After the guards finished speaking, they walked northward.

Mu Yunjin, hiding in the tree, thought to herself how lucky she was. Once the guards had gone far enough, she silently followed behind them.

Until she saw the plaque reading “Crystal Spring Palace.”

This must be where Chu Li lived.

Mu Yunjin waited outside Crystal Spring Palace for a while, feeling apprehensive about the guards who usually accompanied Chu Li, unsure whether they might be hidden nearby in the deep night.

For a moment, Mu Yunjin felt her actions were somewhat rash.

But then, thinking about how the jade pendant was connected to her origins, Mu Yunjin took a deep breath and decided to risk it. After looking around and finding nothing unusual, she slipped into Crystal Spring Palace.

The fourth watch had already passed, and dawn would soon break. She needed to quickly find Chu Li’s bedchamber and steal back the jade pendant.

Fortunately, her jade pendant emitted light, making it not difficult to find in the darkness.

…

After carefully circling Crystal Spring Palace for some time, Mu Yunjin stopped at the doorway of a room. Through the crack in the door, in the quiet night, she could see a faint moonlight-colored glow emanating from inside.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin’s heart leaped with joy.

Without hesitation, she stepped lightly toward the door, skillfully and cautiously opening it and entering without making any sound.

Once inside the room, Mu Yunjin saw her jade pendant placed at Chu Li’s bedside. Through the light emitted by the jade, she could see a cold, enchanting sleeping face.

Mu Yunjin walked to the bedside and looked down at Chu Li. His usually upright long hair now spread like ink, and he wore a black fitted sleeping robe. He slept quietly without making any sound, not even the faintest breathing could be heard.

Mu Yunjin couldn’t help but admire that this fellow was indeed quite handsome, though even asleep, he was as cold as a corpse.

Next, Mu Yunjin turned her attention to her jade pendant. Through the night, the two characters “Yunjin” carved inside the jade were particularly clear.

Thinking that this jade pendant was connected to her origins, Mu Yunjin’s expression softened. Seeing that time was short, she reached for the jade pendant…

Just as her fingers touched the edge of the pendant, an ice-cold hand gripped her wrist, followed by a strong force.

Mu Yunjin frowned, looked down, and met a pair of deep, pitch-black eyes.

Trouble! Chu Li was awake!

Another surge of force came through her wrist, as if trying to crush it. Mu Yunjin furrowed her brow slightly, silver needles emerging from between her fingers. Just as she was about to stab them into the back of Chu Li’s hand, she was thrown aside by him.

Then, Chu Li sat up in his bed, glanced at the jade pendant at his bedside, and looked at Mu Yunjin. “Who sent you?”

His chilling tone made Mu Yunjin freeze momentarily, but she was also relieved that Chu Li hadn’t recognized her.

She felt somewhat dejected. Back when she was in the anti-terrorism squad, sneaking into others’ rooms for missions was routine, and she had never failed. Today, she was easily caught and couldn’t gain any advantage.

She recalled what Ding Xian had told her during the day: in terms of martial skills, Chu Li’s were even better than his.

Ding Xian’s skills were already miraculous; she couldn’t imagine what Chu Li’s might be like.

Although she was confident in her abilities, they were limited to close-quarters combat. When it came to mystical techniques, she was completely ignorant.

The best plan now was to run.

On her way here, she had roughly familiarized herself with the layout, so escaping shouldn’t be difficult.

After a pause, she rolled her eyes, looked at the jade pendant on the bedside, and with lightning speed, tore a piece of cloth from her clothing and threw it over the jade.

In an instant, the jade pendant was covered by the cloth, and the room fell into complete darkness.

Mu Yunjin seized the opportunity, rushed out of Chu Li’s room, reached the back wall, and with a soaring leap, jumped out of Crystal Spring Palace.

“Who goes there!” Ding Xian, sensing something amiss, ran out. From a distance, he saw a black figure jumping from the wall. Just as he was about to give chase, he heard a loud crash from Chu Li’s bedroom.

“Your Highness…”

…

Mu Yunjin felt she had never run for her life like today, constantly looking back to see if Chu Li was following.

Only after she slipped out of the palace and realized Chu Li hadn’t pursued did she finally let out a sigh of relief, sitting in a corner and panting heavily.

“Damn, the mission failed.” For an elite special agent who had been in the anti-terrorism squad for many years, this was an enormous humiliation.

Mu Yunjin gritted her teeth, frustrated that she hadn’t retrieved the jade pendant. If only she had prepared some sleeping incense to knock Chu Li out.

After sitting for a while, Mu Yunjin pushed herself up. As soon as her hand touched the ground, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist.

Looking at it, she saw her right wrist was swollen and red. Chu Li must have damaged the tendons.

Mu Yunjin cursed silently. This trip had not only failed to retrieve the jade pendant but also injured her wrist—truly thankless work.

By the time she returned to the Minister’s mansion, dawn was breaking. Mu Yunjin changed out of her black night clothes, threw them under the bed, then lay down with a labored sigh.

