An Jiu was left speechless by the phrase “Let’s consider it carefully.” She wondered if she should find a way to kidnap Mei Yanran. But upon further reflection, she decided against it. Hadn’t she been hunted down enough in her previous life? While she couldn’t guarantee avoiding the same fate entirely in this life, at least she shouldn’t needlessly make enemies.

As An Jiu pondered this, she glanced at Mei Yanran and noticed a fleeting look of wariness and distance in her eyes. She felt a twinge of hurt but quickly came to terms with it. For a wandering spirit who had somehow possessed her daughter’s body, not being killed outright was already an act of mercy.

Seeing An Jiu smile, Mei Yanran didn’t know what else to say, as she wouldn’t fully believe anything An Jiu told her anyway. After standing there for a few moments, Mei Yanran silently left the room.

An Jiu poured some water but paused before drinking it. She emptied the kettle and went to the kitchen to boil fresh water. Though her mother was kind, she wasn’t truly her own. Mei Yanran’s reaction made An Jiu realize she needed to be cautious.

As she boiled the water, An Jiu reflected on the many changes that had occurred around her in such a short time. Everyone else had made their own choices, except for her. She had been drifting along, pushed by fate without direction, never considering her purpose in this world.

Even Mei Jiu knew to pursue the goal of marriage and children, while An Jiu was just a killing machine, executing orders from above. Her thoughts and actions revolved solely around missions. It wasn’t that she lacked intelligence; she had simply forgotten how to think and choose for herself.

An Jiu had never considered pursuing ambitions or getting married and having children. So where did her path lie?

The warm glow from the stove fire illuminated An Jiu’s face as she broke into a self-mocking smile. She was like a rat blindly following the pack, occasionally looking down on the humans around her – “You foolish people!” In reality, she was the most pitiful and laughable of all.

As the water in the pot boiled, An Jiu ladled some into a dipper and carried it to the courtyard, intending to drink straight from it.

Under the moonlight, she stood by the vegetable garden Sui Yunzhu had planted. She noticed that the recently sown seeds had already sprouted tender green shoots.

“Don’t water them with hot water!” Sui Yunzhu rushed out of the house to stop her, seeing An Jiu approach the garden with a dipper of hot water while staring at the seedlings.

An Jiu turned to face the oncoming Sui Yunzhu, one hand on her hip and the other holding the hot water. Calmly, she asked, “Do you have a dream?”

Sui Yunzhu abruptly halted, shaking his hand that had gone numb from the sudden stop. He looked at her strangely, thinking to himself, “Is she having another episode?” He cautiously replied, afraid of triggering her, “Yes, I do.”

“What dream?” An Jiu asked with great interest.

Sui Yunzhu glanced at the hot water in her hand, worried she might suddenly pour it on the ground or him. His muscles tensed slightly as he answered, “To live a peaceful life, picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence and gazing at the southern mountains. I want to find a place with beautiful scenery, marry a simple girl, and live a tranquil life.”

At that moment, he felt anything but tranquil and carefree.

“Hmm.” An Jiu pondered for a moment. “I do know a simple girl.”

Sui Yunzhu was both nervous and confused.

“She’s already married, but unfortunately not ideally. How about I introduce her to you?” The simple girl An Jiu had in mind was Mei Jiu.

Sui Yunzhu didn’t take the bait. Instead, he couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing with that hot water?”

“Drinking it!” An Jiu looked at him as if he were an idiot.

“Oh, I see,” Sui Yunzhu said, relieved. He then continued, “Right now, I’m not in control of my fate. How could I be fortunate enough to take a wife?”

“Whether it’s good fortune is hard to say. She’s always crying and whining,” An Jiu said, bringing the dipper to her lips and taking a sip. “Do you like that type?”

Sui Yunzhu was speechless. Was this how one played matchmaker? Not only suggesting a married woman but also focusing on her negative traits.

Seeing that she was seriously waiting for an answer, Sui Yunzhu could only chuckle and say, “I prefer someone more spirited.”

Hearing this, An Jiu gave up on the idea. Mei Jiu could hardly say a harsh word in this life, but she took Sui Yunzhu’s words to heart.

Sui Yunzhu, unaware that his words today would lead to his own “tragedy” in the latter half of his life, simply thought he was humoring a mentally unstable person.

“I’m heading back to my room now,” Sui Yunzhu said.

An Jiu nodded, lost in thought again. Her conversation with Sui Yunzhu had suddenly inspired her. Since she couldn’t find her direction, why not help others? Assisting others in achieving their dreams wasn’t a bad path to take. It could even be a way to atone for the lives she had taken.

An Jiu was a person of action. Once she had an idea, she acted on it. After finishing her dipper of water, she went to Li Qingzhi’s room.

Li Qingzhi was practicing martial arts, hanging upside down from a beam. When he noticed An Jiu enter, he jumped down.

In the dark room, An Jiu’s eyes seemed to shine as she asked, “Do you have a dream?”

Li Qingzhi was stunned for a moment. His first reaction, like Sui Yunzhu’s, was that the girl had gone mad again.

“Sit down,” Li Qingzhi said, thinking he must prevent her from causing trouble outside. This was the imperial palace, where one could lose their head at any moment. Feeling responsible, he decided to engage her in conversation to keep her occupied. “Yes, I do. I admire General Ling. A man with the ability should protect his country and family. Alas, what kind of situation are we in now?”

