Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 715: Intimidation - Mo Qingze Gets Caught (4)_1

Chapter 715: Chapter 715: Intimidation - Mo Qingze Gets Caught (4)_1

Before he could finish speaking, the leading general’s expression grew colder, and with a broad sweep of his arm, he commanded in a stern voice, "Take him away!"

As soon as the words were out, two guards stepped forward with chains, ready to bind Mo Qingze.

The sudden turn of events left everyone in the hall too shocked to react. Mo Yan, hearing the commotion and unsure of what was happening, came out only to see a scene that made her heart race with anger. As she was about to intervene, another voice suddenly rang out: "Stop!"

Chu Heng spoke up, halting the soldiers’ actions of binding their captive. He stood, approached Mo Qingze, and with an authority that did not need to show anger, he questioned the head guard, "Why do you arrest Mr. Mo? Do you have an Imperial Edict?"

The head guard looked closely and only then realized that the person before him was none other than the Crown Prince. His face changed, and he immediately kneeled on the ground: "This lowly one did not know Your Highness was present, I beg for Your Highness’s forgiveness!"

Seeing this, the other guards also knelt and asked for mercy.

"Speak, why do you arrest Mr. Mo, do you have an Imperial Edict?"

It was not until this moment that Chu Heng no longer restrained the imposing air of a nation’s Crown Prince. His seemingly casual inquiry was laden with an overwhelming force that struck deep into the hearts of all the guards.

The guards had come to the Mo Family with the sole intent of making an arrest, and had not noticed the bright yellow carriage stopped outside the Mo residence, nor had they anticipated the Crown Prince being there.

Now, hearing the Crown Prince’s inquiry, they knew he intended to intervene, and it seemed quite possible that they would have to leave empty-handed, which made them inwardly curse their misfortune.

But the head guard, a man of integrity, responded to Chu Heng’s question with a salute and said resolutely, "Your Highness, someone has accused the newly honored Scholar Mo Qingze of examination fraud before The Emperor, who, in his fury, commanded me to apprehend the accused. I hope Your Highness will see justice done!"

At these words, a shock ran through the room.

"Impossible!"

Mo Yan, Mr. Liu, Han Zhiyun, Shen Ji, and several Masters from Changshan Academy spoke out in unison.

Mo Yan did not know how serious the consequences of examination fraud were, only that her father could never have cheated. If it was not a misunderstanding or if he had not been implicated by the real cheater, then it must have been a malicious set-up.

Regardless of which it was, she could not simply let them take her father away; otherwise, he could not escape severe torture.

Others were well aware of the severity of examination fraud. Once the accusation was proven, it would ruin his future, and even his family would be implicated—for at least three generations, none would be allowed to take the imperial examinations.

In past years, there had been those who cheated, and once caught, it usually implicated many. Whether the implicated were innocent or not, their reputations and futures suffered greatly, and to date, there was no record of anyone implicated in such a scandal passing the Jin Shi, let alone taking office as an official.

Therefore, even though everyone tended to believe that Mo Qingze was wrongfully implicated, it was still unacceptable to them.

The head guard did not heed the crowd’s questioning and continued to speak to the Crown Prince, whose expression was unfathomable: "This lowly one dares not to fabricate imperial intentions. I urge Your Highness to allow us to take Mo Qingze into custody. If he is indeed innocent, The Emperor will certainly grant him justice."

The implication was that Emperor Huian would personally review the fraud case and suggested to Chu Heng not to interfere with their official duties; otherwise, the task that should have been carried out by the Government Office would not have fallen upon them, a group of Royal Guards.

Chu Heng, of course, understood the suggestion and his face turned rather unsightly for a moment, "No matter what, you cannot take him away today. I will explain the matter to the Emperor myself!"

Mo Yan and the others, who had been anxious, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. With Chu Heng’s guarantee, their father would not be thrown into a terrible prison.

The head guard’s face showed difficulty, and just as he was about to reluctantly agree, another group of ten guards burst into the Mo residence.

This time, they had arrived with an Imperial Edict to arrest Mo Qingze.

Seeing the bright yellow Imperial Edict and the imposing seal at its bottom left corner, even Chu Heng, as the Crown Prince, could not defy the order, despite his reluctance. He glanced at Mo Yan, whose complexion had turned pale, and though there was a flash of compassion in his eyes, he could only wave his hand and step aside.

Witnessing this, Mo Yan’s heart sank. Wave after wave of worry for her father nearly made her call upon the five beasts to drive these guards out and rescue her father.

She forced herself to remain calm, her mind raced to think of a solution, but her head was empty, and she couldn’t come up with anything.

Seeing Mo Yan in pain as she beat her head, Xiao Ruiyuan felt extreme pity. Throwing caution to the wind, he fiercely gripped her self-abusing hand, "Yanyan, Uncle Mo won’t have any problems, trust me!"

"Really? Will my father really be alright?" Mo Yan clutched Xiao Ruiyuan’s hand as if grabbing onto a lifeline. At that moment, a layer of moisture appeared in her eyes — worry for her father, frustration at her own helplessness, and that fleeting glimmer of hope buried deep within.

Xiao Ruiyuan nodded solemnly and assured her with determination, "Trust me, Uncle Mo certainly won’t have any problems!"

This reassurance seemed to have an effect, as Mo Yan gradually calmed down. Watching her father being bound by the guards, her heart ached as though pricked by needles, but she forced herself not to rush forward. Instead, her mind at that moment became remarkably clear, and she started to rapidly think of feasible solutions.

Suddenly, an idea shot through her mind, but just as she tried to grasp it, it vanished without a trace.

"Father—"

"Stepfather—"

As their father was about to be taken away, Xin Er and the others, who had been held back by Yan Junyu, could no longer restrain themselves and rushed to their father’s side. Defying the guards’ attempts to pull them away, they clung tightly to their father and wouldn’t let go.

The guards, wary of offending Chu Heng and unwilling to be rough with the children, tried to pull them away but eventually let them be...