Seeing the two sisters bickering again, everyone had grown accustomed to it and pretended not to hear. Noticing the awkward atmosphere in the hall, Luo Ningyu immediately ordered the servants to prepare for the meal.

After lunch, Mu Xiarou pulled Mu Yunjin aside to chat about family matters. Finding it boring, Mu Yunjin made an excuse and left the Marquis’s mansion.

Seeing Mu Yunjin leave, Mu Lingzhu had a thought and also found a reason to follow her out.

“Sister, please wait.” Seeing that Mu Yunjin hadn’t gone far, Mu Lingzhu ran after her.

Mu Yunjin slowed her pace, and after Mu Lingzhu caught up, she spoke with disdain, “Mu Lingzhu, what do you want now?”

“Sister, although we don’t get along daily, we’re still family. When facing a common enemy, we should unite and stand together against them.” Mu Lingzhu smiled faintly, meeting Mu Yunjin’s gaze.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin stopped, her face showing an indescribable expression as her cold eyes fixed on Mu Lingzhu’s.

“Sister, what’s wrong?” Feeling unsettled by that look, Mu Lingzhu couldn’t help but step back.

“Mu Lingzhu, you’ve repeatedly tried to harm me. Where do you get the nerve to think I would help you?” Mu Yunjin raised her eyebrow.

Mu Lingzhu’s face paled. After composing herself, she continued, “But the way Qin Shuni treats me also reflects poorly on the Marquis’s family. As children of the Marquis, how can we allow others to bully us as they please?”

“That’s your problem, not mine.” Mu Yunjin sneered, looking sideways at Mu Lingzhu and poking her chest. “Mu Lingzhu, don’t assume everyone is as foolish as you.”

“I, Mu Yunjin, have no other flaws except being petty and holding grudges. I remember everything you’ve done to me in the past. Who knows, when the Prince Rong’s Consort wants to kill you, I might be the one handing her the knife.”

“So while you can still live peacefully, find yourself a quiet place to cool off and stop bothering me.”

With that, Mu Yunjin snorted and strode away.

After walking some distance, Zixiang tugged at Mu Yunjin’s sleeve, laughing with schadenfreude, “Miss, Fourth Miss is pitiful enough. Why did you have to scare her just now?”

“What’s pitiful about her? When she married Prince Rong, I knew exactly what schemes she was plotting. She was counting on Prince Rong to rise in status, but she never bothered to investigate what kind of person his consort was. Now she’s reaping what she sowed.”

“I wonder if Su Biqing would come back to life from anger if she saw Mu Lingzhu’s current situation!”

“Hehe, Miss, you’re so wicked.”

After joking around, they returned to the Prince’s mansion.

“Princess, you’re back.” Seeing Mu Yunjin return early, Mamma Shen welcomed her with a smile.

Mu Yunjin nodded and looked around, almost instinctively asking, “Yes, is Chu Li in the mansion?”

“His Highness went to the palace early this morning to discuss matters with the Emperor. He’ll probably return a bit later.” Mamma Shen replied with a smile.

“Hmm.” Mu Yunjin acknowledged, suddenly remembering that Chu Qing had mentioned this yesterday at Prince Rong’s mansion.

While speaking with Mamma Shen, Mu Yunjin suddenly felt a familiar stinging sensation on her wrist. Looking down at her wrist, she immediately covered it with her hand and ran toward Liquan Pavilion.

After hurrying into her room, she indeed saw Qiqi and Xiumei standing there.

“Why are you here?” Upon seeing them, the spiritual mark on her wrist gradually disappeared. Mu Yunjin caught her breath and sat down to pour herself tea.

“Master, look at this…” Qiqi approached and placed a stack of papers before Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin picked up one sheet, and upon glimpsing its contents, she spat out her tea in shock, staring wide-eyed at the large characters “BOUNTY” printed on the paper.

“Since yesterday, rumors have been secretly spreading throughout the jianghu that the Sixth Prince’s Consort possesses the long-lost secret manual, the Xuanling True Scripture. Someone has already offered ten thousand taels, commanding martial arts masters to come to Diehua City to take your life and steal the scripture,” Qiqi explained.

Mu Yunjin helplessly scratched her head, looking at the pile of bounty notices. She knew without asking that this information had been leaked by Wen Yuan and Ming Yuan.

Those two wretches—she should have never spared their lives.

“So what now? Haven’t I suddenly gained many enemies?” Mu Yunjin looked up at Qiqi and Xiumei, feeling inexplicably nervous.

Qiqi smiled and shook her head, “Of course not. We’ve intercepted these bounty notices in secret, and some jianghu members who knew about this have already been secretly executed.”

“Hmm? How did you know about the bounty’s existence?” Mu Yunjin asked in surprise.

“Master, our Phoenix Feather Pavilion isn’t just for show. We have spies throughout the entire Canghua Continent. How could such a small bounty escape our notice?”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin looked admiringly at Qiqi and Xiumei, feeling for the first time that being the mysterious master of the Phoenix Feather Pavilion wasn’t so bad.

“So, Master, do you possess this legendary secret manual?” Qiqi leaned closer to Mu Yunjin and asked softly.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, not directly answering Qiqi’s question. “Is that Xuanling True Scripture so powerful?”

