As soon as Mu Yunjin entered the door, she saw gift boxes piled like a small mountain in her little garden, blocking the path to her bedchamber completely.

“Miss, please wait a moment while I clear these away,” Zixiang said, about to bend down to pick up the gift boxes.

Mu Yunjin grabbed her hand, sweeping her gaze playfully over the gift boxes before her and smiling faintly. “Do you think they would be kind enough to return these gift boxes?”

“Miss, what do you mean?” Zixiang withdrew her hand and turned to look at Mu Yunjin. Her mistress’s transformation over the past month had been remarkable—from someone Zixiang once pitied and sympathized with to someone she now admired and revered.

“In warfare, deception is essential. Who knows if these gift boxes have been tampered with?” Mu Yunjin laughed coldly. “Let’s stay at Shihua Pavilion for today. By tomorrow, we’ll know whether these gift boxes have problems or not.”

With those words, Mu Yunjin left Tinghua Pavilion and headed toward Shihua Pavilion.

The moment she stepped outside, Mu Yunjin noticed a furtive shadow flashing in a nearby corner. She curved her lips into a smile and continued walking.

Back at Shihua Pavilion, Mu Yunjin looked around the room that she had almost completely emptied previously. She simply sat down on the floor, feeling tired after a busy day.

Zixiang, still concerned about the gift boxes, nervously spoke up, “Miss, if those gift boxes are problematic, doesn’t that mean Big Madam wants to take your life?”

“What do you think?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow slightly. “In the past, when I stayed confined in Shihua Pavilion, never going out, she naturally didn’t pay me any mind. Now that I’ve been betrothed to the Sixth Prince, I’ve become a threat to Mu Lingzhu. As Lingzhu’s mother, how could she not try to eliminate me?”

“But is Big Madam so bold as to not fear the Sixth Prince’s blame?” Zixiang asked worriedly.

“If I happened to die ‘accidentally,’ she would simply report that I died of a sudden illness. Who would suspect that Su Biqing, as a mother, would harm her daughter?” Mu Yunjin leaned against the wall and spoke indifferently.

Zixiang was startled by Mu Yunjin’s words. Indeed, when her mistress had stayed in Shihua Pavilion, she posed no threat to anyone. At worst, the young master or the two young ladies might come to humiliate her, but her life was never in danger.

But now, after her mistress had begun to show her capabilities, everything had changed.

“Miss, won’t you face many life-threatening situations from now on?” Zixiang frowned, feeling afraid.

“It’s alright. I’ll deal with threats as they come. Do they think I’m a soft persimmon they can squeeze?” Mu Yunjin snorted coldly, her tone full of contempt.

Seeing this, Zixiang inexplicably felt relieved, thinking that perhaps after her mistress married the Sixth Prince, she would no longer have to face the struggles within the mansion.

…

That night, after Zixiang had fallen asleep, Mu Yunjin, who had appeared to be in deep slumber, quietly opened her eyes, got up, and walked outside.

After leaving Shihua Pavilion, Mu Yunjin silently made her way toward Bilo Courtyard, her figure constantly darting through the mottled tree shadows in the night.

Soon, Mu Yunjin appeared on the roof of Bilo Courtyard. Inside the courtyard, only a few dim lanterns were lit. Mu Yunjin lay on the roof, looking down at the moonlight.

“Meow…” A faint cat’s cry sounded in the darkness.

Hearing the cat’s cry, Mu Yunjin narrowed her eyes slightly, then flipped down from the roof, landing on the ground and walking toward the source of the sound.

Before long, Mu Yunjin found a snow-white cat on a rug outside Su Biqing’s bedroom. This white cat was said to be Su Biqing’s favorite pet, a rare treasure brought back from the frontier by Minister Mu two years ago. Su Biqing was especially fond of it.

Looking at the white cat, Mu Yunjin laughed coldly, bent down to gently pick up the cat, and then silently left Bilo Courtyard.

After bringing the cat to Tinghua Pavilion, Mu Yunjin looked at the gift boxes scattered on the ground and gently stroked the cat’s fur.

Then she lightly tossed the cat into the courtyard—

“Meow…”

…

When Mu Yunjin returned to Shihua Pavilion, she heard Zixiang’s whimpering. Mu Yunjin was startled and immediately rushed inside.

As she pushed open the door, she saw a black-clothed figure in the darkness, one hand covering Zixiang’s nose and mouth, the other hand choking her neck. Zixiang was struggling, kicking her legs desperately.

“Who are you?” Seeing this, Mu Yunjin’s eyes immediately filled with killing intent. She drew a dagger hidden in her sleeve and swung it at the black-clothed figure.

The assailant, seeing Mu Yunjin approaching with a dagger, didn’t take her seriously and maintained his grip on Zixiang. As he was about to raise his leg to meet Mu Yunjin’s dagger, he heard a cold laugh. Mu Yunjin’s figure flashed quickly, moving like lightning to appear behind him…

Then, a cold glint flashed in the darkness, and Mu Yunjin’s dagger was firmly embedded in the back of the assailant’s neck. Blood immediately gushed from his neck, and he collapsed to the ground, falling silent in moments.

