Mu Yunjin hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. “Then arrange for me to meet them.”

…

Early the next morning, Mu Yunjin was eating breakfast in her room with Chu Li by her side. Seeing her eating so quickly, he spoke softly, “Slow down, there’s no rush.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin slowed down a bit.

After finishing breakfast, Mu Yunjin had thought Chu Li would arrange for her to meet Luo Ningyu and the others on the back street, but she didn’t expect that Chu Li had already ordered people to bring the two into the manor, where they were now waiting in the side hall.

When Mu Yunjin stepped into the side hall, Mu Xiarou rushed over to her with tears in her eyes. “Third Sister…”

“Xiarou, don’t be disrespectful.” Luo Ningyu hurriedly approached and pulled Mu Xiarou back.

Mu Xiarou immediately released Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin glanced at Luo Ningyu and invited the two to sit down. “Third Concubine, have you been well these days?”

…

…

“Thanks to the care of Prince Ning and Princess Ning.” Luo Ningyu smiled faintly, not saying much more, her brow full of deep sorrow.

Mu Yunjin sighed slightly, not knowing what to say at that moment. It was the first time she had faced Luo Ningyu in such a conversation, and she suddenly felt somewhat awkward.

“Third Sister, during this time, Fourth Sister has returned to Prince Rong’s manor to be his concubine again. She doesn’t care about me and Mother at all, and she even took away a large portion of our family property,” Mu Xiarou couldn’t help but complain.

Luo Ningyu gave Mu Xiarou a stern look, and Mu Xiarou closed her mouth, hesitating whether to continue.

Mu Yunjin twitched the corner of her mouth, secretly thinking that this was indeed something Mu Lingzhu would do. After thinking for a while, she looked at Luo Ningyu. “Has Third Concubine considered living in another city?”

As a widow with an orphaned child, living in Diehua City was not a good thing for them.

“I have thought about it, but I’m worried that Xiarou will suffer with me. She’s only fourteen, not yet of age. I fear for her future…” Luo Ningyu’s voice grew increasingly lower as she spoke.

“Fifth Sister, what do you think?” Mu Yunjin turned to look at Mu Xiarou.

Mu Xiarou pouted, her face full of grievance. “The Xiang Mansion now has new residents. Xiarou has no attachments in this city, so I’ll follow Third Sister’s arrangements.”

Through this incident, she saw clearly that Mu Yunjin wasn’t bad, while Mu Lingzhu was a selfish villain. So in the days ahead, she must firmly grasp Mu Yunjin as a lifeline to live a stable life.

“Very well. I have residences in both Heyue City and Zhangzhou City. You can choose one.” Mu Yunjin took a sip of tea, deliberately excluding the Qing Mansion in Xingyao City.

Luo Ningyu and Mu Xiarou exchanged glances, their eyes still showing some hesitation.

“Third Concubine, rest assured. When Fifth Sister comes of age, I will help her select a good family. And during this time, please guide Fifth Sister well, so she doesn’t stray from the right path.” Mu Yunjin slightly curved her lips.

Hearing this, Luo Ningyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, during this period, what worried her most was her daughter’s future marriage.

Originally, with the Xiang Mansion’s backing, there was no concern about Xiarou not being able to marry into a good family. But sometimes she also feared that Xiarou would end up like the Fourth Miss, marrying a man more than twenty years her senior.

Now with Mu Yunjin’s promise, she was truly at ease.

“Then let’s go to Heyue City. I’ve heard the local customs there are better, suitable for living.” Luo Ningyu immediately made up her mind.

Mu Xiarou nodded in agreement.

Seeing that they had chosen Heyue City, Mu Yunjin nodded slightly, took out the property deed and keys she had already prepared from her sleeve, and handed them to Luo Ningyu.

“Thank you, Princess Ning. We are deeply grateful for your life-saving kindness.” Luo Ningyu stood up and bowed to Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin waved her hand, laughing self-mockingly. “It was I who harmed your Mu family. These are compensations I should provide. If you don’t blame me, I am already deeply grateful.”

“That’s not right. Princess Ning was kept in the dark from the beginning to the end. There’s no guilt in not knowing; you are innocent too,” Luo Ningyu comforted her.

Mu Xiarou nodded in agreement. “Yes, Sister was born and raised in the Mu family. These are all matters of our father’s generation; it’s not Sister’s fault.”

“Mm.” Mu Yunjin smiled. “By the way, after you go to Heyue City, if you need any help, you can find City Lord Xu. He is a good friend of His Highness.”

“That’s wonderful.” Luo Ningyu thanked Mu Yunjin once more.

When seeing off Luo Ningyu and Mu Xiarou, Mu Yunjin reminded them not to mention seeing her here. The two also knew that Mu Yunjin was currently confined, so they nodded in agreement, claiming they would not reveal this matter.

…

On the way back to Liquan Pavilion, Mu Yunjin felt as though she had resolved a troubling matter, feeling refreshed all over. But when she saw Zixiang halfway there holding a basin while coming out of Liquan Pavilion, and then glimpsed the clothing in the basin, the smile on her face froze.

“Miss, I was just tidying up your wardrobe and saw that this cloak hadn’t been washed for a long time, so I took it out to wash for you.” As Zixiang spoke, she took the cloak out of the basin.

“Oh my, what’s going on? Why has the water turned black?!” Zixiang exclaimed in shock when she looked down and saw the basin full of black, dirty water.

Mu Yunjin sighed, holding her forehead. A perfectly good martial arts manual, ruined at the hands of a little maid…

“Miss, Miss…” Zixiang looked at Mu Yunjin, then scratched her head. “This cloak is made of the finest brocade. How did it turn as black as ink after just soaking it?”

