Mu Yunjin returned to her room. The drowsiness that had previously filled her had now completely dissipated. She sat at the table in her room, hand supporting her cheek, occasionally licking her lips.

Zixiang poured tea for Mu Yunjin and handed it to her. “Young Miss, I just heard from Mamma Shen that the Fifth Princess has already moved into the Xiao family.”

“Oh? She went?” Mu Yunjin took a sip of tea, genuinely surprised.

“Yes, I heard the Xiao family has already prepared for the wedding. The ceremony will be held tomorrow,” said Zixiang.

Mu Yunjin nodded and smiled faintly. “Speaking of which, Chu Qingqiang is a person without a backbone. Without the imperial family to rely on, she still needs to depend on others to survive.”

“Hmm? What does Young Miss mean by that?” Zixiang didn’t quite understand Mu Yunjin’s words.

Mu Yunjin smiled. “Nothing.”

As the two were chatting, there came an urgent knocking at the door. Zixiang hurried to open it.

A small maidservant ran in from outside. “Prince Consort, someone from the palace has come with a message. Empress Qin may not make it through tonight. She has specifically asked to speak with you.”

…

…

Mu Yunjin’s hand holding the teacup paused, but she wasn’t in a hurry. She nodded and got up to change her clothes.

After putting on a light blue brocade dress, Mu Yunjin sat at the dressing table and let Zixiang arrange her hair.

After her hair was arranged, Mu Yunjin left the room.

The door diagonally across from hers also opened. Chu Li, apparently having heard the news as well, was dressed neatly as he came out.

Zixiang glanced at Chu Li, noticing his slightly reddened lips, then looked at Mu Yunjin, and immediately understood, letting out a giggle.

Mu Yunjin and Chu Li both looked at Zixiang.

Zixiang pressed her lips together and immediately lowered her head, not daring to make another sound.

Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li irritably and walked a few steps closer. “Are you also going to the palace?”

Chu Li nodded.

“Then let’s go together.” Mu Yunjin spoke, feeling somewhat unnatural and awkward, even to herself.

Chu Li made a sound of agreement, looked at her once, and walked out of Liquan Pavilion.

Mu Yunjin followed alongside him.

Ding Xian and Zixiang walked behind them, observing that although the two were walking side by side, unlike previous times when they kept a distance, today the two were almost touching, with no space between their sleeves.

Seeing this, they couldn’t help but think that since they were already walking so intimately now, surely before long, one of the rooms in Liquan Pavilion would become vacant.

……

In the carriage, Mu Yunjin leaned against the compartment, starting to feel drowsy.

With drooping eyelids, she was also thinking about what Empress Qin wanted to tell her. Since they had fallen out the last time, she no longer believed that Empress Qin would bring her good news.

Being summoned today, there probably wasn’t anything good waiting for her.

Chu Li, seeing that Mu Yunjin had boarded the carriage with a heavy brow and seemingly preoccupied with thoughts, softly asked, “What are you worried about?”

Mu Yunjin glanced at Chu Li, pressed her lips together, and knowing that Chu Li was still unaware of Empress Qin’s true nature, she said languidly, “Nothing, just concerned about Empress Qin’s health.”

Chu Li smiled faintly, turned his head away, and said no more.

……

When Mu Yunjin arrived at Empress Qin’s residence, the entire bedchamber was completely silent, without a sound.

“Greetings to the Sixth Prince and the Sixth Prince Consort,” Mamma Qu bowed to them both.

After speaking, Mamma Qu smiled at Chu Li. “The Empress is gravely ill and wishes to speak with the Sixth Prince Consort alone. Please, Your Highness, wait in the hall.”

“Mm.” Chu Li responded lightly.

Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li, took a slight breath, and curled her lips. “Wait for me here.”

“Mm.” Chu Li’s brows were tinged with a touch of softness.

Mu Yunjin entered Empress Qin’s room. As soon as she entered, she again smelled the full room of medicinal broth. Mu Yunjin walked to Empress Qin’s bedside and saw that her complexion was somewhat better than the last time.

“You’ve come.” Empress Qin lay in bed, slowly speaking.

Mu Yunjin nodded, sat down in the chair that had been prepared beside the bed, and let her gaze fall leisurely on Empress Qin. “You look good.”

“Hehe, it’s just the final radiance before death. I know I won’t live past a few more days.” Empress Qin laughed coldly.

“Why did you call me here? What do you want to say?” Mu Yunjin got straight to the point.

Empress Qin looked at Mu Yunjin for a long time before slowly speaking. “Do you remember that day when you asked me to resolve the matter between your Xiang family and the Qin family?”

Mu Yunjin nodded, watching Empress Qin quietly.

“That day, I had a long conversation with my son, eventually talking about the position of Crown Prince that had not been established for a long time…” Empress Qin’s gaze fell steadily on Mu Yunjin.

Hearing the words “Crown Prince,” Mu Yunjin’s heart sank, but she tried to remain calm. “And then?”

“Later, I threatened my son with death, forcing him to write a decree.” After speaking, Empress Qin coughed several times and shakily pointed to a teacup nearby.

Mu Yunjin took the teacup and handed it over.

Empress Qin struggled to take a sip of water, catching her breath. “Do you know who was chosen as the Crown Prince?”

“What exactly does Empress Qin want to say today?” Mu Yunjin seemed to be running out of patience. The medicinal smell filling the room was giving her a headache.

