Mu Yunjin was startled. After hearing Chu Li’s words, she gave him a strange look, then recalled Consort Li’s crazed and bold performance moments ago. She lowered her eyes and couldn’t help but smile.
So it wasn’t that woman suddenly falling ill—someone had taken revenge for her on the spot!
With this realization, the corners of Mu Yunjin’s eyebrows lifted slightly, her good mood irrepressible.
The banquet had been disrupted by Consort Li’s incident, and everyone’s mood had been affected, especially the Emperor of Western Ming. He was uninterested and, after sitting for a while longer, used physical discomfort as an excuse to leave Qinglan Hall first.
Empress Dowager Zheng, at her advanced age, had been quite frightened by Consort Li’s behavior. After the Emperor left, she also found an excuse to leave.
Only the Empress remained on the throne in the great hall, presiding over the gathering.
…
After the Emperor and Empress Dowager left, the atmosphere grew even colder. Previously, some people had maintained an appearance of liveliness out of respect for the Emperor, but now they didn’t even bother to pretend.
Mu Yunjin enjoyed the current atmosphere. She had been keeping her eyes downcast, but now suddenly raised her head and looked around.
…
…
When she finally withdrew her gaze, she deliberately let it linger on Consort Wan.
That woman had been enthusiastically playing along with Consort Li earlier.
When Consort Wan met Mu Yunjin’s eyes, her heart skipped a beat in fear. She quickly lowered her gaze, secretly relieved that she hadn’t said anything inappropriate earlier.
Consort Li was likely finished for good, and she didn’t want to be affected by association.
“Do you want to go back now?” Chu Li turned to look at Mu Yunjin, asking for her opinion.
Mu Yunjin nodded. She had already seen the Holy Maiden of South Court Nation, and there was nothing worth staying for anymore. “Let’s go then.”
With those words, Chu Li and Mu Yunjin stood up together. Mu Yunjin addressed the Empress seated on the throne: “Your Majesty, it’s getting late. Yunjin and His Highness will return to the residence first.”
The Empress quickly nodded, forcing a smile.
With the Empress’s permission, Chu Li and Mu Yunjin held hands and slowly walked out of the hall in front of everyone present.
As they passed the officials’ seats, Qu Xinyao immediately stood up and followed behind Chu Li and Mu Yunjin, not even saying goodbye to Xu Heyu beside her.
Xu Heyu sighed helplessly, stood up, and followed.
On the way out of the palace, the four walked side by side, though Qu Xinyao stayed on Mu Yunjin’s side while Xu Heyu stayed on Chu Li’s side, keeping far apart from each other.
Mu Yunjin, thinking about Xu Heyu’s poisoning and limited lifespan, felt somewhat regretful. Otherwise, he and Qu Xinyao would certainly have been a divine couple.
The four walked at a leisurely pace. Before long, they heard scattered footsteps behind them. Mu Yunjin looked back and guessed that the banquet had ended, with many people heading toward the palace exit.
“Brother Li, Sister-in-law Yunjin…” A clear, beautiful voice called from behind, accompanied by the sound of light running.
Mu Yunjin silently rolled her eyes. This girl was like a lingering ghost.
Chu Li’s expression remained indifferent, as if he hadn’t heard the call from behind.
Qin Muyue quickly caught up, her face bearing a smile. “Why are you walking so fast? Won’t you wait for me…”
No one paid her any attention.
Qin Muyue wasn’t upset. She laughed lightly and said casually, “Actually, Muyue specifically caught up to show concern for Sister-in-law Yunjin.”
Still, no one responded to her.
“I heard that Sister-in-law Yunjin hasn’t been feeling well lately.” Qin Muyue threw out this comment, then stopped walking, her gaze moving back and forth between Mu Yunjin and Chu Li.
When Mu Yunjin heard these words, her heart sank, but neither her expression nor her movements betrayed any abnormality.
Did Qin Muyue’s words mean she knew about the Divine Command Seal merging with her heart meridian?
If this woman knew about it, it would likely cause many more problems. Mu Yunjin could only sigh inwardly about how small their social circle was—nothing could be kept secret.
…
After leaving the palace gates, Mu Yunjin and Chu Li arrived at their carriage to find a young girl standing beside it, apparently having waited for a long time.
“Who are you?” Mu Yunjin frowned slightly.
“This servant is Yuan Xia, the personal maid of the Holy Maiden Emissary from South Court Nation. I’ve been waiting here specifically for Prince Ning and his consort.” Yuan Xia curved her lips, looking at Chu Li and Mu Yunjin.
Mu Yunjin was slightly startled. Yun Shuangleng was looking for them?
“After the banquet began, my mistress instructed me to wait here and make sure to invite Prince Ning and his consort for a private meeting.” Yuan Xia explained.
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li.
Chu Li glanced at Yuan Xia, his voice somewhat cold. “The reason?”
“It concerns life and death.” Yuan Xia dropped these four words while maintaining a faint smile on her face.
“Take us to her,” Mu Yunjin decided immediately.
Yuan Xia nodded, turned around, and led Mu Yunjin and Chu Li in another direction.
Many people at the palace gate noticed this scene, but no one could hear what they had discussed, and no one recognized Yuan Xia, so they couldn’t guess her identity.
