A young servant came darting frantically toward the rear courtyard of the Song family, only to be stopped the moment he reached the courtyard gate. "Halt! You have no manners at all. This is no place for you to be."
He stopped by the wall, leaning against it to catch his breath, stammering between gasps, "Something... something terrible has happened. The Commandery Princess's people are here, and there are so many of them. Hurry... go tell the head of the household at once."
The guard did not dare to take his stammered words lightly. One of them rushed off to deliver the message before the servant could even finish speaking.
Inside the study, Song Linzhi let out a cold laugh when the guard told him that Xi Qingyue had sent people over. "What is there to fear? In broad daylight, do they really think they can kill me?"
He waved a hand at the guard. "You may leave first. Have everyone gather in the front yard. I am eager to see what tricks they are trying to pull."
The housekeeper standing beside him was full of worry. "Master, these people mean no good. They are clearly here to make a move against you. We must prepare for the worst."
Song Linzhi did not think Xi Qingyue would dare to slaughter ordinary people wantonly, but he still heeded the housekeeper's suggestion to play it safe.
"Housekeeper, gather all the Song family's guards, plus all the expert fighters we hired. If that little girl really leaves us no way out, we will fight them to the end."
A trace of ferocity flashed across his eyes. His family had specifically hired more than a dozen highly skilled martial artists, not to mention his personal guards. All together, they numbered at least a hundred people. He simply did not believe Xi Qingyue would dare to lay a hand on the Song family.
Mu Jin had no idea what Song Linzhi was thinking. After stepping through the Song family's main gate, she did not venture further inside, but stood in the open plaza at the front waiting for the Song family to come out.
The Song family's main gate was still left ajar, so the common folk outside could see everything unfolding within. They all craned their necks to peer inside.
It did not take long before Song Linzhi led the rest of the Song family out to meet them.
At the sight of Mu Jin and her group, Song Linzhi shouted angrily, "What is the meaning of this? You break into a private residence for no reason at all. Do you think no one in the Song family is capable of standing up to you?"
Mu Jin let out a scoff at the sight of the furious looks on the Song family's faces. "No reason at all? Song Linzhi, we are here on the Commandery Princess's orders to arrest the criminals of the Song family. If you surrender peacefully, you will spare yourself a lot of unnecessary suffering. Your entire family is steeped in wickedness, with countless evil deeds to your name. It is only right and proper that we come to take you into custody - we are doing this on heaven's behalf."
Song Linzhi's face turned a deep shade of livid in an instant. He had only heard that a large group of people had arrived, and had guessed they were up to no good, but he never expected they would come for his very life.
He swept his gaze over Mu Jin's party and could not help sneering. "On what grounds do you think you can arrest us? The Song family is a clan that has stood for hundreds of years. Even the Prefect would show us due respect. The Commandery Princess is only managing Xin'an City on a temporary basis. She is not the rightful lord of this fief, and she has no such authority to arrest people."
Mu Jin was not the least bit annoyed by his words. A faint smile even tugged at the corner of her lips. "What are you trying to say, Master Song? The Commandery Princess has given explicit orders that anyone who obstructs this operation will be executed without mercy. Are you trying to pick a fight with us?"
Song Linzhi glanced over the people Mu Jin had brought with her. There were barely more than twenty of them in total. His own dozen martial arts experts were all standing right behind him, so the odds were clearly in his favor.
To be on the safe side, he leaned over to the old man at his side and whispered, "Old Wang, we have more than twenty of them. Are you confident you can take them all down?"
Old Wang had been in the middle of drinking and carousing with his brothers, surrounded by their women, when someone suddenly interrupted him to call him over. He was already seething with discontent, and his gaze at Mu Jin and her group was full of unmasked anger.
When he heard the skeptical question from Song Linzhi, he scoffed dismissively. "With this tiny group of people? We wouldn't even break a sweat handling them. Don't you worry, we'll wrap this up in no time."
At those words, Song Linzhi heaved a sigh of relief, a triumphant smirk spreading across his face.
Mu Jin simply watched them exchange words, a faint, cool smile playing on her lips.
