“I want to see my mother. Go in and announce me.”

Hearing Mu Yunjin’s words, Aunt Li became instantly angry and coldly mocked, “Madam is resting. The Third Miss should come back later.”

“Are you going to announce me or not? If you don’t, next time I’ll report to Empress Qin that you bullied me. Empress Qin said she would invite me to the palace again in a few days.” Mu Yunjin deliberately invoked Empress Qin’s name, looking provocatively at Aunt Li.

Aunt Li immediately glared at Mu Yunjin, her rage having nowhere to vent. Inwardly, she cursed this little hussy for somehow gaining the favor of Empress Qin.

Now she was even becoming arrogant.

But Empress Qin was not someone an old servant like her could afford to offend. After some thought, Aunt Li went inside to announce her arrival.

A moment later, Aunt Li came out and glanced obliquely at Mu Yunjin. Madam is in the garden. You may enter.”

After easily entering the courtyard, Mu Yunjin walked toward the garden. After a few steps, she saw Su Biqing sitting in a pavilion, her head wrapped in a silk scarf with only her eyes exposed.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin’s lips curled slightly upward. The fish tail palmetto must have given Su Biqing quite a hard time.

…

…

“Mother.” Mu Yunjin called out to Su Biqing.

Su Biqing looked in Mu Yunjin’s direction but quickly averted her gaze, speaking impatiently, “Why aren’t you staying obediently in Shihua Pavilion? What are you doing here looking for me?”

“Yunjin has come to bring Mother a precious gift.” Mu Yunjin said with a smile, presenting the porcelain bottle given by Wei Hanqiao to Su Biqing like a treasure.

Su Biqing looked at the bottle with disgust, not expecting Mu Yunjin to bring anything valuable, and asked dismissively, “What is this?”

“It’s a beauty item that’s said to remove wrinkles. I bought it especially to please Mother.” Mu Yunjin smiled cheerfully.

Hearing this, Su Biqing’s gaze fell on the porcelain bottle. She reached out and gently took it, then somewhat suspiciously removed the stopper and sniffed lightly.

In an instant, Su Biqing’s eyes hardened, and she raised her hand without hesitation, smashing the bottle to the ground. It immediately shattered into pieces, displaying Su Biqing’s anger.

“You wretched thing! Where did you get this? Are you trying to kill me?” Su Biqing stood up, shouting at Mu Yunjin, raising her hand to deliver a slap.

Mu Yunjin immediately stepped back, avoiding Su Biqing’s slap, then bit her lip, showing a terrified expression. “Mother, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry?”

“Where did this come from?” Su Biqing glared at Mu Yunjin, seeing her timid appearance, which only made her angrier.

Mu Yunjin frowned, somewhat hesitant. After a while, with her head lowered and a miserable expression, she spoke, “Second Mother gave it to me.”

“She said it was excellent for beauty and told me to give it to you in my name, saying that would make you happy and might make you show a little more compassion toward Yunjin…”

Mu Yunjin revealed everything.

Hearing this, Su Biqing was slightly stunned. She looked again at the powder on the ground, her fingers tightening.

This powder was all too familiar to her.

Fish tail palmetto.

But why would Wei Hanqiao have fish tail palmetto powder? By all accounts, no one should know that Zhu’er was injured by a fish tail palmetto.

Even she had suffered from this fish tail palmetto in the past few days.

Could it be…

The person who poisoned Zhu’er with fish tail palmetto was Wei Hanqiao?

It must be her, or else why would Wei Hanqiao know when no one had revealed that Zhu’er was injured by fish tail palmetto powder?

Well, well, it’s like finding what you’ve been searching for without effort. Her husband had investigated for so long without finding the culprit.

It turns out it was one of their own hidden in the mansion.

Wei Hanqiao, you dare to harm my daughter? Don’t blame me for being ruthless.

“Mother…” Mu Yunjin called softly, seeing Su Biqing frowning in thought.

Hearing Mu Yunjin’s voice, Su Biqing became impatient and yelled at her, “Fool! You’re being used and don’t even know it! If I hadn’t been cautious, you’d be collecting my corpse soon!”

“Hurry back to your Shihua Pavilion! Don’t come out without orders!”

“Yes, Mother.” Mu Yunjin pouted, knowing her grievance, then bowed to Su Biqing and walked toward the courtyard exit.

After Mu Yunjin left, Su Biqing called for Aunt Li, glanced at the fragments on the ground, and her lips curved into a smile. “Aunt Li, inform the master that something has happened to me…”

“Yes, Madam!”

Mu Yunjin walked quickly back to Shihua Pavilion. As soon as Zixiang closed the main door, Mu Yunjin doubled over with laughter.

“Young Miss, how can you still laugh? You just made Madam so angry.” Zixiang didn’t understand, watching Mu Yunjin laugh until tears nearly came to her eyes.

Mu Yunjin smiled at Zixiang, reaching out to touch her face. “Haven’t we both been bullied by Second Madam and Second Young Master all these years?”

Zixiang nodded.

“Now, we’ve found someone to vent our anger for us. Soon you’ll see a good show. We’ve spent so many bitter years together in this Shihua Pavilion, it’s time for our fortunes to turn.”

