Mu Yunjin had stayed in the mansion for five or six consecutive days without going out. The death of Mu Lingzhu from a few days ago still made her heart tremble when she thought about it. Additionally, the weather was getting colder, making her even less inclined to go out for leisurely walks.
When Zixiang carried a pile of freshly washed clothes into Mu Yunjin’s room, she saw Mu Yunjin lying in a rocking chair, cracking melon seeds. On the table beside her were various pastries and preserved fruits.
“Miss, don’t you feel stifled sitting in your room all day?” Zixiang asked as she put the clothes in Mu Yunjin’s cabinet and turned to look at her.
Mu Yunjin shook her head. “Compared to those conspiracies and schemes lining up at our door, I’d rather feel stifled.”
“That’s true,” Zixiang recalled the recent unpleasant events and agreed with Mu Yunjin’s words.
“By the way, where’s Chu Li?” Mu Yunjin glanced at the time. These days, Chu Li had been dutifully attending morning court, but by this hour, he should have returned.
Hearing this, Zixiang replied, “His Highness said when he left this morning that he would dine at the Grand Tutor’s mansion at noon.”
“Grand Tutor Zhuang?”
“Yes, that’s what this servant heard.” Zixiang tilted her head to think for a moment, then nodded with certainty.
…
…
Regarding Grand Tutor Zhuang, Mu Yunjin didn’t have much opinion, after all, he was Chu Li’s teacher, and Chu Li had always respected him.
However, mentioning Grand Tutor Zhuang reminded Mu Yunjin of Zhuang Yuyan and Mu Yunhan, causing her expression to dim slightly. “Zixiang, are there any carrier pigeons in the prince’s mansion?”
“Carrier pigeons? I don’t think so. This servant has never seen any in the mansion,” Zixiang replied.
Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together and nodded slightly.
As the two were chatting, someone gently knocked on the door. After Mu Yunjin called for them to enter, a young maidservant from the mansion pushed open the door.
“Greetings, Princess.”
“What is it?”
“City Lord Qu from Xinyao City has come to the mansion and is currently in the front hall. Since the Prince is not in the mansion, Mamma Shen sent this servant to find you.” The young maidservant answered.
Upon hearing that Qu Xinyao had arrived, Mu Yunjin stood up and walked toward the door.
As she exited the main gate of Liquan Pavilion, she saw Qu Xinyao approaching, as bright and charming as ever. Upon seeing Mu Yunjin, she slightly curved her lips.
“Hello, City Lord Qu. Are you here to see Chu Li?” Mu Yunjin smiled, looking at Qu Xinyao.
Qu Xinyao raised her eyebrows. “Let’s talk inside.”
“Mm.”
Mu Yunjin led Qu Xinyao to Chu Li’s study and had Zixiang prepare some tea and snacks.
“Chu Li is dining at the Grand Tutor’s mansion at noon and will return later. Does City Lord Qu have some urgent matter to discuss with Chu Li?” Mu Yunjin figured that since Qu Xinyao had suddenly come to visit, she must have something important to say.
Qu Xinyao took a sip of tea. Upon hearing Mu Yunjin’s words, she raised her eyelids, her beautiful eyes flashing with a hint of mockery. “The way you speak, why do you make such a clear distinction between yourself and Chu Li? Isn’t it the same whether I speak to you or him?”
“Besides, since we’ve known each other for some time, there’s no need to be so formal by calling me City Lord Qu. I’m a few years older than you, so just call me Sister Xinyao.” Qu Xinyao didn’t dislike Mu Yunjin and was naturally pleased to hear her call her ‘sister.’
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin curved her lips, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“Since Chu Li won’t be back for a while, it’s just as well to tell you, as this matter concerns you too.” Qu Xinyao’s smile faded, and her eyes, though still containing a hint of amusement, were now filled with deeper meaning.
“What is it?” Mu Yunjin had a bad feeling.
Qu Xinyao eyed Mu Yunjin. “The old fox of the Qin family, the old Daoist of Qiuye Mountain, the Second Prince of Eastern Lin, Prince Chen Chu Qing, and the Crown Prince of Southern Court Kingdom—these five people have secretly joined forces.”
Mu Yunjin was stunned for a moment, her brow furrowing. “The Crown Prince of Southern Court Kingdom?”
She wasn’t surprised that the first four people had colluded together, but now there was inexplicably a Crown Prince from the Southern Court Kingdom added to the mix.
“What about the Northern Ming Kingdom?” Mu Yunjin noticed that only Northern Ming was excluded, causing her heart to tremble slightly.
Qu Xinyao pressed her lips together and shook her head. “The old fox of the Qin family has always harbored wild ambitions. The old man from Qiuye recently suffered many losses at our hands and surely won’t let the matter rest. As for Rong Min from Eastern Lin, there’s no need to even mention him. And regarding Chu Qing, I’ve underestimated him.”
“Chu Qing wants the throne, and so does the old fox of the Qin family. Can they agree?” Mu Yunjin suddenly felt that she knew nothing about these power struggles for the throne.
“The old fox Qin is already old. Even if he became emperor, how many years could he rule? He’s siding with Chu Qing now just to gain more power through him. Otherwise, given the current situation in court, the old fox Qin alone couldn’t stir up any waves.” Qu Xinyao sneered coldly.
Mu Yunjin understood some of it now and continued her questioning. “Even if they cooperate, they’d have to take things one step at a time. Who will they deal with first?”
“What do you think?” Qu Xinyao raised an eyebrow in return.
Mu Yunjin’s heart trembled as she thought of Northern Ming, the only kingdom excluded from the alliance. She frowned. “They want to swallow Northern Ming first?”
