Mu Yunjin and Mu Yunhan parted ways as they left the Prime Minister’s mansion. Prime Minister Mu, sitting in the front hall, felt inexplicably relieved seeing the siblings spring into action.

In just a few short months, he had completely erased his previous impression of Mu Yunjin from his heart. Now, if asked which child held the highest position in the Prime Minister’s household, Prime Minister Mu would decisively name Mu Yunjin, despite her not being his true flesh and blood.

……

After leaving the mansion, Mu Yunjin strolled along the main street with Zixiang following beside her. They hadn’t walked far when Zixiang curiously asked, “Young lady, these rumors have appeared from nowhere. How will you find the person behind them?”

“Foxes will always reveal their tails eventually,” Mu Yunjin replied with a smile.

Walking along the road, many commoners recognized Mu Yunjin. Seeing her smiling face and carefree stride, they couldn’t help but compare her to the frail Zhuang Yuyan. For a moment, the looks in people’s eyes as they watched Mu Yunjin became somewhat strange.

After walking for a while, Mu Yunjin turned into the Mingxiang Teahouse.

In a private room on the second floor, Mu Yunjin ordered a pot of tea and sat by the window, resting her head on her hand as she watched the activity below.

…

…

Before long, the person she wanted to see arrived.

“Zixiang, go open the door,” Mu Yunjin instructed.

Zixiang nodded and went to open the door, only to see a familiar figure climbing the stairs. She couldn’t help but call out, “Lüxin?”

The visitor was indeed Zhuang Yuyan’s maid, Lüxin.

Lüxin entered and looked nervously at Mu Yunjin before bowing. “This servant has been sent by Young Master Mu to fetch something from the Princess Consort of Ning.”

Fetch something? Zixiang was puzzled.

Mu Yunjin beckoned Lüxin to come closer, then sighed softly, “How is Sister Yuyan doing?”

“Young Master Mu is currently at the mansion. This servant does not know the young lady’s specific situation yet.” As Zhuang Yuyan’s maid who had grown up in the Grand Tutor’s residence, Lüxin naturally knew what to say and what not to say.

“I see.” Mu Yunjin smiled again. “By the way, when you were returning to the mansion yesterday, did you encounter anyone on the way?”

“May I ask why the Princess Consort of Ning is asking this?” Lüxin tilted her head thoughtfully, looking at Mu Yunjin with some wariness.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin thought to herself that this was indeed someone raised in the Grand Tutor’s household.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors spreading through the city today. My brother has indeed wronged Sister Yuyan, but that’s a matter between the young couple. They’ll fight and make up—as an outsider, I can’t interfere.”

“But now those rumors have dragged me into it, referring to me by my title as Princess Consort of Ning. I don’t mind personally, but I’m afraid the Prince of Ning will be angry if he hears these things. It would be unfortunate if this affected the relationship between the Prince’s mansion and the Grand Tutor’s residence.”

Mu Yunjin’s words struck at Lüxin’s heart. Lüxin stood in place, quietly considering what Mu Yunjin had said. Indeed, the Prince of Ning and her master had a good relationship, and it would be a shame if this matter caused enmity between them.

“Yesterday, when this servant followed the young lady back to the mansion, we did encounter quite a few people on the way, but there was one person who stopped us…”

……

“Ah—”

“Xiao Tianqi, you dare hit me?”

On the second floor of the Xiaoyao Gambling House in the city, Chu Qingzang was slapped twice by Xiao Tianqi and fell to the ground. She stared with wide eyes, her face filled with disbelief.

“Mu Yunjin, it’s you again, you slut?” Chu Qingzang clutched her cheek, turning her gaze toward Mu Yunjin, who was sitting in a soft chair, eating snacks.

Xiao Tianqi stood in front of Chu Qingzang, his face showing irritation and impatience. Seeing her curse at Mu Yunjin, he kicked her twice more. “You restless creature, you couldn’t live a peaceful life, and you dared to provoke the Princess Consort of Ning. Are you tired of living?”

Mu Yunjin leaned back in her chair, watching the scene with interest. Evil people would be dealt with by other evil people—in this situation, finding Xiao Tianqi directly was indeed more effective.

“Xiao Tianqi, you’re the one tired of living! You common ruffian, you dare lay hands on this princess? Do you believe…” Chu Qingzang’s words caught in her throat halfway as she saw Mu Yunjin’s playful gaze, and her words stuck in her throat.

“Lady Xiao, after all this time, you still don’t recognize your reality?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow and laughed coldly. “Previously, I still showed you some consideration. Did you think I wouldn’t dare kill you?”

The term “Lady Xiao” reminded Chu Qingzang that she had long been stripped of the imperial surname Chu, which made her even more furious. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she gritted her teeth and glared at Mu Yunjin.

“Mu Yunjin, go to hell!”

Chu Qingzang had wanted to find Mu Yunjin for a long time. Since marrying Xiao Tianqi, he had discovered she was not a virgin and had lost interest in her, often frequenting brothels or visiting his concubines.

Though she didn’t worry about food or clothing, whenever she went out, she always encountered strange looks that reminded her she was no longer the noble Fifth Princess.

What angered her even more was the day when she heard Empress Dowager Zheng would be going to the Shuiyun Temple to burn incense. She had rushed over specifically to see the Empress Dowager, but when Empress Dowager Zheng saw her, she pretended not to recognize her and had guards remove her as an unauthorized person.

All of this was thanks to Mu Yunjin.

