The Exiled Villainess and Her Shopping Dimension

The late morning arrived quickly, and many nobles made their way to Mu manor, bringing gifts with them. Yueqian and Mu Heng sat together. Today, there were seats reserved for the royal family, so they could not sit at the top. Nonetheless, the lower and lesser-ranked officials who were invited were excited. They had never had the chance to meet in such close proximity before, and upon seeing the preparations for the first time, they paused to take it all in.

Eventually, they would be ushered into another hall, not the main one. After all, this place was once a palace, so there were more halls than in an ordinary manor. The Cold Jade Palace could truly accommodate many people, so there were no issues at all.

Hosting the lower-ranked officials posed no problems, and they were even given beautiful tea sets to take home. People praised the generosity shown on this occasion. The higher-ranked officials were also looking forward to receiving these beautiful tea sets after seeing them with the others.

Even though the court ladies and many others in the Mu manor were incredibly busy, everything proceeded smoothly. Even the reception of high-ranking officials, the Emperor, and various members of the royal family went off without a hitch. It was a notable achievement for Yueqian. However, such smooth operations often hid the true struggles behind the scenes. Yet, nothing could escape Yueqian’s sharp eyes. It was perhaps the first banquet without any unexpected incidents.

The Emperor praised the food and desserts without end. When he received the set of five blossoms bowls, his admiration grew even more, leading him to call upon an official who was the Minister of Arts to commend the bowls set. This public display of honor was quite exceptional.

However, the real story unfolded afterward!

As soon as the banquet ended, rumors began to spread about a prophecy from a certain hermit. The prophecy foretold a disaster that would occur because a demon had been praised. This demoness had changed its appearance to white, using its dark arts to deceive people, when in reality, it was the cause of all calamities and disasters.

The people of the Bai Region were greatly alarmed. Though they did not know the source of the rumor, they knew who had recently been honored. Additionally, there were very few women who had received such recognition. Therefore, many speculated that it must be Furen Mu, who had just been appointed.

Such a rumor, if unfounded, would soon dissipate. However, after the rumor spread, a severe flood disaster struck a town that Mu Heng was overseeing. As a result, Yueqian’s husband was summoned daily to report on the situation.

They said it was a disaster. The gods had punished the foolish ones. This sudden flood, which had never occurred before, claimed the lives of hundreds in the town effortlessly.

This incident immediately made people link it to Yueqian. Since the time of the plague, they didn’t know whom to blame. Coincidentally, the prophecy seemed to fit, and they found it appropriate to place the blame on Yueqian, even though she wasn’t in the Bai Region at that time.

The situation escalated. The flood was just the beginning. Soon after, a notorious bandit gang began plundering and causing more hardship for the people. They used the symbol of the one-eyed bandit, known for causing unrest everywhere. Even in the Du Region, a famous bandit was used as a representative, causing even more chaos among the crowd. After all, the one-eyed bandits were infamous. Just as Furen Mu arrived in the Bai Region, the one-eyed bandits reappeared.

Many people linked her to being one of the one-eyed bandits. This enraged the Wang, for the one-eyed bandits were not known for killing people. In fact, he himself was the leader of these so-called one-eyed bandits.

Therefore, the Wang made a personal visit to the Mu manor late at night, just two days after the banquet had ended.

"Damn it! How dare those bastards use the name of the one-eyed bandits. Don’t they know that the one-eyed bandits would never harm the citizens of the Bai Region!!" The Wang, after downing a few cups of liquor, began cursing.

No one in the Region knew that he was the one-eyed bandit, except for Yueqian and Mu Heng, who were his confidants. This made the Wang even more furious.

"Please calm down, Your Highness. It seems that this move is aimed at me first and foremost. Thus, people might not care who the one-eyed bandits are. They will likely only focus on the fact that they are bandits that come from the Du Region," Yueqian analyzed.

"Even so, what will happen next? We cannot investigate the officials based on mere rumors. If we protect you more, will the people’s voices not be heard? True chaos will surely follow," the Wang was still not calming down.

"This must be the work of the major Regions. After investigating the flood, many suspicious things were found. For example, there were earth-retaining walls on the high mountains, and just a few months ago, there was an unusual drought. It seems they were storing water and then releasing it once it reached a certain volume."

"When water flows from such heights, even if it’s not enough to flood the houses, the forceful descent can injure people. Floating logs can destroy homes and claim lives," Mu Heng added. According to reports after investigating, many suspicious activities were discovered.

Yueqian tapped the round table, deep in thought, as she sipped tea with the Wang, who was more interested in the fragrant liquor before him. Perhaps it was time to consider what she had told Representative Hu. The mastermind behind these events was likely a collaborator from another region.

For example, regarding the heart disease medicine, everyone claimed not to know its ingredients. Yet it conveniently contained components that harmed Representative Ma. This indicated that the culprits had been entrenched in the manor for a long time. They might be using many people, waiting for the right moment to seize the Hu Region.

