As breakfast concluded, before leaving the dining hall, Mu Yunjin specifically instructed Mamma Shen to have the kitchen prepare plain porridge and simple dishes for her the next morning.

How strange that she hadn’t known until she tried it—this was hundreds of times better than red bean porridge! How had she never realized this before…

As they passed through the front hall, a guard from Prince Ning’s residence ran in and bowed before Chu Li. “Your Highness, an oral edict has arrived from the palace. The Emperor commands your immediate presence in the Imperial Study to discuss important matters.”

Hearing that the Emperor of Western Ming was summoning Chu Li again, Mu Yunjin felt dejected. Since Chu Li had been granted the title of Prince, every time the Emperor summoned him, nothing good ever came of it.

Now, so early in the morning, the Emperor had likely just finished the morning court session before sending someone to deliver the message.

“This prince understands,” Chu Li replied coolly.

After the guard left, Chu Qingyuan sighed. “For Father to summon Sixth Brother at this hour, it must be about Crown Prince Rong Jiu’s ascension to the throne in Eastern Lin Kingdom.”

“Rong Jiu’s ascension?” Mu Yunjin exclaimed in surprise, suddenly realizing she hadn’t heard that name in a long time.

“Yes, I heard Imperial Consort mention it yesterday. The old Emperor of Eastern Lin is unwell and has decided to abdicate before the new year, allowing Crown Prince Rong Jiu to take the throne,” Chu Qingyuan explained, taking a moment to recall the details before nodding with certainty.

…

…

Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together, not asking further, knowing that Chu Li disliked her mentioning Rong Jiu.

However, Rong Min had always had his eyes fixed on the throne. For Rong Jiu to ascend smoothly would likely not be so easy.

On second thought, Mu Yunjin inexplicably remembered Chu Qing and Qin Muyue’s marriage announcement yesterday, and her thoughts wandered. Why did everything have to happen at exactly this time?

But Chu Qing and Qin Muyue’s wedding seemed to have no connection to Rong Jiu’s ascension in the Eastern Lin Kingdom!

Thinking this through, Mu Yunjin felt she must be going crazy, seeing conspiracy in everything. She probably had developed some kind of paranoia.

“Li’er, since your father has summoned you to the palace, you should go attend to your duties,” Consort Rong stepped forward, giving Chu Li a slight smile.

Chu Li nodded coolly, then turned to look at Mu Yunjin, cautioning her, “It’s cold today. Stay in the manor and don’t wander about. Wait for this prince to return.”

“Mm,” Mu Yunjin nodded in agreement.

With that, Chu Li walked out.

……

After Chu Li departed, Mu Yunjin turned to Chu Qingyuan with a smile. “You two catch up first. I have some matters to attend to.”

“Alright, Mother and I will sit in the side hall for a while. Sixth Sister-in-law, come find us when you’re done,” Chu Qingyuan winked at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin nodded and started walking toward the back garden. As she passed by Consort Rong, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of profound meaning in her eyes, but it vanished so quickly that Mu Yunjin thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

……

Returning to her room, just as she stepped through the door, Mu Yunjin felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. Her vision blurred, and she stood in place for a moment until it gradually subsided.

Suspecting it was the two heart meridians acting up again, Mu Yunjin rubbed her chest, removed her shoes, and lay down on the bed.

This season was perfect for catching up on sleep.

After lying in bed for a while, a sharp pain shot through her arm. Mu Yunjin raised her wrist and discovered that the spirit signal from Phoenix Feather Pavilion was glowing.

She sat up immediately, and two flashes of light appeared in the room.

Then, Qiqi and Huaying’s figures appeared. “Mistress, we’re here!”

Seeing them, Mu Yunjin curved her lips upward. “Have you both been resting well these past two days?”

“Yes, very well!” Qiqi replied, taking a seat and pouring herself a cup of water. “Huaying is the one who wanted to see you today.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin turned to look at Huaying, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have results regarding the Luosheng Gate poison?”

“I have some clues. Fearing you might be anxious, I came to tell you first,” Huaying also sat down.

Seeing Mu Yunjin staring at her, she slowly began, “After returning to Phoenix Feather Pavilion that day, I took out my poison catalog and searched for a long time. Finally, I found a record of this poison on the last page.”

“This poison is said to be refined from the toxins of a hundred different poisonous substances. The most ingenious aspect of its creation is that due to the hundred different toxins, each with its own way of manifesting, the toxic changes in the victim’s body often shift according to each poison’s characteristics. That’s why it’s called Luosheng Gate—because even if you can neutralize several of the hundred poisons, after a while, the toxicity changes again.”

“So, this is probably why City Lord Xu has been troubled by this poison for so many years without being able to detoxify.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin’s brow furrowed tightly. Just listening to Huaying’s description made the poison sound unimaginably complex.

“Then… what about the antidote?” Mu Yunjin ventured.

“There is a way to detoxify, but it’s as difficult as ascending to heaven. Besides, City Lord Xu has been poisoned for many years, and the toxins have already penetrated his bones and blood. Even with an antidote, it might not work,” Huaying sighed slightly.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin felt a stabbing pain in her head and couldn’t help but rub her temples. “How do we find the antidote?”

