Mu Yunjin had planned to go to the Tianxiang Inn to find Chu Li and discuss Rong Min’s matter, but just as she left the dungeon, someone came forward to tell her that Chu Li had already arrived at the palace and was waiting for her in the Princess Imperial’s Hall.

Seeing that Chu Li had returned at just the right time, Mu Yunjin hurried over.

Soon, Mu Yunjin met with Chu Li and told him in detail about Rong Min’s request.

After hearing this, Chu Li smiled faintly. “His calculations are quite shrewd, but what makes him think we need him to discover Chu Qing and Xiao Yaxuan’s whereabouts?”

“Oh? Has Prince Ning already found them?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow, drawing closer to Chu Li with amusement in her eyes.

Chu Li casually pinched Mu Yunjin’s cheek and chuckled. “When have I ever let you underestimate me?”

“Where are they?” Mu Yunjin asked.

“In Nanting Kingdom,” Chu Li replied. “Huang Yan has returned to Nanting and is currently monitoring Chu Qing’s every move. As for Xiao Yaxuan, she’s being held here in North Ming’s royal city.”

As they were talking, a flash of light appeared in the hall. It was Xiu Mei from the Phoenix Feather Pavilion.

“Hua Ying asked me to relay a message. She has found a large amount of wild Heshan Lotus in Qingzhou. She took some to Nanting Kingdom for Miss Bai to examine, and Miss Bai says they can be used,” Xiu Mei said.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin and Chu Li finally relaxed.

The life-saving Heshan Lotus had been found, so now all that remained was to deal with those two troublemakers.

“What should we do next?” Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li, seeking his opinion.

“Let’s first go find Xiao Yaxuan, since she’s nearby. But since she’s a woman, I won’t participate. I’ll leave this to you.” Chu Li looked at Mu Yunjin, concluding with an encouraging pat on her shoulder.

Mu Yunjin pouted. “Fine then. Where is Xiao Yaxuan being held?”

“In a village house on the outskirts of the city,” Chu Li replied.

After speaking, he stood up, looked at the sky outside, and casually remarked, “I’m going to the dungeon now to see Rong Min.”

Mu Yunjin left the palace, and on her way to find the village house, she encountered Chu Qingyan and Bei Qili.

“Sixth Sister-in-law…”

“Imperial Sister…”

The two warmly greeted Mu Yunjin. Chu Qingyan stepped forward and took Mu Yunjin’s arm. “Sixth Sister-in-law, where are you going alone?”

“To Xiyang Village,” Mu Yunjin replied, glancing at Bei Qili, who was following behind. She noticed that the young couple looked quite well-matched standing together.

“What are you going there for?” Chu Qingyan frowned, puzzled.

Mu Yunjin smiled, stopping in her tracks. “To handle some matters. You go play with the prince first, and I’ll find you when I’m done.”

“No way, you’ve piqued my curiosity. I’m coming with you and not going anywhere else.” Chu Qingyan smiled, tightening her grip on Mu Yunjin’s arm.

“Aren’t you afraid of bringing deadly trouble upon yourself?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow. The place where Xiao Yaxuan was being held might have people secretly guarding it.

Hearing this, Chu Qingyan suddenly shrank her neck and frowned. “Sixth Sister-in-law, what are you going to do? Does Sixth Brother know?”

“Yes, he knows,” Mu Yunjin said.

Bei Qili now approached and stood beside Mu Yunjin, his expression serious. “Imperial Sister, what are you going to do that could bring deadly trouble?”

“You two children, can you stop asking so many questions?” Mu Yunjin sighed helplessly. Had she known, she would have just left using her lightness skill.

“Imperial Sister, I am the future ruler of North Ming. If you might face deadly danger on North Ming territory, it’s only right that I should know about it.” Bei Qili simply blocked Mu Yunjin’s path, preventing her from moving forward.

Mu Yunjin was thoroughly defeated by these two children. Seeing they were truly persistent, she sighed, “Then stay obediently behind me. If something happens, don’t expect me to save you.”

With that, she walked around Bei Qili and continued forward.

Behind her, Bei Qili quietly tugged on Chu Qingyan’s sleeve and whispered, “Yan’er, is Imperial Sister very powerful?”

“My Sixth Sister-in-law could tear off all the rooftops in your North Ming palace with a wave of her hand. Do you believe that?” Chu Qingyan proudly raised an eyebrow, as if she were the powerful one.

Bei Qili was startled by these words. Although he had heard rumors before, he had never witnessed such power. In his heart, he always felt these rumors were greatly exaggerated.

The three walked along until they unconsciously arrived at the entrance of Xiyang Village.

Mu Yunjin stood at the village entrance, looking around and sensing the atmosphere. Finding nothing amiss, she walked into the village.

It was dusk, and many villagers who had been out had already returned. Most were chatting with neighbors at their doorsteps. When they saw these three unfamiliar faces, they couldn’t help but cast several glances their way.

Mu Yunjin walked forward on her own, stopping at the third-to-last house, and gazed at the tightly closed dwelling.

Taking a few steps forward, Mu Yunjin approached the door and pushed it, finding that it was locked from both inside and out.

