After issuing such an invitation, Feng Yuan seemed to be waiting for the Crown Prince’s reply, with his wide sleeves spread out, saying nothing.

Mu Hanjiang appeared unwilling to pay much attention to Feng Yuan. The two gazed at each other intensely, as if there were some unresolved debt between them from a previous life, creating a momentarily awkward atmosphere.

Yan Xiaoying had heard that they used to play together at the Mu residence when they were young, and had even studied together under Master Ge for several days, making them genuine classmates.

Yet the way they regarded each other in silence conveyed an indescribable distance, without any trace of childhood friendship. Their gazes toward each other seemed somewhat hostile…

Mu Hanjiang paused, becoming the first to realize his attitude was disrespectful. He bowed and spoke cordially: “The Crown Prince just mentioned wanting to stay at my villa. Would the Grand Prince be willing to join us?”

Feng Yuan coldly replied: “My illness is not yet stable. I fear I might frighten the family members of Young Master Mu.”

After hearing the Grand Prince’s stiff refusal, Mu Hanjiang glanced at Feng Yuan and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Feng Yuan’s lips curled into a cold, provocative smile as he stared back at Mu Hanjiang.

At this moment, Xiaoying was caught between the two tall men, craning her neck curiously to look at them both.

It was true that these two could be considered the most handsome men in the capital—one elegant as a pine tree, the other strikingly beautiful with a touch of wickedness. Standing between them and looking from Mu to Feng, her eyes could hardly take in enough!

Xiaoying let her gaze wander between them, taking advantage of their masculine beauty, and thought to herself: How ironic—like a drought in one place and a flood in another. Yesterday, she was worried about how to leave the city, and today, people were competing to invite her out of the city.

It put her in a difficult position, trying to decide which invitation would better suit her plans.

However, Mu Hanjiang decided for her.

He had been very busy lately and couldn’t spare much time. If the Crown Prince truly went to his villa, he would inevitably need to set aside time to properly entertain this royal descendant.

Mu Hanjiang thought to himself that having the Crown Prince join the other princes at the military camp would certainly be more proper than frequenting brothels and pleasure houses…

Seeing the Crown Prince awkwardly blinking, not knowing which invitation to accept, Mu Hanjiang diplomatically resolved the situation: “Since General Yezhong has already made preparations, perhaps Your Highness could first go to the military camp with the princes for horseback riding and archery the day after tomorrow. Later, you can come to my villa for a stay. By then, I will have everything properly prepared, so Your Highness can stay comfortably for several days.”

For Xiaoying, as long as she had a legitimate reason to pass through the city gates, her purpose would be achieved.

Yet why had Feng Yuan acted this way without discussing it with her beforehand?

After Mu Hanjiang had taken his leave, Xiaoying walked alongside Feng Yuan for a while.

The tall man took long strides, walking neither fast nor slow, but he seemed wrapped in coldness, giving off an unapproachable aura.

Xiaoying told Jin Zhong, who followed behind, to keep his distance. Then she jogged up to Feng Yuan: “Slow down! My legs aren’t as long as yours!”

Feng Yuan slowed his pace, waiting for his short-legged Fourth Brother to catch up.

“What was that all about? Didn’t you say you didn’t want to have any connection with General Ye?”

Hearing Xiaoying’s question, Feng Yuan looked down at her and said calmly: “Didn’t Your Highness say you wanted to go?”

He continued, unusually explaining further: “Your Highness told me to conceal my emotions and endure what others cannot. I found that reasonable, so I wanted to try it out and see if I could endure.”

Hmm, so obedient?

He remained as he had been at the Desolate Palace, following her instructions as his teacher without question.

But if Feng Yuan was practicing endurance, why had he appeared so visibly annoyed with Mu Hanjiang earlier?

She couldn’t help but ask curiously: “What grudge do you have against Young Master Mu?”

Feng Yuan seemed reluctant to answer and instead asked: “Are you upset that you couldn’t go to the villa?”

What a strange question!

Feng Yuan seemed to realize the pointlessness of his question. He descended the steps without looking back and said, “Prepare your bow and arrows. We’ll leave the palace together the day after tomorrow.”

Then he left Xiaoying behind and walked away.

Xiaoying was accustomed to his cold demeanor. She turned around to find Uncle Hai.

Last night, when Uncle Hai was collecting night soil, he had followed her instructions and buried the witch’s doll outside the western palace wall.

Now that the Empress had gone mad and was confined by His Majesty along with her trusted Song Ao, the shackles binding Xiaoying had been loosened.

She could now move more freely within the palace and could consult with Uncle Hai about their next steps.

Today’s plot to frame the Empress was crude, but it perfectly aligned with the intentions of those in power.

For His Majesty, he had probably been waiting for such an opportunity. Empress Tang had first shielded her half-brother’s wrongdoings, then been punished for her inadequate management of the inner palace, and now had engaged in witchcraft due to female jealousy.

