Your Highness, please stop chasing me.

Upon hearing Mu Xue's words, Ye Shangyuan smiled, feeling extremely smug.

At this moment, Mu An knocked on the door, entered, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, Master, Prefect Chen is outside requesting an audience."

Mu Qinghe asked, puzzled, "Chen Li? What's he doing here? I don't recall our household having any dealings with him."

Mu An said, "Prefect Chen said he came to request an audience with the Regent."

Mu Sheng was now curious as well. He turned to look at Ye Shangyuan and asked, "How did Chen Li know you came to Yu Nan City?"

Ye Shangyuan smiled knowingly and said, "When Chen Li was sent to serve as an official in another region, I met him a few times. I suppose he recognized the carriage I was riding in, which is why he came looking for me. It seems someone is about to get restless."

When Ye Shangyuan said the last sentence, he was clearly looking at Mu Xue.

Mu Xue was taken aback at first, then smiled knowingly.

Mu Sheng was completely confused. What kind of riddle were these two playing?

Mu Qinghe didn't want anyone to see that he actually didn't understand the Regent's move either; he was just pretending to be calm, unlike Mu Sheng who showed the same confusion.

Ye Shangyuan said, "Please let them in."

While Mu An went out to fetch someone, Mu Sheng leaned forward and asked curiously, "What does Chen Li want with you? I seem to remember that his brother is Chen Gong, right? So, is he also one of the Wing King's men?"

Ye Shangyuan sneered and said, "My eldest brother would never look down on someone as mediocre as Chen Li. If it weren't for Chen Gong's advice and strategies behind the scenes, Chen Li wouldn't even have become a prefect."

Mu Sheng nodded. Although he was often away traveling, whenever he returned to the capital, Ye San and Leng Quan would still gossip with him about the affairs between officials in the capital. He was quite familiar with the officials of Xiyu Kingdom. Because he was away from home for so long, sometimes knowing about some officials could solve a lot of problems.

He then asked Ye Shangyuan, "You yourself said he's mediocre, someone even the Wing King wouldn't look favorably upon, so why are you still seeing him?"

When Mu Xue heard Mu Sheng's question, she gave him a look as if he were an idiot, then lowered her head and said nothing more.

Mu Sheng also noticed her gaze, and he immediately asked fiercely, "Hey, Mu Xiaowu, what kind of look is that? I saw it!"

Ye Shangyuan frowned as he looked at his friend. He suddenly felt that the men in the Mu family were all a bit dim-witted! All of them combined were not as smart as Mu Xue.

Seeing that Mu Sheng still hadn't reacted, Ye Shangyuan had no choice but to explain, "Rather than saying he came to pledge allegiance to me, it would be more accurate to say that he came to me to protect himself."

"Self-preservation?" Mu Sheng muttered to himself.

Seeing the puzzled looks on Mu Sheng and Mu Qinghe's faces, Mu Xue kindly explained, "Lord Chen has been the prefect of Yu Nan City for almost four years. For anyone with urgent or important matters requiring reporting to the authorities or pulling strings, the quickest way is to go to the yamen (government office). Therefore, over the years, Lord Chen must have a lot of dirt on Yu Nan City or certain important figures. The Prince's frequent trips to Yu Nan City lately probably indicate that Lord Chen is in a hurry."

Ye Shangyuan gave Mu Xue an approving look and continued, "What Mu Mu said is pretty much true. I am indeed very wise. Chen Li is mediocre and likes to be greedy for small amounts of money, but he is cowardly as a mouse. If he is not acting under someone else's orders, he would not dare to do anything outrageous. This time, he came to see me, which is probably a big matter concerning the Jingwang Mansion."

Upon hearing Ye Shangyuan and Mu Xue's explanation, Mu Qinghe and his son Mu Sheng immediately understood.

Mu Qinghe asked, "Did Chen Li come to see the Prince to present the evidence he has regarding the Jing Prince's Mansion's crimes?"

Mu Sheng said, "I think it should be more than that, otherwise he wouldn't have come to our Mu residence to ambush people."

Mu Xue continued, "There must be more than that. He must have come to make amends."

Mu Sheng became interested upon hearing this and asked, "What mistake did he make?"

Ye Shangyuan suddenly gave a cold laugh and said, "His biggest mistake was offending Mu Mu."

Mu Sheng was taken aback. He looked at Mu Qinghe beside him. He didn't know that Mu Xue had been framed before. Mu Feng had returned to Yu Nan City because of this incident, and it was also because of this incident that he drove Mu Xue out of the Mu family mansion.

As soon as the conversation ended, Mu An led Chen Li over.

Upon seeing Ye Shangyuan, Chen Li immediately knelt down and performed a grand salute, saying, "Greetings, Regent. I apologize for my abrupt request to see you."

Ye Shangyuan snorted coldly and said indifferently, "Since you know you were being reckless, why do you still come to see me? May I ask what brings you here, Lord Chen?"

Upon hearing Ye Shangyuan speak, Chen Li looked up at Ye Shangyuan, then glanced at Mu Xue sitting next to him. He quickly lowered his head again and said, "I have come to report to Your Highness about the recent events in Yu Nan City. I dare not make any decisions on my own and would like Your Highness to make the final decision."

Ye Shangyuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "It's best if you, Lord Chen, decide the matter of Yu Nan City yourself. It's not appropriate for me to interfere."

Upon hearing Ye Shangyuan's words, Chen Li broke out in a cold sweat. Even if he was slow-witted, he could understand the meaning behind Ye Shangyuan's words. He suddenly realized that coming here this time was definitely the right decision!

Chen Li suddenly kowtowed to Ye Shangyuan and said, "Your Majesty, I have been coerced by Prince Jing's son in recent years and have done many wrong things. But I was forced to do so. I have a lot of evidence against Prince Jing's son and his consort, especially against Prince Jing's son, no, Mo Shijie, and the evidence that he framed Miss Mu. I have it all."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xue's eyes flickered, a cold glint flashing in them. She suddenly asked, "Do you also have evidence of the fire in Shenjing Alley?"

Upon hearing Mu Xue's voice, Chen Li was suddenly taken aback. He cautiously looked up at Ye Shangyuan and, seeing that he did not intend to get angry, he understood. It was likely that the fifth young lady of the Mu family and the regent were on the same side. Did that mean that General Mu, or rather the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, was also on the regent's side?

Chen Li wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied without the slightest negligence, "Miss, you are unaware that the fire in Shenjing Lane was arranged by Mo Shijie. I only found out about it afterward, and even if I wanted to stop it, it was too late!"

Mu Xue sneered and asked, "In the entire Yu Nan City, there are no more than three people who know that the owner of that courtyard in Shenjing Lane is my person. Lord Chen and the clerk in the mansion count as two. The other one is missing after this fire. Lord Chen, I wonder how my whereabouts were discovered?"

Mu Xue glared at him coldly, and the aura she released made it difficult for Chen Li to breathe, causing him to break out in a cold sweat instantly.