After leaving Bei Tang Wenfeng’s palace, Mu Yunjin stood at the palace gate for a while, looking around, unsure what to do next.

“Princess Consort, what do you plan to do next?” Huang Yan noticed Mu Yunjin standing motionless and turned to look at her.

Mu Yunjin shook her head, “I don’t know either. There’s a mess of problems here, and who knows what harmful scheme Qiuye and his people will come up with next.”

As they were talking, Qiqi and Hua Ying, who had been wandering around the palace all day, walked over together.

“Mistress!” Qiqi’s eyes curved into a smile when she saw Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin looked at Qiqi and Hua Ying, the corners of her lips lifting.

With all four gathered, Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, considering what to do next. After thinking for a while, she suddenly thought of a place.

“Let’s go to Jinxiu Palace to stay.”

Bei Tang Wenfeng had said that the palace was for her, and it was currently vacant. She could temporarily stay there for now. At this moment, she didn’t want to run back and forth to any other places inside or outside the palace.

…

…

……

Arriving at the entrance of Jinxiu Palace, Mu Yunjin discovered that the main gate was tightly closed with no one guarding it, which suited her perfectly.

After the four of them easily slipped into Jinxiu Palace, Qiqi let out an exclamation, “Is this palace newly built? Why is its layout so different from the other palaces here?”

“There’s still dew on these flowers and plants. Does someone come regularly to tend to them?” Qiqi looked at the floral scenery all around, finding it somewhat incredible.

Mu Yunjin entered the main hall and found a chair to sit on, first checking it and discovering that there wasn’t a speck of dust on it.

After sitting down, Mu Yunjin propped her head with her hand, lazily placing one leg on another chair. “I’m feeling a bit lost now. Dragging on with Qiuye and his people like this, who knows how long it will take?”

If she had known, she would have gone back with Chu Li.

At this moment, Mu Yunjin inexplicably felt mentally exhausted. Jiang Qingxue and Bei Tang Wenfeng were now at odds, too. With troubles both internal and external, continuing like this was not a solution.

Moreover, she had briefly encountered that black-robed man today. After a simple exchange of blows, she had somewhat probed the man’s skills and found he wasn’t easy to deal with.

“Sigh, Hua Ying and I have been exploring this palace all day without finding anything unusual. We couldn’t detect any traces of the Blood Bat either,” Qiqi sighed.

“The main issue is that the enemy is hidden, and we can’t rashly make a move. We can only wait here for them to strike first.” Huang Yan also sighed. The situation in the Northern Ming Kingdom was truly difficult to handle.

Seeing the low spirits of those nearby, Hua Ying, whose face was usually cold, rarely showed a layer of smiles. “You can’t just keep waiting for them to come to you. The Northern Ming Kingdom has beautiful mountains and waters. It’s rare for all of us to be together. In our spare time, we can wander around, treating it as a sightseeing trip.”

“That’s right! We can invite Brother Lei Yan and Xiumei to join us, explore the surroundings, which is better than being cooped up in this palace every day.” Qiqi nodded in agreement.

“Mm, that’s a good suggestion.” Regarding Hua Ying’s words, Huang Yan naturally agreed unconditionally.

Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow, nodded, and then smiled gently. “Let’s wait for my Master Feng Xuan to return before deciding. I still need to take him to buy winter clothes!”

“Silly girl, at least you have some conscience and didn’t speak ill of your master behind my back!” A clear voice came from outside the door, and then everyone felt a blur before their eyes as Daoist Feng Xuan appeared in the hall.

“I’ve always had a conscience for you, old man.” Mu Yunjin’s eyebrows lifted slightly, then she added, “By the way, what’s the situation outside now?”

Daoist Feng Xuan sat down, wanting to pour a cup of tea, but found that the teapot was empty. So he picked up the teapot and handed it to Huang Yan. “Go get some hot tea!”

“Yes, Elder.” Huang Yan didn’t dare to be too cheeky in front of Daoist Feng Xuan and obediently took the teapot and walked out.

After Huang Yan left, Daoist Feng Xuan pointed at Qiqi. “Cat girl, come and massage my shoulders.”

“Uh, yes!” Qiqi also obediently stood up, went behind Daoist Feng Xuan, and reached out to massage his shoulders.

Daoist Feng Xuan nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to ask Hua Ying to massage his legs, he had barely opened his mouth when he turned and caught a glimpse of Hua Ying’s cold, alluring face. He sheepishly closed his mouth, his instinct telling him that this little poisonous snake was not to be trifled with.

The little kitten was much more obedient.

Mu Yunjin crossed her arms, pursed her lips, her eyes containing a mocking smile. She thought to herself that this old man was certainly someone who knew who he could provoke and who he couldn’t.

Huang Yan quickly returned with the teapot, poured a cup of tea for Daoist Feng Xuan, and then sat down again.

Daoist Feng Xuan unhurriedly took a sip of tea before leisurely speaking, “All the commoners in the city have now gathered at the palace gate, demanding Bei Tang Wenfeng to deal with Madam Qing.”

“What about Qiuye?” Mu Yunjin frowned.

“That old dog is at the palace gate too. He saved those lives in front of so many people, and now those commoners are worshipping him like a deity descended from heaven. Whatever he says goes. Right now, he’s leading the commoners in causing trouble!” Daoist Feng Xuan curled his lips.

Qiqi, who was massaging Daoist Feng Xuan’s shoulders, turned her head to the side. “So what do we do now? The entire city’s commoners have been incited. The public sentiment won’t be easy to pacify, especially with that villain Qiuye leading the trouble.”