“Zixiang, are you alright?” Mu Yunjin lit the candle in the room and looked at Zixiang with concern.

Zixiang was badly frightened. After being released from the assailant’s grip, she kept gasping for breath. Now, seeing the dead man and the pool of blood on the ground, she began to tremble.

“Miss, what do we do now?”

Mu Yunjin took out a silk handkerchief, gently wiped the blood from her dagger, walked to the assailant’s side, and bent down to remove his mask.

Upon seeing the man’s face, Mu Yunjin narrowed her eyes, killing intent rising in them again. “So it’s him.”

The black-clothed man on the ground was the bandit leader they had encountered on the outskirts days before.

It seemed this man had been sent by Mu Lingzhu.

Lingzhu truly couldn’t contain herself. After being slightly provoked by her during the day, she had sent an assassin at night.

But had Lingzhu underestimated her by sending just one person?

“It seems I’ll have to make another troublesome trip,” Mu Yunjin said slowly.

…

Early the next morning, Mu Yunjin was brought to the front hall by a servant delivering the message.

As soon as she stepped into the front hall, Mu Yunjin saw Minister Mu sitting in the main seat. Beside him, Mu Lingzhu and Su Biqing both looked unwell. The mother and daughter leaned against each other, with red-rimmed eyes, obviously having cried.

From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the floor and saw the black-clothed man from the previous night covered with a white cloth. On the other side lay Su Biqing’s favorite cat, now purple-black, clearly poisoned.

“What happened?” Mu Yunjin looked up at Minister Mu.

Minister Mu glanced at Mu Yunjin with a complex expression and spoke coldly, “This man in black was found dead in Pearl Tower, Lingzhu’s quarters, this morning. Judging by the cause of death, his throat was slit with a dagger, killing him instantly.”

“That cat was your mother’s beloved pet. It was found dead in your Tinghua Pavilion this morning, poisoned.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Yunjin pretended to be shocked and turned to look at Mu Lingzhu. “Sister, are you alright? Were you hurt?”

Hearing Mu Yunjin’s insincere concern, Mu Lingzhu felt a bitter taste in her throat. She clenched her fingers tightly, staring at the face before her with its clear, compassionate eyes.

Cao Pan had been her trusted confidant for many years. Yesterday, she had sent him to kill Mu Yunjin, hoping to eliminate her once and for all.

Unexpectedly, this morning she had found Cao Pan dead in her courtyard.

Mu Yunjin had seen Cao Pan before. At that moment, she understood that Mu Yunjin had thrown Cao Pan into her courtyard as a provocation.

Seeing that Mu Lingzhu couldn’t speak, Mu Yunjin shifted her gaze to the cat, then turned to look at Minister Mu and Su Biqing. Yesterday, the gift boxes’ mother returned and blocked my way back to my room. I was tired from playing and too lazy to clear them, so I went to stay at Shihua Pavilion.”

“What happened to the cat? How did it end up poisoned in Tinghua Pavilion?”

Hearing Mu Yunjin’s words, Minister Mu glared at her and pointed to the floor. “Do you have anything to do with this?”

“Why would Father think I’m involved?” Mu Yunjin countered.

She sat down in a nearby chair, her gaze sweeping over Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu. “Isn’t there a Minister of Justice in the court? I have a clear conscience. Father can simply ask him to investigate.”

Upon hearing this, Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu’s expressions changed slightly, once again experiencing the bitterness of being unable to speak out.

“Very well. Such strange events in the mansion must be investigated thoroughly, or else the Minister’s Mansion will fall into chaos,” Minister Mu said, slapping the table. “Someone, go and invite Minister of Justice Chen Pu here.”

“Yes, sir.”

The dispatched servant quickly ran out of the mansion. Mu Yunjin’s face lifted in a faint smile as she looked toward Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu.

“Mother and sister, please don’t be too upset. I’ve heard that the Minister of Justice is excellent at solving cases. I believe he will soon deliver justice to you.”

After speaking, Mu Yunjin glanced at the cat on the ground with a regretful expression. “Come to think of it, mother’s cat was my lifesaver. Otherwise, it might be me lying there.”

Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu could no longer bear to listen. They stood up and bowed slightly to Minister Mu. “Husband, this morning’s events have shocked both me and Lingzhu. We’re feeling tired now and would like to go back to rest.”

“Alright, both of you should rest well,” Minister Mu said with concern.

The two nodded and walked toward the back garden.

…

After leaving the front hall, Mu Lingzhu could no longer contain herself. She pulled Su Biqing to a secluded corner and frowned. “Mother, I don’t know what extraordinary skills Mu Yunjin has learned, but now she seems invincible.”

“Indeed, I’m also puzzled! I went to great lengths with those gift boxes, yet not only did she easily avoid them, but my cat was also killed,” Su Biqing said, becoming angrier the more she thought about her beloved cat.

“What do we do now? When the Minister of Justice comes to the mansion, he will surely conduct a thorough investigation. What if he traces everything back to us?” Mu Lingzhu asked nervously.

Su Biqing sighed and looked at Mu Lingzhu. “I have made a backup plan. If she escapes this time as well, I have no other means left.”