After the key fell into the water, Xiaoying was dumbfounded. She turned to Feng Yuan: “Is one fetter enough? Would you like to add another?”

“I only have one. If you like them, I’ll prepare more next time…” Feng Yuan said this with an expressionless face, completely unaware of how inhuman his words sounded.

He knew this woman too well. While Mu Hanjiang was threatening her, she had likely already devised seven or eight escape plans, none of which included him. She didn’t trust him either.

Feng Yuan deliberately ignored his erupting anger. These shackles were his answer to the woman.

Xiaoying hated how he would unpredictably have seizures and ruin her plans. In her anger, she couldn’t restrain herself and began cursing the Feng family ancestors.

Feng Yuan was somewhat accustomed to being cursed.

But Mu Hanjiang stood by with widened eyes.

Whether it was the intelligent and lazy young Crown Prince or the gentle and shy concubine by Feng Yuan’s side, in Mu Qing’s impression, both were refined and polite.

Yet the angry young woman before him, speaking in Jiangzhe dialect, cursing with vulgar phrases, red-cheeked and fierce-eyed, seemed utterly foreign to him!

Yet these supposedly crude behaviors, coming from the young woman, had a kind of brilliant radiance and vigorous vitality…

Though he found it hard to look away, she couldn’t possibly be reconciled with the person in his memory.

What shocked Mu Hanjiang most was that the Grand Prince, whose temper was not good and who would strike people at the slightest provocation when enraged, was now quietly standing with folded arms against the wall, motionlessly allowing the woman to curse.

Only occasionally, when the cursing became too intense, would the cold-mannered gentleman lower his gaze to glance at Xiaoying, his mind calculating something unknown.

Feng Yuan was too tall, and since he didn’t respond to encourage her, Xiaoying grew tired of craning her neck to curse him.

She couldn’t be bothered with the madman anymore and turned to the stunned Mu Hanjiang, dragging her shackles: “Hey, take me away already! Are you planning to stay for dinner at the mansion?”

With such an imposing tone, one might think she was the one escorting Master Mu to prison.

Mu Hanjiang, confused by their chaotic behavior, almost forgot his purpose. He took a deep breath, bowed to the Grand Prince, and prepared to leave with Xiaoying.

Feng Yuan coldly reminded him: “She’ll be in your custody for just a few days. Please ensure proper treatment, Master Mu.”

Mu Hanjiang found these words extremely irritating, as if this woman were the Grand Prince’s private property. So he coldly replied: “What does the Grand Prince mean by ‘proper treatment’? Should I set up an altar and worship Lady Ying?”

What proper treatment? As if he had provided it! What kind of propriety was it to be so intimate with a woman?

Each time Mu Hanjiang thought of this, his heart ached with a strange tightness, but he didn’t bother analyzing why.

Now he just wanted to restore order and remove this woman who had disrupted everything.

Feng Yuan didn’t hinder them further. As Mu Hanjiang led Xiaoying out, no one blocked their path.

Mu Qing still gave some face to the former Crown Prince and didn’t use a prisoner cart for transport, but rather a well-covered carriage.

Once inside the carriage, Mu Hanjiang sat opposite the sulking woman.

It was clear she was truly angry. Her curved eyelashes were frosted with cold, and her usually smiling eyes seemed soaked in wet mist.

Mu Hanjiang looked at her and said coldly: “You’re quite bold, daring to curse a prince.”

Xiaoying thought: I dare much more, but I don’t know if you dare to hear it.

She didn’t speak, trying to move her foot. The shackles were so heavy—would it be impossible to escape without help?

Her foster father and the others didn’t live in the Prince’s mansion and wouldn’t know about her predicament.

She wondered what that madman was planning. As she was leaving, he had gripped her arm and quietly instructed her to behave and not to act rashly.

Mu Hanjiang heard the rattling of the shackles and looked down at them on her feet. After some thought, he finally reached into a nearby drawer for a thin lockpicking tool.

Lockpicking, like sketching criminal portraits, was a basic skill for Shadow Guards. Mu Hanjiang had practiced it since his youth.

However, these shackles seemed specially crafted, with locks different from ordinary ones. After trying a few times, the lock wouldn’t budge at all.

Feng Yuan was truly cruel. Even to distance himself and clarify his position, he didn’t need to put such a heavy burden on her!

Did he intend for this woman to go to the Shadow Guards’ dungeon?

Xiaoying said indifferently: “Forget it. This thing seems to be an item left by Princess Ye. Not just anyone can unlock it.”

Mu Hanjiang was frustrated with the lock. When he looked up, he suddenly realized he was crouching at the woman’s feet again.

Though she had become a prisoner and was even shackled, her demeanor remained familiarly nonchalant, as if she knew no fear.

