Mu Yunjin nearly spat out the food in her mouth. She glanced at the items in Mamma Shen’s hands, her lips twitching. These things had come at quite the opportune time.

Just as she was thinking this, a hand reached over and took the items from Mamma Shen’s grasp, accompanied by words tinged with amusement: “Mamma is becoming wiser with age. Starting today, your monthly salary will be doubled.”

“Then I thank Your Highness.” Mamma Shen’s face immediately lit up with joy as she bowed to Chu Li.

Mu Yunjin turned her gaze toward Chu Li, watching him methodically fold the red items. Though it was a perfectly proper action, Mu Yunjin found it somehow… shameless.

Yes, that was it—shameless!

Mamma Shen was about to leave when she seemed to remember something. She paused, looking toward Mu Yunjin. “By the way, Princess, a few days ago, Empress Dowager Zheng sent someone with a message. She said that when you have free time, you should visit her, and also mentioned that she particularly liked the cat you sent her.”

“Mm, I understand.” Mu Yunjin acknowledged verbally, but didn’t take it to heart.

This Empress Dowager Zheng, although she couldn’t stir up much trouble anymore, was still someone Mu Yunjin would avoid if possible…

After all, there was no real reason to interact with her.

…

…

…

After the meal, Mu Yunjin noticed the weather was nice. Having stayed in the prince’s mansion for several days, her restless spirit wanted to go out for a walk.

Chu Li naturally wouldn’t deny her wishes. After thinking for a moment, he said to her, “The thousand-year-old tree at Water Cloud Temple has withered. Would you like to go see it?”

“Withered?” Mu Yunjin didn’t immediately grasp his meaning. After a pause, she rephrased it more plainly, “That ancient tree died?”

“Yes.” Chu Li nodded.

“That’s so strange. Let’s go take a look.” Mu Yunjin thought of that ancient tree, and suddenly felt uneasy. How could a tree that had lived for a thousand years just die without warning?

Chu Li’s brow clouded with gloom, but he didn’t tell Mu Yunjin about the ice that had formed on the ancient tree.

Thinking about it, this ancient tree must have had some connection to Mu Yunjin. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have sent a signal when she died in the ice, and its roots wouldn’t have frozen over.

“What are you thinking about?” Mu Yunjin saw Chu Li standing still and gently poked his shoulder.

Chu Li came back to his senses and shook his head. “Let’s go to Water Cloud Temple now.”

“Mm.”

Sitting in the black ebony carriage, Mu Yunjin sprawled out again, her legs propped up on the opposite seat. “It’s most comfortable at home…”

Hearing the word “home” from her lips, Chu Li’s mouth curved into a slight smile.

…

Upon reaching Water Cloud Temple, Mu Yunjin stepped down from the carriage and looked toward where the ancient tree had stood. Indeed, she could no longer see that towering, lush tree.

Mu Yunjin pouted unhappily and pulled Chu Li along as she walked over.

Entering the courtyard where the ancient tree had stood, the once colorful ribbon-adorned ancient tree had disappeared, leaving only a short, cut-off stump in its original position. The entire courtyard suddenly felt silent and empty.

Before arriving, Mu Yunjin hadn’t felt much, but now seeing this scene, she felt her heart beating rapidly, and her mood instantly became downcast.

Her emotions seemed beyond her control. Mu Yunjin’s vision suddenly became blurry, and tears fell from her eyes one by one.

Chu Li hadn’t expected her to cry so suddenly. He bent down to wipe the tears from her face. “Life and death are destined. Especially for a tree, isn’t it?”

Mu Yunjin nodded, trying to force herself to accept Chu Li’s words, but she still felt an inexplicable sadness. She reached out to hug Chu Li, burying her head against his chest.

In her hazy consciousness, Mu Yunjin suddenly saw a distant scene appear before her—

Under a spiritual tree named ‘Fleeting Life,’ an ink-colored qilin sat resting daily. Beside it, there was always a man in black garments gazing toward the sky.

The man in black would always wait there for a very long time, until a red figure flew from the horizon.

It was a woman dressed in red, sitting on the back of a red phoenix. They were heading toward this Fleeting Life tree…

The man in black and the woman in red would always nestle together, leaning against this tree as they talked for hours, while the ink qilin and red phoenix also stayed close to each other.

But later, though the man in black still waited daily under the Fleeting Life tree, the woman in red never appeared again.

…

“Yunjin, Yunjin…”

In her daze, Mu Yunjin heard Chu Li’s voice in her ear.

Mu Yunjin trembled and looked up at Chu Li. Her eyes met his, filled with concern. Mu Yunjin stared at Chu Li, motionless.

The scene of the man in black and woman in red nestling together still floated before her eyes. Mu Yunjin blinked. Was that a dream?

But why did it feel so real?

And wasn’t the Fleeting Life tree in her dream the same as the former thousand-year-old tree?

Mu Yunjin’s mind was a bit confused. She walked forward a few steps to the tree stump, crouched down, and gently stroked it.

Another thought crossed her mind, and the image of the red phoenix flashed before her eyes.

Suddenly, she recalled what Qiuye had said to her before leaving the Ice Cave—he had called her the phoenix woman…

Yes, the phoenix woman…

Wasn’t that Concubine Rong?

Wasn’t that Qin Muyue?

When had it become her?

Had Qiuye made a mistake?

Or…

Mu Yunjin’s thoughts became chaotic. She held her head, her brows tightly furrowed.

