Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Shen Yu turned his head at the sound and saw the palace maid standing upright with an oval face and small red lips. When she saw Shen Yu, she winked at him suggestively.

Shen Yu: "..."

With many eyes and ears around, Shadow Seventeen only gave a slight hint. He moved back a little and, using his robes as cover, slipped the note into Shen Yu's hand.

Shen Yu pinched the note between his fingers and quickly put it away, his face remaining calm.

The transaction was simple and brief. Shen Yu hid his belongings and continued to glance at the pavilion above out of the corner of his eye.

The two people sitting opposite each other were talking about something. From Shen Yu's perspective, he could only see Wen Yu leaning back in the armchair, holding a wine glass in front of him with one hand and swaying it, seemingly talking to Mu Yuyuan.

Mu Yuyuan sat upright. He was a trained bodyguard, and his face was hidden under a mask, but his eyes were fixed on Wen Yu.

"Your Majesty, I wonder where you went yesterday?" Mu Yuyuan's low, husky voice came from under his mask. He looked at Wen Yu and said, "I think I saw Your Majesty yesterday, but you were not in the inner palace."

“You said it looks like it, so you must be seeing things.” Wen Yu met Mu Yuyuan’s gaze and said, “I had a headache yesterday and rested in the inner palace. I did not go out.”

"..." Mu Yuyuan's eyes darkened. "Is that so? Is there anyone to prove it? I have already asked the palace maids and eunuchs who were on duty in the outer hall yesterday, and they said that there was no sound from Her Majesty's room yesterday."

"Chief, do you have any evidence to prove that you've seen me?" Wen Yu smiled and said, "It's laughable that you claim to have seen me just because you've seen me for a moment."

Wen Yu's tone remained sharp, and Mu Yuyuan sensed the hostility hidden within him. She gripped her wine cup with one hand and said, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of offending you. It's just that the presence of so many corpses in Your Majesty's backyard is quite alarming."

Wen Yu paused in his tea-drinking motion, feigning ignorance, and continued, "What corpse? How come I don't know anything about it?"

He did smell a strong stench when he jumped into the well that day. The well water contained countless mutilated corpses, most of which had turned into bones.

"Your Majesty doesn't know?" Mu Yuyuan gestured to the guard behind her, who stepped forward and placed the package in his hand on the table.

Mu Yuyuan opened the package, inside which were several wet clothes piled together, with a pure black headband printed with gold tassels on top.

Wen Yu was stunned for a few seconds. He clenched his fingers, and a slight stinging pain rose in his eyes: "Chief, what is this?"

"The clothes worn by the corpse in the well before its death," Mu Yuyuan said calmly. "These are all the clothes of Chengyuan Mountain. I heard that Your Highness used to study on Chengyuan Mountain, so you may know these people."

Wen Yu remained silent with a blank expression.

Mu Yuyuan glanced at him and continued, "But since Her Majesty came to Yue Kingdom, she seems to have lost contact with the people on Chengyuan Mountain. Chengyuan Mountain... has now also removed Her Majesty from the list."

Wen Yu sneered: "Are you trying to say that I harbored resentment towards them, so I killed them and buried their bodies?"

Mu Yuyuan remained silent, his dark and deep eyes fixed on Wen Yu, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Wen Yu held a wine glass, the smile fading from his lips. Suddenly, without warning, he threw the porcelain glass onto the table, splashing the water droplets inside. "Chief, you report directly to His Majesty. You can go back and ask him."

“You can ask him who killed these people and how they died,” Wen Yu said, her voice cold and deliberate. “He knows more about these things than I do.”

Mu Yuyuan slowly narrowed his eyes. He glanced at the broken porcelain cup on the table and gestured to the guards behind him not to make any rash moves.

Wen Yu showed no fear. He swept the cups and saucers off the table and got up to leave in full view of everyone.

Shen Yu was startled by the commotion above. He looked up and saw Wen Yu walking down the steps with a flick of his sleeve. Wen Yu's face was gloomy. Shen Yu glanced at him, then quietly lowered his head and stood at the very back.

Wen Yu strode past Shen Yu, his aura chilling, creating a cold wind in front of Shen Yu.

Shen Yu watched him walk away, then frowned and turned his gaze to the pavilion. The guards who had followed Mu Yuyuan earlier had dispersed elsewhere, and several palace maids were still wiping the table.

When Shen Yu saw Mu Yuyuan get up and walk down the steps, he immediately lowered his head.

"Cuihua, come out." Shen Yu saw Mu Yuyuan's golden python shoes stop in front of him, and her voice came down from above.

Shen Yu frowned slightly and bowed, saying, "Yes, Chief."

Mu Yuyuan led Shen Yu to a secluded corner in Kunning Palace. Shen Yu followed behind Mu Yuyuan, looking at her back, but for the time being, he didn't notice anything about her that seemed familiar to him.

...But why did he say those inexplicable things to Wen Yu?

Mu Yuyuan stood in the shadows, using the shadows beside him to block Shen Yu's figure. After a moment of hesitation, he looked at Shen Yu and said, "Cuihua, when did you become so familiar with Her Majesty the Empress?"

His voice carried a suppressed somberness, and his eyes were fixed on Shen Yu, filled with an inexplicable resentment.

Shen Yu: "..."

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Shen Yu said. “His Majesty ordered me to monitor the Empress, and I am merely following orders.”

"Acting under orders? What a fine 'Acting under orders'!" Mu Yuyuan scoffed, his eyes slightly red as he looked at Shen Yu and said, word by word, "When you were making love with him last night, did you even think of me for a moment?!"

Shen Yu: "..."

He frowned and looked at Mu Yuyuan: "Why do I miss you?"

"What did you say?" Mu Yuyuan froze, as if he had been severely injured, his tone filled with disbelief. "Are you trying to distance yourself from me now?"

"..." Shen Yu was puzzled. "Chief, I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I've only met you twice, and we shouldn't be that close."

Mu Yuyuan suddenly grabbed Shen Yu's sleeve, pulling him a distance away, and said coldly, "Mistaken identity? How could I mistake someone else?! I didn't even have time to clean you up after that night, and you still have my scent on you. I can smell it all!"

Shen Yu's expression turned slightly cold. He grabbed his sleeve and shoved Mu Yuyuan aside, saying, "I'll say it again, I don't know you. Don't get close to me."

Mu Yuyuan took a few steps back and bumped into the wall. He blinked, his Adam's apple bobbing stiffly, "...You don't want me anymore?"

Shen Yu turned to leave: "Get lost."

Mu Yuyuan raised his eyes, and he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Shen Yu's sleeve again, this time loosening his grip and controlling the distance.

"You can't go."