Mu Yunjin was extremely astonished, completely unable to make sense of this situation.

If one were to say that Minister Yan was skilled at concealing his true abilities and was a master of the highest caliber, he still shouldn’t have been able to abduct someone right under the noses of Chu Li and Chu Ye.

Could it be that his abilities were even more formidable than she had imagined?

But that seemed impossible. If Minister Yan were truly that powerful, why would he have previously been controlled by the old villain Qin? He could have easily stood as an equal to Qiuye and the others.

The more Mu Yunjin pondered, the more perplexing the situation seemed.

“Has Chu Li not returned yet?” Mu Yunjin asked.

Mama Shen nodded, “The palace is in complete chaos right now. Several groups of people have been dispatched to search for Her Majesty the Empress. That Madam Li was so frightened that she fainted on the spot.”

“Sigh.” Mu Yunjin let out a sigh.

They had just enjoyed peaceful days, but it seemed that peace was coming to an end.

…

…

“Quickly finish your porridge, then go lie down. If His Highness returns and sees you’re not resting, he will certainly punish us,” Mama Shen watched as Mu Yunjin drank her porridge.

Mu Yunjin nodded, drinking her porridge unhurriedly.

After seeing Mu Yunjin finish the porridge, Mama Shen urged her to rest in bed before taking the empty bowl and leaving the room.

Mu Yunjin leaned against the headboard, her eyelid twitching slightly as an inexplicable sense of uneasiness washed over her.

The sky had already darkened, yet Chu Li still hadn’t returned, nor had Ding Xian or the others sent any news.

Although Mu Yunjin knew that Chu Li was unlikely to encounter any trouble, the peculiarity of Minister Yan’s situation caused her no small amount of worry.

After waiting in her room for a while longer, Qingmeng entered carrying a bowl of medicine.

“Princess Consort, it’s time for your medicine again.” Qingmeng walked to the bedside and handed the medicine bowl to Mu Yunjin.

She had waited for the medicine to cool after brewing it before bringing it to Mu Yunjin, so the bowl wasn’t hot to the touch.

Mu Yunjin obediently accepted the bowl and drank the medicinal decoction in one gulp.

After she finished the medicine, Qingmeng checked Mu Yunjin’s pulse, “Your fever has subsided now. You gave His Highness quite a fright last night; he stayed by your side the entire night without rest.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin furrowed her brows, realizing that since waking today, apart from some bodily soreness, she showed no other symptoms of having caught a cold.

“Was it a cold that caused my fever?” Mu Yunjin looked at Qingmeng.

“Yes, it was probably from sweating while flying the kite last night and then catching a chill,” Qingmeng replied.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, instinctively touching her abdomen.

It seemed that ever since she had experienced that sensation of heat and fullness in her abdomen, her body had been exhibiting unusual symptoms from time to time. Yet whenever Qingmeng checked her pulse, her physical condition always appeared normal.

Mu Yunjin felt that this matter was beyond her comprehension.

“Although the weather is getting warmer, you still shouldn’t be careless at night, especially as your pregnancy progresses. You need to take extra care of yourself,” Qingmeng sighed, speaking while tucking in Mu Yunjin’s blanket.

Mu Yunjin nodded, “Thank you, Sister Qingmeng.”

“No need to thank me. I don’t want to have to check your pulse and prescribe medicine for you. You’d better take good care of your health,” Qingmeng hooked the corner of her mouth upward, smiling as she looked at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin smiled lightly and nodded in agreement.

“Eh? What time is it now? Why hasn’t His Highness returned yet?” Qingmeng was about to leave when she glanced at the time and realized it was already the Hour of the Dog (7-9 PM).

At the mention of Chu Li, Mu Yunjin’s heart sank again, “He’s probably resolving the matter concerning Minister Yan.”

Hearing this, Qingmeng nodded in understanding, “Then you should rest early, don’t worry.”

Mu Yunjin nodded.

After Qingmeng left, Mu Yunjin lay down but didn’t extinguish the candles in the room, waiting for Chu Li to return.

Only when drowsiness overtook her did Mu Yunjin fall into a hazy sleep.

That night, she slept soundly.

When she woke the next day, her body had completely recovered to normal, and even the soreness had disappeared.

Zixiang entered to help Mu Yunjin with her morning toilette.

Mu Yunjin sat before the bronze mirror, watching as Zixiang meticulously arranged her hair, her heart filled with emotion.

Zixiang quickly styled Mu Yunjin’s hair into a simple yet elegant bun, then bent down with a smile to look at Mu Yunjin, “Miss, is this acceptable?”

“Mmm, it’s fine,” Mu Yunjin smiled.

Zixiang smiled back, then helped Mu Yunjin apply a light touch of rouge to her cheeks and color to her lips.

After finishing, Mu Yunjin rose from the dressing table and took out a box from a nearby cabinet, “Zixiang, this is the dowry I’ve prepared for you. Look through it and see if anything is missing, and I’ll prepare it for you.”

“Miss…” Upon seeing these items, Zixiang’s eyes instantly reddened.

Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow, “Why are you crying? You’re marrying Song Chun, so you’re still one of our own, not marrying into another family.”

“Will I still be able to serve you after that, Miss?” Zixiang inquired.

Mu Yunjin shook her head, “That won’t be possible. You won’t be my maid anymore.”

As they were speaking, Mama Shen entered and bowed slightly to Mu Yunjin, “Princess Consort, Madam Li has arrived.”