Even if Tang Hongsheng, the head of the Tang family, came, he couldn’t plead for his daughter. The Chunde Emperor wouldn’t care at all whether the Empress had been falsely accused this time. If her calculations were correct, the Emperor’s next step would be to depose the Empress, serving as a warning to the Tang family.

Empress Tang had devoted half a lifetime’s effort to securing her position, even going so far as to steal another’s child, her hands stained with blood.

Since that was the case, Xiaoying would make Tang witness how her position—built upon human blood and bones—would fall apart.

Honor obtained through taking lives should be repaid in full!

However, before personally taking the Empress’s dog life, she needed to safely arrange for her brother.

When they went to the military camp the day after tomorrow, she would find a way for her brother and her subordinates to blend into the convoy and take the opportunity to leave the city.

As Xiaoying strolled back toward the Eastern Palace at a leisurely pace, Jian Hu rushed over like an arrow released from a bow, arriving before Jin Zhong.

Jian Hu had been anxious all night without sleep, her eyes red from exhaustion.

Throughout the night, the little palace maid’s thoughts had been tumultuous, filled with regret. She felt she shouldn’t have been bewitched into believing the false Crown Prince’s persuasion.

Had she drunk bad wine? How could a young lady like that possibly contend with the Empress?

So after acting in a daze that morning, Jian Hu had hidden in her room, pulled out her belt, and contemplated hanging herself to end everything.

But when she stood on the stool, she lost her nerve. She lay in bed crying, waiting for her aunt Song Ao to bring her a cup of poisoned wine to end her life.

However, to her great surprise, she didn’t receive the poisoned wine from the Empress. Instead, she heard from the well-informed palace attendants that the Empress had suddenly gone mad and had been ordered by the Emperor to return to her palace for secluded recuperation.

As for the false Crown Prince, it seemed he hadn’t been implicated, and there were no signs that the truth had been exposed.

With such a dramatic turn of events, even Jian Hu, who was in the middle of it all, couldn’t clearly understand what had happened.

After waiting anxiously, she finally saw the false Crown Prince return safely. Naturally, Jian Hu rushed over urgently, wanting to get a clear explanation.

But to Jin Zhong, who had just returned to the Eastern Palace, this was extremely irritating.

This dead girl was trying to compete with him for favor!

This Jian Hu, relying on being sent by the Empress, had always been lazy in her daily duties, acting more like the master than the Crown Prince himself!

How had she suddenly become enlightened today, racing ahead of him to be the first to curry favor?

Jin Zhong had been sent away to the Grand Prince just yesterday and had only managed to return this morning. Naturally, he needed to work twice as hard not to be outdone by Jian Hu.

For a moment, Xiaoying found herself surrounded by two loyal servants, truly feeling like a master for once.

She found an excuse to send Jin Zhong away, then had Jian Hu follow her into the inner chamber. While changing clothes, she instructed: “Although you are a relative of Song Ao, since you were assigned to me, you have been spared from the troubles at Phoenix Cry Palace. Now that the Empress is confined, she will need proper care and cannot see people. Continue as usual and do not worry. I will make proper arrangements for you.”

In the past, if Jian Hu had heard these words, she would have thought this young lady was boasting without knowing her limits.

But after last night’s terrifying experience and today’s palace upheaval, this young lady had easily reversed the desperate situation and revived what seemed like a dead end!

She truly had abilities! To Jian Hu, the future offered by Xiaoying now seemed more reliable than Song Ao’s threats and temptations.

With no other options, she could only rely on this lady and take one step at a time!

After reassuring the little palace maid, Xiaoying gave some simple instructions and then asked Jian Hu to prepare hunting attire for horseback riding and archery.

When the hunting clothes were brought, Xiaoying tried them on and looked at herself in the mirror.

Jian Hu stood carefully behind her, asking softly: “How… how long will you stay in the palace? Do you intend to be the Crown Prince for so long, and eventually… become the Emperor?”

Xiaoying smiled, struck a pose, and sang to her: “When I ascend the throne, I shall make my darling Jiaojiao a pampered consort. How would you like that?”

In the past, Jian Hu would have rolled her eyes at this.

But last night, this lady had killed with such clean efficiency while wearing the same smiling expression.

So Jian Hu only shrank her neck and nodded hesitantly, causing Xiaoying to laugh heartily once more.

The next day, Xiaoying rose early, calculated the time when the guards would change shifts, and said to Jian Hu while dressing: “Go prepare a food box. Arrange some small dishes.”

Jian Hu asked worriedly: “What are you going to do?”

Xiaoying fastened her belt, gave a cold smile, and replied: “Naturally, I’m going to fulfill my filial duty by visiting my ill mother, the Empress who has gone mad!”

