After quickly finishing her beef noodles, Mu Yunjin bid farewell to the lady in blue and headed toward the City Lord’s mansion.

After Mu Yunjin left, the customers who had been crowding the beef noodle stall all stood up and disappeared into the surroundings.

The lady in blue glanced at the suddenly empty seats around her and smiled bitterly. Now, to get close to her and exchange a few words, she had to mobilize all her subordinates.

When Mu Yunjin arrived at the City Lord’s mansion, Chu Li and Qu Xinyao were sitting in the main hall. Seeing Mu Yunjin enter, Qu Xinyao’s lips curved into a brilliant smile.

“Princess Ning, you’ve come at the perfect time.” Qu Xinyao curved her lips and handed over a golden imperial decree.

Mu Yunjin curiously took the decree and unfolded it, only to discover it was a reply from the Emperor of Ximing to Qu Xinyao. Upon glimpsing the contents, she exclaimed in surprise.

“The Emperor ordered the arrest of Qiuye and stripped Qin Muyue of her title?” Mu Yunjin found it hard to believe.

Qu Xinyao’s eyes flashed with pride as she raised her eyebrows. “I told you the Emperor of Ximing would do me this favor. But I heard that old Qiuye has made an excuse that he’s in seclusion and cannot be found.”

“This is enough,” Mu Yunjin said with a smile, glancing at Chu Li before sitting down beside him.

…

…

Hearing this, Qu Xinyao gave Mu Yunjin a reproachful look. “How unambitious! This is just the beginning. If they had directly ordered the execution of Qiuye and Qin Muyue, that would be enough.”

Mu Yunjin tugged at the corners of her mouth, unable to respond.

“By the way, next month is the Crown Prince Chu Ye’s investiture ceremony. I heard people from all four countries will attend. So far, I’ve only heard that Donglin Country is sending Crown Prince Rong Jiu. What about Nanting Country and Beiming Country?” Qu Xinyao changed the subject.

Chu Li took a sip of tea, his eyes flashing. “The ruler of Beiming, Bei Tang Wenfeng, will attend in person. As for Nanting Country, it’s still unknown.”

“This is interesting. People from the other three countries gathering in Xiyuan Country—I must attend this grand occasion no matter what,” Qu Xinyao said with a smile.

Mu Yunjin rested her chin on her hand, realizing that she knew nothing about the national affairs Chu Li and Qu Xinyao were discussing and couldn’t contribute to the conversation.

So this was why Qu Xinyao was known as an extraordinary woman, while she was referred to as incompetent.

After chatting idly for a while, Mu Yunjin didn’t see Xu Heyu anywhere and guessed that Qu Xinyao had sent him back.

……

After lunch at Qu Xinyao’s mansion, Mu Yunjin and Chu Li walked back to the Qing Mansion.

“We’ll return to the Imperial City the day after tomorrow,” Chu Li said after a few steps, lowering his eyes to look at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin nodded. “We’ve stayed here long enough. I also miss Zixiang…”

Hearing this, Chu Li narrowed his eyes slightly, a rare hint of mischief appearing in them. “This Prince is by your side, yet you’re thinking of someone else?”

“The mighty Prince Ning, competing with a little maid?” Mu Yunjin felt inexplicably happy and teased Chu Li.

“Don’t think about others,” Chu Li said, somewhat annoyed, as he tapped Mu Yunjin’s head before continuing to walk forward.

Mu Yunjin sighed and caught up with him, taking his arm. “Yes, yes, yes, your humble concubine will certainly obey Prince Ning’s command.”

“Silly,” Chu Li uttered softly, but his eyes contained a pleased smile.

The two continued to banter at the entrance of the Qing Mansion. As Mu Yunjin took out the key to open the main door, Chu Li’s posture stiffened beside her. He then frowned and whispered to Mu Yunjin, “You go in first.”

Mu Yunjin glanced at Chu Li, then nodded, opened the mansion door, and went inside.

……

The lady in blue was now moving through an alley, continuously turning deeper into it. Originally, she had been waiting outside the Qing Mansion for Mu Yunjin to return, just wanting to catch a glimpse of her from a distance.

But her whereabouts seemed to have been detected by Chu Li.

After running for a short while, the lady in blue spotted someone standing at the end of the alley and gasped in surprise. She wanted to retreat, but the person in front had already turned around and met her gaze.

The lady in blue froze. Her subordinates also appeared behind her, standing in front of her and looking with hostile eyes at the imposing Chu Li.

“All of you, step back,” the lady in blue took a breath and ordered her subordinates.

The people hesitated slightly but still obediently followed their master’s words and dispersed.

“What guidance does Prince Ning have?” The lady in blue tried to maintain her composure, smiling at Chu Li, who stood before her.

Chu Li looked at the person standing before him and the smile on her face. For a moment, he seemed to see another familiar figure.

He averted his gaze and took out a moon-white jade pendant from his sleeve. Holding the tassel of the pendant, he dangled it in front of the lady in blue.

“This belongs to you, doesn’t it?”

Upon seeing the jade pendant, the lady in blue instinctively stepped back, panic flashing in her eyes. But the next moment, it was obscured by tears she could no longer hold back.

“Holy Maiden Jiang Qingxue of Nanting Country,” Chu Li directly stated the lady in blue’s name, his eyes looking deeply at the person before him.