“Gather antidotes for all hundred poisons. When his toxicity acts up, accurately identify which specific poison is manifesting and administer the corresponding antidote. Repeat this process to eliminate each of the hundred toxins in his body one by one,” Huaying answered.

Mu Yunjin was truly bewildered after hearing this. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Huaying continued, “Not to mention that some of the hundred poisons are similar and difficult to distinguish. Even antidotes can’t be taken carelessly. If he takes the wrong antidote and encounters two substances that counteract each other, it would only hasten City Lord Xu’s death.”

“From what you’re saying, it seems there’s no hope,” Mu Yunjin said dejectedly, thinking of Xu Heyu and Qu Xinyao—such a good couple, yet suffering this kind of torment.

Qiqi, listening from the side, also heaved a heavy sigh. “Why not ask City Lord Xu about his wishes? If he has the will to extend his life, after gathering the hundred antidotes, we can experiment a bit, treating a dead horse as if it were alive. What if we cure his poison?”

“However, if we can’t cure it and cause adverse effects, there’s nothing we can do.”

Mu Yunjin nodded. “That’s all we can do then. We need to ask his opinion. It’s no use just worrying about it ourselves.”

“Where is he? Is he here?” Qiqi asked.

“He’s returned to River Moon City,” Mu Yunjin replied.

Hearing this, Huaying added, “His condition can’t be delayed. When I took his pulse that day, I discovered the toxicity was nearly out of control.”

“Let’s do this—we’ll go to River Moon City now using the formless space and ask his opinion. If he agrees, we’ll set about finding the hundred antidotes. If not, we’re out of options,” Qiqi suggested.

“Go now?” Mu Yunjin stood up, rubbing her temples again. Why was her headache so severe at this crucial moment? Had she caught a cold?

“Yes, now. River Moon City isn’t far from here. We can get there quickly using the formless space,” Qiqi looked at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together. What they said made sense; after all, when it came to saving lives, sooner was better.

“Wait, let me tell Zixiang I’m going out, or Chu Li will worry when he returns,” Mu Yunjin remembered Chu Li’s parting words. He had just left, and now she was about to leave as well.

With that, Mu Yunjin walked to the door and saw Zixiang and Song Chun sitting in the corridor by a brazier. She approached them.

“Zixiang.”

“Miss…” Zixiang stood up.

Mu Yunjin looked at Zixiang, then at Song Chun. “Good that you’re both here. I’m going out for a while. If Chu Li returns and asks where I am, tell him I’m with Qiqi and the others and will be back soon.”

Song Chun, who knew Qiqi, nodded upon hearing this. “Understood, Princess.”

“Alright then, carry on,” Mu Yunjin smiled, turned to leave, took a couple of steps, then looked back at Zixiang and Song Chun.

Those two looked quite compatible!

……

In less than half an hour, Mu Yunjin, Qiqi, and Huaying appeared outside the main gate of the City Lord’s residence in River Moon City.

At that moment, the main gate was tightly shut, with no one guarding it.

“The gates are closed in broad daylight. Should we just charge in?” Qiqi turned to look at Mu Yunjin.

“Yes, let’s go in and take a look.”

With that, the three of them leaped over the wall, landing steadily inside the City Lord’s residence.

As soon as she entered, Mu Yunjin saw a familiar face.

“Sister Qingmeng…”

Qingmeng was carrying a steaming basin, walking quickly outside. Hearing a voice from the side, she paused. Seeing the visitors, she exclaimed in surprise, “Princess, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to see City Lord Xu. Where is he?” Mu Yunjin glanced around. In this vast City Lord’s residence, only Qingmeng was present.

“His poison has flared up. The situation isn’t good,” Qingmeng said. Then, without time to chat further with Mu Yunjin, she hurried inside.

Mu Yunjin froze for a moment, then immediately followed.

As she followed Qingmeng into a bedroom, the overwhelming smell of blood made Mu Yunjin’s stomach churn. Fighting back the urge to retch, she took several deep breaths and walked in.

……

On the bed in the room, Xu Heyu lay with a pale face, his mouth covered in dark red bloodstains. The blood had flowed from the corners of his mouth down to his neck and onto the sheets.

Qingmeng, brow furrowed tightly, used a warm towel to wipe the blood from Xu Heyu’s mouth. She said to Mu Yunjin and the others, “His poison has been flaring up more and more frequently lately, becoming increasingly difficult to control. He often vomits blood nonstop like this.”

“Let me take a look,” Huaying walked over and placed her hand on Xu Heyu’s pulse.

Mu Yunjin stood to the side, wanting to step closer, when suddenly a heart-piercing pain surged through her head. The pain was so intense that she gasped, stumbling backward.

“Princess, what’s wrong?” Qingmeng noticed Mu Yunjin’s discomfort.

“It’s nothing. I’ll just step outside for some air,” Mu Yunjin guessed the room was too stuffy, and combined with her body’s inability to adapt to the rapid travel through formless space, she was feeling unwell.

With that, she turned and left the room.

The cold wind outside did not alleviate her headache; it grew increasingly severe. In the brief span of a moment, the pain had become so unbearable that she crouched down, leaning against a pillar, clutching her head tightly.

Gradually, Mu Yunjin felt countless things being extracted from her mind one by one, as flashes of white light passed before her eyes…