After today’s events, trying to get the jade pendant back would be more difficult than climbing to heaven.

After thinking for a moment, Mu Yunjin rolled over, scratched her head, and spoke somewhat dejectedly, “Never mind. They’re not my real family anyway, so my origins don’t matter.”

It would be better to take the thirty thousand taels of gold and live a good life.

With this thought, Mu Yunjin felt much better. She yawned and fell into a deep sleep.

…

Mu Yunjin didn’t know how long she had slept before the sharp pain in her wrist woke her.

Opening her eyes, Mu Yunjin extended her right hand and saw that her wrist was now even more swollen than before, with a crimson hue.

Mu Yunjin wanted to curse. How much force did Chu Li use to make her wrist like this?

Yet after last night’s events, Chu Li might be searching for her, so she couldn’t openly find a doctor to treat her.

“Miss, you’re awake. Let this servant help you wash up.” Zixiang’s voice sounded nearby.

Mu Yunjin instinctively hid her hand under the covers and said to Zixiang, “No need, I want to sleep a bit more.”

“Miss, Empress Qin just sent someone to invite you to the palace for dinner today, so you should get up and prepare yourself.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin frowned. This was exactly what she feared would happen.

“Zixiang, go boil ten eggs for me, as hot as possible. I want to eat them…” Mu Yunjin made up an excuse.

Zixiang was startled and looked at Mu Yunjin with surprise. “Ten?”

Mu Yunjin nodded. “Yes, ten.”

Though surprised, Zixiang wouldn’t question her mistress, so she left for the kitchen.

Seeing Zixiang leave, Mu Yunjin quickly got out of bed, washed up, and changed her clothes.

Shortly after, when Zixiang returned, Mu Yunjin had already prepared herself and was sitting in a rattan chair. “Miss, here are the eggs you wanted.”

“Hmm, put them there. You may go now.” Mu Yunjin glanced at the steaming eggs.

Zixiang pursed her lips, nodded, and left.

After Zixiang departed, Mu Yunjin immediately took the eggs and placed them against her swollen wrist, rotating them continuously.

She hoped the swelling would go down before entering the palace; otherwise, it would be problematic if Empress Qin became suspicious.

Moreover, since Empress Qin invited her for dinner, Chu Li might be there too. She couldn’t give herself away in front of Chu Li. If he became displeased, he might charge her with some crime, which would be troublesome.

After thinking through all this, Mu Yunjin sighed, wondering why she had become so timid…

After staying in her chamber for half an hour, Mu Yunjin felt the sharp pain in her wrist had subsided considerably. She was thankful that no bones were injured.

“Miss, it’s getting late. After I arrange your hair, we should depart.” Zixiang’s voice came from outside the door.

Mu Yunjin nodded.

At the dressing table, Mu Yunjin opened her jewelry box and found about four or five bracelets and hand chains, placing them all on her right wrist.

The full set managed to somewhat conceal the swollen area, though it wasn’t very aesthetically pleasing.

“Has Empress Qin invited Mu Lingzhu today?” Mu Yunjin thought of this and asked Zixiang.

After helping Mu Yunjin put on the last pearl flower, Zixiang shook her head. “The Fourth Miss was invited into the palace by Empress Dowager Zheng early this morning.”

“Empress Dowager Zheng?” Mu Yunjin recalled the elderly woman in bright red and chuckled. “It seems that no matter where, opposing sides always remain opposing.”

Hearing this, Zixiang seemed to half-understand and smiled, saying, “This servant overheard some maids from Mingzhu Tower gossiping that Empress Dowager Zheng intends to match the Fourth Prince with Fourth Miss.”

“Fourth Prince?” Mu Yunjin frowned slightly, as she couldn’t recall anyone ever mentioning this prince.

“Yes, the Fourth Prince was born to Consort Qing in the palace, but Consort Qing had a short life and passed away shortly after giving birth to the Fourth Prince. So the Fourth Prince was raised by the Empress Dowager and belongs to Empress Dowager Zheng’s faction.” Zixiang explained.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin understood better. No wonder that day Chu Li and the others addressed Empress Qin as Grandmother and Empress Dowager Zheng simply as Empress Dowager.

It seemed the inner palace had already been divided into Empress Dowager Zheng’s faction and Empress Qin’s faction.

Now, Mu Lingzhu, having been rebuffed by Empress Qin, had probably accepted Empress Dowager Zheng’s olive branch and joined her faction.

This situation would likely lead to more unrest.

…

Walking on the path out of the mansion, Mu Yunjin encountered Mu Xiarou again.

Upon seeing Mu Yunjin, Mu Xiarou smiled particularly obediently, calling her “Sister” with exceptional affection.

“Does Fifth Sister have something to discuss?” Mu Yunjin gave Mu Xiarou a perfunctory smile and suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Mu Xiarou seemed somewhat embarrassed. She lowered her gaze to the ground and spoke coyly, “I heard Empress Qin invited Sister to the palace, and I would like to go along to see the sights…”