Mu Hanjiang being so openly flirted with by the Crown Prince caused High Qi behind him to sharply inhale.

Had the Crown Prince eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall? Did he truly not know of Mu Hanjiang’s ruthless methods in the interrogation chamber?

While a flash of annoyance passed through Mu Hanjiang, he quickly regained his usual calm composure and walked behind the Crown Prince.

The youth was slender but didn’t appear frail. His willow-like figure wrapped in a vibrant colored robe, when waving his sleeves, carried an uninhibited flair of one who rides through life with abandon. The jade pendant at his waist swung back and forth as he walked…

This time, Xiaoying openly headed toward the abandoned hall and soon arrived near Tianlu Palace.

The palace that had imprisoned her brother was empty, with all furnishings and belongings cleared out, leaving no trace.

However, a wisp of smoke drifted from Tianlu Palace, accompanied by sounds of flogging and berating.

Xiaoying’s worries proved true—A’Yuan was in trouble!

But she had always concealed her identity from A’Yuan, not wanting him to discover her as the Crown Prince and complicate matters further.

Now dressed in formal attire, it wasn’t appropriate to appear before A’Yuan, so she said to Mu Hanjiang behind her: “Strange, why is it so noisy? It’s so late, are the Department of Works people working?”

Xiaoying had already thought it through—since Young Master Mu had come along, she would let him help A’Yuan out of his predicament.

Hadn’t she heard that his mother and the late Princess Ye were like sisters?

It seemed Master Ge had mentioned that this Mu Hanjiang had studied alongside the children of the prince’s residence in his childhood, and they had been very close.

Even after many years apart, if he encountered the Grand Prince suffering, surely he would step in.

Mu Hanjiang gave her a deep look, then quickened his pace toward Tianlu Palace, while Yan Xiaoying deliberately slowed down, following behind Mu Hanjiang.

When she reached the palace gate, through the wide-open door crack, she saw the Empress’s trusted guard captain holding a thick club, viciously beating someone lying on the ground.

“Damn mad dog! I’ll teach you to go crazy! Teach you to hit people!”

It turned out that after spending half the day yesterday dredging the lake for the Crown Prince without a trace, the guard captain had become frantic by late night.

The person had disappeared from his custody. If he couldn’t find him, the Empress would certainly not let him off.

These past two days, he had been like one possessed, constantly wandering through palace buildings and gardens. Earlier, passing by the palace wall, he’d noticed the main gate had been opened.

He suddenly recalled the fire the madman had set by climbing over the wall yesterday morning.

How coincidental that the fire had been thrown into the courtyard just before the Crown Prince’s disappearance?

The origins of this Grand Prince were well-known to those who had been in the palace for many years, especially considering his insanity. The guard captain had no reservations at all.

There were no guards at the entrance to Tianlu Palace, and the door wasn’t even locked. The guard captain simply walked in.

The maddening thing was that when he questioned kindly, the madman didn’t utter a sound.

Just as he was about to leave, the Grand Prince suddenly went wild, overturning an oil lamp and setting fire to a pile of broken wooden chests in the courtyard.

The guard captain had extinguished the fire in time and, thinking the madman truly insane, was about to leave when, unexpectedly, the madman raised his hand and slapped him twice.

The guard captain, already furious at not finding Feng Qiyuan, was now beaten by a madman—how could he let it go? His anger surged, and he grabbed a club and began beating him.

The madman seemed deflated, neither running nor resisting, only protecting his head while cowering on the ground, allowing the club to strike his back again and again, quickly turning his flesh into a bloody mess…

When Mu Hanjiang and the others arrived, this was the scene they witnessed.

Seeing the situation, Mu Hanjiang frowned deeply, raising his hand to stop the guard, coldly saying: “What are you doing?”

Xiaoying, seeing this development, took a slight breath of relief behind the door, planning to slip away silently under these circumstances.

The guard hadn’t expected Young Master Mu to appear suddenly, and sweat broke out on his forehead in surprise. His eyes darted quickly, thinking of how to respond.

Mu Hanjiang’s keen eye was honed in the interrogation chamber; with one glance, he could see this guard captain had secrets.

He was about to question further when suddenly a stone came flying, striking the guard on the head.

With some incredible force, the guard’s neck bent backward as if on a spring, and then he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Following this came a thunderous shout: “Such bullying! Worse than pigs and dogs!”