“Could the brocade have been tampered with?”

Listening to Zixiang’s mutterings, Mu Yunjin sighed heavily and reached out to touch Zixiang’s face. “Little Xiang’er, don’t wash it anymore, just throw it away.”

The ink being soaked in water—there was no need to think about it, the images inside were all gone.

When Chu Li approached, he saw the mistress and servant standing there, one full of helplessness, the other confused.

Seeing Chu Li arrive, Mu Yunjin waved to dismiss Zixiang herself. “Go quickly and throw it away.”

Zixiang nodded and immediately turned to leave.

Chu Li still caught sight of the basin of ink and raised an eyebrow toward Mu Yunjin. “What happened to your clothes?”

“They got dirty, so I had Zixiang wash them.” Mu Yunjin twisted her lips. Chu Li was such an intelligent person; if he knew she had privately kept the images of the Xuanling True Scripture, he might become furious.

Chu Li’s eyes were calm. “Are the mother and daughter settled well?”

“Yes, I arranged for them to go to Heyue City. I happen to have a residence there.” Mu Yunjin raised her eyebrows, linking arms with Chu Li as they walked toward Liquan Pavilion.

…

“Well, well, you two are packing your bags here. Where are you planning to go?” Mu Lingzhu rarely visited the back street residence, but when she did, she found Luo Ningyu and Mu Xiarou, mother and daughter, packing their things.

“Fourth Miss has returned. Xiarou and I are preparing to leave Diehua City. As a widow and orphan now, living here would inevitably stir up sad memories.” Luo Ningyu looked at Mu Lingzhu, trying her best to avoid her sharp words.

Mu Lingzhu had come back today, carefully dressed, with two maids following behind. Since the last time Princess Rong had a private conversation with her, she had returned to Prince Rong’s manor, and her life was truly much better than before. Princess Rong also hadn’t given her any more trouble.

“You’re just leaving like this? Does the culprit know?” Mu Lingzhu sat down, laughing coldly. “Mu Yunjin is now living a life of luxury in Prince Ning’s manor, while she has caused our Xiang family to be ruined. Can you swallow this anger?”

“And Fifth Sister, our father died with a notorious reputation. Aren’t you afraid you won’t find a good family to marry into in the future?”

Seeing Mu Lingzhu’s mockery, Mu Xiarou was about to angrily speak up when Luo Ningyu hurriedly stopped her and put on a smile. “Fourth Miss, my daughter Xiarou and I don’t have such great abilities. How could we possibly contend with Prince Ning’s manor, right?”

“Hmph, spineless.” Mu Lingzhu snorted, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the several large bundles that had already been packed. “Most of our family property was confiscated, and I took the small remaining portion. Where are you going? Are you planning to beg in another city?”

Luo Ningyu shook her head, secretly cursing their bad luck. Mu Lingzhu didn’t come back once in ten or fifteen days, yet she happened to return at this crucial moment.

Thinking this, Luo Ningyu tightened her sleeves, afraid that Mu Lingzhu would see the property deed.

“Fourth Miss, are you living well in Prince Rong’s manor?” Luo Ningyu changed the subject.

“It’s alright.” Mu Lingzhu suddenly stood up and strolled to the several bundles, reaching out to undo one of them and rummaging through the items one by one.

“What is Fourth Sister doing?” Mu Xiarou quickly stepped forward.

“Checking if you’ve taken any valuable treasures. You should know, you two can rely on each other as mother and daughter. But now I’m fighting alone in Prince Rong’s manor. If I can’t bring out good things to reward the servants, I won’t be able to stand firm in Prince Rong’s manor.”

As Mu Lingzhu spoke, she had already pulled out a red jade bracelet from the jewelry box in the bundle and put it on her wrist.

Seeing that it was her mother’s item, Mu Xiarou wanted to rush forward and take it back, but Luo Ningyu held her sleeve and shook her head.

Princess Ning had already ensured they would be well-fed and clothed. Why should they make a mistake at this critical moment?

After searching through several bundles, Mu Lingzhu only found one or two pieces of jewelry, which was somewhat disappointing. Turning back to look at the mother and daughter, she found them especially displeasing to her eyes.

Especially Mu Xiarou, who had previously curried favor with Mu Yunjin when she had fallen from grace. Now that they were preparing to leave, how could she miss this last opportunity for humiliation?

“Third Concubine’s brocade robe looks nice. If pawned, it could fetch quite a sum of silver.” Mu Lingzhu’s playful gaze fell on Luo Ningyu.

Luo Ningyu was stunned.

She wasn’t concerned about the brocade robe itself, but about the property deed and keys hidden in its sleeve.

“Here, change into this.” Mu Lingzhu took out a plain garment from the ransacked bundle and handed it to Luo Ningyu.

Luo Ningyu bit her lower lip, trembling as she took the clothes, smiling awkwardly. “Why don’t I go outside to change, and bring this robe back after I’ve changed?”

Mu Lingzhu was a clever person. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but focus her attention on Luo Ningyu. “Oh? Could it be that Third Concubine is hiding something valuable?”

“How could that be? You know how much family wealth we have left, Fourth Miss.” Luo Ningyu was truly becoming afraid.

“Then change your clothes right here. We’re all women; there’s nothing to worry about.” Mu Lingzhu was determined that Luo Ningyu had something hidden in her clothes.

Luo Ningyu still hesitated.

“You two, go help her.” Mu Lingzhu lost patience and ordered the two maids she had brought to take action.

The two maids nodded and walked toward Luo Ningyu, one on each side…