Qu Xinyao and Xu Heyu were close enough to hear some of it. Now, Qu Xinyao squinted at their retreating figures, her eyes shifting thoughtfully as she muttered, “What background does this new Holy Maiden have? She’s so mysterious…”
Xu Heyu glanced at her. “It’s cold outside. Why don’t you wait in the carriage?”
“I’m not cold.” Qu Xinyao was particularly irritated with Xu Heyu today. She folded her arms and remained standing outside the carriage.
“That’s good then.” Xu Heyu replied before climbing into the carriage himself.
Qu Xinyao turned to glare at the carriage, with nowhere to vent her anger. Perhaps it was because of the cold weather, but she felt that her passionate heart was gradually cooling along with the temperature.
In that moment, she felt somewhat tired…
She removed the white jade plum blossom hairpin from her bun and gently caressed it in her palm, her eyes filled with sorrow.
…
“Prince Ning, Princess Consort, we’ve arrived.” Yuan Xia led the two to a palace building and gestured for them to enter directly.
Mu Yunjin and Chu Li exchanged a glance before stepping inside.
As soon as they entered the palace, they saw a figure in white lying on a couch with closed eyes, her posture clear and elegant, dignified and graceful.
Hearing their footsteps, Yun Shuangleng, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them. Her clear eyes lifted slightly before finally settling on Mu Yunjin.
“Why did you want to see us?” Mu Yunjin met her gaze and asked flatly.
Yun Shuangleng stood up, smoothed her clothes before Chu Li and Mu Yunjin, then slowly began, “When I was in South Court Nation, I accidentally overheard a conversation between National Preceptor An and Consort Yue.”
“I heard that you’re going to Ghost Valley Cave to get the Crocodile Pearl, is that right?”
Mu Yunjin’s eyes flickered slightly as she quietly observed Yun Shuangleng. This woman’s eyes were clear, her gaze pure and without impurity. At this moment, Mu Yunjin wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she seemed to detect a touch of sorrow in Yun Shuangleng.
“Since you’re going to Ghost Valley Cave, could you take me with you? I know some mystical arts and absolutely won’t hold you back!” Yun Shuangleng forced a smile, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her voice soft and sincere.
“And your reason?” Mu Yunjin hadn’t expected Yun Shuangleng to make this request.
With that thought, she glanced at Chu Li, who paused in contemplation for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Hearing the question, Yun Shuangleng’s lips curled into a bitter smile, and her eyes gradually reddened. “People wonder why I gave up being a princess of South Court Nation and volunteered to become the Holy Maiden.”
“In truth, why would I genuinely want to be a Holy Maiden who must forever maintain chastity and purity?”
“It’s only because the one for whom I would willingly sacrifice my chastity is no longer here!”
Yun Shuangleng lowered her gaze and clenched her sleeves. “You may not believe this, but as a princess of South Court Nation, I was surrounded by countless nobles and lords, yet I fell in love with a spy who had infiltrated the South Court palace. That spy was Feng Che, a disciple of Black Robe Feng Lan from Ghost Valley Cave.”
Mu Yunjin frowned slightly. When Yun Shuangleng mentioned Feng Che, tears had already begun flowing from her eyes. Her clear eyes became hollow and dark, and her body trembled slightly.
“Later, one day, Feng Che and I planned to elope from South Court Nation together, to live the life we wanted. But during our escape, Black Robe caught up with us…”
At this point, Yun Shuangleng’s voice choked with emotion. Her entire body felt painful and cold, and she clutched at her chest. “That day, Black Robe killed Feng Che decisively and resolutely right in front of me. I watched as the man I loved fell into a pool of blood at my feet. To this day, I still remember the words Black Robe said to me before leaving…”
“He said, ‘Yun Shuangleng, Feng Che’s life was destroyed by you.'”
As she said this, Yun Shuangleng raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face. Deep in her clear eyes, infinite hatred lurked. “Please, take me with you on your journey to Ghost Valley Cave!”
“My life has been destroyed by Black Robe. How can I stand by and watch him live freely? On the day Feng Che died, I vowed that in this lifetime, I would personally kill Black Robe Feng Lan to avenge my Feng Che!”
After speaking, Yun Shuangleng took two steps forward and fell to her knees before Mu Yunjin and Chu Li with a thud, bowing her head to touch the ground in a deep kowtow.
Mu Yunjin was startled by this display and stepped back, awkwardly scratching her head. She was momentarily at a loss and glanced at Chu Li with a plea for help.
Chu Li also looked at Mu Yunjin, his gaze shallow, lips pressed together, saying nothing.
“Please get up first. We’ll discuss this matter later. We haven’t decided yet,” Mu Yunjin said to ease the atmosphere, stretching her lips into a slight smile.
Yun Shuangleng raised her head but remained kneeling on the ground. Teardrops hung on her face, her eyes red, looking thoroughly pitiful. “Princess Consort, this is my only wish in this lifetime. I may sound selfish, wanting to use your strength to defeat Black Robe Feng Lan, but I know that my power alone is far from enough.”
“So I can only take this opportunity to ally with you both and go to Ghost Valley Cave. Perhaps I can be of some help to you as well! Rest assured, I absolutely won’t hold you back. I swear!”
After saying this, Yun Shuangleng raised her hand in a gesture of oath, looking at Mu Yunjin and Chu Li with eyes full of expectation.