Xiaoying turned to see a white-haired, burly old man running over with an angry face—the same elder who had shown no pleasantries even to Consort Shang in the hall earlier.

Now he flew like a kite with taut strings, his sleeves billowing with wind, feet barely touching the ground, rushing forward like a descending deity, instantly arriving before them.

Xiaoying remembered Mu Hanjiang introducing this elder as Xiao Tianyang, the third brother of Swordmaster Xiao Jiumu, and Mu Hanjiang’s granduncle.

The old man had spoken little in the hall, continuously drinking sullenly. Why had he now appeared here like a heavenly soldier descending?

Xiaoying found it peculiar, suddenly recalling that in the great hall, the elder had been seated near a window facing the direction of the abandoned hall.

And now above A’Yuan’s abandoned hall drifted the thick smoke he had set…

After striking down the man, Xiao Tianyang staggered several steps to A’Yuan’s side, tremblingly taking him into his arms, choking with emotion: “Child, this old man came too late. You… have suffered!”

The youth, beaten until his body was covered in wounds, seemed unable to speak, barely managing to open his eyes amid the blood and filth, whispering faintly: “Third Granduncle…”

This single “Third Granduncle” nearly broke Xiao Tianyang’s heart. He turned to glare at Mu Hanjiang: “What are you standing there for? Order your men to bind this madman who beat A’Yuan!”

Mu Hanjiang frowned slightly, seemingly analyzing the situation without speaking. Xiao Tianyang laughed coldly: “Fine! This old man cannot command your Mu family’s people. Your father is completely heartless, forgetting everything he promised to Zhanxue. I was a fool to trust you all, leaving this child among you wolves!”

Saying this, he squatted down to lift A’Yuan onto his back.

Jin Zhong was quick-witted, promptly saying: “There’s a door panel over there. The Grand Prince is injured; it would be more convenient to carry him on that.”

Saying this, he pulled High Qi over to help.

After receiving Mu Hanjiang’s nod of approval, High Qi helped place the bloodied youth on the door panel. Then, the two men, one in front and one behind, lifted the panel and returned along the original path.

Xiaoying didn’t move, rapidly analyzing the situation.

Damn it, how many variables were there? Where had this Xiao Tianyang sprung from? He wasn’t part of her plan at all and would likely cause complications!

Indeed, the complications came quickly.

Mu Hanjiang went to check on the guard knocked down by the stone. The Swordmaster’s brother possessed extraordinary internal strength; under his heavy blow, the man was foaming at the mouth, unconscious.

He frowned at the chaos before him, lost in thought, then turned to ask Xiaoying: “Did Your Highness bring me here… to save the Grand Prince?”

Xiaoying would never admit it, widening her eyes innocently: “I brought you? Weren’t you the one who insisted on walking with me? Besides… Grand Elder Brother? Did you say that was Grand Elder Brother just now? He… so he’s been kept here!”

After speaking, she fearfully hid behind Mu Hanjiang. After all, that madman had nearly drowned Feng Qiyuan—the Crown Prince, being afraid was entirely reasonable!

Mu Hanjiang stumbled slightly from her tug, turning his head just enough to catch the Crown Prince’s fresh scent mixed with soapwort…

The Mu family’s young master frowned again, discreetly widening the distance between himself and the youth. Being naturally aloof, few people dared to be so presumptuous as to touch him.

Xiaoying paid no attention to Mu Hanjiang’s evasion. Her original plan had been to use Mu Hanjiang to help resolve A’Yuan’s crisis.

Young Master Mu, passing by and stopping the violence, was a trivial matter, nothing he would report to His Majesty.

After all, A’Yuan represented a royal scandal, and Mu Hanjiang wouldn’t be foolish enough to rush and remind the emperor of his old cuckoldry.

But with Mu Hanjiang’s suspicious nature, he would certainly investigate why the Empress’s man was beating the Grand Prince.

The Empress and Mu Hanjiang had become mortal enemies due to the death of her nephew, Tang Mingquan.

Just imagining these two fighting and scheming against each other was exciting!

Before she dealt with the venomous Empress, she wanted her to taste the agony of daily anxiety and constant fear.

Xiaoying had thought everything through, but she hadn’t anticipated that the one pressed under the Five Finger Mountain didn’t need her rescue—he had his way to escape.

Xiao Tianyang’s sudden appearance, intending to take the Grand Prince away from the abandoned hall, seemingly to bring him back to the inner palace, would completely disrupt Yan Xiaoying’s plans by making a huge scene.

