Mu Yunjin and Jiang Qingxue were still talking when someone gently knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Qing Meng pushed the door open, carrying a bowl of medicine. She approached Mu Yunjin, nodding a greeting to Jiang Qingxue.

“Princess, were you frightened earlier?” Qing Meng set the medicine bowl aside and sat down to check Mu Yunjin’s pulse.

Mu Yunjin nodded slightly. “I was indeed scared.”

If Jiang Qingxue hadn’t arrived in time, she dared not imagine what might have happened.

If she had lost the child after all, she would have been devastated…

“Your pulse is normal. There’s nothing serious. Drink this pregnancy-preserving medicine while it’s warm,” Qing Meng handed the bowl to Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin took it, blew on the still-hot medicine, and began drinking it sip by sip.

…

…

As she finished the medicine, commotion could be heard outside the quiet room.

Mu Yunjin’s hand holding the bowl trembled slightly as she looked toward the door. Suddenly, the door burst open with a bang, and a dust-covered Huang Yan rushed in—

“Princess, something terrible has happened!”

Mu Yunjin’s heart tightened as she stared at Huang Yan. “What is it?”

“At Chu Qing’s wedding today, Consort Rong accompanied the Emperor of Ximing. But who would have thought Chu Qing had also invited Prince Yun Lianqing of Nanting Kingdom?”

“Yun Lianqing publicly identified Consort Rong as the Moon Consort of Nanting! The Emperor was furious and ordered Consort Rong locked in the imperial prison to await punishment!”

Mu Yunjin’s eyes widened. She had known that once Consort Rong was restored to her position, she might be exposed as the Moon Consort of Nanting, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

“What’s happening there now? Where is Chu Li?” Mu Yunjin asked. If it were only about Consort Rong, Huang Yan wouldn’t have hurried back so urgently. Something must have happened to Chu Li as well.

Hearing her question, Huang Yan’s eyes flickered. “His Highness has been affected by Consort Rong’s situation and is now confined to the Prince Ning Manor.”

“If the imperial family discovers His Highness knew about this all along, the Emperor of Ximing might, for the sake of saving face…” Huang Yan didn’t continue.

Mu Yunjin bit her lip.

Chu Qing and Qin Muyue—it seemed they had everything under control.

“What is Chu Li thinking now? He’s not one to resign himself to fate!” Mu Yunjin grew increasingly agitated.

“It’s precisely because His Highness hasn’t expressed any stance that I couldn’t decide what to do. I rushed to Heyue City to find you.” Even Huang Yan, usually full of clever ideas, was now deeply conflicted.

Sitting in bed, Mu Yunjin recalled the morning’s attack by the black-clad men and thought about Consort Rong’s situation. These two events must be connected.

It seemed that Chu Qing had already begun to make his move.

The so-called wedding was probably just a pretext to legitimately gather all important people together!

It was quite a grand scheme they had devised.

“I’m returning to Prince Ning Manor now,” Mu Yunjin decided, getting out of bed and beginning to pack her things.

Beside her, Jiang Qingxue and Qing Meng frowned and sighed.

…

Eager to return to Diehua City, Mu Yunjin had Qiqi and the others transport her back using the Formless Space.

After entering a room in Liquan Pavilion, Mu Yunjin steadied herself, opened the door, and stepped out, only to be shocked by the scene before her.

The courtyard of Liquan Pavilion was filled with imperial guards. Not only that, but the entire Prince Ning Manor, inside and out, had been occupied by these guards.

It seemed the Emperor of Ximing was truly angry.

As Mu Yunjin stepped out, Zixiang immediately came forward, timidly shrinking her neck and taking Mu Yunjin’s arm. “Miss…”

“Where is Chu Li?” Mu Yunjin asked Zixiang in a low voice.

“His Highness is in the study,” Zixiang pointed to the study across the way.

Mu Yunjin nodded and walked toward the study.

At the entrance to the study, several imperial guards were on duty, with even Ding Xian standing obediently to the side.

When Ding Xian saw Mu Yunjin, his expression was complex, but he remained silent.

Just as Mu Yunjin was about to push open the door to the study, an imperial guard stopped her. “By order of the Emperor, during Prince Ning’s confinement, no one is to approach him, including the Princess.”

“There’s only one study in the manor, and I need to use it now. What do you suggest? Surely the Emperor didn’t forbid the use of the study itself?” Mu Yunjin challenged them unreasonably.

The imperial guards were stunned, unable to find a counterargument.

Mu Yunjin snorted coldly and, right in front of the imperial guards, pushed open the door and then closed it firmly behind her.

…

Upon entering, Mu Yunjin saw a purple figure sitting at the desk, holding a book, leaning quietly against the chair, motionless as he read.

Mu Yunjin couldn’t see Chu Li’s face, but just looking at his silhouette gave her a sense of loneliness.

“Chu Li…” Mu Yunjin stopped before reaching Chu Li, keeping some distance between them as she called out softly.

She knew that from the moment she entered, countless ears outside were listening to every sound within.

Chu Li put down his book, his gaze passing lightly over Mu Yunjin’s figure, and spoke evenly, “You’re back.”

Hearing these three emotionless words, Mu Yunjin bit her lip, clasping her hands behind her back and squeezing them gently.