Now, as the young woman rested her chin on her hand and looked down at him, her expression was identical to that of the arrogant young prince in his midnight dreams—her eyes flickering, her posture alluring, carrying an inexplicable enchantment…

Mu Hanjiang abruptly awakened, uncomfortably stood up, and said coldly: “When we arrive, I’ll have someone unlock it for you.”

Xiaoying turned to look outside the carriage and asked: “Does Master plan to send me to the Imperial Court?”

Mu Hanjiang didn’t want to talk to her and remained silent.

Yan Xiaoying had shown her face at the Mu household. If she appeared at the Imperial Court, there would surely be gossip. The Dragon Scale Shadow Guards were all his mother’s people, making it even less suitable to imprison Xiaoying there.

After consideration, there was only one place where she could be kept.

Xiaoying had calmed down and was in the mood for a conversation. Looking outside, she noticed they had passed the Imperial Court: “I see this carriage is heading out of the city! The journey seems long. Master, talk with me to pass the time.”

When Mu Hanjiang didn’t respond, Xiaoying continued without awkwardness: “Is the place where Master intends to imprison me the same as where Fu Ansheng is kept?”

Mu Hanjiang frowned slightly. This was the second time he had heard this name. The last time was when Feng Yuan and his mother mentioned it.

He had investigated a little afterward. Fu Ansheng was formerly a military officer from Jiangzhe and a colleague of Meng Zhun. But he wasn’t in the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards’ prison; his mother seemed to have placed him elsewhere…

Thinking of this, Mu Hanjiang finally spoke: “What connection does this person have with the Grand Prince?”

Xiaoying blinked: “Master doesn’t know? I heard the Grand Prince say he’s connected to the massacre of Meng Zhun’s family. If Master doesn’t understand, you can ask your mother in detail.”

Mu Hanjiang frowned. He didn’t believe his mother would commit the crime of slaughtering an entire family of Dafeng military officials, but he was angered by the insinuation in Xiaoying’s words, while also confused: “What relationship does the Grand Prince have with Meng Zhun? Why does he trust the words of a rebel so much?”

Xiaoying brazenly declared: “Meng Zhun has a treasure the Grand Prince has wanted for a long time. The Grand Prince probably thinks that by helping him, he can get this treasure without spending money.”

Mu Hanjiang raised his eyebrows, unable to imagine what treasure could make Feng Yuan so eager. He asked again: “Then what relationship do you have with Meng Zhun? Why do you ask about him?”

Xiaoying replied innocently: “Which of us Jiangzhe commoners doesn’t praise General Meng’s chivalrous spirit? Only by the Grand Prince’s side did I learn that General Meng had such a complex history. Since Fu Ansheng can help General Meng find the true culprit who slaughtered his family, helping General Meng would be a deed of immeasurable merit!”

Meng Zhun was indeed popular among Jiangzhe civilians; otherwise, he couldn’t have hidden for so many years.

But Mu Hanjiang now distrusted her words and merely smiled coldly: “You… were also in Yicheng prison. What a coincidence! How much were you involved in Meng Zhun’s escape? And at the Ministry of Revenue, you paid so much attention to Meng Zhun’s files!”

Xiaoying sighed: “It was just a coincidence. If I had that ability, I wouldn’t have been captured by Tang Mingquan’s men. I only saw General Meng’s files, sympathized with his experience, and as a fellow countryman, took a closer look.”

Mu Hanjiang didn’t fully believe Xiaoying’s words. However, at that time, she hadn’t done anything with Meng Zhun’s files; she had only targeted the Tang family’s corruption, using his hand to make some moves.

Though this woman had impersonated the Crown Prince, she hadn’t committed evil deeds. If Xiaoying’s claimed experiences were true, as Feng Yuan said, the imperial family owed her family.

So tomorrow he would enter the palace and try to gauge the Empress’s attitude. If everything was confirmed, he would honor his promise to Feng Yuan, release this woman, and send her far away.

Now the carriage was filled with the woman’s rich fragrance, making it difficult for Mu Hanjiang to breathe. He even hoped to send this woman away today, sparing her from continuing to bewitch hearts in the capital.

When the carriage arrived, Xiaoying discovered it was the Mu family’s suburban villa.

When she had pretended to be the Crown Prince, she had once begged Mu Hanjiang to bring her here to leave the city, but it never happened.

Later, when going hunting in the suburbs, she had only passed by, catching a few glimpses from afar.

Now, with shackles on her feet, she had the fortune to enter the Mu family villa—life truly had its ups and downs!

It seemed Mu Hanjiang was keeping his word to Feng Yuan. Though he knew she was a fake Crown Prince, he hadn’t thrown her into prison as a criminal.