An Jiu nodded repeatedly, “Your thinking is quite good.”

Li Qingzhi found this even stranger. Since when did compliments come out of her mouth? It was practically unheard of. He was almost tempted to call Sui Yunzhu over to listen.

“That’s all. You can continue your practice,” An Jiu said with a wave of her hand, striding out of the room. Riding this wave of enthusiasm, she went to find Gao Dazhuang, intending to deliver the medicine Mo Sigui had sent.

Li Qingzhi hurried to Sui Yunzhu’s room. “Don’t you think we should follow her? Last time at the border, there was such a commotion. We were lucky to have Lord Chu handle it, but Lord Chu isn’t here now!”

Sui Yunzhu hesitated, “Her spiritual energy is high. She’ll notice if we follow her.”

“If things get out of hand, we’ll all be held accountable,” Li Qingzhi said.

Sui Yunzhu nodded, “Alright, let’s follow at a distance.”

The two slipped away, following An Jiu’s path, but they had already lost her trail.

The crucial areas within the palace were guarded by the Dragon Guard. They weren’t familiar with members of other units, and wandering around would only invite unnecessary trouble.

Sui Yunzhu pondered for a moment, “Let’s inform Lord Gao.”

By sheer coincidence, when they arrived, they found An Jiu talking with Gao Dazhuang.

Of course, she had asked him the same question.

Usually, Gao Dazhuang’s knife-like glare could have killed her, but having received Mo Sigui’s generous gift, he was in an exceptionally good mood. So he merely rolled his eyes and grumbled, “You woke this old man up in the middle of the night just for this? Don’t you know how busy I am? How inconsiderate!”

Gao Dazhuang’s good mood hadn’t just started today. He wasn’t one to suffer in silence. A few days ago, burning with anger, he had taken advantage of the night to ambush and severely beat several eunuchs who often caused him trouble, which had somewhat quelled his fury.

An Jiu was bursting with enthusiasm, completely oblivious to the cold reception. She excitedly guessed, “If your dream is to grow back your little bird, that might be difficult. I wonder if Mo Sigui could manage it.”

Gao Dazhuang’s face turned green. He took off his shoe and swung it at An Jiu, “You little runt, you nutcase! Instead of worrying about this old man’s little bird, why don’t you ask Mo Sigui to cure your mental illness!”

An Jiu dodged quickly, disappearing in a flash.

Fearing they might be caught in the crossfire, Sui Yunzhu and Li Qingzhi quietly retreated.

Although An Jiu had faced a setback, her mood remained high. Regardless of whether her newfound path was right or wrong, at least she had managed to come up with a goal unrelated to killing.

Suddenly feeling fulfilled, this sensation was wonderful!

Sui Yunzhu and Li Qingzhi sneaked back into their respective rooms, pretending they had never left.

The next day during their shift, Sui Yunzhu deliberately pulled An Jiu outside to stand guard with him, preventing her from staying in the room alone and potentially running off to ask the Crown Prince if he had any dreams.

An Jiu was still basking in her joy, while Li Qingzhi had become depressed after guarding the Crown Prince closely four times.

An Jiu observed his expression, knowing he must have witnessed the Crown Prince’s debauchery! In the past half month during her shifts, the Crown Prince had only missed two days of seeking female company. She estimated that he spent at least twenty-five days a month engaged in “physical activities.” It wasn’t surprising that Li Qingzhi had stumbled upon it four times.

The Crown Prince… was even more vigorous in this aspect than his father! The Emperor practiced Taoism and usually paid attention to his health, at least not engaging in dual cultivation every day.

“Watching such a crown prince, I have no desire to serve,” Li Qingzhi grumbled, crouching by Sui Yunzhu’s field.

Sui Yunzhu, while weeding, cautioned, “Be careful what you say.”

An Jiu added, “There’s no one else within ten zhang.”

“How about serving another master?” Li Qingzhi asked.

As Sui Yunzhu contemplated the feasibility of this idea, he suddenly remembered something strange. Lowering his voice, he said, “I recall seeing in the Controlling Crane Army’s records that the Dragon Guard used to have a custom of taking poison. Why don’t we have that?”

“That unit does,” An Jiu said, pointing to the neighboring courtyard.

They all fell silent.

After a while, Sui Yunzhu beckoned to the other two.

Li Qingzhi and An Jiu leaned in close as he whispered, “Could it be that Lord Gao has withheld it…?”

It was entirely possible!

The Emperor trusted Gao Dazhuang greatly, and his loyalty had likely left a deep impression even on the Controlling Crane Army’s commander. The poison was probably given to him and then withheld; otherwise, there was no reason for everyone else to have taken it while they remained unaffected.

If this was indeed the case, then Gao Dazhuang must have other intentions!

Sui Yunzhu glanced at Li Qingzhi, “In the future, we can’t speak so negatively. It might bring unnecessary trouble.”

The Controlling Crane Army consisted of people who would never see the light of day. Apart from carrying out missions, they usually minded their own business. However, wherever there are people, there will be conflicts. Even here, there were always those who craved power and engaged in open and covert struggles.

“I’ll ask Lord Gao about it in a few days when his anger has subsided,” Sui Yunzhu said.

An Jiu asked, “What if it wasn’t him?”