Seeing that the madman did not react, Xiaoying simply placed the herbs on a broken stool nearby, then got up and climbed over the wall to secretly return to the Eastern Palace.

Xiaoying wasn’t worried about this madman revealing secrets.

Besides his silent nature, his circumstances meant that no one would have the patience to listen to his ramblings.

Regarding his crazy talk about someone climbing over the wall to see him, no one would believe it anyway. As long as he remained calm and didn’t have fits, they wouldn’t disturb each other, which would make future actions more convenient.

Xiaoying didn’t dare to stay too long and planned to come back next time to check on her brother’s situation next door.

As for the Shao Fu office, the work couldn’t stop either. The Empress was watching closely, and although she no longer demanded that Xiaoying bring back the account books, she had sent many clerks through Tang Mingquan.

That Tang Mingquan had received secret orders from the Empress. He was busy rushing around every day and barely paid any attention to her, the Crown Prince.

This morning, accompanied by birdsong, she reported to the Shao Fu office again. She spent half the day going through documents and then made routine inspections of various departments with Official Li.

As she was wandering and chatting idly with Official Li who accompanied her, Yan Xiaoying saw a familiar figure across a low wall.

She saw the Third Prince, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, talking with Mu Hanjiang, who sat in a wheeled chair in the courtyard next to Shao Fu. While they were talking, the Third Prince even glared at her over the wall with unfriendly eyes.

That Young Master Mu, who had almost become her brother-in-law, still looked the same as before—wooden hairpin, hemp clothes, with the otherworldly aura of a Taoist immortal, like a beautiful landscape.

Xiaoying glanced at them and asked with a smile, “Official Li, is that also part of the Shao Fu office? Why are Third Brother and Young Master Mu there?”

Minister Li quickly replied, “Your Highness, the Court of Justice had a fire recently and is under renovation, so they’ve temporarily borrowed our unused north courtyard at Shao Fu. This wall was also built recently. As for the Third Prince, he just returned from inspecting military camps in the neighboring county a few days ago. He’s probably at the Court of Justice handling the matter of the escaped rebel Meng Zhun.”

The young lord heard this and became very interested: “You mean the Meng Dawang who caused such chaos in Jiangzhe? What have they found out? Tell me.”

Official Li quickly bowed with clasped hands: “How would this humble official know so much? I just had lunch with an official from the Court of Justice yesterday and heard a few casual words.”

The Crown Prince, disappointed at not hearing any gossip, looked somewhat let down. After wandering around aimlessly for a while, his interest waned, and having done enough, he prepared to return to the Eastern Palace.

These past few days, he had been sneaking off to the abandoned palace to feed the madman whenever he had time. Though appearing idle, he was extremely busy and couldn’t waste time.

Official Li knew this incompetent Crown Prince had little talent and didn’t expect him to do any work. Seeing him about to leave, he felt slightly relieved.

However, just as Yan Xiaoying was casually heading toward the gate, someone called out from beyond the low wall: “If Your Highness has no pressing matters, would you care to join us at the Court of Justice? This subject has recently acquired some tea and wishes to offer it to Your Highness!”

Yan Xiaoying looked toward the voice and saw it was Mu Hanjiang, sitting in his wheeled chair, waiting by the wall and inviting her to taste tea across the barrier.

Nearby, a guard reminded her in a low voice: “Your Highness, the Empress instructed that you should return early and not waste time.”

But the Crown Prince was in a willful mood and glared at the guard: “Having finally gotten out, I can’t even have a cup of tea with my future brother-in-law? Jin Zhong, accompany me to meet Young Master Mu!”

Everyone knew the Crown Prince admired Yanyan. This reference to “brother-in-law” made Mu Hanjiang’s gaze turn somewhat cold, but it successfully silenced the guard.

In such a public setting, the guard couldn’t be too forceful in his tone, but still reluctantly insisted on following. However, Yan Xiaoying stopped him: “Talkative guard, you still dare to follow! Do you want me to borrow the Court of Justice’s punishment board to set you straight?”

The guard had no choice but to stand by, glaring and holding his breath. Yan Xiaoying couldn’t be bothered to use the door and had a young eunuch bring a chair to climb over the low wall, jumping like a rabbit nimbly in front of Mu Hanjiang.

This behavior was hardly befitting imperial etiquette, but Mu Hanjiang maintained his composure, elegantly gesturing for the Crown Prince to enter a nearby pavilion for tea.

