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

"She should ask Haojing to keep a close eye on things. I'm afraid things won't be peaceful for long along the way."

Shen Mu's already slightly furrowed brows tightened even more, as he had a premonition that this trip would not go smoothly.

Thirteen shrank his neck and said in a muffled voice.

"I was originally thinking of finding a way to put her in Prime Minister Pei's carriage so that she could be looked after. But after hearing that Prime Minister Pei's carriage is close to the Crown Prince's, I think it's better to avoid trouble."

Although she had never had any dealings with the Crown Prince Duan Yuqing.

However, given the strong support of Prime Minister Pei and Lord Cui, the Crown Prince, who is most likely to become emperor in the future, should be of good character.

"That Crown Prince is no ordinary person either. If you think that Prime Minister Pei can be spared by the Crown Prince, you are probably overthinking it."

Shen Mu's indifferent voice came softly from above her head.

"You! Cough cough cough..."

Thirteen was surprised that Shen Mu had guessed his thoughts perfectly. Shocked, he choked and couldn't catch his breath.

"What? Are you trying to explain why I was able to guess what you were thinking?"

Shen Shenmu leaned back slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept by, lifting the clothes of the two of them.

Thirteen subconsciously tightened the cloak on her shoulders; ever since she transformed back into her female form, her body had become even weaker.

"I think no matter how I calculate, I can't outsmart you, you old fox. If the Crown Prince were reliable, you wouldn't have presented the false evidence that the Duke of Anguo deliberately fabricated to His Majesty."

She remembered that she had personally gone to the eighth floor of Zuixianlou to retrieve clues about the assassin.

They thought the matter was perfectly resolved, but little did they know that the evidence was actually a trap set by the Duke of Anguo.

The purpose was to shift all the blame to the Western Regions. In addition, since the matter was reported by the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was inevitable that the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Crown Prince's faction would become more estranged.

A plan to kill two birds with one stone!

"But what if I told you that this was originally a plan between me and the Crown Prince?"

"what?"

Thirteen paused, then gasped in surprise. She tilted her head back, staring blankly at Shen Mu, who remained calm, her dark eyes filled with shock.

Even after thinking about it for a long time, she never imagined that the Crown Prince seemed to have been in contact with Shen Mu all along!

"You mean the Crown Prince and you had a plan all along? Then why did you hand over the evidence of crimes committed in the Western Regions to the Emperor? No, no..."

Thirteen waved her hands frantically, shaking her head, as if she had suddenly realized that she had overlooked something.

Right now, she was pacing back and forth anxiously, refusing to let Shen Mu reveal the answer.

It wasn't until Shen Mu saw that she had walked more than twenty laps that Thirteen slowly stopped.

Even though she was so excited, her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Actually, you saw long ago that the evidence I took from Zuixianlou was fake. You just played along to lure out the Southern Barbarians hiding behind the Western Regions, didn't you?"

"..."

Before Shen Mu could answer, Thirteen quickly continued.

"So, the reason you dared to openly expose the crimes of the Southern Barbarians at the Emperor's birthday celebration was that you wanted to lure the Duke of Anguo into a trap set by you and the Crown Prince. In this way, the Duke of Anguo would have no way to defend himself in front of everyone."

"..."

Shen Mu smiled without saying a word, but simply nodded slightly at her.

Upon seeing this, Thirteen's eyes lit up, and he immediately added...

"So, the Crown Prince being confined was also part of your plan?" A strange unease began to rise within her.

If she really guessed Shen Mu's thoughts, then from the moment the assassination attempt at Fengyazhai began, everyone's reactions and actions would fall into Shen Mu's plan and become his pawns.

However, she still couldn't quite understand it.

Shen Mu and she were both originally divine beings descended from the heavens, and they bore the same responsibilities.

That is to eliminate the demon lord Chongming, who intends to destroy the mortal world.

What puzzled her was why Shen Mu wanted to interfere in matters of the mortal realm.

Shouldn't they, as divine beings, try their best to avoid disturbing the fortunes of others in the mortal realm, lest they bring about terrifying consequences?

This principle was something her master had repeatedly reminded her of before she descended to the mortal realm.

These are all experiences accumulated by successive divine rulers, and should be strictly implemented.

"You guessed right. I did indeed conspire with the Crown Prince to have him confined to the palace for three months. This was to completely clear all obstacles for the An family."

"For the An family?" Thirteen couldn't help but ask in surprise.

Shen Mu's deep voice slowly entered her ears.

"Only when the An family truly believes they are one step away from the throne will they dare to plot a coup." His tone was extremely calm, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

Thirteen, on the contrary, gasped in shock, realizing how much she had missed!

"They're planning a rebellion? Doesn't the Emperor of Nanyang know?"

"Of course I know, otherwise why do you think we would send Prime Minister Pei to Philadelphia at this time?"

Shen Mu's eyes betrayed his weariness; he hadn't rested for a long time as he planned the expedition.

Thirteen looked up and saw a stone slab not far away, so he pulled on Shen Mu's clothes and walked over to sit down.

Although she can walk freely now, her legs still ache slightly after a while.

"So, it seems that Prime Minister Pei and his entourage will return to the capital safely, right? Pei Sui Sui should be able to put her mind at ease now."

Shen Mu turned his head and glanced at Thirteen's innocent look, and couldn't help but smile.

"If that's really what you think, then you've never truly seen through the Emperor of Nanyang's mind."

"What do you mean?"

After a moment's rest, Thirteen quickly complained.

"I'm not like you, and my information network isn't as extensive as yours, so naturally I can't understand the emperor's thoughts. Otherwise, how could you have been appointed as the commander?"

Faced with Thirteen's inner grumbling, Shen Mu simply gave a cold laugh.

"The emperor spent most of the national treasury to build the Bright Moon Palace. Apart from himself, only the current Vice Minister of Revenue and Minister Pei Zhiheng knew about this."

Thirteen took a deep breath to keep herself from fainting, and quickly suppressed her trembling voice as she asked...

"You mean the Emperor, fearing that the empty treasury would be exposed, wanted to kill Prime Minister Pei to silence him?"

"Yes, you guessed right."

"So, does that mean His Majesty really doesn't want Prime Minister Pei to return to the capital safely? What is his plan? Is it to kill Prime Minister Pei on the way? Or has he planted an ambush in Philadelphia?"

She slowly lowered her head, lost in thought.

It wasn't until she remembered an old friend that the previously chaotic clues seemed to suddenly come together.

"I've figured it out, Shen Mu!"