this way before!

Yet, since the incident with their daughters, she hadn’t seen her husband at all. She heard that he had been staying with the concubines almost every night.

And her, who was once favored by him, was leaving alone to care for their daughters!

"I have business to attend to. You are here just to witness the situation from the sidelines. But don’t you dare interfere,"

Elder Mu Furen’s voice was unusually cold and stern, causing an eerie chill to spread throughout the room.

Mu Cui Ming, who had never seen his mother in such a state, simply nodded in agreement without asking further questions.

However, Bai Lijun and Auntie Yang felt an uneasy premonition, their hearts pounding as if foreseeing an impending disaster.

Elder Mu Furen fixed her icy gaze on the two women and asked, "Bai Lijun, where had you been before this incident occurred?"

"M...Me?"

Bai Lijun was taken aback, unprepared for such direct questioning. "No...I didn’t go anywhere. I was resting in my quarters before this; how could I have gone out?"

"Is that so?"

Elder Mu Furen scrutinized the cunning woman before her. "Yet, there were sightings of you outside the residence just before the incident."

"That’s impossible, Mother!"

"Then why, on the day Fei’er and Shuang’er were abducted, did you claim it was Ying’er who was taken? You seemed quite certain..."

Elder Mu Furen pressed, unraveling each point methodically. She was eager to see what defenses Bai Lijun might muster.

Bai Lijun stiffened, sharing a brief, fraught glance with Auntie Yang, sensing something was amiss!

"I merely speculated based on the fact that Ying’er child had not yet returned home. It was just a guess."

"Oh, was it?"

Elder Mu Furen smiled coldly to herself, then continued to corner Bai Lijun. "Yet you asserted with such confidence that Ying’er would be the last to return by carriage and thus be abducted. That doesn’t sound like mere speculation to me."

"I was just anxious and spoke thoughtlessly, Mother..." Bai Lijun managed a strained smile, her bitterness evident, her hands clenched under the pressure.

Mu Cui Ming listened in surprise, wondering why his mother delved into such seemingly irrelevant past issues.

"Bai Lijun, oh, Bai Lijun..." Elder Mu Furen watched the suspect’s evasive behavior, laughing softly with a mocking glint in her eyes.

Her soft laughter was like a heavy hammer smashing Bai Lijun’s heart. As Bai Lijun sensed the piercing coldness in Elder Mu Furen’s eyes, panic set in, her frail body trembling uncontrollably.

This old woman knew it already!

Everything she had done was now laid bare before this old woman!

Thwack!

Several documents were thrown forcefully at Bai Lijun’s face, discarded like detestable trash.

"Bai Lijun! Don’t think you can hide your vile deeds from everyone! I’ve given you many chances to reform, but you persist in your wrongdoing!"

Elder Mu Furen’s icy shout reverberated, her expression the epitome of disdain, her eyes seemed to have sparkle of flames.

“Th...This”

Bai Lijun recoiled, hastily picking up and reading through some documents. Her beautiful face turned pale instantly because the contents were the confessions of the captured culprits!

When she read through another documents, she found that it was witness testimonies and evidence pointing to her as the mastermind behind the abduction!

"No! No! It’s not true!"

Rip!

In a fit of hysteria, Bai Lijun tore the papers, her once dignified demeanor as the Furen of the house had now reduced to madness...

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