Seeing the young woman’s hasty change of words, which was clearly insincere, Feng Yuan nevertheless instructed the kitchen to prepare dishes that Xiaoying loved.

While waiting for the delicious food to be served, Xiaoying recounted her experience probing at Duke Ding’s mansion, especially Princess Anqing’s strange change in attitude.

In the past, Feng Yuan had such an aversion to Princess Anqing that he didn’t even want to hear her name.

But because it was Xiaoying speaking, he could listen calmly.

After hearing everything, Feng Yuan asked: “Are you saying that the person who instructed Chen Nuo to betray my mother back then might not have been Anqing?”

Xiaoying said, “It’s just intuition, without evidence. Now I’m thinking about something else—did Duke Ding know that his wife was having an affair with the old emperor?”

Feng Yuan thought back to those years: “When I was eleven, I overheard Anqing in a private meeting with Father Emperor, then took a knife to confront her. I ran into Mu Hanjiang, and in the heat of the moment, I almost killed him. Duke Ding intervened and asked me the reason, but my blood rushed to my head and I fainted. Looking back, I must have already been showing symptoms of poisoning, which is why I couldn’t control myself. After I woke up, Mu Shen asked me the reason, but I didn’t tell him. He said Mu Hanjiang was wounded and thought I wanted to kill him. He was heartbroken and refused to eat. So Duke Ding told Mu Hanjiang that he had scolded and beaten me, which is why I wanted to assassinate Duke Ding.”

Xiaoying asked: “Why didn’t you tell Duke Ding about Anqing’s affair?”

Feng Yuan lowered his eyes: “The one who made Duke Ding a cuckold was His Majesty on high. If I had spoken, how could Duke Ding and I have survived? I had no grievance with Mu Shen—how could I harm him?”

He was so young then, yet once he calmed down, he could think of this, showing Feng Yuan’s early maturity.

So his impulsive attempt to kill someone back then must have been due to the poisoning.

Hearing this, Xiaoying felt there must be much more behind Feng Yuan’s poisoning years ago.

“Because you wanted to bring down the Western Palace, you and Anqing temporarily set aside your differences, and before His Majesty, placed the blame for the poisoning on the Western Palace. But who poisoned you? It couldn’t have been Anqing. You had already discovered her affair, and if she wanted to silence you, she would have needed a quicker method. She absolutely wouldn’t have used madness-inducing drugs—such a slow blade. And Consort Shang was even less likely. As she said, at that time, she didn’t even consider a child of questionable bloodline worth her attention. Starting from when you were almost twelve, your life was manipulated by a black hand. To escape this maze, you need to carefully sort through the details.”

Feng Yuan understood that this black hand now not only wanted to manipulate him but had also extended its reach toward Feng Qiyuan, and might later reach for Yan Xiaoying.

But who could have poisoned him? If not Consort Shang, and not Anqing, who else was close to him then, seeing him as a manipulable pawn?

Xiaoying suddenly thought: “When Mu Shen didn’t deeply question why Feng Yuan had stabbed Mu Hanjiang, could it be… that he had long known he was wearing a green hat?”

If so, his years of claiming illness and not being at the mansion would have a reasonable explanation.

Because he couldn’t face his wife’s infidelity, and the adulterer was the most powerful man in the world, Mu Shen could only meekly avoid the situation, choosing to turn a blind eye.

But recalling his easy conversation with His Majesty, with friendship as in the old days, Mu Shen truly seemed not to know. Otherwise, how could he behave so naturally?

Mu Hanjiang had also said that throughout his childhood, his father had treated him much more kindly than his mother, Princess Anqing.

When Emperor Chunde mistakenly believed Feng Yuan wasn’t his child, his cold distance was only natural human behavior.

If Mu Shen had known early on, how could he be so peaceful toward Mu Hanjiang?

Such restraint would make him either a saint or someone with a heart as deep as the abyss!

Thinking of this, Xiaoying frowned slightly, feeling she might be imagining people too negatively.

Mu Shen’s bearing and cultivation were excellent, making people instinctively feel goodwill toward him. Moreover, today he had taken a heavy punch for Xiaoying, coughing up blood continuously.

To suspect a benefactor who had just helped her was truly unkind!

But once her mind had wandered in this direction, Xiaoying found it difficult to pull back her thoughts.

Feng Yuan, seeing Xiaoying lost in thought, asked: “What are you thinking about?”

Xiaoying felt she might be overthinking and smiled: “Is the food ready? I’m starving!”

Her stomach, accustomed to the plain and simple palace food, had no resistance when faced with spicy Sichuan duck, zhuyu prawns, and meat in golden soup—such flavorful dishes.

After indulging in a hearty meal, Xiaoying sighed deeply and said with some distress, “What should I do? I’ve eaten too much again! My palace clothes are getting tight. Do you think I’ve gained a lot of weight?”

