Shocking! In this matriarchal society, every man wants to marry me!

Xia Muning put on his clothes and walked up to the little teacher. He originally wanted to pretend he didn't see him, but the little teacher was making too much noise!

Xia Muning looked around. The palace was extremely quiet. Despite such a commotion, not a single person in the palace came over to ask what had happened.

Either Yue Wentao was really lax in her management, and the palace servants were used to being idle, or Yue Wentao did it on purpose. According to Xia Muning's observation, the latter was more likely.

Xia Muning had a bad feeling, but the little teacher's words still made Xia Muning, who was full of doubts, follow behind the little teacher.

The young tutor had an ordinary appearance, but a pair of bright, intelligent eyes that added to her beauty. She lowered her voice and said, "Lord Xia, please come with me. I am the tutor who serves Noble Lady Xia. I have something to tell you!"

The young scholar walked ahead, while Xia Muning followed silently and warily behind him until they reached a secluded courtyard, where the young scholar stopped.

Xia Muning observed carefully and found that it was a secluded courtyard with weeds growing in the middle and a well in the center. Perhaps no one had been here for a long time, as it was covered with moss.

The young scholar breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing her task was complete. She wanted to slip away quietly while Xia Muning wasn't paying attention. She was quite familiar with the palace, and once she was gone, she would be like a fish leaping into the sea, and Xia Muning would never be able to find her again!

However, Xia Muning would not let her go. She noticed the little teacher's thoughts and mercilessly drew the whip from her waist, binding her tightly to the spot.

Since Zhongtian's incident, Xia Muning's whip has once again been worn around her waist. To avoid inspections by the palace, Xia Muning cleverly designed it to resemble a belt.

The young scholar was clearly terrified by this action and tried to cry out, but Xia Muning covered her mouth and whispered, "You led me to this place, and now you want to leave! Come with me! If you don't want to die, shut up!"

Xia Muning knew that this young tutor was not her brother's man, so she immediately wanted to turn around and leave, but the familiar voice in the room made her stop in her tracks.

"Your confrontation with His Majesty today has truly put me in a difficult position!" This was the Empress Dowager's voice!

Driven by intense curiosity, Xia Muning quietly approached the window, keeping a close eye on his feet to avoid making a sound.

He peered through the crack in the window. He knew it was dangerous, but fortune favors the bold, and Xia Muning needed to find a way out of the perilous and treacherous imperial palace.

When Xia Muning saw the two people inside, her eyes widened instantly.

The powerful Prime Minister Jiang and the Empress Dowager, who are as revered as fathers of the nation, are having a secret rendezvous in this secluded palace.

Prime Minister Jiang grasped the Empress Dowager's hand, his tone gentler than ever before: "Empress Dowager, you shouldn't have summoned Lord Xia to the palace today. Lord Xia's fate is incompatible with yours, and I'm always worried about him coming to the palace."

The Empress Dowager touched her chest, still somewhat shaken. "I was also a little flustered. After seeing Lord Xia today, I felt a tightness in my chest. We are truly incompatible!"

Xia Muning knew perfectly well that Le Wentao had once again poisoned the Empress Dowager's tea, but the dosage was much smaller. The first time it was so serious. If there were no problems this time, the Empress Dowager would not believe the rumor of their fates being incompatible!

Prime Minister Jiang reached out and gently patted the Empress Dowager's chest to help her breathe: "Empress Dowager, have you summoned the imperial physician to examine her?"

This rather intimate gesture made the Empress Dowager blush slightly, but he didn't mind and instead moved even closer to Prime Minister Jiang.

"No, I was just in a hurry to see you! I know you want the Zhong family's Shun Ning Express, so I risked everything today to try and match Xia Mu Ning with your adopted daughter so that I could rightfully obtain the Zhong family's assets. Who knew His Majesty would find out and ruin the plan."

Prime Minister Jiang embraced the Empress Dowager, his voice tinged with concern: "I will take care of things myself, why must you take such a risk for me?"

"It's always worth it for you. I'm willing to put in any effort for you."

However, the Empress Dowager hesitated for a moment and said to Prime Minister Jiang, "Yuxiao is someone we've watched grow up, just like our child. You should show her some consideration and not put me in a difficult position!"

Prime Minister Jiang nodded. If His Majesty didn't go too far, out of respect for the Empress Dowager, she wouldn't go so far as to kill him.

The Empress Dowager and Prime Minister Jiang hadn't seen each other for a long time, and this wasn't just for a few words. Xia Muning noticed the atmosphere was getting quite heated. Just as she was about to leave...

Suddenly, a guard who had mistakenly wandered into the palace saw Xia Muning peeping outside and immediately shouted, "Who's there?"

While immersed in the beauty of spring, Prime Minister Jiang was startled and casually threw the jade pendant, which struck the rash guard. Blood gushed from the guard's forehead, and he immediately collapsed to the ground.

Prime Minister Jiang dressed and immediately went out to investigate. He opened the door and found a young scholar bound tightly outside. There was a foul smell on the ground, and he was clearly terrified!

Prime Minister Jiang squatted down and stared intently at the pale face of the young scholar before him: "Which palace are you from?"

The young scholar was so frightened that he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

Prime Minister Jiang grabbed the young scholar by the neck, his voice cold: "I will not force anyone. If you don't speak now, you can wait to go to the underworld and talk to King Yama!"

With a forceful pull of both hands, the young scholar breathed his last!

Prime Minister Jiang took down the whip that had been used to bind the young scholar, examined it carefully, and realized that it did not resemble the style found in the palace!

A bodyguard dressed entirely in black silently knelt beside Prime Minister Jiang. Prime Minister Jiang said calmly, "Throw him into the well."

Survival in the palace is hellish. If a palace is missing two unknown tutors and guards, it's like two drops of water flowing into a vast ocean—not even a ripple will appear.

The Empress Dowager, wearing a robe, also came out. Her expression was not good: "I just saw the face of that young tutor. He is a servant in Consort Le's kitchen. He brought me some snacks. I have a good memory and I won't forget him."

"Le Wentao?" Prime Minister Jiang murmured the name to himself.

Jiang Chengxiang said to the Empress Dowager, "Don't worry, go back quickly. Don't worry, I'll handle it!"

The Empress Dowager nodded: "Alright."

"Secretly investigate this whip within the palace to see who made it. It doesn't look like an item from the palace," Jiang Chengxiang said to the guards.

"Yes."

A gentle breeze blew through the remaining leaves on the trees, causing them to drift down slowly like butterflies. After a while, once everyone had left, Xia Muning emerged from the shadows.

Walking towards the deep well, Xia Muning peered into it and saw two corpses inside.

The little scholar's once bright eyes had lost their luster, leaving only the fear of death. Her eyes stared straight at Xia Muning, as if she were accusing him.