“Miss, who are you looking for?” A middle-aged woman from next door came forward to ask Mu Yunjin.

“Is the owner of this house in?” Mu Yunjin turned to look at the woman.

Hearing this, the woman frowned. “Oh my, miss, what relation are you to this family?”

“Distant relative,” Mu Yunjin improvised an excuse.

“No wonder. The old owner of this house passed away more than half a year ago. His children and grandchildren all moved to Xuelan City. They only come back once a year during the New Year. It’s almost autumn now, and this house’s door hasn’t been opened at all.”

Just as she finished speaking, there was a ‘bang’ sound, and suddenly a pottery item shattered inside the house.

Along with this crisp sound, a woman’s sobbing could be heard from inside…

“Oh my goodness, it’s haunted…” The woman, encountering such a phenomenon for the first time, instinctively stepped back and then ran toward her doorway.

Hearing the sound from inside, Mu Yunjin flicked her wrist, mobilizing her inner force, and raised her palm to shock the tightly closed door open. Then she stepped inside.

Chu Qingyan was about to follow when Bei Qili held her back and whispered in her ear, “Imperial Sister truly has some skills.”

“Of course,” Chu Qingyan replied, then followed inside.

Outside the door, some villagers saw how easily Mu Yunjin had broken open the door. Seeming to sense danger, they hurriedly retreated into their homes and closed their doors tightly.

Mu Yunjin entered the house to find it pitch black inside. She took out a wooden candle she carried, opened the lid, and a flame spurted out.

“Mmm mmm mmm…”

Seeming to see the light, an excited voice came from the small hall in front of Mu Yunjin. But the person’s mouth seemed to be blocked, making it impossible to speak clearly.

Mu Yunjin walked toward the source of the sound. As she stepped through the door, she vaguely saw a figure kneeling on the ground.

Looking around, she spotted two ceremonial candlesticks on a table. Mu Yunjin walked over and lit these candlesticks, instantly filling the room with light.

This time, Mu Yunjin could see clearly.

There was indeed someone kneeling on the ground, and it was a woman.

The woman before her was wearing prison clothes, with disheveled hair, sitting on the ground. Her hands and feet were bound with hemp rope, and her mouth was stuffed with cotton cloth. At this moment, she was staring eagerly at Mu Yunjin.

“You’re quite capable. Judging by your appearance, you crawled out from that room over there, didn’t you?” Mu Yunjin glanced at a small door of a room nearby that was open, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

“Mmm mmm…” The woman looked at Mu Yunjin, wanting to speak but unable to.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin crouched down and took out the butterfly hairpin from her sleeve. Holding the pin, she used it to push away the cloth from the woman’s mouth.

Heaven knows if there was poison on the outside of that cloth. She had to be extra cautious.

“Xiao Yaxuan?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow.

The woman first took several deep breaths, looked at the hairpin in Mu Yunjin’s hand, and then excitedly looked at Mu Yunjin. “Are you sent by Wei Ru to take me away?”

“No,” Mu Yunjin replied expressionlessly, staring at Xiao Yaxuan before her.

Hearing this, Xiao Yaxuan’s eyes suddenly revealed terror. She shrank back slightly. “Then who are you? You, you…”

If not Wei Ru, then who could it be?

Could it be someone from the palace…

“Miss, I beg you, please spare me. That North Border Secret Prison is not a place for humans. I have repented all these years inside. Please have mercy on me!” Xiao Yaxuan changed to a kneeling position and repeatedly kowtowed to Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin looked coldly at Xiao Yaxuan and said calmly, “Tell me, how did you help those two escape from the secret prison?”

That North Border Secret Prison had never had any breaches in so many years, and it held so many death row prisoners. This was a serious matter that required strict precautions in the future.

“I, I bribed a jailer. After I slept with him for several nights, I killed him while he was asleep and got the key. That’s how we escaped.”

Xiao Yaxuan trembled all over as she mentioned this, and quickly added, “I didn’t kill him, Chu Qing did. Before they escaped, I gave them this butterfly hairpin and told them to find Wei Ru, to have Wei Ru come here to get me.”

She just never imagined that the plan would still be exposed.

Actually, from the moment these two tied her up here, she should have anticipated the outcome, but she still clung to a sliver of hope.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin turned her head to look at Bei Qili. “Prince Brother, did you hear that? The jailers at North Border need to be thoroughly reorganized.”

“How outrageous! Those jailers receive three times the salary of the royal city dungeon guards, yet they commit such absurd acts. They deserve execution!” Bei Qili had been furious since learning this woman had escaped from the North Border Secret Prison.

“No, please, Your Highness, spare me. You, you are the Second Prince, right? You look just like when you were little. I even held you once. Can you, for the sake of my father, plead with His Majesty to spare me?” Xiao Yaxuan looked at Bei Qili, crying and grasping at her last straw of hope.

She was truly afraid.

“We’ll take you to the palace first and discuss this later.” Bei Qili couldn’t make a decision. He stepped forward and bent down to grab Xiao Yaxuan.

“Bang…”

“Bang bang…”

At this moment, many tiles suddenly fell from the roof, followed by several black-clad men who jumped down from the roof. Holding sharp knives, they said nothing and slashed toward Mu Yunjin and the others…