After leaving the pharmacy, Mu Yunjin and Hua Ying had originally planned to go to Fengxiu Mountain together. However, after hearing the pharmacy owner’s wife mention that Hexian Lotus grew in Qingzhou, upon careful consideration, Hua Ying decided to head to Qingzhou first to find those wild Hexian Lotus plants.

After all, lives were at stake in Gushan City. The citizens there were in mortal danger at any moment, and there was no room for the slightest negligence.

After determining their routes, Mu Yunjin and Hua Ying parted ways on the streets of the Western Yuan Kingdom.

Hua Ying used her formless space to depart, while Mu Yunjin went alone to Fengxiu Mountain, reaching the outskirts in no time.

Following the events of the previous night, Imperial Physician Yang had dispatched additional personnel early this morning to guard the mountain. As the head of the Imperial Medical Department, if such an incident occurred within his jurisdiction and was investigated, he would be held accountable.

But most importantly, he was heartbroken over the Hexian Lotus he had spent so long cultivating.

The palace was still unaware of this matter. If some royal master suddenly wanted to use Hexian Lotus for nourishment, he wouldn’t be able to produce any, and punishment would surely follow.

As he was worrying about this, from the corner of his eye, he spotted Mu Yunjin approaching. Imperial Physician Yang’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly went forward to greet him. “Princess Consort Ning.”

Mu Yunjin nodded but didn’t say much to Imperial Physician Yang. He walked slowly around the mountain at his own pace, observing its layout as he went.

As he walked, he arrived at the position where he had nearly fallen off the cliff the night before. The lantern he had been carrying last night was still on the ground, now smashed to pieces, unrecognizable from its original form.

Mu Yunjin looked up at this location, then at the other rocks nearby. Suddenly, he noticed that on the mountain wall at this position, several crooked trees were hanging there. Apart from those few trees, the rocks at this position protruded more than the surrounding rocks, making them easier to climb.

After looking at those rocks for a while, Mu Yunjin pushed off with his toes and flew up the mountain.

During the process, Mu Yunjin felt no strain whatsoever. These rock ledges were convenient for footing and exerting force, and those few crooked trees were solidly rooted.

In no time, Mu Yunjin had easily reached the mountaintop.

Standing on the summit, Mu Yunjin looked down, his eyes showing contemplation. The person who had ambushed him probably came up this way too.

If so, that person’s lightness skill must also be excellent. Although many practice martial arts, not everyone can ascend the mountain this way. Who could it be?

That person was also familiar with the mountain’s layout. Could it be someone he knew?

At the foot of the mountain, Imperial Physician Yang had been following behind Mu Yunjin, hoping to ask for his help in appealing on his behalf. He had no idea that Mu Yunjin would fly directly to the mountaintop, leaving him standing below with his mouth agape, not knowing what to say.

He had heard that Princess Consort Ning concealed his true abilities, but seeing it today, he was indeed formidable.

Mu Yunjin stood on the mountaintop. Last night in the darkness, he couldn’t see what was around, but today, at the spot where he landed, he found a butterfly hairpin.

Bending down, Mu Yunjin picked up the butterfly hairpin and examined it carefully. This butterfly hairpin seemed quite old. The several tassels hanging from it were already of uneven lengths, and the pin itself was somewhat bent. From its appearance, it should have originally been a golden butterfly hairpin, but over time, much of the color had faded.

Nevertheless, having recently become accustomed to such fine ancient items, Mu Yunjin could tell from the small pearls embedded in the butterfly’s body that it was an expensive piece.

Whose item was this left here?

Could it belong to the person from last night? Could that person be a woman?

As he pondered this, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a few characters faintly engraved on the hairpin.

Mu Yunjin brought the hairpin closer and looked carefully, furrowing his brow as he silently read three characters: “Xiao Yaxuan.”

It sounded like a woman’s name. Mu Yunjin searched his mind but had no impression of this name.