Feng Yuan lowered his gaze, pausing slightly below her neck: “You’ve put on some flesh…”

Since Xiaoying was currently dressed as a man with thick bandages wrapped around her chest, it wasn’t very noticeable.

But when they were alone and the bandages were removed, the young woman’s recent plumpness became quite evident.

Feng Yuan’s gaze lingered, unable to withdraw, until Xiaoying noticed and reproachfully covered his eyes, bringing him back to his senses.

The young woman was truly beginning to blossom, and in a few more days, Feng Qiyuan would turn eighteen.

She couldn’t stay in the palace too long, or it would become impossible to hide.

Xiaoying strongly agreed with this point. Now, whenever she thought about returning to the palace for three meals a day, she wanted to linger at the prince’s mansion and not leave.

So after eating, she leaned against Feng Yuan’s embrace and drifted into thought.

In the past, Xiaoying had always been very clear about where her future would lead.

But now, due to Xiaoying Mountain Villa’s plot, she had unexpectedly returned to the palace, once again disguised as the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, Feng Yuan continued to pressure her for marriage, unwilling to let her leave.

Xiaoying knew that if she stayed, future troubles would be endless.

But after the cousin incident, she suddenly found herself unable to let go.

Just like earlier at the mansion gate, although she knew Feng Yuan had no intention of entertaining his cousin,

Seeing the cousin’s adoring gaze fixed on Feng Yuan, Xiaoying had barely managed to suppress the sourness rising in her heart by munching on peanuts.

What should she do? Perhaps knock Feng Yuan unconscious with a club when the time came, and bundle him along with her?

But he was of royal blood, clearly capable of ascending to the imperial throne—how could she abduct him like some ordinary gentleman from a regular household?

Xiaoying was momentarily at a loss and let out a long, deep sigh.

The arm wrapped around her waist suddenly tightened. Xiaoying looked up to see Feng Yuan’s clenched jaw—he had surely guessed she was thinking about leaving him in the future, which displeased him.

Xiaoying didn’t want to hide from him, so she simply told him about her plan to abduct a respectable man and take him back to her mountain stronghold.

Feng Yuan’s lips twitched: “I should be grateful that when you’re planning your escape, you still have enough conscience to consider taking me along…”

Xiaoying playfully traced his prominent nose with her finger: “Alright, don’t always look so stern. With such a handsome face, you should smile more. Look at those who use their appearance to serve others—which one doesn’t know how to smile? If you smile more, perhaps I’ll be so captivated that I won’t want to leave you.”

Feng Yuan pinched her nose: “Who are you saying uses their appearance to serve others?”

Xiaoying laughed: “Enough teasing. I need to return to the palace soon. I said I came to see Young Master Mu, but I haven’t seen him yet. Hurry and lead the way.”

Fearing further assassination attempts on Mu Hanjiang, he had been placed in the rear courtyard of the prince’s mansion.

Feng Yuan’s claim that he attended to Mu Hanjiang’s medicines wasn’t false.

After Xiaoying had seated herself, Feng Yuan heated the medicine, tested it for poison, then rolled up his sleeves to administer it to Mu Hanjiang.

Watching his practiced movements, it was clear he truly attended to Mu Hanjiang three times daily.

The gentleman had reportedly been unconscious due to excessive blood loss, and with a high fever on top of that. Occasionally, he could cooperate by opening his mouth to eat or getting up with support to relieve himself, but most of the time, he remained in a drowsy state.

Xiaoying rested her chin on her hand, watching as Feng Yuan used a spoon to pour the medicine into Mu Hanjiang’s mouth without spilling a drop, then wiped his mouth before beginning to feed him thin porridge.

The tall and strong Feng Yuan, taking such meticulous care of a blood-related brother, exuded maturity and reliability, making him even more captivating…

After enjoying the view for a while, Xiaoying curiously asked: “We’ve been here for so long, yet he hasn’t awakened? Is his injury really that serious?”

Feng Yuan replied without any moral qualms: “I’ve added something to his medicine. He can remain in this drowsy state for a month.”

…

The feeling of admiration Xiaoying had just experienced watching Feng Yuan’s attentive care instantly vanished.

“Feng Yuan! How could you be so reckless? Won’t this damage Mu Hanjiang’s brain?”

“It’s harmless. Besides, he needs recovery time anyway. Lying here a bit longer is better than waking up and causing trouble.”

Since the poisoning incident came to light, Emperor Chunde had privately approached Ye Zhong, asking him to provide manpower to Feng Yuan, allowing him to freely investigate the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards, following the clues from the embassy official’s attack.

After sitting on the imperial throne for so long, the emperor maintained a degree of vigilance toward everyone.

