His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

Having already subdued his group of constables and been repeatedly provoked, Magistrate Wu Quan felt his official authority was being undermined and glared angrily at Qin Hongxiu.

"How dare you!!!"

Just as Magistrate Wu Quan was preparing to continue intimidating Qin Hongxiu and forcing her to comply.

The clerk beside him noticed something amiss and quickly moved closer to Magistrate Wu Quan, whispering a reminder in his ear:

"My lord, this woman shows no fear; she must be someone of great importance."

Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Wu Quan carefully examined Qin Hongxiu and Mu Yuan standing beside her.

He noticed that Qin Hongxiu had an extraordinary temperament, and Mu Yuan beside her was even more outstanding, which made him uneasy.

Could these two be young masters and ladies from a prestigious family?

Thinking of this, Magistrate Wu Quan was in a dilemma.

If it's true, then he's someone that neither side would dare to offend easily.

It should be noted that Lan Que holding the token of the Lan family in the capital means that he is a member of the Lan clan, and the most famous member of the Lan clan in the court is Lan Shi.

He was not only granted the title of Duke of Liang, but also became the Grand Commander of the Five Armies, commanding 300,000 imperial guards.

His power and influence were immense.

Bluestone is only one step away from becoming a king of a different surname.

Mu Yuan and Qin Hongxiu, on the other hand, were both extraordinary in bearing, and their eyes showed no fear of him, a seventh-rank county magistrate.

It must have a very powerful background.

After much deliberation, Magistrate Wu Quan felt like dying.

As a dignified seventh-rank official, he seemed to have become the weakest one in this courtroom.

"What should we do?"

County Magistrate Wu Quan sought help from his advisor.

"Let's treat them with courtesy first and find out their identities."

"If they really have a powerful background, we can mediate. If they are just an ordinary family, we don't need to hesitate."

"After all, Young Master Lan is from the Lan family of the capital. If you stand up for him and he puts a good word for you in front of Lord Lan Shi, it will be of great benefit to your career!"

In just a few words, the advisor clearly explained the pros and cons to Magistrate Wu Quan.

"That's right, that's right."

County Magistrate Wu Quan nodded repeatedly, his attitude completely changed, and looked at Mu Yuan with a kind expression: "Young master, may I ask your name?"

He originally wanted to ask Qin Hongxiu about her background, but after comparing them, he found that Mu Yuan's aura was even stronger. So, he changed his question to Mu Yuan's identity and background, intending to find out these things before making a judgment.

Mu Yuan naturally saw through Wu Quan's little scheme, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips:

"Surname Mu!"

These words were spoken.

County Magistrate Wu Quan and his advisor were both stunned.

Lan Que and the princess also looked towards Mu Yuan.

It is clear.

Regarding the surname "Mu".

In other places, they wouldn't find it strange, but in the southwest region, the surname Mu...

That would be extremely intimidating.

"Mu?" Magistrate Wu Quan's eyes widened, his corpulent body trembling violently. "It's...it's the 'Mu' with the water radical?"

As the magistrate of Caiyun City, he was extremely reluctant to use the word "Mu".

After all, the Mu family is the undisputed local tyrant of the Southwest.

Although the Mu family has suffered a misfortune, there is still one male heir left.

The person before them was about the same age as the only remaining male member of the Mu family, as rumored.

Thinking of his extraordinary demeanor, coupled with his young age, Magistrate Wu Quan was terrified, his soul nearly leaving his body. He thought to himself:

Could it really be someone from the Mu family?

"Wrong, it doesn't have the water radical, it's the wood radical." Mu Yuan deliberately concealed his real surname.

"So it's the 'Mu' in 'wood' (木)," Magistrate Wu Quan patted his chest, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Your surname is Mu, what's your given name?"

The furrowed brows of Lan Que and the princess beside them also relaxed.

"My surname is Mu, and my given name is Yuan, the Yuan of vitality." Mu Yuan removed the radical from his name and then introduced Qin Hongxiu beside him: "This is Hongxiu, my companion on this trip."

After listening to Mu Yuan's introduction, County Magistrate Wu Quan asked his advisor in a low voice:

"Are there any prominent families with the surname Mu in this southwest region?"

The advisor shook his head.

"And what about the one surnamed Hong?" Magistrate Wu Quan asked again.

The advisor shook his head again.

Seeing the clerk shake his head repeatedly, Magistrate Wu Quan instantly regained his confidence and decided to punish Mu Yuan and Qin Hongxiu.

However, he hadn't spoken yet.

Mu Yuan spoke first:

"Your Excellency, you asked about my and Miss Hong's identities, but why didn't you ask about theirs?"

As he spoke, Mu Yuan pointed to Lan Que standing opposite him, along with his companions.

His purpose in doing this was to find out the identities and backgrounds of the two people.

"My surname is Lan, and my given name is Que." Lan Que took the initiative to state his name.

As he spoke, he held his head high, exuding confidence, seemingly proud of his surname. Then, he pointed to the princess beside him:

"Her surname is Zhu, and her given name is Zhu, like a pearl that is round and lustrous!"

Upon learning Lan Que and Zhu Zhu's names, Mu Yuan subconsciously frowned.

When Magistrate Wu Quan learned that the person beside Lan Que was surnamed Zhu, his reaction was particularly intense, and he almost fell off his chair.

He knew that Lan Que was a member of the Lan clan in the capital.

The accompanying companions were members of a prominent royal family. Moreover, Lan Que was a powerful and influential figure in the capital. Based on this deduction, Magistrate Wu Quan was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

That is, at this very moment.

Magistrate Wu Quan's heart was now completely tipped in favor of Lan Que.

"You two!" Magistrate Wu Quan glared angrily at Mu Yuan and Qin Hongxiu. "If I don't punish you both for contempt of court today, I'll be unworthy of my official hat!"

Faced with Magistrate Wu Quan's blatant favoritism, Mu Yuan said coldly:

"It seems the magistrate is determined not to take the case seriously?"

Magistrate Wu Quan, with a disdainful look, scoffed and said, "With your status and position, do you think you're worthy of my serious judgment?"

"So, you're saying that the magistrate decides cases based on the status and position of others?" Mu Yuan's gaze grew increasingly cold, and his tone was filled with an icy chill.

County Magistrate Wu Quan was not intimidated by Mu Yuan's imposing aura; instead, he laughed wildly and said:

"That's right! I decide how to judge cases based on people's status and position. If your surname were Mu, I would not only favor you, but I would treat you like an ancestor. Unfortunately, your surname is Mu, so you don't have that qualification!"

"As an official appointed by the imperial court, you judge cases without considering the reasons, making decisions solely based on their status and position. Such hasty judgments are unworthy of being a local official."

Qin Hongxiu was so angry she wanted to bite him off immediately and kill Wu Quan to prevent him from harming the local people.

However, considering that Mu Yuan had deliberately concealed his identity, and without Mu Yuan's instructions, she had no choice but to suppress her murderous intent.

Zhu Zhu, standing opposite, frowned deeply and was very displeased when she saw the magistrate Wu Quan's face.

Just as she was about to speak up and make accusations.

Lan Que quickly stopped her, saying in a low voice, "Princess, please don't speak yet."