As long as Mu Hanjiang didn’t discover her other identities, such as being the Little King of Hell, he would likely keep his promise to Feng Yuan and release her at the appropriate time.

Thinking of this, Xiaoying felt somewhat relieved and thanked Master Mu for his lenient treatment.

Mu Hanjiang frowned and explained: “I’m not deliberately showing you leniency. It’s just that, seeing you’re a woman, it’s inconvenient to imprison you with serious criminals.”

Xiaoying smiled mischievously: “Yes, yes, Master Mu is most impartial and selfless.”

While dragging her shackles off the carriage, she still had the leisure to comment on the courtyard scenery.

“I’ve long heard that the Mu family villa is elegant, and it truly is. These rock formations even have more character than those in the Imperial Garden.”

Mu Hanjiang looked at her behaving as if she were visiting for pleasure and laughed in exasperation: “Lady truly has a good attitude. No wonder you didn’t reveal yourself during months in the palace.”

Xiaoying dragged her shackles to sit on a fake rock in the courtyard, laughing back: “I can’t compare to Master Mu. Even with the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards leaking like a sieve, you still have time to waste with an insignificant little woman like me.”

Mu Hanjiang couldn’t refute this.

What Feng Yuan had said today was true. The Dragon Scale Shadow Guards were fine when in his father’s hands, but after falling into his mother’s control for over a decade, they were no longer what they once were.

Yet his mother was stubborn and unwilling to delegate authority to him. If this continued, the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards would no longer live up to their name.

That’s why when he went to Wei Country four years ago, he rebuilt his network and nurtured talent, preparing to gradually replace his mother’s trusted followers.

This time, when his mother’s robes were poisoned, nearly being used as a tool, it further awakened Mu Hanjiang and made him vigilant about who might be behind it.

Xiaoying naturally knew what was troubling him, as Feng Yuan wouldn’t hold back about the poisoning incident.

So she said casually, “Master Mu, forgive my presumption, but a son’s filial duty and official duty are two separate matters. When your Mu family mixes these two, it becomes problematic. If I were you, I’d use the Grand Prince’s poisoning as an opportunity to let Princess Anqing rest.”

Mu Hanjiang walked up to Xiaoying and coldly said: “After meddling in the palace, do you want to meddle in my Mu family too?”

Xiaoying blinked innocently, seeming like a charming and harmless neighborhood girl: “I’m not as bad as you say, Master. I just don’t want there to be no one to break a vase to save you the next time you’re beaten!”

She was referring to the incident when the Princess was disciplining her son in the woods next to the post station.

Mu Hanjiang thought about his embarrassing situation of being beaten by his mother, all witnessed by Yan Xiaoying, and felt his face tighten.

Just then, the sound of carriages and horses suddenly came from outside the villa.

Soon after, Gao Qi came to report: “Master, Duke Ding has returned from seeing a doctor. It’s late, and he can’t enter the city, so he plans to stay overnight at the villa.”

Mu Hanjiang had brought Xiaoying in through the back entrance of the villa, directly entering the inner courtyard, so the gatekeepers didn’t know the young master had arrived.

Thus, Gao Qi came to inform him, asking if he wanted to see his father.

Mu Shen had been ill for years. Princess Anqing had found a famous doctor for him and located hot springs in a neighboring county suitable for his recovery, mixing medicinal baths. So it was normal for Mu Shen to be away from the capital for months during the cold season.

However, now that the weather was getting colder, Mu Shen had returned early and come to the villa, which was unexpected for Mu Hanjiang.

Just as Gao Qi finished speaking, voices could be heard on the path outside the inner courtyard.

Mu Hanjiang knew his father had arrived and looked toward Xiaoying.

Xiaoying understood that the matter of the fake Crown Prince couldn’t be made public, and Mu Hanjiang probably didn’t want to worry his ill father. She asked him: “Which room isn’t frequently used? I’ll go hide there.”

Mu Hanjiang pointed to a side room on the right, and Xiaoying dragged her shackles to that room.

After closing the door, Xiaoying moved a chair and sat by the window, where she could see the outside garden through the gap.

Soon, a middle-aged handsome man wearing a moon-white robe, with a thin build, appeared at the moon gate.

Xiaoying knew this must be the chronically ill Duke Ding, Mu Shen.

Knowing the Mu family affairs, Xiaoying had expected this cuckolded duke to have a weak appearance and an unclear mind.

Who would have thought he would be a middle-aged handsome man with a beard no less attractive than Emperor Chunde? With a well-trimmed beard, flowing robes, and relaxed features, he had the air of an otherworldly literary master.

Though Mu Hanjiang didn’t resemble Mu Shen, his clothing style and even his temperament followed this nominal father.