Foster Father always said that although she had the strategies of Zhuge Liang, she often showed a merciful heart at critical moments—a taboo for commanding troops!

Yan Xiaoying had disagreed, but now she had to admit her Foster Father was right.

She shouldn’t have shown that little bit of mercy, only to be exploited step by step by the madman A’Yuan. If things continued to derail, and A’Yuan recognized her as the Crown Prince and revealed her secret visits to the abandoned hall, she might find it difficult to extricate herself!

Fortunately, her brother had already left the palace, reducing many of her concerns.

With this thought, she immediately decided to make a swift retreat! So on the return journey, she deliberately slowed her pace, hoping to employ her usual trick and slip away when Mu Hanjiang wasn’t paying attention.

But Mu Hanjiang matched her step for step, giving Xiaoying no opportunity.

She had never compared martial skills with Mu Hanjiang and didn’t know his level of proficiency.

As the grandson of Swordmaster Xiao Jiumu and the son of a military family, Mu Hanjiang should be even more difficult to deal with than the madman of Tianlu Palace.

Even if she successfully evaded Mu Hanjiang, if Uncle Hai hadn’t returned, without an entry-exit token, and with the palace sealed and under strict guard, she couldn’t escape the multiple layers of palace confinement.

Very well—one wrong move had created chaos, but it was better to handle it calmly and observe the developments!

Xiaoying had always been big-hearted. Now, amidst the mounting confusion, she became even more composed. Since she couldn’t escape, she simply quickened her pace to catch up with the door panel stretcher to check on A’Yuan’s condition.

That “playing the pig to eat the tiger” madman was even calmer than her. Seeing her, he merely widened his eyes slightly before closing them again, either in pain or plotting something.

Looking at his injuries, his body showed many old wounds that hadn’t healed, overlapping in places, some horrifying to behold.

When had these been inflicted? Xiaoying had helped clean him before, and he hadn’t had so many wounds then!

But just then, A’Yuan opened his eyes again and gave her a meaningful look, scrutinizing the four-clawed dragon pattern on her ceremonial robe that symbolized the Crown Prince, his expression unreadable.

Then he slowly closed his eyes, raised his hand, and abruptly flicked his lips.

This fellow truly held grudges! When Xiaoying took away his lamb leg, she had made this gesture to mock his lies.

Now he was returning the same to her, clearly mocking Yan Xiaoying for being equally dishonest, not a word of truth in her mouth.

As they exited the outer palace gate, Xiao Tianyang unexpectedly didn’t rush to find a doctor but stubbornly insisted on bringing the injured man to the banquet.

Just as they reached the banquet hall entrance, several elders who had been searching for Xiao Tianyang came forward to meet them.

He had suddenly disappeared earlier, and people had been looking for him for quite some time. When they heard Xiao Tianyang say that the bloodied man on the door panel was the insane son of His Majesty’s late wife, Ye Zhanxue, some tried to stop Third Master Xiao.

“Have you gone mad? On such a joyous day, how can you bring him here and into the hall? Wouldn’t this embarrass both His Majesty and General Ye?”

Those who had come from the crown prince’s residence knew A’Yuan’s background best and why His Majesty disliked him.

Moreover, this child was insane and had nearly drowned the young Crown Prince.

Having committed such a disaster, the fact that His Majesty still allowed him to remain until now showed great benevolence.

Although Xiao Tianyang claimed the child had been bullied and abused, truly pitiful, such a matter could wait until after the gathering to be addressed.

So everyone tried to persuade him: “Third Master, you must have had too much to drink! Let us accompany you for a walk to sober up! This child should be treated by a doctor first. If you’re still upset, you can privately inform His Majesty later. Why make everyone unhappy?”

But Xiao Tianyang was determined, storming into the hall. In the end, no one could stop him as he led the way fiercely toward the great hall.

Amidst the commotion and pushing, someone was bumped by Xiao Tianyang and collided with Yan Xiaoying.

Xiaoying’s arm, dislocated by the madman, hadn’t fully healed. This unexpected jolt made her groan in pain.

Fortunately, Mu Hanjiang stood behind her, his large hand steadying her. Seeing her lip tremble in genuine pain, he bent down to check: “What’s wrong, Your Highness? Where are you uncomfortable?”

Xiaoying dodged slightly, rubbing her shoulder, enduring the pain while saying it was nothing.

