Your Highness, please stop chasing me.

"I hope that the Regent can protect my Mu family in times of crisis. Of course, if my Mu family really makes a mistake, Your Highness need not heed this promise. In that case, our agreement will automatically become invalid." Mu Xue was not an unreasonable person, but she firmly believed that her father and brothers would not do anything against the country or loyalty.

But sometimes you can't be safe just because you don't make mistakes. The court is a dangerous place, so Mu Xue has to be careful.

"I grant your request." Ye Shangyuan hadn't expected Mu Xue to make such a demand.

In an instant, Ye Shangyuan's impression of Mu Xue changed.

Shen Ji exclaimed from the side, "No way, you just agreed like that? Our prince is very rich, why don't you take this opportunity to ask for a few shops and tens of thousands of taels of silver?"

Mu Xue was dumbfounded. Was this person Ye Shangyuan's friend? Or was he a spy sent by the enemy?

She looked at Shen Ji and reminded him, "Young Master, you must have forgotten that I also get a commission when I hand over the blueprints to you. I have confidence in my blueprints."

"Who would turn down money?" Shen Ji looked at Mu Xue as if she were a monster.

Mu Xue thought this person was obsessed with money.

Ye Shangyuan couldn't bear to look at his friend anymore; he felt that coming out with him was a mistake.

"It was a pleasure working with you, Regent. I'll take my leave now. After all, I can't stay out for too long." Mu Xue didn't really want to stay with Shen Ji any longer; she was afraid that low intelligence might be contagious.

"Take care, Miss Fifth," Ye Shangyuan said, nodding.

Stepping out of the East Ward, Mu Xue let out a long sigh of relief.

Even though he was used to being through gunfire in his previous life, Ye Shangyuan's aura was still terrifying.

However, this brief contact confirmed Mu Xue's suspicions: Ye Shangyuan had been poisoned.

The regent was actually poisoned, and he must have known it himself.

In her previous life, Mu Xue had studied the Poison Classic, and it contained records of this poison.

This poison, named "Hitless," is colorless and odorless. It is a latent poison that can remain dormant in the body for decades without a trigger. Even when a trigger appears, it will not immediately take effect, but will manifest around midnight, causing excruciating headaches and unbearable pain. The intervals between attacks become increasingly shorter, eventually leading to death from the agonizing pain.

As Mu Xue walked, she pondered, wondering if Ye Shangyuan's poison had been infrequent for too long. It wouldn't be right for her to shamelessly ask him, "Come, let me take your pulse," on their first meeting.

At that time, Ye Shangyuan will probably beat her into a fool again.

Mu Xue touched the silver notes tucked in her chest and smiled.

She had just sold the blueprints for the seven-holed dagger to Ye Shangyuan. As Shen Ji had said, Ye Shangyuan wasn't short of money; he generously gave her a dozen silver notes, a full ten thousand taels, explaining that it was a deposit. It seems the weapons business is incredibly profitable in any era.

Thinking about the Treasure Pavilion auction the day after tomorrow, Mu Xue suddenly felt that the silver notes in her hand were no longer so appealing.

For Fire Dragon Grass, 10,000 taels might not be enough!

After Mu Xue left, Ye Shangyuan took the blueprints for the seven-hole dagger and went into the room where they had been at the beginning with Shen Ji.

Before anyone knew it, Wu Ying had also entered the house and was waiting.

"Come and take a look at these blueprints." Ye Shangyuan spread out the blueprints on his desk.

Although Shen Jiping may seem unreliable, few people know that he is a genius among weapons designers.

Wu Ying respectfully walked to Ye Shangyuan's side: "Master, this Fifth Miss is quite different from the rumors. Just look at the aura she had when she was drawing her blade. It's not something an ordinary noble lady could have."

At that moment, he felt a strong resemblance to his former master.

Before Ye Shangyuan could say anything, Shen Ji excitedly shouted, "Little Yuanyuan, come and see! This place is amazing!" He clapped his hands and gestured wildly as he spoke.

This manic state made Ye Shangyuan's brow twitch; he wished he could knock him unconscious with a single blow.

Wu Ying also came over. Mu Xue had explained this blueprint to him in detail, so he understood it perfectly.