However, now that there was a clue, tracking it down would be much easier.

After descending from Fengxiu Mountain, Mu Yunjin went directly to the Ministry of Justice.

Chen Pu hadn’t seen Mu Yunjin for a long time. When he saw Mu Yunjin entering the Ministry of Justice, his heart sank, his first reaction being that something major had happened.

“Magistrate Chen, can you help me investigate a person?” Mu Yunjin came straight to the point.

“Please tell me, Princess Consort Ning.” Chen Pu bowed slightly to Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin approached and lowered his voice. “Help me check if there’s anyone in the Western Yuan Kingdom named Xiao Yaxuan.”

Chen Pu understood and immediately summoned several guards to help with the investigation.

Half an hour later, Chen Pu closed the register beside him and looked at Mu Yunjin. “Princess Consort Ning, there is no record of the name you mentioned in these registers.”

“What about people with the surname Xiao?” Mu Yunjin asked further.

“This surname is extremely rare. There are no families in the Western Yuan Kingdom with the surname Xiao. This humble official only became aware of this surname when he once visited the Northern Ming Kingdom and met an official surnamed Xiao, only then learning that such a surname exists in the world.”

Northern Ming Kingdom…

Mu Yunjin felt that the situation was becoming increasingly complicated, as if inadvertently, the entire Canghua continent had been drawn into it again.

Who exactly could stir up such a commotion?

Mu Yunjin sighed slightly, thanked Chen Pu, and left the Ministry of Justice to return to Prince Ning’s residence first.

At the residence, Mamma Shen was looking after Little Mu, with Song Chun, who had stayed behind to guard the residence, watching from the side.

At this moment, Mu Yunjin wanted to go to the Northern Ming Kingdom.

But his left hand was injured, making it inconvenient to take Little Mu along, yet he was uneasy about leaving him behind.

Well, he would take him after all.

After picking up Little Mu, Mu Yunjin said to Mamma Shen, “I’ll be going out for a while.”

“You’ve just returned and are leaving again?” Mamma Shen asked, puzzled.

Mu Yunjin nodded and flew away.

At some distance from the prince’s residence, he summoned the Five-Colored Divine Phoenix, letting it carry him swiftly to the Northern Ming Kingdom.

Over an hour later, Mu Yunjin arrived at the Northern Ming Kingdom.

Hua Ying had told him that Chu Li was disguising his appearance and looking for clues on the streets of the Northern Ming Kingdom. If he were to go directly to find Chu Li now, he might ruin things.

After considering this, Mu Yunjin first quietly entered the Northern Ming Kingdom’s palace.

Bei Tang Wenfeng was sitting in his study painting, with Jiang Qingxue seated beside him. The two were talking quietly with their heads lowered, occasionally smiling, creating a harmonious and warm atmosphere.

“Oops…” Mu Yunjin suddenly appeared in Bei Tang Wenfeng’s study, stumbled, and let out a strange cry.

The Five-Colored Divine Phoenix, which had come with him, folded its wings and sat in a corner.

“Yunjin, why are you here?” Jiang Qingxue was startled. When she came to her senses and saw Mu Yunjin sweating profusely, she quickly poured him a cup of water and took Little Mu from him.

Mu Yunjin took a sip of water and caught his breath. “It’s a long story. First, help me investigate someone.”

“Who?” Bei Tang Wenfeng raised an eyebrow.

“Is there anyone with the surname Xiao in the Northern Ming Kingdom?” As Mu Yunjin spoke, he took the brush from Bei Tang Wenfeng’s hand and wrote the character “Xiao” on the paper.

Seeing this, Bei Tang Wenfeng nodded. “There is this surname. What about it?”

“Have you heard of the name Xiao Yaxuan?” Mu Yunjin thought that since the butterfly hairpin was a treasure, Xiao Yaxuan should also be from a prestigious family.

Hearing this name, Bei Tang Wenfeng’s brow suddenly furrowed, his expression becoming more solemn. “How do you know this name?”

