After deciding to investigate the inn, Mu Yunjin’s group of four split into pairs. Mu Yunjin and Qiqi formed one team heading to the inn first, while Huang Yan and Hua Ying would enter later, first observing from outside.

It was around 7-9 PM, and there were still many pedestrians strolling on the streets, with particularly noisy crowds gathering at the entrance of various entertainment establishments.

Arriving at the inn Huang Yan had pointed out, Mu Yunjin initially wanted to hold her breath and probe for any signs of Qiu Ye and the others, but remembering Huang Yan’s caution, she restrained herself and exchanged a glance with Qiqi beside her.

Qiqi nodded and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t speak out of turn.”

“Mm.”

As they entered the inn, a waiter enthusiastically came forward to greet them, “Sir, are you stopping for a meal or staying the night?”

“Staying,” Mu Yunjin replied in a deliberately lowered voice. She was currently dressed in men’s clothing and couldn’t speak in her natural high-pitched tone.

The waiter nodded, “Sir, you’ve come at just the right time. We have one vacant room left. I’ll take you up immediately.”

“By the way, my horse is still waiting outside the inn. Do you have a place to look after it?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow, looking toward the waiter.

“Of course we do. I’ll find someone to take your horse to the back courtyard.” The waiter said, gesturing to another staff member nearby.

Mu Yunjin glanced at Qiqi and handed her the bundle she was carrying, “You go to the room first and wait for me. I want to check the condition of the backyard to make sure my horse will be properly cared for.”

After speaking, Mu Yunjin followed the inn worker outside.

Qiqi held the bundle and gave the waiter a slight smile, “My young master is always so suspicious.”

“It’s no trouble. Many guests worry about their horses. It’s better to let him see for himself, so he won’t keep worrying,” the waiter smiled, leading Qiqi upstairs.

…

Mu Yunjin followed the staff member around to an alley entrance and then through to the back courtyard of the inn.

The spacious backyard was divided into two sections: one area for the stables and another for parking carriages.

Upon entering the courtyard, Mu Yunjin immediately looked toward where the carriages were parked. At a glance, she saw three carriages stationed there, all appearing ordinary without much difference between them.

“Sir, I’ve tied your horse here. Our inn provides horse feed, but it’s just ordinary fodder. If you have your feed prepared, we can help with that too,” the staff member said after tying the horse to a wooden post.

Mu Yunjin nodded, “Just use yours.”

After speaking, she headed back to the front of the inn.

As she climbed to the second floor, Mu Yunjin deliberately slowed her pace while passing each room door, hoping to detect subtle movements inside that might reveal some clues.

But after walking around completely, she discovered nothing suspicious.

Could they have already left?

When she reached their room, Qiqi was already lying on a rocking chair inside. Seeing Mu Yunjin enter, she picked up the brush and ink she had prepared earlier and wrote three characters on paper—

No movement.

Mu Yunjin glanced at the writing, nodded, furrowed her brow slightly, sat down, and looked at Qiqi’s writing a few more times.

After sitting for a while, Mu Yunjin stood up again, walked to the window, and opened it to look down. Their room happened to be adjacent to the backyard, offering a full view of the entire area.

Qiqi also walked over, looked down at the carriages, and then, unable to resist any longer, slowly channeled her internal energy. Pink light flashed from her fingertips as she scanned the three carriages below.

Qiqi’s greatest skill was tracking. As the pink light swept across the three carriages, she suddenly frowned and withdrew her energy.

“How is it?” Mu Yunjin closed the window and asked in a low voice.

“There’s nothing unusual about these carriages, but while using my internal energy to investigate, I detected a familiar aura that seems to belong to Qin Muyue. Her martial arts are inferior to her master Qiu Ye, so she can’t completely conceal her presence yet,” Qiqi reported her discovery.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin’s lips curled slightly in mockery as she spoke, “Qin Munan just cured her poison, and she’s already eagerly following Qiu Ye here. I really can’t understand this woman. What exactly is she trying to achieve?”

Could she be targeting her and Chu Li?

If that were true, then Qin Muyue was certainly taking a roundabout approach.

Just as she was thinking this, the Spirit Signal from Phoenix Valley on her wrist lit up. “Hua Ying is calling us. Let’s leave now.”

With no results from the inn, Mu Yunjin and Qiqi left the room and headed downstairs.

The waiter on the first floor was still attending to the remaining dinner guests. Upon seeing Mu Yunjin and Qiqi come down, he greeted them politely. Qiqi merely said they were going out for a casual stroll.

Following the guidance of the Spirit Signal, Mu Yunjin arrived at the entrance of a brothel.

“Master, come in quickly.” Qiqi pulled Mu Yunjin into the brothel. After entering, Qiqi glanced around and spotted Huang Yan and Hua Ying sitting in a corner.

“Why did you come here?” Mu Yunjin asked, somewhat disgusted by the strong scent of powder and perfume permeating the room.

Huang Yan rested his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed on several women dancing in the main hall of the first floor. “Guess who I just saw?”

“Who?” Mu Yunjin crossed her arms, eyeing Huang Yan.

Huang Yan snickered, “I saw that old fox from the Qin family.”

“Qin Feng? He’s here too?” Mu Yunjin was surprised.