That arrogant expression left no doubt that if you gave him a tail, he could fly.

Shen asked, and Wu answered.

Two hours had passed between the question and the answer.

Even Ye Shangyuan couldn't help but marvel at how ingeniously this small dagger could be designed.

He felt a renewed curiosity about Mu Xue.

He immediately instructed Wu Ying: "Forge one using the finest refined iron."

Wu responded and got up to prepare.

When Mu Xue returned to the manor, she sensed something was amiss. Sure enough, before she could even enter the main hall, she heard a constable's voice: "We are just following orders. Steward Wang, you'd better hurry and call the Fifth Miss out so we can go to the yamen together."

"Gentlemen, my young lady is not here. I will inform her when she returns," Steward Wang said indifferently.

Logically speaking, Mu Xue is the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion, so such a thing should never happen to her.

"Steward Wang, aren't you making things difficult for me?" the constable said with a bitter face.

"Butler Wang, prepare the car. I'll change my clothes and leave." Before Butler Wang could speak again, Mao Muxue interrupted.

She already knew that Prince Jing's heir must have been involved.

After all, she was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Even though her family had left the capital, her father was still the heir of the Duke's mansion and a great general. Compared to the Jiang family, if no one instructed them, this small prefectural government probably wouldn't dare to come knocking on their door to summon someone.

The constable looked at Mu Xue with a forced smile. Even though the news had spread throughout the city that the Fifth Miss was no longer stupid, in their eyes, offending the heir of the Prince Jing's mansion was just asking for trouble: "Since the Fifth Miss has arrived, let's go. Fifth Miss, please."

"Miss Wu said she needs to change her clothes, so please wait a moment, gentlemen," Butler Wang stepped forward, blocking the officer from taking Mu Xue's hand.

Mu Xue glanced discreetly at the person trying to pull her away; he had a lewd look on his face and a pointed, monkey-like face.

Before Mu Xue even arrived at the yamen after changing her clothes, the news had already spread like wildfire.

Su Su lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked outside. She saw that the people on the street were all pointing and talking about the carriage.

She said indignantly, "Miss, these people are really going too far. They haven't even investigated the matter properly, how can they slander you like this?"

Mu Xue closed her eyes to rest, ignoring the pointing and whispering of the people outside the carriage.

Now she has no manpower, no backing, and can only rely on herself.

Mu Hu suggested contacting Mu Qinghe, the original owner's father, more than once. But does someone who could abandon his only daughter in the Mu family for eight years without a word to her really care about her?

Mu Xue has never been one to entrust her life to others.

Only you can believe in yourself.

When she opened her eyes again, they were already at the entrance of the yamen. Su Su helped Mu Xue down from the carriage. Ignoring the crowd outside the gate, Mu Xue calmly followed the constable into the hall. Before they even entered, they heard Boss Jiang's voice.

"My lord, my daughter was killed by Miss Mu Wu. Please, my lord, do justice for the Jiang family." This time, his acting was superb, and he cried with tears streaming down his face.

"You say I'm the one who harmed you, so where's the evidence?" Mu Xue said lazily.

"Why are the people below not kneeling?" Prefect Chen Li shouted coldly.

Mu Xue looked at Chen Li with icy eyes.

She recognized this person; he was Mo Shijie's follower, the second son of the Wang family, and had a very good personal relationship with Wang Minghong. The two of them were practically in cahoots in Yunan City.

The Prince Jing's Mansion is practically the only one that matters in Yunan City; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a local tyrant.

The old emperor felt sorry for the young Prince Jing, so he set Prince Jing's fiefdom in Yunan City, which was only three days away from the capital.

Strictly speaking, Mo Shijie is Prince Jing's grandson, but Prince Jing's mansion only has one daughter, Mo Shijie's mother, Ye Ling'er. Because of her love for Mo Shijie, Prince Jing also dotes on him and even specially requested an imperial decree to bestow upon him the title of heir apparent.

Although his title was somewhat illegitimate, the late emperor, out of pity that his uncle had no successor, made an exception and bestowed the title of Heir Apparent upon Mo Shijie.

The sky is high and the emperor is far away.

In this Yu Nan City, Mo Shijie never did anything himself; naturally, there were people doing everything for him.