…

The once-majestic Phoenix Cry Palace remained magnificent, but because His Majesty had ordered a reduction in expenses, half of the palace attendants had been dispersed, giving it an inexplicably desolate atmosphere.

His Majesty had decreed that absolutely no one was to see the Empress, and the door to her chambers had been locked.

Xiaoying had no intention of using the door. Having calculated the gap between the guards’ shift change, she relied on her slender form to leap through a high window at precisely the right moment, carrying the food box and entering the inner palace with ease.

Empress Tang’s condition was extremely poor.

The shock of being frightened by the ghost-impersonating Yan Xiaoying had thrown Tang’s already confused thoughts into complete disarray. This, combined with the witchcraft incident at the Western Palace, had left her utterly unprepared.

After returning to her palace and carefully reviewing everything with Song Ao, Empress Tang finally realized the crucial point—the corpse in the box wasn’t Yan Xiaoying at all!

Song Ao also recalled that since last night, she hadn’t seen the palace maid who had been sent to deliver medicine, nor had Jian Hu returned to report.

Putting everything together, the two finally realized that Yan Xiaoying must have done something to create today’s irreparable situation.

Thinking of her loss of composure yesterday, Empress Tang was so angry that she smashed all the furnishings in her inner chamber to pieces, hating herself for being hasty and unknowingly bringing some kind of monster from outside the palace!

While she was still seething with frustration, that very monster suddenly jumped in through a window more than a person’s height, smiling brightly: “Is the Empress well? Your son has come to pay respects!”

Song Ao rushed forward first, intending to grab the young lady’s collar and demand what evil tricks she had played on the Empress.

But before her hand could make contact, the young lady used some clever technique, raising her hand to twist Song Ao’s arm, instantly forcing her to lie flat on the ground.

Empress Tang approached to grab Xiaoying’s mouth, but this time, Xiaoying didn’t bother to hide her skills. With just a lift of her foot, she violently kicked the Empress to the ground.

How could Tang have ever experienced such a demeaning kick in her life?

With a cry of pain, she fell to the ground, curling up in agony: “Who… who exactly are you?”

Hearing the Empress’s question, Xiaoying laughed, picked a place to sit down, and calmly looked at her: “How does the Empress not recognize me? I am the daughter of the actress Lou Guan!”

Empress Tang looked at Yan Xiaoying with uncertainty and fear: “Who… who instructed you to harm me?”

The young lady before her still had that weak and childish appearance, but her expression now contained a chilling hostility that made one’s skin crawl.

This was not the demeanor of a girl raised by an ordinary actress.

Empress Tang felt she must have been instigated by someone to come and harm her.

Xiaoying gave a cold laugh as she glanced at the two old women lying on the ground, saying calmly, “If you ask who sent me, it was on Red Jade’s errand!”

Red Jade? The Empress was confused, unable to recall for a moment.

Xiaoying gradually lost her smile, speaking in an icy tone: “Noble people forget things easily. Back then, you were most fond of hearing the famous actress Red Jade sing ‘Lady Su’s Second Marriage’!”

Hearing this, Tang’s teeth began to chatter slightly. She remembered now—Feng Qiyuan and this girl’s mother… was that actress Red Jade who had been drowned in the river!

She… had known all along that her mother was harmed by Tang, yet had never revealed even the slightest hint. What incredible, deep scheming!

Tang finally realized, belatedly: “You… you’ve come to avenge your mother?”

Xiaoying smiled slightly. If her brother had already successfully left the city, she could indeed have ended this vicious woman’s life with one stroke.

Unfortunately, the time wasn’t yet ripe. If Tang died mysteriously now, that suspicious head of the shadow guards, Mu Hanjiang, would likely pursue the matter relentlessly, making it difficult for her brother to escape.

A wicked woman occupying the position of Empress, stealing another’s child, sleeping peacefully for so many years on the blood and flesh of the dead.

Xiaoying wanted to make sure this Empress clearly remembered the blood on her own hands. And in what little life she had left, she made her life in constant terror, never finding peace!

Indeed, hearing this, Tang seemed devastated by her foolish action of inviting a wolf into her home. She stared at Yan Xiaoying with shock and fear, muttering: “Just you alone? I don’t believe a mere young lady has such abilities. You… you must have someone powerful behind you! Who could it be… could it be her?”

Tang seemed to suddenly think of something, sending her back into mad cursing.

Xiaoying suddenly noticed someone seemingly talking outside the hall. Looking through a crack by the door, she saw that Mu Hanjiang had appeared again, like a persistent ghost, outside Phoenix Cry Palace.

After greeting the guards from a distance, he walked leisurely to the hall door.

However, as an outside official, and constrained by His Majesty’s prohibition, he could not enter to see the Empress. He only walked to the main door of the hall and greeted the Empress from across the threshold.