“That’s right, it’s him. The old fox looked travel-worn, as if he’d just arrived in the Northern Ming Kingdom. By now, he’s probably meeting with Qiu Ye,” Huang Yan said, cracking melon seeds between his teeth, his gaze never leaving the dancing women during their conversation.

Mu Yunjin suddenly felt the situation was becoming increasingly complicated. Dealing with Qiu Ye alone was headache enough, and now the old fox Qin had arrived too, not to mention that black-robed man whose allegiance remained unknown.

“Do you know which direction the old fox Qin went?” Mu Yunjin asked again.

“If I’m not mistaken, they’re all in one place now,” Huang Yan looked at Mu Yunjin, “In the Prime Minister’s mansion.”

The Prime Minister’s mansion?

Mu Yunjin was startled. Wasn’t that the residence of Empress Yang Qingning’s father?

Had Prime Minister Yang been bribed as well?

“Not bribed—controlled. By now, the old Daoist Qiu Ye has probably disguised himself as Prime Minister Yang and will enter the palace tomorrow to attend court,” Huang Yan seemed to read the question in Mu Yunjin’s eyes and explained.

Mu Yunjin narrowed her eyes, “I’m impressed they thought of this. But how do you know all these details so clearly?”

“I just overheard the old Qin asking for directions on the street. He was specifically asking how to get to the Prime Minister’s mansion,” Huang Yan answered.

“Then how do you know Prime Minister Yang has been controlled?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow. Huang Yan truly deserved to be Chu Li’s most capable assistant; his skills were not to be underestimated.

This time Huang Yan didn’t answer Mu Yunjin directly but tilted his head toward Hua Ying, indicating she should explain.

Hua Ying spread her hands, somewhat helplessly, “I just overheard the madam of this brothel chatting with several people. She mentioned that Prime Minister Yang is lecherous and arranges for two girls to be sent to his mansion every two days. Tonight was supposed to be the scheduled time, but strangely, no one came to relay the message.”

“So you followed the trail and deduced that Prime Minister Yang might be under Qiu Ye’s control?” Mu Yunjin felt a degree of amazement that they could make such a connection from such a small detail.

“This old man is quite strange. As Prime Minister, he could have any woman he wanted, yet he specifically requested women from brothels. Mu Yunjin found this puzzling.

“Tsk, with over a hundred women in this brothel, each offering different experiences, tasting a fresh one every two days—he’s practically living half the life of an emperor. Why would he want to keep several aging concubines by his side to ruin his appetite?” Huang Yan clicked his tongue, his words carrying a hint of admiration for the old man’s lifestyle.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips.

After sitting in the brothel for a while longer, Huang Yan finished his plate of melon seeds, took a sip of tea, and glanced at Mu Yunjin, “Since they’re disguising themselves as the Prime Minister to enter the palace, things become easier for us. I’ve heard the Grand Tutor of the Northern Ming Kingdom is an extremely stubborn and conservative old man who has always been at odds with Prime Minister Yang. Tonight, this young master Huang will pay a visit to the Grand Tutor’s mansion.”

“What about me?” Mu Yunjin pointed to herself.

“You’ll disguise yourself as the eunuch Su who serves the Northern Ming Emperor, and just stand aside listening,” Huang Yan raised his eyebrows, his eyes revealing a hint of cunning.

Mu Yunjin’s mouth twitched as she glared at Huang Yan, gritting her teeth.

“This is a good assignment. You can stay by the Northern Ming Emperor’s side at all times. If anything unusual happens, you’ll be the first to know,” Huang Yan’s main concern was Mu Yunjin’s stubborn and impulsive temperament. If she were given the role of a high official, she might end up directly confronting Qiu Ye and the others in court at the slightest disagreement.

It was better to have her disguised as a eunuch, standing quietly on the side and just listening.

He dared not let Mu Yunjin cause any more trouble now, because he had just secretly received a confidential letter from Ding Xian, saying that Chu Li had learned about Mu Yunjin being attacked by eagles and falling off the cliff, and Ding Xian told him to fend for himself.

Just thinking about this made Huang Yan’s spine suddenly go cold. He shuddered a few times. Given how much Chu Li valued Mu Yunjin, he was probably already on his way here to kill someone.

“What are you thinking about?” Mu Yunjin noticed Huang Yan’s thoughtful expression and frowned slightly, wondering what mischief this boy was planning now.

“Nothing. It’s getting late. Let’s stop here for today. I’ll go to the Grand Tutor’s mansion first to deal with that old man,” Huang Yan said, standing up, ready to leave.

Mu Yunjin grabbed Huang Yan, pointing at her face, “My face is still that maid’s face. How am I supposed to infiltrate the court tomorrow?”

“I’ll come find you before court begins tomorrow. Otherwise, I could make you wear an old eunuch’s face now, but you’d probably vomit at your reflection in the mirror tonight,” Huang Yan finished speaking and looked toward Hua Ying.

Hua Ying stood up and left with Huang Yan.

Qiqi looked at this scene in disbelief and turned to Mu Yunjin, “Hua Ying has been won over by that boy? That’s our Phoenix Valley’s most calm and proud Five-Step Snake Hua Ying!”

“What’s so surprising about that? Leyan looks so fierce, yet he was tamed by you, a little kitten!” Mu Yunjin smirked, reaching out to poke Qiqi’s forehead.

“What are you saying! There’s nothing between me and Brother Leyan…” Qiqi protested.