Mu Yunjin woke up after sleeping for over half an hour.

The pain from her recurring waist injury was already unbearable, and with little Mu’er still sick, she couldn’t sleep well even when she wanted to rest properly.

Supporting herself with effort to sit up from the bed, Mu Yunjin held her waist as she got off the bed and walked toward the door.

Just as she stepped out of the room, Chu Li was entering the main gate of Liquan Pavilion. Looking up, he immediately saw Mu Yunjin.

“Why didn’t you sleep longer?” Chu Li walked slowly toward Mu Yunjin, his gaze passing over her hand hanging from her waist. He frowned, his eyes revealing slight surprise.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I got up,” Mu Yunjin said as she walked toward the room diagonally opposite.

Chu Li deliberately slowed his pace, staring at Mu Yunjin’s back for a moment before taking a deep breath.

After Mu Yunjin entered the room, Chu Li followed.

Imperial Physician Yang was still in the room. Without Chu Li’s orders, he didn’t dare leave on his own, and now he didn’t know where Chu Li had gone.

…

…

As he was thinking, he saw Mu Yunjin and Chu Li enter one after another.

“How is little Mu’er?” Mu Yunjin asked, looking to the side where the child was being held by Mengrui. Nanny Shen wasn’t in the room.

“The young master just took his medicine and fell asleep. From this morning until now, he hasn’t cried again,” Mengrui answered.

Just as she was about to hand little Mu’er to Mu Yunjin, a pair of hands quickly took the child first.

“Huan’er, has your waist injury flared up again?” Chu Li asked, glancing at Mu Yunjin after taking little Mu’er.

Mu Yunjin was startled and instinctively touched her waist. She had been so cautious, yet Chu Li still discovered it…

How troublesome.

“Waist injury? Then let this subject examine the Princess,” Imperial Physician Yang said upon hearing this. He reopened his medicine box that he had already packed up and gestured for Mu Yunjin to lie down.

Mu Yunjin pouted, knowing she couldn’t win against Chu Li at this moment. So she obediently lay face down on the bed.

Imperial Physician Yang examined the bones in Mu Yunjin’s back and found that she had indeed suffered serious injuries previously. Holding little Mu’er all night yesterday had likely put pressure on those injured areas.

“Princess, your injury is to the bones. This subject can only offer acupuncture…”

“…” Mu Yunjin had nothing to say.

…

Little Mu’er’s illness had improved, but Mu Yunjin was once again confined to bed rest.

Chu Li stayed with her in the room for a short while, but the recovered little Mu’er began to fuss. Worried about disturbing Mu Yunjin, Chu Li took little Mu’er to the garden.

By noon, news came from the palace that Chu Qingyuan had canceled her engagement to Qin Munan.

Upon receiving this news, Nanny Shen immediately went to find Mu Yunjin.

“Princess, what could the Ninth Princess be thinking? The news of the wedding has spread throughout the entire Canghua Continent, and the wedding is to be tomorrow. Now she suddenly says she won’t marry. What will happen to her in the future?” Nanny Shen, who had watched Chu Qingyuan grow up, was now worried sick for her.

Mu Yunjin, lying on her pillow, wasn’t surprised by this news. “It’s good that Qingyuan figured things out at this critical moment. After all, they haven’t married yet, so everything can still be remedied.”

“That may be so, but the Ninth Princess is still a young woman, and her reputation…” Nanny Shen said halfway before suddenly realizing she was speaking too much.

Some things were not for a servant like her to comment on.

“If Qingyuan meets the right person in the future, that person won’t mind these things,” Mu Yunjin said with a slight smile, her tone somewhat helpless.

In matters of the heart, ultimately, one knows the warmth and coldness of one’s own heart.

Hearing Mu Yunjin say this, Nanny Shen could only nod in agreement.

“By the way…” Mu Yunjin remembered something and turned to look at Nanny Shen.

“Last night, the young master had abdominal pain due to an improper diet. Who was responsible for his meals these past two days?” Mu Yunjin asked.

Hearing Mu Yunjin ask about this matter, Nanny Shen immediately responded, “His Highness has already handled this matter.”

“Oh?” Mu Yunjin was slightly surprised.

“It was the wet nurse who fed the young master these past two days who ate something wrong, causing the young master’s abdominal pain. His Highness has already punished that wet nurse and expelled her from the mansion,” Nanny Shen explained, simplifying the matter as Chu Li had instructed previously.

Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together, sighing helplessly with a look of guilt in her eyes. “It seems that in the future, I must handle such matters personally and not delegate them to others.”

“Yes, but Princess shouldn’t blame herself. None of us anticipated such a thing happening,” Nanny Shen consoled Mu Yunjin.

The Princess had worried about the young master’s illness, taking care of him all night, which led to her waist injury flaring up. Now confined to bed, she must be feeling worse than anyone.

“Mm, as long as little Mu’er is alright,” Mu Yunjin nodded slightly, inhaling sharply.

“Is the Princess hungry? This servant can order the kitchen to prepare some food,” Nanny Shen inquired.

Mu Yunjin shook her head. “I’m a bit tired, I’ll sleep for a while first.”

“Very well, then this servant will leave first and not disturb the Princess.” Nanny Shen stood up and walked out.