“By the way, wasn’t Qin Muyue supposed to have come to the Northern Ming Kingdom too? Why haven’t we heard any news about her these days?” Mu Yunjin suddenly remembered this person.

Huang Yan was the only one who had personally seen Qin Muyue appear in the Northern Ming Kingdom. Hearing Mu Yunjin mention her, he helplessly pursed his lips. “Don’t know where that little vixen went. There’s indeed been no movement from her.”

“Girl, the Northern Ming Kingdom can’t continue with Qiuye and his people causing such chaos. In your master’s opinion, we should aim for a swift resolution, confront these people face to face in a decisive battle. Otherwise, once public support is lost, your father’s throne will become unstable.” Daoist Feng Xuan eyed Mu Yunjin, his expression rarely serious.

Mu Yunjin was slightly stunned. She had known since arriving that a fierce battle might be unavoidable, but now that Daoist Feng Xuan had explicitly said it, she felt she had no confidence at all.

“I agree with the Elder’s words. Might as well have a confrontation rather than playing a protracted game with them.” Qiqi completely agreed.

Mu Yunjin glanced at Qiqi, her eyes seeming to say, “Wasn’t it you who just suggested finding Lei Yan and Xiumei to wander around?”

“Then we need to carefully plan our strategy.” Huang Yan spoke up, thinking it over and also feeling that Daoist Feng Xuan’s words made sense.

The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat heavy for a moment.

……

Yang Qingning indeed went to see Bei Tang Wenfeng after waiting for an hour. Although Bei Tang Wenfeng didn’t want to see Yang Qingning, since she had already arrived, he let her enter his study.

“This concubine pays respects to the sovereign.” Yang Qingning smoothed her dress and bowed to Bei Tang Wenfeng.

“No need for formalities.” Bei Tang Wenfeng was reading a memorial. Hearing Yang Qingning’s voice, he didn’t even lift his eyelids.

Yang Qingning said a word of thanks, her phoenix eyes lifting slightly. She looked around and, noticing that only Su Xin was attending to Bei Tang Wenfeng, her gaze fell on Su Xin.

“Eunuch Su, do you know where that maid called Mu’er went?”

Su Xin was taken aback, not knowing how to respond.

Bei Tang Wenfeng, who had been lowering his head to read the memorial, heard the words “Mu’er” and his fingers holding the memorial slightly moved. Then he realized that Yang Qingning was referring to Mu Yunjin.

“What business does the Empress have with Mu’er?” Bei Tang Wenfeng asked calmly, his gaze finally falling on Yang Qingning.

“Earlier, near the Imperial Garden, this maid called Mu’er showed disrespect to this concubine, looking down on me. I knew she was Madam Qing’s maid and intended to turn a blind eye. But Mu’er’s attitude was so unreasonable, and several other consorts were wandering near the Imperial Garden at the time. As the holder of the phoenix seal and the manager of the harem’s order, if I don’t punish Mu’er according to palace rules, how can I set an example for the harem and command respect?”

Yang Qingning said a string of words, not daring to look at Bei Tang Wenfeng’s expression for a moment. But she firmly believed that Bei Tang Wenfeng shouldn’t allow a mere maid to cause trouble in the Northern Ming Kingdom.

For a long time, Bei Tang Wenfeng didn’t speak.

“Sovereign…” Yang Qingning’s heart sank, and she bit her lip, her face turning somewhat pale.

Just as the atmosphere in the imperial study dropped to freezing point, the door was gently knocked. Bei Tang Wenfeng heard the knock and said calmly, “Come in.”

The one who pushed open the door was Mu Yunjin.

As Mu Yunjin opened the door and saw the gold and red figure inside, she instinctively wanted to retreat. But Yang Qingning’s gaze had already fallen on her, so she had to steel herself and walk in.

After entering, Mu Yunjin blinked at Bei Tang Wenfeng.

Bei Tang Wenfeng inexplicably felt like laughing. It hadn’t been long since this girl had been pointing at his nose, saying he was willful and needed to reflect. How was it that now she was hanging her head, looking so cowardly?

“I originally thought you were only disrespectful to me, but I didn’t expect you to be so impolite to the sovereign as well. It seems I was indeed making a mountain out of a molehill. May I ask, Miss Mu’er, what exactly is your background?” Yang Qingning turned to look at Mu Yunjin, standing beside her, examining her from head to toe.

An ordinary face, seemingly without any notable features. If she could be so disrespectful just because she was Madam Qing’s maid, it would be too exaggerated.

This girl’s identity must not be so simple.

“In reply to the Empress, Mu’er has always been a secret guard protecting the sovereign’s safety at his side. This time, I was specifically sent by the sovereign to serve Madam Qing.” Mu Yunjin made up an excuse, then gave Bei Tang Wenfeng a meaningful look.

Hearing this, Yang Qingning’s face showed a hint of surprise. “Secret guard?”

“That’s right. Mu’er is a first-class secret guard at my side, having protected my life several times. Therefore, I have given her the special privilege that when she sees me, she doesn’t need to bow.” Bei Tang Wenfeng followed Mu Yunjin’s lead, his eyes showing a hint of amusement.

Yang Qingning’s breath caught, momentarily at a loss for words. But noticing that both Mu Yunjin and Bei Tang Wenfeng were looking at her, she couldn’t help but give an awkward smile.

“So that’s how it is. Then it seems I’ve wronged Miss Mu’er…”