Unfortunately, within just a few days, if they did not reach there in time, it might be too late. They would not have the chance to inform the Emperor about the infiltrators from the powerful enemy Region hiding among them. By then, the Bai Region might have already fallen due to internal conflicts.

This was akin to a witch hunt. She herself was the witch the villagers wanted to hunt down. Despite being innocent, many lives had been lost, and they needed someone to bear the blame.

Would the villagers think that it was their own misfortune? No, that was impossible. They were deeply pained, anxious, and agitated. Even if someone told them it wasn’t her fault and that there were people behind the scenes, it would have no effect. It would only escalate the situation.

The beautiful woman’s eyes narrowed slightly in thought. As ten minutes passed and the Wang was still grappling with the idea that his identity as the one-eyed bandit was seen as villainous in the villagers’ eyes, Yueqian pulled out a stack of paper. Her hand moved swiftly, and in just ten minutes, she was done.

A Brief Play: The Proud Beauty

"What is this?" The Wang asked, having observed her skillful brushwork for a while.

"This will be our secret, Your Highness, to quell the rumors and indirectly warn the villagers. This play needs to spread as quickly as possible," Yueqian replied seriously.

These villagers were not scholars. They didn’t care about someone coming to explain things to them. During such times of sorrow and anxiety, the only way to help was to turn the situation into entertainment.

The brief play she wrote served as a cautionary tale, urging people to think carefully before accusing anyone. The heroine of the story represented herself. Born a poor villager, she struggled for a long time and possessed many talents. Eventually, she became widely respected and revered, saving lives everywhere she went, traveling freely.

But when she arrived in a certain city, she discovered it was under the demon’s influence. The people’s minds were twisted, seeing others as enemies. The heroine traveled there hoping to heal them, but the demon had manipulated everyone into seeing the beautiful woman as the demon.

She struggled to open their eyes to the fact that there was indeed a demon, but she was falsely accused. The people refused to believe her and ended up killing her. They tied her to a post and burned her alive. However, good people do not die easily. A celestial being, observing from afar, came to her rescue. The celestial then issued a warning that...

"Oh, ordinary humans. In your ignorance, you fail to see the truth, blinded and deafened by the demon. Then, you should just live hopelessly. Just do not punish others for your own satisfaction."

With those words, the celestial flew away with the beautiful woman. As she wept, her tears turned into raindrops, momentarily transforming the earth into a lush green. Yet the demon returned, using its dark arts to regain control.

This time, the villagers began to die off gradually. Ignoring the celestial’s warning, they blamed one another, punishing each other under the assumption that each was the demon. In the end, only the demon remained, burning the last villager alive.

Such a sorrowful ending saddened the Wang slightly. However, as he pondered, his eyes widened in realization!

"This, this, this script...," the Wang slapped the table loudly. He stood up, clutching the paper tightly. Yueqian did not stop there. She continued writing for another ten minutes before stopping. This time, it was really finished.

A Brief Play: The Beloved Bandit

The plot was not difficult to guess. It was about a wealthy man named Lei. Witnessing all kinds of corruption, he felt compassion for the villagers and decided to lead a double life. By day, he was a wealthy landlord, living comfortably and visibly to the people. By night, he became a fearsome bandit, robbing corrupt officials and distributing the spoils to the poor. As a result, many people admired him.

Eventually, others saw the good in his actions and started imitating him, resulting in many Lei bandits. In the end, because they could not identify the real Lei bandit, they decided that everyone was Lei. They planned to capture all the bandits. Naturally, the real Lei bandit was caught as well, and all the Lei bandits were killed.

Afterward, no one dealt with the corrupt officials anymore, and the villagers returned to their impoverished lives as before. Thus, the true tragedy did not befall the Lei bandits but the villagers themselves.

With these two plays, if they become popular, people will gain new perspectives. At the very least, it will remind them to reconsider what is true and what is false. Naturally, the Wang approved, especially of the second play. Even though it did not align perfectly with his situation, it conveyed his intentions well.

Moreover, as he read through the excellent play, the Wang’s eyes reddened. He felt a connection to Lei the bandit, knowing that the villagers were suspicious of him. While he could have chosen not to go out on the final night to rob, he did so, fulfilling his duty and accepting capture because he knew he had done wrong, even if no one else would see it.

"It’s a shame we don’t have enough time," the Wang slowly sat down, feeling genuine regret. Had he known Furen Mu was so skilled in writing literature, he might have asked her to take action much sooner.

But Yueqian shook her head. How could her efforts go to waste? Even though it was a short time, the wandering musician Liang Rui had proven his considerable talent. Although not every town in the Bai Region had seen his performances, they could continue to travel and spread the plays.

Yueqian planned to give them a few more scripts to maintain the pretense. Otherwise, people might think the troupe had come solely to clear her and the one-eyed bandit’s names.

"In that case, let’s do what we can for now. Do you know of any other theater troupes? If so, give them the scripts to try out. If people enjoy such stories, they will naturally help spread them quickly."

Hearing Yueqian say this, the Wang agreed. At least, it was certainly better than waiting for disaster to strike.

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