Empress Qin took another sip of water, managed to curl her lips slightly, and fixed her gaze on Mu Yunjin, her eyes full of deep meaning.

“I forced my son to establish the Fourth Prince, Chu Ye, as Crown Prince.”

Mu Yunjin’s mind went blank for a moment. She bit her lip, thought carefully, and wasn’t particularly surprised.

Empress Qin had been guarding against Chu Li for so long; how could she recommend Chu Li to be the Crown Prince?

But she didn’t know how Chu Li would feel when he heard this news. For so long, she seemed to understand very little about Chu Li.

“Not only that…” Empress Qin added.

“What else did you do?” At this moment, Mu Yunjin truly felt an intense dislike for Empress Qin.

Empress Qin stretched out her hand. “Help me sit up. Lying down is somewhat tiring.”

Mu Yunjin impatiently walked closer, approached Empress Qin, and supported her body. Just as she was about to pull her up, Empress Qin hugged her neck.

Then, Empress Qin’s lowered voice came to her ear—

“Not only that, I also issued a secret decree. After my death, this secret decree will spread throughout the entire Western Yuan Country. By then, everyone will know that Chu Li’s mother, Consort Rong, was a demon woman, and that Qin Muyue is also a demon woman.”

“They are both people close to Chu Li. What do you think others will think of Chu Li when they hear this news?”

Bang—

Mu Yunjin pushed Empress Qin back onto the bed, her hands tightly gripping her shoulders, as if wanting to crush her bones. “For your son’s throne, you would destroy your grandson?!”

Empress Qin seemed to feel no pain, her face deathly pale as she raised a faint smile. “Yunjin, I am a mother. When you become a mother, you will understand my intentions.”

“Where is the secret decree? Give it to me quickly!” Mu Yunjin released Empress Qin and began to search through her bed.

After turning the bed upside down, she started searching through other corners of the bedchamber…

“Don’t waste your energy. Do you think I would keep something so important here?” Empress Qin glanced at Mu Yunjin, who was rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

Mu Yunjin looked back, feeling an urge to end Empress Qin’s life with a sword. After clenching her fist, she walked closer to Empress Qin. “Chu Li respects you wholeheartedly as his grandmother. What must be done for you to retract that secret decree?”

“Yunjin, when you say this, are you concerned about your future path, or are you worried about Li’er?” Empress Qin carefully observed Mu Yunjin’s expression.

Mu Yunjin was startled. She pressed her lips together, pondered Empress Qin’s words for a moment, then looked up. “Hand over the secret decree!”

Her tone left no room for refusal.

Hearing this, Empress Qin laughed coldly. “I’m already a dying person. I won’t fear such threats from you.”

“Mu Yunjin, I called you here today specifically to tell you about this matter in advance, to let you experience the feeling of helplessness and despair.”

Empress Qin gathered her blanket, her eyes gradually dimming.

“In this life, I never had the wish to become Empress Dowager fulfilled. My authority was too great, yet my title wasn’t as grand as Empress Dowager. Before dying, seeing others eyeing the Western Yuan Country’s throne covetously, as a mother, this is all I can do.”

“I believe that before long, my son will understand my bitter intentions, and Li’er will also understand the difficulties of his grandmother.”

Mu Yunjin was completely speechless towards Empress Qin, her thoughts entirely focused on that secret decree. Consort Rong was the person Chu Li respected most. The secret decree directly accused Consort Rong of being a demon woman. She didn’t know how Chu Li would feel when he heard this.

By then, the position of Crown Prince would have fallen into someone else’s hands, and his mother would be accused of being a demon woman. Chu Li would surely be devastated.

“Thank you for your kind advice today. I’m leaving.” After speaking, Mu Yunjin was about to walk out. Before leaving, she turned back and added, “Just die quickly. Your life is truly sullying this place.”

With these words, Mu Yunjin walked out resolutely.

After Mu Yunjin left, Empress Qin gazed at the ceiling, slowly curling her lips into a smile, and murmured to herself, “Yunjin, the secret decree I just mentioned was a lie. The real secret decree is here.”

Empress Qin took out a note from her bosom and slowly unfolded it. The content of the note was starkly revealed—

“Mu Yunjin is not the biological child of the Xiang family, but the illegitimate child secretly born to Jiang Qingxue, the First Holy Maiden of the Southern Court Country.”

……

When Mu Yunjin walked out of Empress Qin’s bedchamber, her face was somewhat pale. Seeing Chu Li still sitting outside waiting for her, she inexplicably felt a soreness in her nose.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Li stood up, walked closer to her, and seeing her head bowed, he pulled her into his embrace, gently rubbing her head.

This embrace came suddenly but made Mu Yunjin feel at ease. She reached out and hugged Chu Li, contemplating whether to tell him about the secret decree.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Li bent down and asked again.

Mu Yunjin shook her head, lowering her head even more. “Nothing. Let’s go back.”

“Mm.” Chu Li nodded, took her hand, and led her outside.

Mu Yunjin, feeling the warmth in her palm, gripped Chu Li’s hand with more force and looked up at him. “Empress Qin is about to pass away. Will you be sad?”

“No.” Chu Li shook his head. “Birth, aging, illness, and death are the natural course of things. One gets used to it.”

“That’s good.” Mu Yunjin sighed slightly in relief, then suddenly seemed to remember something. “By the way, take me to the Water Cloud Temple!”

Water Cloud Temple, the secret beneath the peach trees. Today, even if she had to dig up all the peach trees there, she would find out the truth!