Trading barbs with Feng Xuandaoren all along the way, Mu Yunjin felt much better in her heart.

“Didn’t you want to eat? I’ll have the waiter prepare something for you.” Mu Yunjin was about to call the waiter over after going downstairs, but Feng Xuandaoren refused.

Mu Yunjin looked at him, puzzled.

“This place is too low-class,” Feng Xuandaoren snorted lightly, ignoring Mu Yunjin as he strode out of the inn.

Mu Yunjin’s mouth twitched, but she still followed behind him.

Out on the main street, it was just past noon, and with the fine weather today, the market center was bustling with noise and excitement.

This was also Mu Yunjin’s first time walking openly on the streets of Northern Ming.

Along the way, Mu Yunjin saw many strange and curious items displayed on roadside stalls, many of which she had never seen in Western Yuan. Several times she was about to pull out money to buy something, but Feng Xuandaoren, walking in front, would pull her away.

Huang Yan, following beside them, witnessed this and finally understood why his young master had summoned Feng Xuandaoren.

Only this elder could keep their Princess Consort in check.

It seemed that in the coming days, he would have much less to worry about.

After wandering around the street for a while, Feng Xuandaoren finally selected a tea house in the center of the market called Ningxiang. “This one.”

Mu Yunjin looked at the tea house, which was three stories high and occupied a large area. This must be what the old man considered a high-class establishment…

Entering the tea house, Feng Xuandaoren went directly to a private room on the third floor. As soon as he sat down, he grandly instructed the waiter, “Bring a pot of Dragon Well tea, a pot of Pu’er, a pot of flower tea, and one serving of every snack or small dish your establishment offers.”

“Right away!” The waiter, who had initially been surprised to see such an order from someone dressed so plainly, quickly recognized the two people behind him and immediately ran out with the menu.

Mu Yunjin deliberately glanced at the thick menu in the waiter’s hand as he passed by, her mouth twitching several times as she sat down opposite Feng Xuandaoren.

“Master, there are about a hundred different snacks and small dishes here!” Mu Yunjin reminded him. Although that fellow Chu Li wasn’t short on money, eating like this seemed a bit wasteful!

Feng Xuandaoren lifted his eyelids slightly, leaning comfortably against his chair. “So what?”

“Nothing…” Mu Yunjin couldn’t continue the conversation and simply began to observe her surroundings.

When they had entered earlier, she noticed that the first and second floors were open-plan, with numerous tables and chairs arranged in one large room. Only the third floor was divided into separate rooms, with tables and chairs placed by the windows, offering a view of the street below.

The tea was served quickly, with only a portion of the snacks brought first.

Mu Yunjin poured herself a cup of flower tea. Despite the delicate and exquisite snacks on the table, she had little appetite at the moment. Holding the teacup, she blew on it gently, her gaze falling on the street below.

Feng Xuandaoren also seemed to lack appetite, closing his eyes to rest after eating a few bites of the snacks.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin didn’t speak much.

The private room was extraordinarily quiet at this moment. Besides the shouting from the street below, Mu Yunjin seemed to faintly hear the sound of opera music.

After furrowing her brow, Mu Yunjin leaned by the window, looking around below. Soon she discovered an opera house diagonally opposite and not far away—the opera sounds must have been coming from there.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and the waiter entered with several attendants, bringing in the remaining snacks.

“Please enjoy at your leisure, sir,” the waiter said after filling the table with snacks, then walked out.

Mu Yunjin looked at the table full of exquisite snacks, stacked in two layers as there wasn’t enough space, and pursed her lips. She tapped the table with her hand, making a crisp sound.

“Your snacks are all here. Eat them while they’re hot,” Mu Yunjin said to Feng Xuandaoren.

Feng Xuandaoren opened his eyes and met Mu Yunjin’s gaze. “Girl, what did you hear just now?”

“Hmm?” Mu Yunjin didn’t immediately understand.

“What about you?” Feng Xuandaoren ignored Mu Yunjin and turned to Huang Yan.

Huang Yan was taken aback, his brow slightly furrowed. “Opera music?”

“Did you hear it?” Feng Xuandaoren asked Mu Yunjin again.

Mu Yunjin nodded, “Yes, I did. What about it?”

“It sounds nice. Take me to listen later…” Feng Xuandaoren took a sip of tea, and only then did he begin to eat the snacks.

Mu Yunjin felt her head must be covered in black lines.

She had thought that when she answered “opera music,” this old man would draw out some mysterious and profound conclusion, but the result was that he simply wanted to listen to opera…

It seemed that she had been too sensitive lately.

…

In the time that followed, Mu Yunjin didn’t rush Feng Xuandaoren to finish eating and leave. Instead, she leisurely leaned against the wall by the window, her eyes unfocused, seemingly lost in thought.

Just as Mu Yunjin felt she might fall asleep at any moment, the sound of conversation drifted up from below—it seemed to be people talking by the window on the second floor:

“Have you heard? Princess Jingyang was injured by that Lady Qing, recently taken into the Emperor’s harem, but the Emperor is shielding Lady Qing.”

“I heard about it last night. It’s been puzzling me for a while. Hasn’t our Emperor always favored Princess Jingyang the most?”

“They say that Lady Qing looks very similar to the Holy Maiden of Southern Ting, which is why the Emperor cherishes her so much. But I’ve heard some other rumors…”

“I heard that Lady Qing is the ghost of Southern Ting’s Holy Maiden Jiang Qingxue. She knows sorcery and is extremely powerful, so she has bewitched the Emperor’s mind.”