Xiaoying couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: Princess Anqing already had such a good meal, why did she still want to taste Emperor Chunde?

Seeing Mu Hanjiang, Mu Shen smiled warmly: “Hanjiang is here too. The gatekeepers didn’t tell me.”

Mu Hanjiang quickly bowed to his father, saying he had suddenly wanted to come to the suburbs for leisure, and seeing it was getting dark, hadn’t returned to the city. Since he had entered through the back gate, he hadn’t informed the gatekeepers.

Mu Shen patted his shoulder, looking him up and down: “You’ve lost some weight again. Besides official duties, you must also take care of your health. Don’t be like me, too late to regret after falling ill.”

He coughed lightly twice, then proceeded toward the room adjacent to Xiaoying’s.

Mu Hanjiang wanted to stop him, but that room was where his father stored his collection of metal and stone artifacts. Preventing him would seem deliberate, so he closed his mouth and followed his father into the room.

Xiaoying only heard Mu Shen asking Mu Hanjiang about the family situation and whether Princess Anqing’s birthday banquet yesterday had gone smoothly as they walked.

His unhurried tone revealed a loving father, completely different from Princess Anqing’s constant talk of rules and etiquette.

Now she finally understood where Mu Yanyan’s lawless personality came from—probably from being spoiled by such a kind father as Mu Shen.

If not for Princess Anqing’s affair years ago, the Mu family would have been a family with a kind father and filial children.

Thinking of this, Yan Xiaoying couldn’t help but sympathize with Mu Hanjiang once more.

After the father and son entered the next room, Xiaoying didn’t need to move. She took a teacup, pressed it against the wall, and continued listening.

She heard Mu Hanjiang asking his father why, having already reached the capital, he didn’t return to the Mu residence but stayed at the villa.

Mu Shen sighed: “I had already reached the city gates, but today they closed unusually early, and I couldn’t enter.”

Mu Hanjiang was surprised; he hadn’t heard that the city gates would close early today. The hour hadn’t come yet—had something unexpected happened?

Mu Shen said, “I only heard from the general guarding the city that there seems to be a hunt for criminals in the Imperial City, so the entire city is being searched, and the gates were urgently closed. Haven’t you received the news?”

Mu Hanjiang paused, then said: “I don’t know about it. Because of the Fengwei Slope case, His Majesty ordered me to stay at home. Only the mother handles some miscellaneous affairs. Perhaps she received the news.”

Mu Shen seemed to have just remembered this point and continued in a gentle tone: “This isn’t bad. You went to Wei Country for four years before, working daily without rest. It’s a good opportunity to rest your body and mind. But there’s a family matter I don’t understand. The Mu family’s rule is not to get involved in princely succession struggles, so why did you favor the Crown Prince so much this time, getting involved in factional disputes?”

A few days ago, Mu Hanjiang could have argued with his father that the Crown Prince was a wise ruler who concealed his talents, the hope for Dafeng’s future.

But now, the fact was he had nearly supported the first female Crown Prince of Dafeng. Faced with his father’s gentle questioning, he had nothing to say and could only admit his fault: “Father, it was my mistake. I shouldn’t have disobeyed your teachings.”

Mu Shen smiled: “Since you know your mistake, let it be a lesson. Remember, the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards only recognize the person on the throne. This is the foundation of the Mu family’s survival…”

Afterward, the father and son chatted about yesterday’s Princess’s birthday banquet. Mu Shen asked which guests had come and how they were entertained, making casual conversation.

Just then, Gao Qi came to report that the Shadow Guards in the city had sent news about the situation in the palace.

Today was the death anniversary of His Majesty’s mother, so according to annual custom, His Majesty took his consorts and several trusted ministers to the Imperial Temple at Longquan Monastery to burn incense and pray for his mother’s blessings.

But at the Imperial Temple, His Majesty was attacked by skilled assassins disguised as monks.

If General Yezhong hadn’t been present to block a fatal sword for His Majesty, today the Imperial City wouldn’t just be closing gates early—they would be tolling funeral bells and hosting a state funeral!

Fortunately, the temple’s defense arrangements that day had been reviewed and deployed by Mu Hanjiang under Princess Anqing’s orders. The capable Dragon Scale Shadow Guards killed dozens of assassins on the spot, though a few managed to escape.

Hearing this, Yan Xiaoying put down her cup, her mind surging with shock.

The events of the past few days seemed unrelated, but if connected, they appeared interlinked.

First, at yesterday’s Princess’s birthday banquet, if not for the unexpected turn of events, a bloody incident of a prince massacring his imperial aunt should have occurred. It failed because she had detected the scent of the madness-inducing drug in time.

But thinking carefully, what if that bloody incident had happened? What chain of consequences would it have led to?