“The Xuanling True Scripture is said to be a treasure left by an immortal from Nanshan a thousand years ago. Every move and technique within is exquisite. If one breaks through to the highest level, it can cause mountains to crumble, the earth to split, and the heavens to shake!” The usually silent Xiumei spoke up, explaining to Mu Yunjin, unable to hide her excitement when mentioning the scripture.

Mu Yunjin scratched her head. Although she knew the scripture was somewhat powerful, she didn’t realize it had such astonishing destructive power. To avoid bringing trouble upon herself, she shook her head and said, “The rumor is false. I don’t have this scripture.”

“Then it seems whoever spread this information deliberately meant to cause trouble for Master. Otherwise, why would they concoct such a story, bringing you so much trouble?” Qiqi frowned, speaking with displeasure.

“Perhaps,” Mu Yunjin took another sip of water, her expression somewhat indifferent.

Meanwhile, at Prince Rong’s mansion.

As soon as Mu Lingzhu returned to the prince’s mansion, the steward informed her, “Side Consort Mu, the Princess Consort is waiting for you in the front hall.”

Upon hearing that Qin Shuning had called for her, Mu Lingzhu’s heart tightened, a trace of fear seeping into her heart. Nevertheless, she reluctantly made her way to the front hall.

Entering, she indeed saw the Princess Consort sitting in the main seat, holding a teacup and gently blowing on the slightly hot tea.

“This concubine greets the Princess Consort.” Mu Lingzhu bit her lip and curtseyed to the Princess Consort.

“Has little sister returned from her visit home?” The Princess Consort raised her eyelids slightly, looking at Mu Lingzhu, who was still maintaining her greeting posture.

Mu Lingzhu nodded, “Yes, this concubine has returned.”

“Since that’s the case, this Princess is in good spirits today, so I’ll personally explain some rules of our Prince Rong’s mansion to little sister.”

The Princess Consort smiled, “Little sister should kneel to listen to this Princess speak. That way, it will be more profound and easier to remember.”

Mu Lingzhu looked up at the Princess Consort, biting her lip. In her heart, she cursed the Princess Consort countless times, but given the current situation, she slowly knelt.

Upon kneeling, Mu Lingzhu realized something was wrong. Looking down, she saw that the floor of the front hall was scattered with small pebbles, now grinding against her knees, causing her silent suffering.

“In our Prince Rong’s mansion’s back garden, including you, there are six concubines. Among them, you’ve been granted the title of Side Consort, so as half a mistress, you must learn to be modest. This Princess will arrange one day a month for you to serve the Prince in bed. The remaining days will be assigned to the six concubines.”

“Also, at the fourth watch every day, you need to come to this Princess’s Caiyue Pavilion to pay your respects. At that time, my maid will give you a Buddhist scripture. You only need to kneel outside this Princess’s bedchamber, recite the scripture for one hour, and then you may return on your own.”

“This Princess is the formal consort, so normally, you are not allowed to wear colored clothes. You may only wear plain, light-colored garments daily, and you cannot wear valuable hairpins…”

As the Princess Consort listed her demands, Mu Lingzhu nearly bit through her teeth. Glancing at Qin Shuning, who was now leisurely reclining in her chair, Mu Lingzhu wished she could rush over and kill this old woman.

Wasn’t she supposed to be in poor health? Looking at her today, she hardly seemed like someone who had been gravely ill.

“After saying so much, little sister doesn’t think this Princess is being difficult, does she?” After finishing, the Princess Consort’s eyes were filled with a smiling expression as she gazed at Mu Lingzhu kneeling on the ground.

Mu Lingzhu shook her head, forcing a smile, “How could I? The Princess Consort is joking.”

“Hehe, you women from the Mu family are all social climbers at heart. Your sister took advantage of circumstances to marry the Sixth Prince and is now living a good life. Now you’re a Side Consort in our Prince Rong’s mansion. In comparison, it seems you’ve been wronged…”

Qin Shuning laughed mockingly. Mentioning Mu Yunjin reminded her of the cold, proud face from yesterday. Just one look at that woman, and she knew she would be Muyue’s greatest opponent in the future.

But it didn’t matter. The Qin family’s power at court was gradually increasing. One day, they would remove all those who stood in their way.

Anyone who opposed the Qin family wouldn’t come to a good end!

“This Princess is a bit tired. You kneel here for another two hours before getting up, and remember well what this Princess just told you.” With that, the Princess Consort left with the support of her maids.

Mu Lingzhu’s eyes blazed with fire as she watched the Princess Consort’s retreating figure. Her eyes moved slightly, and she beckoned to her maid Cuiyun, whom she had brought from the Marquis’s mansion.

“Miss…” Cuiyun approached Mu Lingzhu.

“Go to the streets and spread rumors. Say that Princess Rong’s Consort directly accused Mu Yunjin of shamelessly stealing Qin Muyue’s man, and also that the Qin family’s power has greatly increased and they’re preparing to support Prince Rong as Emperor. Make these rumors as exaggerated as possible.”

As Mu Lingzhu spoke to Cuiyun, she reached out and took the jade bracelet from her wrist and slipped it onto Cuiyun’s.

Cuiyun looked down at the transparent jade bracelet on her wrist, immediately understood, nodded, and ran out of the mansion.

After Cuiyun left, Mu Lingzhu smiled contemptuously and said softly, “Qin Shuning, this time, I’ll make both you and Mu Yunjin stink to high heaven.”