But as Xiaoying looked up, her eyes met those of the man on the door panel.

He had opened his eyes again, giving a meaningful look at Mu Hanjiang and Yan Xiaoying standing so close, filled with an icy coldness.

However, this hostility vanished in an instant as A’Yuan lowered his gaze, being carried away with a gentle and silent demeanor.

Xiaoying took a deep breath. That fellow’s eyes were unfriendly!

When she went to the abandoned hall, she had always been dressed as a man, and A’Yuan had never known her identity as Crown Prince Feng Qiyuan, probably assuming she was a guard or small eunuch.

Now she was in brocade robes embroidered with the four-clawed dragon representing the Crown Prince—how could he not recognize her status?

What did A’Yuan’s cold glance just now mean?

If the madman knew she was the Crown Prince, would he seek revenge for both old and new grudges, including her deception, due to the incident from ten years ago?

After all, it was because the Grand Prince had nearly drowned Feng Qiyuan that the Empress had persuaded His Majesty to imprison him for a full ten years.

The Empress treated the Grand Prince poorly, and the Crown Prince held a grudge against the Grand Prince!

At this moment, everyone was rushing inside, and within the hall lay unknown, severe dangers. Xiaoying, rarely troubled, scratched her scalp, involuntarily following the crowd up the steps.

By the time they reached the great hall, someone had already reported the incident at the abandoned hall to Emperor Chunde. The joy of old friends reuniting dissipated the moment the door panel was carried in.

When Emperor Chunde learned that the blood-covered man on the door panel was the Grand Prince who had been imprisoned for ten years, his expression became as complex as an ancient, stagnant pond.

Yezhong couldn’t maintain his composure. His sister had been disgraced years ago, yet His Majesty had been merciful, never blaming her and even acknowledging that bastard.

Yezhong was grateful for His Majesty’s benevolence. To protect his sister’s life, he had selfishly forced His Majesty to accept the disgrace, and the Ye family would forever be indebted to His Majesty.

Later, when the bastard went insane, His Majesty honored the promise made to his sister on her deathbed, never harming the bastard out of spite or resentment, allowing him to live until today, truly living up to the words “loyalty” and “righteousness.”

Yezhong cherished his sister and felt guilty toward his brother-in-law, the emperor, but from childhood, he had never shown kindness to A’Yuan, that bastard!

Although his subordinates had been deceptive, mistreating the insane son, how could Xiao Tianyang play the drunkard and make a scene, dragging the bastard to the banquet to accuse His Majesty? Was he… trying to sever ties with His Majesty?

In the end, it was his Ye family that had wronged the emperor, leaving His Majesty unable to escape the shame of those years despite his high position!

With this thought, Yezhong, with a face full of guilt, rose to stop Xiao Tianyang, glaring as he said in a low voice: “Third Master Xiao! What exactly are you trying to do?”

Xiao Tianyang pushed him violently, disregarding his current prestigious status, and spat directly in Yezhong’s face: “You dare to ask what I’m doing? Let me ask you, as his maternal uncle, what were you doing when Yuaner was suffering, starving, being beaten and abused in that abandoned hall?”

“You…” Yezhong looked with disgust at the tattered clothes and bloody wounds of the man on the door panel, not wanting to argue.

Emperor Chunde wasn’t angered but frowned as he looked at the dying madman on the door panel and said to Li Quan beside him: “Go, summon the Empress!”

Years ago, when the chaos erupted, Empress Tang, heartbroken for her son, had wept before him, insisting that this insane man couldn’t remain in the inner palace. If he harmed someone again, it could lead to disaster within the walls.

Finding her reasoning sensible, he had ordered that, according to the Empress’s wishes, the madman be moved to the isolated outer palace, with the Empress sending people to properly care for him, preventing any oversight that would make him fail his late wife’s entrustment.

Over the years, he had nearly forgotten this madman.

Unexpectedly, that past he was unwilling to mention had been unpredictably displayed before his eyes on a door panel by Xiao Tianyang.

The Third Master was right—the madman indeed hadn’t received good care: tattered clothes, tangled hair, and a body covered in whip marks and blood!

Present today were all old acquaintances of his and his late wife Zhanxue.

Emperor Chunde valued his reputation for benevolence. If this matter spread, wouldn’t it become a story of him taking personal revenge, resenting his late wife, and venting his anger on a sick child?

Only by summoning the Empress could he explain to everyone how she had mothered and cared for his former wife’s child!