Moreover, the childhood poisoning of a prince seemed to be connected to Princess Anqing.

Emperor Chunde wouldn’t tolerate schemers near his pillow, so he was using Feng Yuan to sift through the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards.

During this period, Feng Yuan had secretly arrested many people, and Emperor Chunde’s instruction was surprisingly not to interrogate them thoroughly—those with dubious loyalty should not be kept!

For secret guards, once they lost the quality of loyalty, they became completely worthless. Only death could repay the emperor’s grace.

Emperor Chunde’s order to kill wasn’t just aimed at corrupt Dragon Scale guards, but also at the disrespectful heart of whoever managed them.

So, during this purge of the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards, keeping Mu Hanjiang unconscious was the greatest mercy Feng Yuan could show his blood-related brother.

Otherwise, with Mu Hanjiang’s pride, being so thoroughly humiliated would be unbearable for his self-esteem.

Xiaoying truly hadn’t known that Feng Yuan had been taking such major actions behind the scenes, already unleashing a bloody storm upon the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards.

She suddenly understood why Mu Shen had hurriedly returned to the capital, and why Princess Anqing, since her last visit to the palace, had begun shutting her doors and refusing visitors.

After this purge of the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards, whether the Mu family would continue to oversee them was uncertain.

Mu Shen had returned to stabilize the situation based on old friendships, while Anqing completely retreated from view.

But still…

“His Majesty assigned you such a task, and you accepted?”

How was this purge of dissenters different from sending Feng Yuan to Jiangzhe for a bloodbath?

Bearing a name stained with blood, wouldn’t Feng Yuan be even further from the position of Crown Prince?

Feng Yuan understood Xiaoying’s meaning. He stroked her flushed cheek, with a hint of mockery: “Perhaps in his eyes, my mother and I are both just convenient knives for his use…”

Xiaoying pressed her lips together, feeling a disgust for Emperor Chunde that she had never experienced before.

He knew how much he had wronged his eldest son, yet made no effort to repair Feng Yuan’s reputation.

Probably because Feng Yuan wasn’t his preferred candidate for the throne, he used such methods to perpetuate Feng Yuan’s previous reputation for cruelty…

The ruler’s considerations for using people had once again triumphed over the duties of a father!

Such a calculating person didn’t deserve to have sons!

Feng Yuan, seeing Xiaoying’s eyes reddening with anger, felt a warmth in his heart: “Don’t be angry. Even if he hadn’t assigned me this task, I would have done it anyway. I won’t let you and Ah Yuan fall into those people’s hands again.”

“How can you not be angry when he treats you this way?”

“When I never had hope to begin with, why should I be angry?”

Feng Yuan’s bad temper wasn’t directed at everyone. Most of the time, his response to those he despised was simply cold indifference.

The only one who could anger him to speechlessness, leaving him unsure how to deal with her, was the woman before him.

No! Her man shouldn’t be exploited like an ox or horse!

With this thought, Xiaoying made her decision.

As for Mu Hanjiang on the sickbed, with his family in turmoil and the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards being purged, if he were awake, his pride would surely be wounded. If he rashly involved himself, it might cause more complications.

Being able to sleep was a blessing—Mu Hanjiang should sleep through this crisis.

By the time Xiaoying returned to the palace, the sun was nearly setting.

His Majesty had summoned her to the imperial study to dine with him in the evening.

Such occasions were rare—it had been months since Xiaoying had last dined privately with the emperor.

Emperor Chunde maintained his habits: plain porridge and simple dishes, very frugal.

Since Xiaoying had eaten her fill at Prince Ruixiang’s mansion, she didn’t eat much.

Emperor Chunde added some food to his fourth son’s bowl and kindly asked: “Why aren’t you eating much? Are my dishes not to your taste?”

Xiaoying smiled and answered truthfully: “I already ate at Eldest Brother’s mansion.”

Emperor Chunde looked up at his fourth son: “You’ve grown bolder now, daring to visit your eldest brother’s mansion alone?”

Xiaoying knew His Majesty meant that Feng Qiyuan should fear his eldest brother, who had once strangled him. Logically, he shouldn’t voluntarily visit his eldest brother’s mansion.

But she wasn’t alarmed and replied calmly: “I traveled to Jiangzhe with Eldest Brother, eating and living together, even sharing a tent. Then we experienced the battle to recapture Fengwei Slope. Beyond our blood ties as brothers, we’ve added the bond of comrades. Having suddenly returned to the capital, I occasionally miss Eldest Brother and visit his mansion.”

Emperor Chunde found this fresh and laughed slightly: “Your eldest brother’s temperament makes it difficult for even me to converse with him, not even half a sentence of casual chat. What could you possibly discuss with him?”