These past few days, Yan Xiaoying had been spending time in the study. Although Ge Di Shi refused to teach her the way of emperors, he had, like a storyteller, vividly described several fascinating figures in the court.

Mu Hanjiang was one of them.

Years ago, the Late Emperor had revitalized Dafeng, rescuing the ancestral enterprise from the hands of treacherous officials and rebels. At that time, many jianghu forces that assisted the enlightened ruler couldn’t reveal their identities.

When Emperor Chunde was still the Crown Prince, he helped the Late Emperor and nurtured a group of shadow guards composed of jianghu experts, known externally as the “Dragon Scale Shadow Guards.”

The previous leader of the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards was Swordmaster Xiao Jiumu, the birth father of Princess Anqing, who was the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager.

Back then, Xiao Jiumu had assisted the Late Emperor, establishing magnificent military achievements. However, having lost his wife early, he never remarried and sent his daughter to be raised by the Empress Dowager.

Princess Anqing was greatly favored by the Empress Dowager, treated as if she were her daughter.

The current manager of the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards was Xiao Jiumu’s son-in-law, Duke Ding Mu Shen.

Unfortunately, Mu Shen had developed a chronic illness from his early years of leading troops in battle and had rarely left home in recent years, focusing on recuperation.

Thus, a large portion of his official duties were entrusted to his only son.

This lame Young Master Mu had been frequently brought into the palace by his mother since childhood and was quite favored by His Majesty. Though his martial skills weren’t as supernatural as his maternal grandfather’s, he was quite adept at strategy. On the surface, he held the idle position of a libationer, but privately wielded the power of life and death beyond the Three Departments, fulfilling his father’s duties, secretly monitoring officials for His Majesty, and putting down bandits and investigating chaos without requiring imperial edicts to execute.

It was said that the Third Prince had initially been unsuccessful in battle, but after this man arrived in Jiangzhe, the Third Prince seemed to have taken a powerful medicine, employing thunderous methods not only to quell bandit disturbances in many areas but also to cleverly capture the rebel Meng Zhun.

Yan Xiaoying entered the tea room and sat by the tea table, admiring the man’s fluid, wide-sleeved tea-brewing technique.

Such an attractive man with deep schemes—what a pity that such elegance was ultimately wrapped in bloody calculations.

Seeing that Mu Hanjiang didn’t seem inclined to speak, Yan Xiaoying picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and asked: “Why has Young Master invited me for tea today yet remains silent? Could it be… that Miss Mu has some message for you to relay?”

Mu Hanjiang’s large hands holding the cast iron teapot were very steady as he replied calmly: “His Majesty has shown mercy to my parents’ frail health and graciously allowed my younger sister to be exempt from the palace selection, staying home to fulfill her filial duties for a few years. Please understand the difficulties women face and spare her from public criticism regarding her maiden reputation.”

Yan Xiaoying spoke without courtesy: “This is strange. If Young Master wishes to avoid gossip about his sister, he shouldn’t have invited me for tea. What’s wrong with me? Am I not worthy to form a marriage alliance with Young Master? Or do you still hold a grudge for what happened four years ago…”

Mu Hanjiang rarely wasted words on fools. Hearing the Crown Prince persistently bringing up those messy affairs between men and women, he immediately interrupted: “I wouldn’t dare harbor resentment toward the Crown Prince for an accident that occurred while intoxicated. It was my fault for not standing firmly. I’ve invited Your Highness here because the Third Prince and the Court of Justice are investigating a fugitive case involving the Empress’s relatives. The Third Prince is concerned about offending imperial dignity and asked me to invite Your Highness to inquire about a few matters.”

Yan Xiaoying grabbed a handful of dates to accompany her tea, speaking with a muffled voice as she ate: “Oh, what fugitive case?”

“Seven years ago, the former Jiangzhe Naval Commander, Meng Zhun, colluded with villagers to rebel for his selfish desires. This time, taking advantage of the Jiangzhe floods, he again plundered the government’s disaster relief silver and grain, committing heinous crimes. This villain was captured by the Third Prince and was transported to Yicheng a few days ago. But in Yicheng, he was broken out by his accomplices.”

The young lord casually spat out a date pit, insincerely saying: “My third brother was so careless, isn’t that like releasing a tiger back to the mountain?”