"Finished your little discussion?" she said. "As of right now, no one is allowed to leave the Song family estate, only to enter. We are only here to arrest the people who deserve to be taken. If you choose to resist, you will be responsible for the consequences."
As she spoke, she deliberately turned her gaze directly toward Old Wang.
Old Wang's brows furrowed with displeasure, and he said in a cold, sharp voice, "Young lady, don't be so arrogant. Even the government officers need proof before making an arrest. Your group is acting far too overbearingly."
Mu Jin let out a cold laugh. "Overbearing? Who in this entire Xin'an City has been more overbearing than the Song family? Where was that sense of justice when the Song family beat an innocent person to death? I bet you were the one helping them round up witnesses and cover it up everywhere, weren't you? Since we clearly can't reason with you and you refuse to surrender, there's no more need for pointless chatter."
The words had barely left her mouth when she raised the submachine gun in her hand, pointing it straight at Song Linzhi and the others. "We have only come for the people who have committed crimes. If you have never hurt anyone, you have nothing to fear. All of you with clean consciences, move to my left. Those who are willing to come with us to the yamen to confess your sins, move to my right. Anyone who stays right where they are will face the consequences."
The moment Mu Jin lifted her gun, everyone else in her group raised their own weapons as well.
Chaos instantly erupted among the Song family members. Some were screaming in terror, some were sneering with disdain, and others stood frozen, completely at a loss what to do.
Song Kuo was standing right behind Song Linzhi, his face tight with conflict. He had tried to persuade his father not to go against the Commandery Princess before, but Song Linzhi had refused to listen to him at all. He had also ignored his mother's advice to flee to the family's country estate outside the city immediately, never imagining that disaster would strike this soon.
Now, watching Mu Jin press them so relentlessly, a flicker of anger rose in his chest. Even if the Song family had made some mistakes, was there really any need to storm their home and arrest them like this? The Song family was a centuries-old established clan after all, and they still had relatives holding high positions in the imperial court. She had not spared them even the slightest bit of face.
Some of the Song family's elder clansmen and younger generation of descendants were also burning with rage, looking at Mu Jin as if they wanted to tear her apart alive.
All the masters, housekeepers, maids, and servants of the Song family had been gathered together right there. One young maid hesitated for a moment, darted a quick glance at Song Linzhi, then scurried over to the left side of Mu Jin.
Soon after, more maids and footmen followed, hurrying to join her on that side. They were just ordinary servants who had never taken part in any of the Song family's misdeeds, so naturally they had no reason to stand with the clansmen and fight back against the people acting on the court's behalf.
Song Linzhi glared at the servants who had moved, his eyes burning with fury. "How dare you all betray me like this?"
His words had barely faded when he froze completely in shock.
His concubine Madam Mei, who he kept in a separate residence outside the estate, was walking over with their son, joining the group of maids and servants.
Song Linzhi snapped back to his senses and yelled at her sharply, "Xiaomei, get back here right now!"
Madam Mei shook her head at him. "Master, I'm sorry. I don't want to lose my life for no reason. That young lady made it very clear that as long as you haven't done anything evil, standing on that side will keep you safe."
Watching this scene unfold, Mu Jin could not help but burst into laughter. This long-kept mistress of Song Linzhi's was certainly a smart one.
Song Linzhi's face turned bright beet red with rage, feeling his dignity had been trampled completely underfoot. He clenched his fists so tight his knuckles turned white.
He roared in a furious outburst, "Old Wang, move! Stop all of them right here, and you will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver per person."
The moment Old Wang heard he would get silver, his face lit up with immense joy, and he drew his sword and lunged into action immediately.
The bright smile on Mu Jin's face grew even wider. She had originally planned to bring these people back first, dig out the hard evidence, then bring out all the witnesses to testify against them, and finally carry out the execution publicly in front of everyone.
But now, the Song family was in such a rush to walk right to their own doom, so she might as well grant their wish. It would not go to waste all the patience she had spent talking and negotiating with them.
She raised the submachine gun in her hand, aimed at the approaching Old Wang, and pulled the trigger.