Today had felt like a hundred years for Empress Tang. Originally, with the Jiangsu and Zhejiang corruption case exposed, His Majesty was determined to investigate thoroughly and show no leniency.

She and her brother had discussed it, concluding that their only option was to delay. They would spend heavily to have the accounts altered, thus requiring considerable time for verification. During this period, her brother would do anything, even sell his pots and pans, to balance the books.

Despite such careful planning, someone had broken their scheme.

Someone with skillful hands had helped Mu Hanjiang, finding every discrepancy in the accounts down to the last penny.

This had ruined her brother’s plans, and she, for covering for her brother, had just been reprimanded by her father.

Then yesterday morning, Feng Qiyuan jumped into the water channel and mysteriously disappeared. They had searched everywhere without finding him, alive or dead.

Next, the guard had caused trouble, inexplicably going to beat the insane Grand Prince, only to be caught red-handed by the Swordmaster’s brother, who brought the matter to the banquet, prompting His Majesty’s inquiry.

One crisis after another overwhelmed Empress Tang, causing her head to spin. As she climbed the steps, her steps faltered; had Song Ao not supported her, she would have fallen on the stairs.

Empress Tang gritted her teeth, trying to remain calm and not lose her composure.

Even if the guard captain’s questioning of the Grand Prince had been discovered, so what?

She’d heard the guard had been struck on the head by Xiao Tianyang with a stone, now foaming at the mouth and unconscious, taken to the inner palace interrogation chamber.

She only needed to claim ignorance of what personal grudge the guard had against the Grand Prince, causing him to secretly seek revenge.

As for the Grand Prince, even if she had temporarily failed to notice the madman’s mistreatment by servants, it wasn’t a major crime!

After all, no one had starved to death. She could blame it on devious servants being harsh to their sick master. Would His Majesty depose her as Empress for this?

With this thought, the Empress composed herself, stepped into the hall, and first glanced at Yan Xiaoying.

This imposter was still proving useful, but where had the real Feng Qiyuan run off to? She feared he might suddenly appear before everyone…

The Empress dared not think further and hurriedly approached to pay her respects to His Majesty.

Emperor Chunde looked at the Empress, pointing to A’Yuan on the door panel: “Is this how the Empress mothers her children? Look at what state the Grand Prince has been reduced to!”

Just as the Empress was about to explain it was the servants’ fault and she had merely failed to inspect, Consort Shang stole her words.

Tears in her eyes, Consort Shang chokingly stepped forward, kneeling beside the Empress and presenting her pitiful case.

“Your Majesty, please don’t blame Her Majesty the Empress. It’s this concubine’s fault! In recent years, I occasionally suggested to the Empress whether we should move Yuaner inside and find a famous doctor for him. But Her Majesty was perhaps frightened by the Crown Prince’s accident those years ago, fearing he might harm the princes in the palace again, making it difficult to decide. I felt I was putting the Empress in a difficult position and didn’t persist. Thinking about it now, I was lazy. If I had visited the outer palace more often, how could those servants have abused the Grand Prince so?”

These words nearly choked the Empress with anger.

Shang was skilled at manipulating people. While her words sounded like she was pleading for the Empress, they were reminding the Emperor and everyone present that she, the Empress, held a personal grudge against the Grand Prince!

It was because the Grand Prince had nearly killed the Crown Prince that she harbored resentment, deliberately sending people to take revenge and mistreat this madman!

But she was truly wronged! That Grand Prince was merely a bastard the Emperor despised; he could live or die on his own. She simply couldn’t be bothered to waste effort on him!

The Empress had no way to defend herself, grinding her teeth with hatred, cursing the vicious woman in her heart!

His Majesty looked gratefully at Consort Shang, knowing his beloved concubine was helping him save face before these old ministers.

After all, the affairs of the rear palace were under the Empress’s jurisdiction, and the mistreatment of the late wife’s insane son was women’s business, not the Emperor’s concern!

This was where Shang was more agreeable than Tang—at critical moments, she was always astutely helping him in some way!

Emperor Chunde didn’t want to waste much time on this madman; he didn’t even want to see him again.

So Emperor Chunde gave the Empress a moderate reprimand and then planned to have the Grand Prince carried away and ordered to be carefully treated.

But someone refused to let the matter rest. Xiao Tianyang could see plainly that the Emperor was shifting responsibility, using a woman as a scapegoat.