Mu Hanjiang lowered his gaze and continued: “The jailbreak incident is quite suspicious, as if someone was coordinating from both inside and outside. After the incident, the Third Prince sent people to investigate and discovered that a father and daughter who were also imprisoned had gone missing after the prison chaos…”

Yan Xiaoying propped up her chin, gesturing for Mu Hanjiang to continue.

Initially, Garrison Commander Zhu, who supervised the prison, couldn’t recall having a father and daughter in custody. The Third Prince then ‘carefully’ interrogated him again, and Commander Zhu finally remembered that the father and daughter were captured at the request of Shao Fu Supervisor Tang Mingquan, who claimed they were escaped slaves from his household… As for the whereabouts of the father and daughter, he doesn’t know.”

Xiaoying of course knew the whereabouts of the father and daughter but pretended to be interested: “Then you should quickly have my Third Brother arrest Tang Mingquan! He might be the mastermind behind the jailbreak. Oh, I don’t think I saw Tang Mingquan at Shao Fu today…”

Mu Hanjiang fixed his gaze on Yan Xiaoying’s face: “He has already been arrested. Unable to withstand torture, he said he was acting on the Crown Prince’s orders to capture those people. He had never seen the father and daughter and knew nothing of their identity. The Third Prince feared he might falsely implicate others, so he carefully applied torture twice more. When his statement remained unchanged, the Third Prince entrusted me to ask the Crown Prince if you knew anything about this matter.”

How could Yan Xiaoying not know? The captured father and daughter were none other than her and her father Yan Shan.

And the inside help for the prison break… was indeed their father-daughter duo!

At that time, she and her father had gone to Yicheng to rescue her adoptive father. But after her father recognized Song Ao, Yan Xiaoying adapted her plan accordingly.

During the escape, she knocked her father unconscious when he tried to stop her, had her brothers take her father and adoptive father away, while she stayed behind, using Song Ao’s help to successfully enter the palace.

The Third Prince investigating the case? That brute with intestines as thick as his exterior couldn’t possibly have such devilishly sharp methods, immediately pinpointing the key to the jailbreak.

Mu Hanjiang, true to his name, had a mind as deep as a river, unfathomable!

Tang Mingquan didn’t dare reveal that the Empress was behind it all and stubbornly pinned everything on Crown Prince Feng Qiyuan—what a despicable creature!

Yet Tang Mingquan’s cleverness was misplaced. Didn’t he know that what the Empress feared most was the secret of the Crown Prince’s true birth?

If the Empress learned that her clever nephew had implicated the Crown Prince, potentially exposing the cat-for-prince swap secret, wouldn’t she be furious enough to breathe fire?

Now Mu Hanjiang, like a relentless dog refusing to let go, appeared determined to investigate thoroughly—this was indeed troublesome.

Yan Xiaoying casually spat out another date pit and summarized for Mu Hanjiang: “Young Master’s meaning is that I instructed someone to help the rebel Meng Zhun escape prison, then allowed the rebel to oppose my Feng family?”

Mu Hanjiang respectfully clasped his hands: “This subject… wouldn’t dare!”

Yan Xiaoying feigned anger: “All these years, Tang Mingquan has been using my mother’s nephew status to do many things that damage the Eastern Palace’s reputation. Now, having committed the crime of forcibly abducting women, he still wants to implicate me, hoping I’ll clean up his mess. What kind of person is he? Young Master, why don’t you do me a favor and just kill him!”

Mu Hanjiang’s gaze locked onto his prey like an eagle: “There’s no rush. Once we’ve clarified everything, if he’s involved in the rebel case, he won’t escape death even if he wants to…”

Tang Mingquan had been secretly captured by his father’s shadow guards outside the city on a pleasure boat, and news had not yet reached the palace.

Mu Hanjiang had long known that this Crown Prince typically couldn’t act independently and absolutely couldn’t mobilize Tang Mingquan. This case was likely connected to the Empress.

His visit to the Court of Justice today and deliberate “chance” meeting with the Crown Prince was meant to “startle the snake by hitting the grass”—to catch him off guard and extract useful information from the Crown Prince’s mouth.

But to his great surprise, the typically timid Crown Prince seemed to have taken a divine stabilizing pill, remaining completely calm from beginning to end. His relaxed demeanor suggested the case truly had nothing to do with him.