“Correct. As everyone knows, you are Princess Jinhua of Northern Ming, and you’ve married Prince Ning of Western Yuan. Unless necessary, the ruler of Northern Ming would never oppose the Western Yuan. The four kingdoms have balanced power, and over the years, they’ve maintained a policy of non-interference. In recent years, there have been small moves made privately, but no one has dared to make the first big move.”
“This is because they aren’t certain of victory and are most worried about two kingdoms allying against two others, leading to mutual destruction. But now it’s different. People from three kingdoms have privately joined forces, so naturally, they’ll first try to eliminate one kingdom to gain its power. With one kingdom backing them, everything will be different.”
After explaining this long string of words, Qu Xinyao drank some water and looked at Mu Yunjin. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Mu Yunjin folded her arms and carefully digested Qu Xinyao’s words. Five people wanting to destroy one kingdom sounded like a fantasy.
But oddly enough, these five people were all extraordinary.
Normally, if it were Eastern Lin or Southern Court Kingdom, she wouldn’t care about this matter. But now it was different—her father and mother were in Northern Ming.
“How did you come to know about this?” Mu Yunjin looked at Qu Xinyao with some surprise.
“You still don’t know my identity?” Qu Xinyao shrugged, adopting a relaxed tone.
Mu Yunjin gave Qu Xinyao a strange look. “Besides being the City Lord of Xinyao City, do you have other identities?”
“City Lord is just a front. I’m actually like Huang Yan and Song Chun, all subordinates of Prince Ning. What I just told you is the result of my recent investigations.” Qu Xinyao took a few more sips of tea.
Mu Yunjin was stunned again, inexplicably looking Qu Xinyao up and down, surprised that such a proud woman would be willing to be Chu Li’s subordinate.
This Chu Li fellow was quite capable.
“Then Xu…” Mu Yunjin was about to ask about Xu Heyu, but remembering the awkward relationship between Qu Xinyao and Xu Heyu, she pressed her lips together and didn’t continue.
“That idiot Xu is also one, but with his sickly physique, he hasn’t been much help.” Qu Xinyao spoke irritably.
Hearing Qu Xinyao describe Xu Heyu this way, Mu Yunjin curved her lips slightly. Having learned so much information from Qu Xinyao today, she decided to ask everything.
“What about the City Lord of Zhangzhou City?” Mu Yunjin wondered if all the major city lords had been captured by Chu Li.
At this, Qu Xinyao shook her head and pursed her lips. “The City Lord of Zhangzhou, Qiu Tianhuai, is the brother of Chu Qing’s imperial consort, so he’s Chu Qing’s man.”
“Yet Chu Li still operates pawnshops and gambling houses there…” Mu Yunjin was surprised.
“You usually seem so clever, but what’s blocked your little brain today that you can’t understand something so simple? Isn’t it exciting to earn heaps of gold right under the nose of your opponent?” Qu Xinyao blinked and said with a smile.
Mu Yunjin thought for a moment and couldn’t help but laugh. No wonder they had been so secretive when he took her to Zhangzhou City—it was someone else’s territory.
The two chatted for a while, then faint footsteps came from outside. Both women, highly alert, narrowed their eyes and looked toward the door.
With a “creak,” the door of the study opened, and Chu Li, in purple brocade clothes, slowly walked in with a calm expression and pressed lips.
“Weren’t you supposed to dine at the Grand Tutor’s mansion?” Seeing Chu Li arrive, Mu Yunjin looked at the time. It wasn’t even noon yet.
Chu Li seemed to be in a bad mood, his eyes as cold as snow. Upon hearing Mu Yunjin’s voice, he frowned and looked at her, moving his lips but not making a sound.
“What’s wrong?” Mu Yunjin didn’t understand why Chu Li was looking at her like that.
“Yunjin, pack up. You’re going to Northern Ming now.” After pondering for a long time, Chu Li finally spoke, his voice deep with a hint of hoarseness.
“Why so urgent?” Although Mu Yunjin could guess some reasons, it still seemed too sudden.
“It must be that those people from Qiuye have begun to act. The ruler of Northern Ming hasn’t heard the news yet and could be caught completely off guard. You should go to Northern Ming quickly to assist your father and mother.” Qu Xinyao explained. From Chu Li’s expression when he entered, it was clear that he was reluctant to let Mu Yunjin go, but he didn’t hide the truth from her.
Qu Xinyao inexplicably felt a bit envious. Of all the men in the world, she had set her heart on a block of wood who couldn’t be enlightened no matter how much she tried.
Mu Yunjin bit her lip, thinking of the three-against-one situation Qu Xinyao had mentioned earlier, suddenly feeling her heart skip a beat. “Then I’ll go pack now and have Qiqi take me there with the Invisible Space.”
“You can’t use the Invisible Space.” Chu Li intervened, stepping closer to Mu Yunjin and placing his hand on her shoulder. “Though the Invisible Space is discreet, during the transit process, if you encounter someone with profound inner strength, they could potentially detect it.”
“I have some matters to attend to on my side, so I can’t accompany you. But I will have Huang Yan and Song Chun assist you.” Chu Li spoke gently, with a cautious tone, afraid that Mu Yunjin might be displeased by this.
Mu Yunjin understood that this matter was not trivial. In the past, she had only wanted to be a rice worm, eating, drinking, and playing until death. But since deciding to be with Chu Li, she had invisibly shouldered some responsibilities.
So she smiled and waved her hand. “No need. Let Huang Yan and Song Chun stay here. I’ll just take a few subordinates from the Phoenix Feather Pavilion with me.”