“Everyone in this Prime Minister’s mansion who has made me unhappy in the past, I will now repay them double!”

…

In Bilo Courtyard.

When Prime Minister Mu hurriedly arrived, he saw Su Biqing lying on the couch with her face covered in bloody marks, continuously wailing. Upon seeing Prime Minister Mu, Su Biqing cried out—

“Master, you must seek justice for me!”

Seeing this scene, Prime Minister Mu immediately frowned and sternly demanded, “What’s going on? How did you end up like this?”

Beside him, Aunt Li immediately stepped forward and took over, “In reply to the Prime Minister, today Second Madam sent something for beauty through Third Miss to Madam.”

“After Madam used it, she ended up like this. The symptoms are the same as when Fourth Miss was injured a few days ago.”

Hearing this, Prime Minister Mu narrowed his eyes, as if something gradually connected in his mind. He then waved his hand. “Someone, go bring Second Madam and Third Miss here.”

“Yes, Master.”

When Mu Lingzhu entered Su Biqing’s bedchamber and saw the scene before her, she stood stunned for a moment, giving Su Biqing an inquiring look.

Su Biqing winked at her, and Mu Lingzhu immediately understood.

After briefly hearing Aunt Li explain the situation, Mu Lingzhu’s eyes turned. According to Aunt Li’s words, Mu Yunjin had been used by Second Madam, and this matter had nothing to do with her.

But now that Su Biqing had created such a good opportunity to trip up Mu Yunjin, how could she not make good use of it?

With that thought, a plan formed in her mind.

Outside Bilo Courtyard, Mu Yunjin, who had been summoned by Prime Minister Mu, happened to meet Wei Hanqiao at the door.

“Second Mother…” Mu Yunjin called affectionately to Wei Hanqiao.

Wei Hanqiao merely glanced faintly at Mu Yunjin, her eyes cool, showing none of the earlier warmth from Baiyang Pavilion.

After a light snort, Wei Hanqiao entered Bilo Courtyard.

Mu Yunjin stood in place, watching Wei Hanqiao’s back, her eyes narrowing slightly, curling into a cold smile.

Seeing this scene, Zixiang, not being very clever, still caught the scent of conspiracy.

When Mu Yunjin entered Su Biqing’s bedchamber, she heard Wei Hanqiao’s exclamation, “Sister, what happened to you? How did you end up like this?”

Su Biqing lay on the couch, looking at the pretentious Wei Hanqiao before her, then shifted her gaze to Mu Yunjin, who was slowly walking in through the door.

“Yunjin, come here.”

Hearing her name called, Mu Yunjin nodded and walked over.

“Who gave you this bottle?” Su Biqing asked, and Aunt Li beside her immediately understood, taking out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin couldn’t help but inwardly marvel at Su Biqing’s speed in handling this matter. In such a short time, she had found an identical porcelain bottle.

Su Biqing’s question made all eyes in the room focus on Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together, turned her head with a hint of timidity in her eyes, and fixed her gaze on Wei Hanqiao. “It was… it was Second Mother who gave it to me…”

“You’re lying!” Wei Hanqiao immediately denied, her voice sharp. “Third Miss, I have hardly any interaction with you. How would I give you such a thing?”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin seemed particularly surprised, immediately becoming anxious, her tone somewhat stuttering, “But, Second Mother, you just invited me to Baiyang Pavilion and gave me this bottle, saying it was for beauty and that I usually don’t have Mother’s affection, so I should give it to Mother to win her favor.”

Wei Hanqiao choked, not expecting that Mu Yunjin, usually timid, cowardly, and foolish, could speak so convincingly.

Turning her gaze and seeing Prime Minister Mu looking at her inquiringly, Wei Hanqiao immediately cried out in fear, “Master, this is unjust! Everyone in the mansion knows that I have no dealings with the Third Miss. How would I suddenly give her something for beauty?”

“Besides, if I truly wanted to poison Sister, why would I so obviously send it through the Third Miss? Wouldn’t I be seeking my death?”

Wei Hanqiao’s words forced everyone to reconsider the sequence of events, and their inquiring gazes turned once more to Mu Yunjin.

“Father, Mother, Second Mother’s words are not without reason. Everyone in the mansion knows that Third Sister has been confined for a long time. Why would Second Mother meddle in teaching her how to please Mother?” Mu Lingzhu spoke up.

“Moreover, Third Sister had just left Mother’s courtyard when Mother became like this. Although as a sister, I shouldn’t suspect my blood sister, this matter concerns Mother’s safety. I ask Father and Mother to forgive Lingzhu for being disrespectful to her sister.”

Mu Lingzhu’s words directly diverted suspicion away from Wei Hanqiao and pointed it all toward Mu Yunjin.

On the couch, Su Biqing, hearing Mu Lingzhu’s words, glanced at her and immediately understood her intention. She bit her lip and followed Mu Lingzhu’s lead.

“Yes, now that Zhu’er mentions it, I remember something. This child had just returned from Empress Qin’s today when she came to my courtyard and gave me this bottle.”

“Yunjin, could it be that because Mother has neglected you, you’ve been harboring resentment? So before you enter the palace to become the Sixth Prince’s consort, you wanted to vent your anger?”