Mu Yunjin was slightly startled upon hearing the name “Madam Li.” “I understand.”

After speaking, Mu Yunjin walked out of the room.

…

Soon after, in the dining hall.

Mu Yunjin was eating breakfast while Madam Li sat nearby, her eyes swollen and red, her face pale—she hadn’t slept all night.

“Madam Li, is there something the matter?” Mu Yunjin asked about her reason for coming while continuing to eat her breakfast, though she had a general idea of why she was here.

When Madam Li heard Mu Yunjin’s voice, the tears she had been holding back fell instantly. “Princess Consort of Prince Ning, Xuan’er, has been abducted by that murderous Yan Qiuhuai, and her whereabouts are unknown. I beg you, can you help me…”

Mu Yunjin frowned, “Help you?”

“Yes, I heard that you have a young woman named Qiqi by your side who knows tracking techniques. Could you ask her to help track Xuan’er’s whereabouts?” Madam Li spoke.

“How do you know I have such a person by my side?” Mu Yunjin asked. Logically, apart from some close associates, almost no one else knew of Qiqi’s existence.

Moreover, how did Madam Li know that Qiqi had tracking abilities?

Madam Li’s face showed difficulty at Mu Yunjin’s question, “I heard Guard Ding mention it yesterday.”

“After Xuan’er was abducted yesterday, I overheard Guard Ding asking His Highness Prince Ning whether to find Miss Qiqi at your side to track her, but His Highness refused…”

“I waited all night without any news of Xuan’er. I’m truly afraid something terrible has happened to her, so I’ve impudently come to beg Princess Consort of Prince Ning for help.”

Having finished speaking, Madam Li knelt directly before Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin sighed helplessly, wondering how she had become involved in this matter…

“Princess Consort of Prince Ning, please help me, I beg you,” Madam Li wept, tears streaming down her face.

At the side, Mama Shen couldn’t bear to watch any longer and helped Madam Li up, “Madam Li, please get up. Our Princess Consort has been unwell these past two days, don’t disturb her…”

Mu Yunjin rubbed her forehead and activated the spirit signal of the Phoenix Pavilion…

…

Soon, two figures appeared in the dining hall.

They were Qiqi and Huaying.

This was the first time Mama Shen and Madam Li had seen such half-human, half-beast spirit beasts. Mama Shen first exclaimed in surprise, frightened into taking two steps back and clutching her chest, clearly startled.

Madam Li stood frozen, unsure how to react.

“Master, what has happened?” Qiqi and Huaying hadn’t seen Mu Yunjin for almost two months. When they suddenly received her spirit signal, they came out of concern immediately.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips and looked toward Qiqi, “Her Majesty the Empress has been abducted by Yan Qiuhuai, and her whereabouts are unknown. Can you use your tracking techniques to locate her?”

Upon hearing “tracking techniques,” Madam Li finally realized that this cat-like girl must be Miss Qiqi.

Hearing Mu Yunjin’s words, Qiqi immediately understood her meaning and channeled her inner power, forming a pink light at her fingertips.

Huaying stood nearby with folded arms, sniffing slightly, then suddenly frowned and looked around bit by bit.

Finally, her gaze settled on Mu Yunjin’s abdomen with a hint of surprise and confusion.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard Qiqi announce—

“In Linyin City.”

“What, Linyin City?” Madam Li exclaimed, almost fainting again.

Linyin City was currently the most chaotic place in the entire Western Yuan Kingdom. That rebel Chu Qing had also set up camp there. If Xuan’er had been taken to Linyin City, she certainly wouldn’t have met a good fate.

Qiqi withdrew her inner power and looked at Madam Li, “Don’t worry, I just sensed that His Highness Prince Ning seems to be there as well.”

At the mention of Chu Li, Mu Yunjin raised her eyebrows. Chu Li was also in Linyin City?

He must have discovered Yan Qiuhuai’s whereabouts…

With Chu Li there, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

“Master, shall we go to Linyin City?” Qiqi asked.

Mu Yunjin shook her head, “I won’t go and add to the trouble. Chu Li has Ding Xian, Song Chun, Huang Yan, and Ink Qilin with him. There shouldn’t be any issues.”

Qiqi understood.

Madam Li, hearing Qiqi’s words, also relaxed a little. Although she didn’t know whether these strange girls at Mu Yunjin’s side were human or beast, they had helped her, and she was grateful to them.

After expressing her thanks, Madam Li took her leave.

After Madam Li left, Mama Shen was still somewhat afraid of Qiqi and Huaying, so she made an excuse and left the dining hall.

Soon, only Huaying and Qiqi remained in the dining hall.

After everyone had left, Huaying sniffed the air again, her gaze ultimately falling on Mu Yunjin’s abdomen.

“Master, have you felt any discomfort in your abdomen recently?” Huaying asked.

This question suddenly made Mu Yunjin raise her eyebrows in surprise, looking at Huaying with incredulity, “How did you detect that?”

“You mean your abdomen is uncomfortable?” Huaying also found it hard to believe.

Mu Yunjin nodded and related everything to Huaying—the sensation of heat and fullness she had been experiencing lately, as well as her sudden fever two nights ago.

After listening, Huaying lowered her head in thought for a while.

After some time, Huaying took an empty cup from nearby and a silver needle, then looked at Mu Yunjin, “I need to take a small sample of your blood for examination.”