…

After leaving Liquan Pavilion, Nanny Shen intended to return to the side room to get some things. As she passed through the back garden of the mansion, she heard a sharp female voice—

“Qingyuan is young and willful. Why didn’t you, as her brother, persuade her? If she initially insisted on marrying Qin Munan, why are you allowing her to change her mind at will now?”

“Although the Qin family now has a reputation for rebellion, most commoners still remember the contributions they once made to Western Yuan. Do you know that now on the streets outside, people are cursing Qingyuan, calling her ungrateful and accusing her of toying with Qin Munan?”

“Eli, Mother has experienced this. Mother knows how important it is for a woman to have a good reputation! Mother has already made one mistake and doesn’t want Qingyuan to follow in Mother’s footsteps.”

Hearing this, Nanny Shen realized the woman speaking was Consort Rong. Her heart was alarmed. Consort Rong had been quiet for a while. Why was she causing trouble again?

Upon hearing this, Nanny Shen quickly retreated.

In the back garden, Chu Li had given little Mu’er to Ding Xian to look after. Now, listening to Consort Rong’s words one by one, his expression remained indifferent, showing no ripples.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Is what Mother said incorrect?” Consort Rong frowned deeply.

She had originally followed State Preceptor An’s advice, intending to get along well with Chu Li and cherish the remaining mother-son relationship between them.

But today, as soon as she arrived in Diehua City, she heard discussions about Chu Qingyuan’s cancellation of her engagement throughout the streets. Most commoners who mentioned this spoke with ridicule and mockery toward Chu Qingyuan.

How could she, as a mother, endure this?

“Since childhood, whenever my sister and I needed you, Mother, you were never by our side. Now that we have our judgment, you occasionally appear to dictate our lives…”

“Mother, ask yourself, to this day, do you still have the right to interfere in our lives?”

Chu Li spoke softly, each word calm and measured.

But this calm-as-water tone was like a series of sharp swords, piercing Consort Rong’s heart.

In an instant, Consort Rong’s eyes were filled with tears.

“Eli, Mother, Mother just…” Consort Rong stumbled over her words, not knowing what to say.

She had always meant well. Everything she did was for her son and daughter. Why was the result always like this?

Was it true, as State Preceptor An said, that she had always been using the wrong way to love?

Chu Li’s thin lips were tightly pressed together. Unwilling to say more to Consort Rong, he left the back garden with a sweep of his sleeve.

He had thought everything was slowly getting better, but unexpectedly, there were still such troublesome matters appearing.

After Chu Li left, another figure emerged from hiding in the back garden.

It was Yun Guangyao, the sovereign of Southern Courtyard.

“Wanyue, that stubborn nature of yours causes you suffering,” Yun Guangyao chuckled lightly.

Consort Rong hadn’t expected Yun Guangyao to appear here. She was slightly stunned at first, but upon regaining her composure, she bowed slightly to Yun Guangyao. “Why is Your Majesty here?”

“I was invited by Western Yuan’s Emperor Chu Ye to attend the Ninth Princess’s wedding. Originally, I was reluctant to come, but I happened to have some business to attend to, so I accepted the invitation.”

“Who would have thought that as soon as I arrived in Diehua City, I would see your figure, so I followed you here. It’s quite a feat for me, the sovereign of a country, to have to hide on the sideline and eavesdrop,” Yun Guangyao said self-mockingly.

Hearing this, Consort Rong’s face showed some embarrassment. In the past, when she was in Southern Courtyard, she was considered the most favored among the consorts and the most proud in temperament in the entire harem.

But ever since the Divine Command Token appeared, she had lost all semblance of dignity. When facing Yun Guangyao, she often showed timidity.

“Since Your Majesty has come to Western Yuan on business, Wanyue shall not disturb you,” Consort Rong said, then turned to leave.

Yun Guangyao didn’t bother with her. He looked at the layout of the back garden and then walked out swaggeringly.

Song Chun happened to be patrolling around the Prince’s mansion. When he went toward the back garden and saw the person approaching, he was first stunned, then scratched his head, thinking for quite a while.

After a moment, as Yun Guangyao approached, Song Chun finally recognized him and quickly bowed. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Mm, where is your mansion’s young master?” Yun Guangyao raised an eyebrow.

“The young master…” Song Chun thought for a moment. “I believe he’s in the pavilion ahead.”

Yun Guangyao nodded. “Mm, I understand. Thank you.”

With that, Yun Guangyao walked in the direction Song Chun had pointed.

Song Chun stood in place, frowning slightly, feeling that something was strange but unable to put his finger on it…

After a moment, Song Chun finally realized: where had the Southern Courtyard sovereign appeared from?

…

A moment later, in the pavilion.

“Oh my, my precious little grandson, come, let Grandfather hold you,” Yun Guangyao held little Mu’er, beaming with joy.

To the side, Ding Xian’s mouth twitched as he watched the scene before him as if he’d seen a ghost.

This Southern Courtyard sovereign had previously pretended before everyone in the world, refusing to acknowledge His Highness as his son, unwilling to have any connection with His Highness.

Now what act was he putting on?

How could he smile so broadly, his eyes narrowing into slits, just at the sight of the young master…

As Ding Xian was trying to figure out what was happening, from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Chu Li standing outside the pavilion. With a rigid face, Chu Li was staring at Yun Guangyao with some exasperation…