Hearing Mu Hanjiang speak, the Empress grabbed at what seemed like a life-saving straw. She struggled to crawl toward the door, shouting: “Lord Mu! The Crown Prince… the Crown Prince is an impostor! She is a woman, she… she wants to kill me!”

Yan Xiaoying remained calm, allowing the Empress to shout while she walked over to Song Ao, crouched down, and whispered to her: “The Empress has gone mad, but you haven’t. You should know that if someone believes what she says, your crime will implicate nine generations of your family. Not one of your brothers, relatives, nephews, or nieces outside the palace would survive!”

Disrupting the royal bloodline—could such a crime be settled with just one human head?

Song Ao certainly understood this. Hearing the Empress shout like this, she turned as pale as wax, not knowing how to silence the Empress.

At that moment, Yan Xiaoying let out a sobbing wail, crying as she picked up the food box, stepped onto the table, and jumped out through the high window.

Mu Hanjiang seemed not to have expected Yan Xiaoying to emerge from the window, and his brow furrowed slightly.

The young Crown Prince appeared to have suffered a great injustice, wiping tears away as he said: “Lord Mu… my mother, she doesn’t recognize me anymore!”

Mu Hanjiang had come today intending to inquire, from across the door, about the missing palace maid.

Somehow, he felt that the Empress’s dramatic scene had some connection with the mysteriously disappeared palace maid.

As it concerned the safety of the inner palace, to eliminate hidden dangers, he, as a Dragon Scale Shadow Guard, needed to clarify the situation.

Yet unexpectedly, the Crown Prince had defied imperial orders by secretly jumping through the window to see the Empress, while the Empress suddenly erupted in anger, emotionally insisting that this was… a false Crown Prince?

However, the Crown Prince appeared completely dispirited, seemingly deeply hurt by the Empress’s words, looking helplessly at Mu Hanjiang: “Young Master Mu, I was truly concerned about my mother and wanted to bring her some delicious food. But she… she kept cursing and hitting me, refusing to accept anything from me. She even said I am not her child… Has my mother truly gone mad?”

Mu Hanjiang glanced at the food box in her hand, which indeed contained several exquisite pastries and small dishes.

The Empress, however, seemed as if she had seen a ghost, hysterically banging on the door, trying to come out and tear apart the Crown Prince’s mouth full of lies.

Fortunately, there seemed to be a palace maid inside holding back the Empress, covering her mouth and tearfully pleading: “Your Majesty, please don’t speak so wildly. You must take care of yourself!”

After that, the person seemed to be dragged into the inner chamber, and finally, the hall door grew quiet.

Mu Hanjiang frowned again; the young gentleman’s brow was almost forming the character for “river.”

With the Empress in such a frenzied state, it seemed impossible to get any answers from her.

Both he and the Crown Prince had somewhat defied imperial orders by coming here, so they had to cover for each other, and neither could report the other.

So Mu Hanjiang waved his hand and said, “His Majesty will surely summon famous physicians to treat the Empress. May I request Your Highness to move along and not disturb the Empress’s tranquility?”

Xiaoying paid no attention to Mu Hanjiang’s scrutinizing gaze, appearing like a completely shattered porcelain doll. She swayed slightly and simply walked up to Mu Hanjiang, her lips trembling, deliberately drawing close: “Young Master Mu, why does even my mother humiliate me so? Look at me, do I look like a woman to you?”

Mu Hanjiang stiffened his spine, looking down at the tearful youth, somewhat uncomfortably turning his head away, and politely replied: “The Crown Prince is imperial offspring and naturally possesses His Majesty’s martial bearing.”

Hearing this, Xiaoying seemed somewhat comforted. She slowly straightened up and wiped away her tears with her sleeve.

Fortunately, she had followed her impulse to intimidate the Empress today. Otherwise, if Mu Hanjiang had met with the Empress alone, who knows how much that poisonous, foolish Empress would have revealed under his questioning.

Thinking of this, Xiaoying asked: “Did you come here by His Majesty’s order, Young Master?”

Mu Hanjiang lowered his eyes: “No…”

Xiaoying sighed and patted his shoulder: “So you’re just like me, both disobeying Father Emperor’s command. Since that’s the case, let’s keep this between us and not tell anyone, shall we? However, Lord Mu, if you have no pressing matters in the future, please don’t disturb my mother’s quiet recuperation. Her illness seems to have worsened…”

Mu Hanjiang didn’t answer, but walked alongside the Crown Prince along the palace wall for a while before suddenly remembering something and casually asking: “The other day, I noticed the Grand Prince initiating conversation with Your Highness, not appearing as though you’ve been estranged for many years.”

Xiaoying smiled. Mu Hanjiang truly had a suspicious dog’s nose. Could he have sensed the complex relationship and history between her and Feng Yuan?