A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Mu Nanzhao and An Qinghe exchanged glances.

Anqing and a provocative laugh.

Mu Nanzhao gave a faint, cold laugh.

Neither of them was willing to back down in the slightest when it came to their momentum.

An Qinghe: "When you were in Huachidu Village, Aunt Zhang, Old Jiang, Xixi, Shitou, and me, who wronged you? Yet you kept it all a secret."

"The person is gone, and didn't leave behind a single truthful word. How can you face everyone like that?"

Mu Nanzhao: "To be honest, I envy you quite a bit. Life is all black and white, so your mind is so clear."

An Qinghe: "You just want to say I'm stupid, don't you? Even if I'm stupid, I'm still better than you. You even lied to the people closest to you."

"You'll do anything for power. Who knows when you'll turn on those closest to you?"

Mu Nanzhao: "You're overthinking it. Gu Xixi already knows who I am. You should consider whether you're being presumptuous. You think she's someone close to you, but others may not think the same way."

An Qinghe: "Don't try to sow discord between me and Xixi. She didn't tell us about you, either because your past identity was something you couldn't reveal, or because she had a prior agreement with you and, out of a sense of duty, had no choice but to keep it a secret."

"XiXi has entrusted me with all the secret recipes for production so far. Have you ever shown that kind of trust?"

"Also, Xixi and I came to the capital, but she didn't mention the Regent at all on the way. I guess she had no intention of meeting him."

A crack finally appeared on Mu Nanzhao's calm expression.

He picked up the teacup, drank the cold tea in one gulp, and forcefully suppressed the murderous intent in his eyes.

When Mu Nanzhao looked up again and saw the person directly in front of him, his expression had returned to its usual coldness.

He said with a hint of sarcasm, "I heard it too just now; Boss Gu was trying to avoid me."

Gu Xixi ate her porridge with a blank expression, knowing full well that Mu Nanzhao would eventually point it out to her.

She met his gaze without any surprise. "Yeah, that's right. I was trying to avoid him, hoping we wouldn't run into each other, but we still ended up meeting."

"I am truly sorry for causing trouble for Your Majesty."

Gu Xixi lowered her head symbolically and continued eating her meal.

He Jinglan looked on in shock.

I used to think that Mu Nanzhao was unbeatable because of his eccentric and unpredictable nature, but now it seems that Xixi has been poisoned by him for too long and has surpassed him.

Of course, An Qinghe's performance just now was also remarkable, recklessly stepping on the minefield, making people worry that a bloody incident might occur on the spot...

He Jinglan subconsciously turned her head, wanting to share her experience of watching the spectacle with her brother.

But they found He Jinghui staring at An Qinghe with a strange expression, not paying attention to anyone else, and they didn't know what he was thinking.

He Jinglan turned back helplessly, shaking her head inwardly.

One by one tonight, they're all acting strangely!

Immediately afterwards, Mu Nanzhao stared at Gu Xixi and asked directly, "When did I say you were trouble?"

"I am not the one who would abandon old friendships and avoid them like the plague."

"Why does Boss Gu have to turn the tables like this?"

Gu Xixi paused for a moment; she had already drunk the entire bowl of porridge, even the broth.

She put down her chopsticks and said to Mu Nanzhao seriously, "My words just now were inappropriate."

"We should be grateful for the Regent's deep affection and never forget those we met when we were still in humble circumstances."

"Firstly, I am self-aware enough to believe that I am just a fox borrowing the prince's power. No one would believe me."

"Secondly, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? I can't afford to waste the Regent's connections; I must cherish them."

She paused, looking somewhat troubled, her eyes revealing honesty, "At least for now... there's really nothing life-threatening that requires us to ask the Prince for help. But after that... who knows."

Anger finally surfaced on Mu Nanzhao's handsome face. "Gu Xixi!"

"So you only come to see me when you're facing a life-or-death situation and have nowhere else to turn?!"

Gu Xixi nodded. "The Regent is in charge of national affairs. If I were to come to you for something as trivial as my greenhouse being blown down by the wind, wouldn't that be incredibly ridiculous?"

Mu Nanzhao's face turned ashen.

Others might not notice, but he saw it clearly: Gu Xixi was doing it on purpose!

However, he knew even better that Gu Xixi was speaking from the heart.

Looking back, it seems that only life-or-death situations forced her to bow her head.

More often than not, when she didn't have to lower her head, she wouldn't even say a word to comfort him.

Yes, it's all damned truth!

Mu Nanzhao took a deep breath without making a sound, calming himself down. "The woman you picked up, do you want her to live, or do you want her to succeed in her lawsuit?"

Gu Xixi said earnestly, "Is it a choice between justice and life?"

"This humble woman does not understand. May I ask Your Majesty, do you think Lü Jing should live on alone, or should she fight to the death to seek justice for her family and bring the villain who has harmed countless people to justice as soon as possible?"

Mu Nanzhao looked at her, a helpless smile flashing across his eyes.

"If I choose the former, you should say that I am a deadbeat, holding a high position and deserving to be drowned in the spittle of the people?"

Gu Xixi lowered her eyes, "This humble woman dares not."

Mu Nanzhao said unhappily, "Can you please stop calling me 'commoner' and making me uncomfortable?"

Having met the real person beforehand, and needing a favor, Gu Xixi naturally complied, saying, "Your Highness, I can."

Mu Nanzhao was furious, "And don't call me Prince!"

Gu Xixi glanced to the side, "...My lord? Young master?"

"Or... sir?"

Mu Nanzhao almost choked. "Can't we still address each other the way we used to?"

Gu Xixi looked at him, "Chen Fang? But this is fake."

Mu Nanzhao gritted his teeth, "In the past, when no one else was around, didn't you always call me by my full name, Mu Nanzhao? What's wrong now? Have you lost your memory or are you just too scared?!"

He Jinglan quickly stood up to smooth things over, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you shouting for? Let's talk this out, don't get agitated!"

It would be hard for anyone else not to get excited.

An Qinghe said gloatingly, "Even the Regent speaks so loudly to people?"

"I thought you could keep up this calm and collected demeanor forever."

An Qing listened quietly without interrupting.

Because of Lü Jing's matter, he knew he couldn't be of much help. Since Gu Xixi decided to take this opportunity to ask Mu Nanzhao for help, he wouldn't cause her any trouble.

Mu Nanzhao stood up abruptly, glaring at An Qinghe, "Even if I'm putting on airs, it's not for you!"

"If you keep nagging, believe me, I'll teach you a lesson!"

An Qinghe stepped forward provocatively, "Oh, you don't want to beat me up, do you? Come on, let's see who wins and who loses!"

The Regent was never a gentleman, and once his mask was shattered, it would never be put back on, at least not tonight.

As the hostess, He Jinglan had no choice but to mediate between the two sides. Although she was internally screaming "Fight! Fight!", she still had to put on a show of courtesy.

At that moment, He Jinghui, who had been largely invisible all evening, suddenly pounced on him.

He slammed his hands on the table, his eyes bloodshot, and roared at An Qinghe, "Why are you arguing with him! He doesn't like my sister!"