Chapter 23: So That’s How It Is

Mu Ling and the others rummaged through the space for half the night before finally finding what she was looking for. Judging from where they were stored, these letters must have come from Marquis Mu’s study.

Only after carefully reading them did Mu Ling and Jun Mohan realize that Marquis Mu had long been in contact with Noble Consort Qin. Not only that, but he had been secretly gathering troops for her and the Eldest Prince!

For Jun Mohan, this revelation was like a bolt from the blue. It wasn’t just about them secretly raising private soldiers—the most unbearable part was that his so-called ‘good imperial brother’ had already planned how to eliminate their father and mother from within and without, the moment he himself died!

Even though Mu Ling had told him about these events in the past life, witnessing it firsthand was something he couldn’t accept at all!

“Crown Prince Brother, should we hand these over to Father Emperor?”

Seeing all this unfold, the Third Prince and the Little Princess were shaken. The Eldest Prince and Noble Consort Qin… How could they be so terrifying?!

“Ling’er, what do you think?” Jun Mohan’s heart burned with the desire to slaughter Noble Consort Qin and her son on the spot, but he wasn’t sure if Mu Ling had other plans.

Mu Ling, however, appeared utterly calm. After all, she had already experienced this once in her past life.

“I think we shouldn’t. This would be too much of a blow to His Majesty. There’s no need for him to get enraged over such scum. As for Noble Consort Qin and her son, dealing with them is as easy as lifting a finger. There’s no need to worry or be afraid.”

Mu Ling truly wasn’t concerned about them—her greatest worry at the moment was the Xiliang spies.

“We only know Noble Consort Qin’s plans for now, but have you forgotten the most crucial point? Whether it was the poison in the Crown Prince or the one in the Southern Guardian King, both were secret toxins from Xiliang’s royal family. We must find out who smuggled this poison into our kingdom and what their connection to Xiliang is! If we simply dispose of Noble Consort Qin and her son without uncovering the real culprit, we’ll only alert the enemy. Worse, Dayan will be facing a danger that we might not even see coming.”

Seeing the group looking disheartened after hearing her words, Mu Ling smiled reassuringly.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days. If we want to solve this problem completely, there’s only one way—uproot it entirely… by destroying Xiliang!”

At her words, their previous gloom vanished instantly, and they all raised their hands in agreement.

“I will personally lead the army to war. Perhaps it’s been too long since I last fought them—they’ve forgotten that I am not just the Crown Prince of Dayan but also its War God!”

Mu Ling gazed at the man before her, heart practically bursting with admiration. He was too handsome!

“Ling’er, once the palace banquet is over, I will personally lead my troops to Xiliang. I will make them understand the consequence of meddling in Dayan—annihilation!”

Mu Ling waved a hand dismissively. “With me here, there’s no need for war. Don’t forget, besides saving lives, I’m also skilled in poisons. The toxins I create… heh, even if all of Xiliang’s imperial physicians worked together, they still wouldn’t be able to cure them! Alright, that’s enough for today. Are you sleeping here or—”

“Here, we’ll sleep here!” Before she could finish, King Jing and the Little Princess chimed in unison.

“Well, that’s fine. There are plenty of rooms, so stay if you’d like. Let’s all get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow night, we still have to attend the palace banquet. When that happens… our dashing and heroic Crown Prince will make a stunning entrance! Hahaha, I bet a lot of people will be scared silly when His Highness appears. Especially my ‘lucky star’ of a sister—I’m really looking forward to seeing her reaction.”

Saying this, Mu Ling turned to Jun Mohan and grinned mischievously. “Crown Prince, do you think she’ll regret it when she sees how dashing you look now?”

“Why are you looking at me like that? What does it matter to me whether she regrets it or not? I already have a wife. Whatever she thinks has nothing to do with me.”

---

Mu Ling rolled her eyes and said irritably, “She’s your actual fiancée, while I’m just a stand-in bride. Knowing that family, I guarantee they’ll bring up this shameless topic at tomorrow’s banquet. They won’t acknowledge our marriage since we haven’t had a wedding ceremony yet.”

Jun Mohan chuckled. “Ling’er, putting aside the fact that I, Jun Mohan, am not one to pick up discarded goods, do you think a mere Marquis household can dictate my marriage as they please? You underestimate the Jun family too much.”

The Little Princess joined in, “Imperial Sister-in-law, if the Marquis’ household dares to act that shamelessly tomorrow at the banquet, I’ll personally deal with them. I’ll make sure they regret ever being born!”

Meanwhile, in the Loyal and Brave Marquis’ residence, Mu Fuxing was picking out her outfit for the palace banquet when she suddenly sneezed. This startled Su San and Concubine Lan.

Su San anxiously asked, “Oh, my dear Fubao, are you feeling cold? Why are you sneezing all of a sudden? Come, let Mother check on you.”

Mu Fuxing rubbed her nose and smiled. “Mother, I’m fine. Maybe my sister is cursing me behind my back again.”

Su San, who had been worried, immediately scowled, her eyes flashing with murderous intent. “Don’t mention that wretched star! Just hearing her name disgusts me. Look at how arrogant she was today, acting as if she owns the world! Hmph! Once that sickly Crown Prince dies, I’ll make sure she pays dearly!”

Mu Fuxing put down the dress in her hands and leaned affectionately against Su San’s arm. “Mother, do you think my sister will attend tomorrow’s banquet? She is the Crown Prince’s consort now, after all. His Majesty should invite her. But if she does go, won’t her bad luck affect everyone else? All the noble families will be there. I wonder if they’ll despise her.”

Su San snorted coldly. “She’s so shameless, why would she care about what others think? Even if she does show up, she’ll only be humiliating herself. We don’t need to lift a finger—someone else will put her in her place. We just have to enjoy the show. But Fubao, stay away from her. Don’t let her bad luck rub off on you like today.”

Then, as if remembering something, Su San added, “And another thing—make sure to dress beautifully tomorrow. The Eldest Prince will be there. You haven’t seen each other in days. When you do, be sure to talk to him. Remember, you’re going to be his princess consort, and… who knows, maybe even Empress one day.”

“Mother~” Mu Fuxing pouted playfully. “You’re teasing me again. But Mother, the Eldest Prince was stripped of his title. Can he still…”

Su San whispered conspiratorially, “Trust me, if I say he can, then he can. His title may have been revoked for now, but in no time, he might ascend the throne directly. Court politics are far more complicated than they appear. Who knows which prince will receive divine favor and rise to power overnight? You don’t need to worry about such things—just follow Mother’s plan. I promise, you’ll become the most noble woman in all of Dayan. And when that day comes, I’ll finally be able to enjoy life thanks to my precious daughter’s fortune.”

Mu Fuxing had already been hinted at by her father that the one to claim Dayan’s throne would undoubtedly be the Eldest Prince.

Ever since then, she had been secretly getting closer to him. Even Marquis Mu and Su San had no idea that she had already become his woman. Just yesterday, he sent her a letter, telling her that he would request an imperial marriage decree at the banquet tomorrow.

“Mother, which dress should I wear tomorrow? I really can’t decide.”

Su San thought for a moment before pointing at the red gown embroidered with golden peonies. “This one. You look best in it.”

Mu Fuxing agreed—it was gorgeous. And since the Emperor was granting her marriage tomorrow, red would be perfect for the joyous occasion!

Little did they know, if Mu Ling and Jun Mohan overheard their scheming, they would laugh themselves silly. Not only would their plan fail in this life, but even in the previous one, Mu Fuxing had only been Empress for less than a year before meeting a miserable end—dying so tragically that not even a single soul collected her corpse.