Chu Qingzang was furious. She gathered true qi in her palm, her expression turning vicious as she swung her palm toward Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin was already prepared, and having confronted Chu Qingzang before, she knew her martial arts foundation was not low. Seeing the palm wind sweeping toward her, she immediately dodged.

“Mu Yunjin, I’ll kill you!” Chu Qingzang’s eyes widened as she pulled a hairpin from her bun and viciously threw it at Mu Yunjin.

Seeing this, Xiao Tianqi’s legs inexplicably trembled, and he stepped back several paces, staring in astonishment at the scene before him.

Chu Qingzang knew martial arts…

And so did the Princess Consort of Ning…

Mu Yunjin didn’t want to drag out the fight with Chu Qingzang. She gathered true qi in her palm, her eyes darkening as she laughed coldly with amusement. “Since you don’t believe in fate, I’ll make you believe.”

“Bang—” Mu Yunjin delivered a heavy palm strike directly at Chu Qingzang’s chest.

Chu Qingzang had thought it was just an ordinary palm strike and intended to meet it head-on, but she was instantly engulfed by Mu Yunjin’s palm wind. Her body immediately flew several meters away, crashing through the window and falling from the second floor.

A series of cries of alarm came from below.

Mu Yunjin looked at her right hand and frowned, seemingly in disbelief. She had only used a little strength just now, so why was the power of this palm strike so great?

Damn, had she killed Chu Qingzang?

Glancing askance at Xiao Tianqi hiding in the corner, Mu Yunjin shouted, “Go down and check on her!”

At that moment, Chu Qingzang lay weakly amidst a pile of broken wood, continuously spitting out large mouthfuls of fresh blood. She felt as if every bone in her body had been shattered to pieces.

Fortunately, the canopy of a noodle stall below had cushioned her fall, otherwise, she would truly have gone to meet the King of Hell by now.

Mu Yunjin—how could that woman’s skills be so terrifying? Last time they had confronted each other, she had known something of her martial abilities, which should have been similar to her own. But that palm strike just now could only have been delivered by someone with profound internal energy and cultivation techniques.

When Xiao Tianqi came down, he saw Chu Qingzang lying in the pile of wood. Many passing commoners were pointing and staring, giving Xiao Tianqi strange looks.

Seeing this, Xiao Tianqi immediately ran over and picked up Chu Qingzang, shouting, “You sneak around with men in the west part of the city behind my back, and you still have the face to jump off a building?”

After speaking, he carried Chu Qingzang into the gambling house and ordered someone to find a doctor.

The onlooking commoners had clearly heard Xiao Tianqi’s words and couldn’t help but gather around again, discussing the shocking scene they had just witnessed.

Before long, someone in the crowd spoke up, “No wonder I saw Lady Xiao alone in the western part of the city yesterday, sneaking around suspiciously. So she was going to meet a lover!”

“She’s truly ungrateful. How long has it been since she married into the Xiao family? And she’s already doing such things. Why didn’t the fall kill her?”

“Sigh, let’s all disperse. This shameless slut.”

Mu Yunjin stood by the second-floor window of the gambling house. Seeing that Chu Qingzang was still alive, she let out a slight sigh of relief.

She wasn’t afraid to kill, but it wasn’t yet suitable for Chu Qingzang to die.

After some thought, Mu Yunjin walked to another room and watched as Chu Qingzang was carried up by Xiao Tianqi. By now, Chu Qingzang was in so much pain that her face had turned pale, and her consciousness was somewhat hazy.

A doctor who had hurriedly arrived ran in with his medicine box. After examining her, he concluded, “Madam Xiao likely landed on her legs first when she fell, so both legs have completely shattered bones. I’m afraid she will never be able to walk again…”

Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow and patted Xiao Tianqi’s shoulder, consoling him, “Brother, I’m sorry. I was too heavy-handed.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. To be honest with you, I regretted marrying this woman the second day after bringing her home. It’s been less than two months, and I don’t even know how much money she’s cost my Xiao family,” Xiao Tianqi said indifferently.

“Are we being too cruel?”

“Compared to this woman, this is nothing…”

……

Mu Yunjin deliberately left through the back door of the gambling house. Today’s incident of Chu Qingzang falling from the building had been spun by Xiao Tianqi as a leap of shame after being caught in adultery, and this would probably circulate through Diehua City for some time.

She wondered how her brother was handling his side of things.

Mu Yunjin had initially thought of going to the Prime Minister’s mansion to see, but after consideration, she decided to return to the prince’s mansion first. She had been out all day, and Chu Li was still at home!

On the way back, Mu Yunjin happened to meet Chu Li, who had come out looking for her.

When Chu Li caught sight of Mu Yunjin approaching, his brow furrowed and his face darkened. As she drew near, his voice was slightly cold, “The Princess Consort is truly busy.”

In the past, seeing Chu Li like this, Mu Yunjin would have kept her distance. But now, having figured out Chu Li’s temperament, she simply put on an apologetic smile and wrapped her arms around his.

“Yes, yes, very busy indeed. But now I’m heading home…”

“Did the Prince come out to look for me?”

Chu Li snorted coldly, allowing her to hold his arm, though his expression had already softened considerably, “This prince was just out for a stroll.”

“Oh? Just a stroll? Then I was being presumptuous…” Mu Yunjin pouted, pretending to be hurt as she tried to let go of Chu Li’s arm, only to be pulled into his embrace.

“Silly woman, let’s go home.”

“Yes, let’s go home.” Mu Yunjin’s eyes sparkled with bright light as she contentedly echoed Chu Li’s words, her lips spreading into a deep smile.