“Chu Li…” Mu Yunjin called his name again, wanting to comfort him in his current mood, but when the words reached her lips, she didn’t know what to say.

Chu Li looked at her, his expression calm, showing no emotion, but his clear, cold eyes were filled with detachment.

Frightened by his gaze, Mu Yunjin thought of many things to say but couldn’t utter a single word.

The two remained silent for a long while, until there came an urgent knocking from outside—

“Your Highness.” Ding Xian’s voice came through.

“Come in,” Chu Li said flatly.

Ding Xian pushed open the door and entered, his brows tightly furrowed. “Consort Rong has confessed. The Emperor has ordered that in three days, at the city gate, she will be hanged by the neck in front of all the city’s people.”

Hanging…

Mu Yunjin’s heart skipped a beat as she instinctively looked at Chu Li.

Chu Li remained as before, his features calm, showing no reaction.

At this moment, Ding Xian glanced at Mu Yunjin, his eyes darkening before he walked out.

Left in the room, Mu Yunjin didn’t know how to console Chu Li. She pursed her lips and also walked out on her own.

The moment the door closed, Chu Li, who had maintained an expressionless face, frowned deeply.

…

After leaving the study, Mu Yunjin pressed her lips tightly together, glanced at the sky, and walked back to the room from which she had come.

In the room, Qiqi and Jiang Qingxue were still waiting for her.

“Qiqi, take me to the imperial prison to see Consort Rong,” Mu Yunjin said coldly.

Qiqi looked at Mu Yunjin. “Mistress, you don’t look well. Why don’t you rest a while before going?”

Jiang Qingxue nodded in agreement. “Yes, seeing Rong Wanyue won’t make any difference if you wait a moment.”

“No, I have a bad feeling about this,” Mu Yunjin said, then took out the Divine Token and examined it.

Could the reason Consort Rong was so obsessed with the Divine Token be to prevent exactly this situation?

News of today’s events would surely reach the ears of the Nanting King soon, and at that point, for the sake of his dignity, he would certainly not protect Consort Rong.

Consort Rong was Chu Li’s mother, and with such a preposterous situation, Chu Li would now face the pointing fingers and gossip of the world.

The more Mu Yunjin thought about it, the more irritated she became. She made up her mind. “Take me to see Consort Rong.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Qiqi didn’t dare disobey Mu Yunjin and obediently followed her orders.

The Formless Space activated. Jiang Qingxue stayed in the room while Qiqi took Mu Yunjin to the imperial prison.

…

Arriving at the imperial prison and seeing imperial guards lying all over the ground, Mu Yunjin realized someone had arrived before her.

Walking to the innermost cell, she heard a teasing voice: “Wanyue, it seems I’m not the only one concerned about you. Very well, I’ll leave you two to have a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chat.”

Master An smiled at the Consort Rong sitting on the ground, then opened the cell door and walked out. As he passed Mu Yunjin, he smiled at her. “Take your time talking. I’ll keep watch outside.”

“Thanks,” Mu Yunjin smiled faintly and entered the cell.

Consort Rong was now dressed in a prisoner’s clothes, sitting in the imperial prison. Her exquisite, beautiful face wore no makeup, yet it couldn’t hide her stunning beauty and undisguised arrogance.

“Mu Yunjin, you dare to come see me?” Consort Rong suddenly laughed coldly, not even raising her head, her tone filled with anger.

“Why wouldn’t I dare? You brought this on yourself. It wasn’t my doing,” Mu Yunjin leaned against the wall, finding a point of support to relax, her peripheral vision catching a rolled-up imperial edict on the ground.

Hearing this, Consort Rong remained silent for a long while.

“Were you so obsessed with the Divine Token to resist today’s situation?” Mu Yunjin asked.

On second thought, if that were the case, why had Consort Rong needed to move between the two countries in the first place? Wasn’t that simply asking for trouble?

“No,” Consort Rong raised her head, staring unblinkingly at Mu Yunjin. “I told you, chaos is coming. Many things are gradually surfacing. Someone deliberately wants to oppose Li’er and will try every means to attack him.”

“Today is just the first step,” Consort Rong smiled bitterly.

Mu Yunjin listened quietly to Consort Rong’s words, her thoughts somewhat dazed. After a moment, she murmured, “Do you want to live now?”

Consort Rong was startled.

“Do you want to live? If you do, in what manner and identity do you wish to continue living?” Mu Yunjin asked again.

“Mu Yunjin, there’s no need to speak to me with such a victorious attitude! I told you, by not handing over the Divine Token, you not only harmed me but will also harm Li’er! You claim to love him—is this how you love him?” Consort Rong couldn’t answer Mu Yunjin’s questions, her gaze deeply fixed on Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin curved her lips into a beautiful smile. “In this world, apart from those Chu Li trusts, no one else can harm him.”

“Consort Rong, so far, only you, his mother, have been constantly harming him!”

“You’ve harmed him by making him search tirelessly for years to find a way to break the formation for you! You’ve harmed him because he trusted you and lost his memory after eating your white fungus soup! You’ve harmed him today because your service to two husbands has subjected him to the ridicule and criticism of the world!”

“Isn’t all this because of you? How can you say I’m the one who harmed him?”