Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

"Princess, are you sure you want to do this?"

Shen Mu narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the eunuch running towards them from not far away.

The blood-red color faded from his deep, dark eyes, returning to calm. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips; he thought to himself, "Someone really can't wait."

Duan Yuyan had her back to the courtyard gate, so she naturally couldn't see what was happening behind her. She stood there with her arms crossed, adopting her arrogant and domineering demeanor once again.

"What? If you're afraid of me, then I might not be able to let you off the hook." As if sensing that she could control Shen Mu, she put on her princess-like airs again.

She glanced at Shen Mu with sharp eyes, thinking that Shen Mu was scared.

She raised the corners of her lips, seemingly confident that her trusted confidants could easily capture Pei Suisui. If it weren't for Pei Suisui's secret attempt to seduce Shen Mu, she wouldn't have used her so easily.

A gust of cool wind swept by, and Duan Yuyan, who was soaked to the bone, couldn't help but shiver.

"Princess, be careful not to catch a cold."

Man'er whispered instructions and quickly draped the cloak that the maid had brought over onto Duan Yuyan's body.

Duan Yuyan gave her a cold glance and said...

"You might as well let me freeze to death before you serve it to me!"

"This servant wouldn't dare, it was one of my subordinates..."

"Get lost!" Duan Yuyan glanced at her impatiently, naturally not wanting to teach this ignorant Man'er a lesson in front of Shen Mu.

"Yes, this servant dares not!" Man'er trembled all over from the scolding and quickly retreated to the side.

As soon as she caught sight of Eunuch Tao approaching with hurried steps, her face turned pale.

"male……"

"What do you mean, 'grandfather'? Can't you see I'm busy?" Duan Yuyan couldn't help but scold Man'er.

She was already in a bad mood today, because Pei Suisui's matter had caused a mess. Not only did she fail to catch the person she wanted to catch, but she was also humiliated for no reason.

Having nowhere to vent her anger, she naturally wanted to take it out on Man'er.

Duan Yuyan raised her hand to hit Man'er, who was so frightened that she closed her eyes and dared not dodge.

At the critical moment, a shrill voice rang out.

"Stop it, all of you!"

"Who dares to stop this princess!"

Duan Yuyan looked in the direction of the sound, her body stiffening instantly, her hand still raised in mid-air before it could fall.

Everyone stopped and looked up.

Standing in the courtyard was none other than Eunuch Tao, who had arrived slowly.

At over forty years old, he had run from the gate of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to this place, and he was inevitably a little out of breath.

At this moment, he feigned composure and sternly rebuked Duan Yuyan again.

"His Majesty has decreed that the Fourth Princess should forgive him. If the Fourth Princess wishes to disobey the decree, then this servant will await the Fourth Princess's judgment!"

His voice was extremely high-pitched, but the serious expression in his words still startled Duan Yuyan.

She quickly composed herself, withdrew her hand that had been hovering in mid-air, tightened her cloak, and walked to Eunuch Tao's side.

"Yan'er would never dare to disobey the Emperor. Does Father-in-law have the Emperor's decree?"

Once she came to her senses, she naturally thought of the incident where she caused a scene at the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

She originally intended to resolve the matter quickly by taking Pei Suisui from Shen Mu, thus suppressing the issue. However, she didn't expect that this whole ordeal would lead even her father, the Emperor, to find out about it.

"Of course we have one, otherwise how would we dare to stop the Fourth Princess?" Eunuch Tao's words were loaded with meaning, as if he were hinting at Duan Yuyan.

Although the fourth princess was favored by the emperor and was rumored to be blessed with good fortune, her noble status meant that no one dared to offend her easily.

However, Tao Dehai had followed the Emperor since his time as a prince, and his words carried weight comparable to those of Duan Yuyan.

He recalled the emperor's instructions before he left the palace, which gave him the confidence to argue with the princess.

"What are you saying, Eunuch Tao? If Father Emperor needs anything and summons me, I will certainly put Father Emperor first."

Duan Yuyan finally came to her senses and quickly lowered her head to speak politely.

At this moment, she feigned humility, showing none of the arrogance she had displayed just moments before.

After all, she wasn't stupid; she could distinguish between being arrogant for a moment and being arrogant forever. Right now, she hadn't had time to resolve the trouble of marrying into the Western Regions.

We mustn't offend Eunuch Tao, the emperor's favorite, again.

"Really? The Fourth Princess is very thoughtful."

Eunuch Tao glanced at her a few times without making a sound. Even though a heavy rain had soaked her to the bone, her clothes were disheveled, her hair was covered with unidentifiable jeweled hairpins, and her face was pale and gray.

Each of these elements, when put together, resembles a clown in a traditional opera, creating a situation that is both laughable and absurd.

If he hadn't entered the courtyard just now and seen Duan Yuyan about to slap her servants again, he probably wouldn't have done it either, even for an old man like him who had served the emperor for over twenty years.

They wouldn't recognize the fourth princess either.

Eunuch Tao shook his head inwardly. Admittedly, he also had some doubts about the rumors of the auspicious star of Nanyang.

"Then may I ask, Eunuch Tao, what is His Majesty's decree?" Duan Yuyan, feeling guilty, quickly tried to divert Eunuch Tao's attention.

"His Majesty has summoned you and Shen Mu to the palace for an audience. Since the time is a bit rushed, you two will have to go on your own." After saying this, Eunuch Tao also turned around and nodded to Shen Mu, who was standing under the corridor.

Although he was extremely cold towards the Fourth Princess, he was quite interested in this commander.

Seeing this, Shen Mu naturally replied politely.

"Thank you for making this trip, Eunuch Tao. However, it is already late. Why don't you come to the palace with me?"

He truly hates Duan Yuyan now.

Although, given his personality, he would usually ignore such decrees when he was in the divine realm, he could not afford to turn against the Emperor of Nanyang at this time, since he had not yet found Sun Youzhi.

His hands, clasped behind his back, gradually clenched as he tried to control his emotions.

"Then I'll gladly accept your offer. I'll trouble Lord Shen to help me out." Eunuch Tao was naturally not being polite, after all, he still had some things to say to him privately.

Seeing the two leave in a hurry, Duan Yuyan's already pale face became even more terrifying with anger.

Man'er shrank back but still forced herself to ask.

“Princess…why don’t I help you change your clothes first? I’m afraid this attire is…not in accordance with the rules for entering the palace.”

"Snapped--"

Duan Yuyan swung her palm, seemingly using all her strength, and knocked Man'er to the ground, unable to move.

In an instant, half of Man'er's face swelled up. She dared not say another word, and could only force herself to kneel down and kowtow to admit her mistake.

"This servant was wrong! Please, Your Highness, calm your anger! This servant was wrong! Please, Your Highness, calm your anger!"

Ignoring the swelling on her face, she kept kneeling on the ground and kowtowing, fearing that Duan Yuyan might take her life right now.

Duan Yuyan rubbed her wrist with a hint of disgust.

"How dare you presume to interfere with this princess? I'll settle this score with you when I get back!"