“Really? That sounds terrifying. If she truly is a ghost, what should be done?”

“Find a priest to dispel her, of course. But the Emperor might not allow it. I heard that several court officials have already drafted retirement letters.”

“…”

Mu Yunjin quietly listened to the voices from below, feeling an unnamed anger constantly churning inside her. Sure enough, someone had already taken action, throwing all the filth at Jiang Qingxue.

Transformed from a ghost…

If such a rumor spread, it would cause panic among the people of Northern Ming. And once many commoners believed this rumor, it would be very difficult to change their minds.

This was undoubtedly pushing Jiang Qingxue toward an abyss of no return.

“Damn, those men are vicious, using a woman as their scapegoat for no reason!” Mu Yunjin angrily spoke out, slamming her hand on the table, making the dishes produce a crisp sound.

The voices from the second floor were not low, and since Mu Yunjin’s group consisted of martial artists with hearing better than ordinary people, both Feng Xuandaoren and Huang Yan had naturally heard the conversation from below.

“As long as they achieve their goals, they don’t care if it’s a man or a woman. You’re too naive, little girl,” Feng Xuandaoren chuckled, taking a sip of tea.

“Is there any way to counter this?” Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, looking at Feng Xuandaoren.

Feng Xuandaoren raised an eyebrow, “Isn’t your husband wealthy? They spread rumors, so you spread rumors too. With enough money scattered around, even ghosts would come to grind flour for you, let alone dealing with these trivial rumors.”

“…” Mu Yunjin was momentarily stunned, her pupils contracting, yet with a flicker of brightness passing through them.

Seeing her dumbfounded expression, Feng Xuandaoren added, “For some matters, don’t be soft-hearted. No one is innocent. Look at your mother—she was perfectly fine until she got splashed with dirty water, wasn’t she?”

“Do you understand now?” Feng Xuandaoren asked again.

Mu Yunjin nodded woodenly and reached out to Huang Yan beside her, “How much loose silver do you have on you?”

Huang Yan took out a bulging money pouch from his sleeve and handed it to Mu Yunjin.

“I’m going downstairs to join the commotion,” Mu Yunjin pocketed the money pouch and stood up, walking out the door.

When Huang Yan instinctively moved to follow her, Feng Xuandaoren stopped him, “Let her go alone. This girl seems clever and cunning, but she has limited experience of the world. Having always been protected by Chu Li, there are many things she still doesn’t understand. She’s bound to suffer some setbacks in the future.”

“But isn’t she the Phoenix Lady?” Huang Yan was somewhat surprised, though in his heart, he developed a measure of admiration for Feng Xuandaoren.

“The Phoenix Lady identity is merely an external supporting force. The burdens and responsibilities that have fallen on her shoulders cannot be resolved simply by being the Phoenix Lady,” Feng Xuan sighed.

Huang Yan nodded, seeming to understand yet not fully comprehending.

…

When Mu Yunjin reached the lower floor, many people were already seated on the second floor, but most were gathered in one place, discussing the same topic.

Mu Yunjin frowned and stepped forward, initially intending to squeeze into the crowd. However, from the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a black figure.

Upon noticing this figure, Mu Yunjin suddenly drew a sharp breath. In the most secluded corner of the second-floor tea area sat the black-robed man she had glimpsed in the carriage that day, drinking tea.

The man only showed a side profile, yet it made Mu Yunjin feel her breath catch, with a sense of pressure following closely.

As she hesitated whether to return upstairs, the black-robed man’s gaze had already fallen on her, carrying a hint of sharpness and bloodthirst. Then, the corner of his mouth slowly curved into an arc.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, knowing this black-robed man was no ordinary person. Her whole body was already in a state of alert.

After a while, the black-robed man had not shifted his gaze. Instead, he extended a finger, beckoning to Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin was startled, understanding that this gesture meant for her to approach him.

But the stranger seemed hostile—should she go or not?

On second thought, Mu Yunjin suddenly remembered that her appearance had been altered. Why would this black-robed man call her over? Had he discovered something suspicious about her?

Mu Yunjin thought for a moment, surveying her surroundings again. Then she reasoned that with her master and Huang Yan upstairs, there was no need to worry about this black-robed man. She slowly began walking toward him.

Step by step, as she approached the black-robed man’s position, Mu Yunjin’s heart was beating somewhat rapidly. But when she stood before him, her heart inexplicably calmed down.

At this moment, Mu Yunjin looked down at the black-robed man, saying nothing.

The black-robed man also merely poured and drank his tea, without speaking.

In the end, it was Mu Yunjin who broke the silence in this corner, “May I ask what guidance you seek from me?”

Upon hearing Mu Yunjin’s voice, the black-robed man took a sip of tea and gently placed the cup on the table, “You’re not afraid of me?”

His hoarse and cold voice sounded particularly chilling in this noisy environment. As the black-robed man spoke, there seemed to be a hint of amusement in his tone, but the wave of cold, murderous intent that came with it made one shiver involuntarily.

Mu Yunjin always upheld the belief of never showing weakness in front of strangers. Even though she was indeed somewhat afraid at this moment, when she spoke, her tone remained arrogant and playful.

“You can’t do anything to me, so why should I fear you?”