“Father, you know this person?” Mu Yunjin’s eyes sparkled, finally finding a glimmer of hope.

Jiang Qingxue watched this father and daughter, not understanding what riddle they were playing, listening in confusion.

“Yes.” Bei Tang Wenfeng nodded.

Then he sighed, speaking with resignation. “This Xiao Yaxuan was originally the daughter of Grand Tutor Xiao of the court, and also his only daughter, whom he loved extremely.”

“And then?” Mu Yunjin asked curiously.

Bei Tang Wenfeng paused, then continued, “At sixteen, Grand Tutor Xiao arranged for her to marry the eldest son of General Wei of the court. This was originally a beautiful marriage, but who knew this woman was of loose morals? After marrying into the Wei family, she still had affairs with the sons of merchants and playboys in the city. One day, when she came to the palace for a banquet, she even pretended to be drunk and climbed onto my imperial bed.”

“That day, I happened to have arranged a private conversation with Grand Tutor Xiao and General Wei. When we entered the sleeping chambers, we found this woman lying disheveled on the bed, and thus her promiscuity was exposed.”

“Afterward, General Wei was furious and demanded an explanation from the Xiao family. Grand Tutor Xiao had always been upright, stern, and serious. Faced with such a situation, he couldn’t save face, so he requested that I order the execution of this woman.”

“I was also at a loss at the time. On one side was the Grand Tutor, on the other the General, and it was unwise to offend either. But without explaining, it would be unreasonable.”

“In the end, it was announced to the public that she had died suddenly, but in reality, she was imprisoned in the Northern Border Secret Prison, left to fend for herself.”

After Bei Tang Wenfeng finished recounting these past events, Mu Yunjin suddenly looked up, his face darkening. “Northern Border Secret Prison?”

“Yes, the same Northern Border Secret Prison where Chu Qing and Rong Min were imprisoned,” Bei Tang Wenfeng said.

Mu Yunjin was completely stunned at this moment, furrowing his brow. Of all the possibilities he had considered, he never would have guessed it would be Chu Qing and Rong Min.

“Does the Xiao family still have any members?” Mu Yunjin took out the butterfly hairpin he had found.

“Grand Tutor Xiao passed away three years ago. The original Xiao residence has already been occupied by the newly appointed Grand Tutor Meng,” Bei Tang Wenfeng replied, his mouth slightly open.

Mu Yunjin bit his lip. “Then apart from Grand Tutor Xiao, does Xiao Yaxuan have any other relatives in this world?”

“I’m not sure about relatives, but General Wei’s eldest son, Wei Ru, has come several times to ask me to pardon Xiao Yaxuan, and each time I refused. Xiao Yaxuan has now been imprisoned in the Northern Border Secret Prison for five years, and Wei Ru, in the prime of his youth, has never remarried.”

Mu Yunjin silently repeated the name Wei Ru, thinking to himself that perhaps this woman had helped Chu Qing and Rong Min escape, giving them this hairpin as a token, asking Wei Ru to rescue her.

However, unfortunately, this woman’s calculations were probably wrong.

Having escaped from the Northern Border Secret Prison, Chu Qing and Rong Min would be too lazy to bother with her affairs; perhaps they didn’t even know they had lost the hairpin.

With these thoughts, Mu Yunjin became restless. He told Jiang Qingxue to look after Little Mu, then turned and left the study.

Just as he was about to leave the palace, a figure approached from the opposite direction.

Chu Li had sensed the aura of the Five-Colored Divine Phoenix on the streets of the Northern Ming Kingdom and had hurriedly rushed into the palace. Now, seeing Mu Yunjin coming here with his arm still injured, his thin lips were tightly pressed together, his face full of displeasure. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Mu Yunjin excitedly grabbing his arm and looking up at him. “Chu Li, the people who bought all the Hexian Lotus are Chu Qing and Rong Min!”