Chu Li stood beside her, watching her unusual behavior. He blinked slightly, his gaze falling on her hand, which rested on the tree stump.

Chu Li reached out and gently covered her small hand with his.

In an instant, Chu Li’s body stiffened slightly. In his momentary reverie, a sweet young girl’s voice sounded in his ear—

“Qing Gege…”

“Qing Gege…”

Chu Li was stunned, his eyes revealing a measure of disbelief.

…

In the end, it was Chu Li who first came to his senses and led Mu Yunjin out of the ancient tree’s courtyard. As soon as they left the courtyard, Mu Yunjin immediately stopped crying.

“Chu Li, Master Huaiyuan is coming,” Mu Yunjin pointed at Master Huaiyuan, who was walking toward them.

Chu Li nodded.

As Master Huaiyuan approached, he first greeted Mu Yunjin: “Amitabha. I have been concerned about the Princess for many days. I’m glad to see the Princess is safe.”

“Of course! My fortune is great, my life resilient—I won’t die easily,” Mu Yunjin replied stubbornly.

Master Huaiyuan smiled. “There is flower tea prepared in the meditation hall. Would you both like to join this old monk for a drink and catch up?”

“Sure!” Mu Yunjin agreed happily.

On the way to the meditation hall, Mu Yunjin suddenly heard a secret message transmitted through spiritual energy—

“Mu’er, come to the Dark Pavilion.”

It was Concubine Rong’s voice.

Mu Yunjin’s footsteps faltered. She looked over at Chu Li and Master Huaiyuan beside her. “You two go in first. I need to use the restroom.”

In Water Cloud Temple, most of the occupants were men, so the facilities for women were only near the incense-burning area.

“This prince will accompany you,” Chu Li said, not feeling comfortable letting Mu Yunjin go alone.

“No need! Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back quickly. You go to the meditation hall first and wait for me.” After speaking, Mu Yunjin ran off as if her feet were greased.

Mu Yunjin deliberately took a roundabout route to reach the Dark Pavilion. After confirming that no one was around, she walked inside.

Entering the Dark Pavilion, she proceeded to the place where Concubine Rong had previously been trapped by the formation. Only then did she stop.

Before her, Concubine Rong seemed to have been waiting for a long time. Hearing Mu Yunjin’s footsteps, she turned around, her gaze serene as she looked at her.

“How is your body?” Concubine Rong asked.

Mu Yunjin naturally knew that Concubine Rong hadn’t called her here just to inquire about her health. After nodding slightly, she raised an eyebrow. “You want to ask about the Divine Mandate?”

“Yes. Let’s not beat around the bush. Mu’er, you know that this palace must obtain the Divine Mandate.” Concubine Rong’s eyebrows furrowed, and her usually beautiful face was clouded with gloom.

“This thing is said to be inside my body. Is there any way to extract it?” Mu Yunjin said, rubbing her chest.

After hearing these words, Concubine Rong pressed her lips together, her eyes showing some hesitation.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Yunjin asked, puzzled.

“Do you love Li’er?” Concubine Rong asked.

Mu Yunjin nodded. “Yes.”

“Really? Do you truly love him?” Concubine Rong asked again.

“Mm.” Mu Yunjin nodded once more.

Concubine Rong smiled faintly. “If that’s the case, then the moment to test whether your love is true has come.”

“What do you mean?” Mu Yunjin was completely confused.

“The Divine Mandate is within your body, likely located in your chest. To extract the Divine Mandate, one must break open your body and take it out…”

“If it were in another part of your body, you might still have a chance to survive. But it happens to be at your heart. Once cut open, you cannot live.”

“You say you love Li’er, so the time for you to sacrifice for him has come! Mu’er, the Divine Mandate, is very important to Li’er. You’ll help him, won’t you?”

As Concubine Rong spoke, she became increasingly excited, the light in her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

Mu Yunjin looked levelly at Concubine Rong, noticing how her gaze remained fixed on her chest. She suddenly let out a cold laugh. “I have never heard Chu Li say that he needs to obtain this thing to help himself.”

“So stop trying to morally blackmail me here. You harbor your wild ambitions for the Divine Mandate—don’t splash your dirty water on Chu Li! You want me to cut open my heart and commit suicide? Why don’t you go die first?”

“And here you are talking to me about testing true love. How shameless! I want to spit in your face!” Mu Yunjin rolled her eyes, speaking such crude words to Concubine Rong for the first time.

Truly, if Concubine Rong weren’t Chu Li’s mother, anyone who dared speak to her about cutting open her heart would have received a kick from her!

“You, you…” Concubine Rong pointed at Mu Yunjin, gritting her teeth, a faint light flashing at her fingertips.

Mu Yunjin was already on guard, glaring at Concubine Rong. “Stop with your stuttering. It’s not your place to tell me about cutting open my heart to extract the Divine Mandate!”

With those words, Mu Yunjin turned and walked away.

Behind her, Concubine Rong was furious and wanted to strike out at Mu Yunjin, but a wave of true energy from the shadows had already restrained her body, rendering her immobile. She could only watch helplessly as Mu Yunjin walked farther and farther away.

After Mu Yunjin left, Concubine Rong shouted in anger, “Kong Shi, get out of here this instant!”

The Imperial Preceptor’s figure emerged from the shadows, his cold gaze falling on Concubine Rong. “Wanyue, if Chu Li had heard your words just now, I fear that before you could obtain the Divine Mandate, you would already be dead at your own son’s hands…”