The implication was not only that Feng Yuan was cold in temperament, but also that Feng Qiyuan was empty-headed with nothing worthwhile to say. The emperor truly couldn’t imagine what these two dramatically different sons could discuss in private.

Yan Xiaoying smiled and said honestly, “We don’t need to say much. Eldest Brother cooks very well—I mainly wanted to enjoy his food.”

“Oh? He can cook?” Emperor Chunde asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yes, Eldest Brother lived with Master Ge, and besides cooking, he had to wash clothes and chop firewood. He knows many skills that I don’t. And Eldest Brother has read many books—when I don’t understand something, I ask him.”

Emperor Chunde nodded: “It’s good that you brothers get along well.”

Xiaoying smiled slightly and lowered her head to continue eating her porridge.

“I called you here today because of the recent case of selling official positions in the Ministry of Personnel. Your second brother cares too much about appearances and is too soft-hearted, too easily persuaded. Instead, he was led astray by those around him, unable to distinguish right from wrong. I wonder if you’re interested in taking over your second brother’s position and gaining some experience in the Ministry of Personnel?”

Perhaps because the Crown Prince had conducted himself with dignity before the diplomatic envoys, Emperor Chunde felt somewhat satisfied with him. He was now offering this piece of meat, taken from the Second Prince’s mouth, to the Crown Prince, while also observing how much he had improved since returning from Jiangzhe.

Being in charge of the Ministry of Personnel was something all princes would desire.

After speaking, Emperor Chunde waited for this frail youth to anxiously thank him for the honor.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the Fourth Prince thought briefly, then rose to kneel, and after paying respects, said: “Your son is unworthy and truly cannot bear such a heavy responsibility.”

Emperor Chunde frowned: “You don’t want it?”

“It’s not that I don’t want it, but I feel Eldest Brother would be the best choice to lead the Ministry of Personnel.”

“Him? Do you think there aren’t enough corrupt officials dying, and he needs to conduct another bloodbath?”

As Emperor Chunde said this, he couldn’t help but laugh, thinking the Fourth Prince’s modesty was excessive!

This young man probably felt that accepting immediately would appear too eager, so he was pretending to be modest and declining.

A child’s thoughts were truly transparent!

Upon hearing His Majesty’s words and thinking of Feng Yuan’s current situation, Xiaoying felt like slapping someone.

She took a deep breath and calmly asked: “May I ask Father Emperor, what do you think is the most necessary talent for leading the Ministry of Personnel?”

Emperor Chunde was in a good mood today and had the patience to engage with his son he had never particularly liked: “Naturally, it’s having the capacity to accommodate others, and the ability to recognize and properly utilize talent.”

“When Eldest Brother was in Jiangzhe, facing General Chen Nuo’s oppression, receiving treatment inferior to common soldiers in the army, and being frequently beaten and scolded by General Chen, he could still endure without retaliation—this shows his capacity. In critical moments, he thought of the talented general stationed in Linchuanluo Town—this shows his ability to recognize and use talent. My abilities aren’t even one ten-thousandth of Eldest Brother’s. The Ministry of Personnel urgently needs reorganization and requires someone as upright and impartial as Eldest Brother to take charge!”

Emperor Chunde narrowed his eyes, finally realizing that his Fourth Son was seriously recommending his eldest brother.

“Why… would you think this way?” Could it be that this Fourth Son was being foolish again, not realizing that among all the princes, it was this eldest son, Feng Yuan, who could compete with him for the position of Crown Prince?

Xiaoying no longer bothered to hide her abilities. She had no intention of being the Crown Prince indefinitely.

Opportunities to directly challenge the emperor’s political machinations were rare—she would take this chance!

“Growing up in the palace, I didn’t understand the suffering of common people. I only thought about my gains and losses. But after traveling with Elder Teng to the countryside, I finally understood the hardships of the people, with corrupt officials being the primary cause! Consider Consort Shang of the Western Palace—she’s merely a palace consort, yet she could nurture someone as evil as Shang Youdao. The errors committed by my mother, Empress Tang’s family members, during disaster relief in Jiangzhe were countless! I can’t help but deeply ponder: why has it come to this? Is it because the consort and the empress didn’t know people were using their names to oppress and exploit the common people? No, they were very clear about it. But to strengthen their positions in the palace and support their respective princes, they would rather nurture tigers and grow wings. In such power struggles, it’s the common people who suffer most! I know I’m not virtuous enough, and I don’t want to let such practices flourish. The Grand Prince is naturally aloof, with few social connections and no issue of powerful in-laws—he is more suitable for this responsibility…”

“How dare you! After one trip to Jiangzhe, you’ve developed the audacity to criticize your mother and elders! What are you insinuating? Are you saying I’m incompetent and have allowed the problem of powerful in-laws to grow?” Emperor Chunde roared in anger.