Hearing this title, the lady in blue laughed bitterly several times, lowering her eyes as tears continuously fell from her eyes. A severe pain came from her heart, almost making it difficult for her to breathe.

For sixteen years, she had concealed this matter for exactly sixteen years. Now, having it exposed before her eyes, her heart was filled with mixed emotions, feelings she couldn’t articulate.

“Yes, it’s me.”

After a while, Jiang Qingxue composed herself and faced Chu Li directly. “Yunjin is my daughter.”

Hearing this, Chu Li’s body tensed, his gaze complex as he looked at the person before him. These past few days, he had already noticed this lady in blue who frequently appeared around Mu Yunjin. This morning, hearing Song Chun mention the beef noodle stall incident, he instinctively felt that the lady in blue must have an issue. Thinking of the name Holy Maiden Jiang Qingxue of Nanting Country, he had vaguely connected the only link between the lady in blue and Mu Yunjin.

After pondering, a slightly cold and uncomfortable voice emerged, “What do you plan to do next?”

Jiang Qingxue bit her lip and helplessly forced a smile. “Let this matter remain between you and me. Don’t let Yunjin know. I just want to know that she’s living well now, and that’s enough. I don’t ask for anything else, after all, I’ve never fulfilled my responsibility as a mother for a single day.”

“Mm,” Chu Li nodded slightly.

“You are Yunjin’s husband. In the days to come, I hope you will look after her,” Jiang Qingxue said slowly, feeling a strange sense of relief in her heart.

Chu Li’s eyes moved. “This Prince will.”

After speaking, Chu Li asked again, “Who is Mu Yunjin’s birth father?”

Jiang Qingxue’s emotions, which had just settled, were once again disrupted by this question. She pressed her lips together. “He’s already dead. There’s no need to pay further attention to it.”

“I’ll leave now,” Jiang Qingxue said. As she spoke, she seemed to think of something and turned to look at Chu Li again. “For next month’s Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony, I will represent Nanting Country. After attending the ceremony, I promise I won’t appear before Yunjin again.”

With that, Jiang Qingxue turned and left the alley.

After Jiang Qingxue left, Huang Yan emerged from one side and walked to Chu Li, sighing. “Young Master, look at your mother-in-law. Her appearance and temperament are truly cut from the same mold as your wife.”

Chu Li glanced sideways at Huang Yan. Upon meeting this cold gaze, Huang Yan immediately covered his mouth and slapped it a few times.

……

Mu Yunjin sat on a swing in the garden, swaying back and forth aimlessly. When footsteps sounded behind her, she turned to look.

Chu Li was slowly walking toward Mu Yunjin. When their eyes met, they both smiled with tacit understanding.

“Where did you go?” Mu Yunjin asked as soon as Chu Li sat down.

Chu Li laughed softly. “I met an acquaintance and said hello.”

“Are you sure?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow. “What kind of acquaintance would make you go to greet them?”

“You’ll know in the future,” Chu Li smiled slightly, then took out the moon-white jade pendant, gently stroking the characters ‘Yunjin’ on it.

“Why is your name carved on this jade pendant?” Chu Li asked, knowing the answer.

Mu Yunjin reached out to take the pendant, looking down at the two characters that were now so faint in the light they were barely visible. “They say it’s related to my origins.”

Chu Li nodded understandingly and asked, “Do you look forward to your family finding you?”

“There’s nothing to look forward to,” Mu Yunjin sighed slightly. She didn’t belong to this era anyway, and her closest family members were the family of this physical body, not her own. Having them or not was the same.

After hearing her answer, Chu Li’s gaze softened. He reached out to pull her into his lap. “If you don’t look forward to it, then don’t. This Prince will accompany you.”

Mu Yunjin hugged Chu Li, burying her head in his chest, feeling his warm embrace and the sound of his heartbeat. A smile gradually spread across her lips.

Who said Chu Li couldn’t speak words of love? A thousand words couldn’t match his simple “This Prince will accompany you.”

“Consort Rong is still trapped by the formation. Last time, when the Black Lotus soul was inside me, the method to break the formation was never resolved. What should we do now?” Mu Yunjin suddenly remembered this matter.

She recalled that when she had just met Chu Li, he had gone to the Water Cloud Temple repeatedly to try to break that formation. He must have been concerned about Consort Rong, his mother!

But Feng Xuan Daoren had told her that Consort Rong was not a simple person, which now made her feel conflicted.

“Wait for the right time,” Chu Li answered simply with three words.

Mu Yunjin nodded and didn’t continue the topic.

……

On the carriage back to Diehua City, perhaps because they hadn’t returned for a long time, Mu Yunjin now felt eager to get home. Since boarding the carriage, she had been leaning by the window, watching the scenery outside.

“So happy?” Chu Li stared at Mu Yunjin’s back, his words also containing a smile.

“Mm,” Mu Yunjin didn’t even turn her head.

Chu Li smiled faintly, leaning against the carriage, pondering how this trip to Qingzhou had been truly fruitful.

Two hours later, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Prince Ning Mansion.

Mu Yunjin jumped out of the carriage, looked at the sign of the Prince Ning Mansion, and although it still felt somewhat unfamiliar, a strong sense of homecoming had already welled up in her heart. She strode in.

“I’m back!” As soon as she entered, Mu Yunjin excitedly called out.

Mamma Shen, who was tidying the table, immediately put down what she was holding and came over to greet them. “The Prince and Princess have returned…”