First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

We entered the courtyard.

Gu Junxi obeyed Mu Lingxuan's orders, sat quietly in the chair, took the fruit that Mu Lingxuan had prepared in advance, and ate it one bite after another.

"Is it good? Eat slowly, all of this is for you."

Mu Lingxuan's face was full of smiles as he watched Gu Junxi eating the snacks he had prepared in the room he had arranged. His heart felt completely filled.

He finally tasted the flavor of happiness.

This feeling is like going back to before Gu Juntang appeared.

At that moment, all my worries seemed to disappear.

Without Qingyanzi, without Consort Li, there would be no people of Dasheng.

It was just him and Gu Junxi.

Gu Junxi did not answer. She ate one fruit, then picked up another, one after another.

It's like they don't know when they're full.

Mu Lingxuan, who had been sitting comfortably in his chair with his hand supporting his chin and staring intently at Gu Junxi, finally realized that something was wrong.

"Xixi, if you eat too much, you won't feel comfortable when you sleep later," Mu Lingxuan said.

Gu Junxi ignored him and continued eating the fruit.

"I'm talking to you, can you hear me?" Mu Lingxuan raised his voice this time.

Gu Junxi's expression and movements remained unchanged.

Mu Lingxuan frowned even more, all the happiness he had felt just moments before vanished. He reached out and knocked the fruit out of Gu Junxi's hand: "Are you deliberately trying to go against me?"

Gu Junxi didn't care. She just picked up another fruit and mechanically ate it again.

Only then did Mu Lingxuan realize that he had been too happy and had forgotten that Gu Junxi was still under his control.

He didn't know what he was feeling, but something felt off. His earlier high spirits had vanished, and he said with slumped shoulders, "Alright, Gu Junxi, you don't need to be controlled by me anymore."

As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Junxi stopped her mechanical movements, and the blank expression in her eyes disappeared.

She turned to look at Mu Lingxuan beside her, then stood up abruptly, staring at him warily.

"Mu Lingxuan? What are you doing here... No, this isn't my room. Where am I? Why am I here?"

Although Gu Junxi said this, she knew in her heart that she had definitely been controlled by Mu Lingxuan again. The reason she pretended to be shocked was to continue to lull Mu Lingxuan into a false sense of security.

Mu Lingxuan was indeed fooled. He was still in low spirits and had no intention of staying with Gu Junxi any longer.

"Xixi, this is the Xuan Prince's residence. You will stay here for now. I will give you the freedom and status you desire in the future. Be good."

Gu Junxi naturally didn't believe a word Mu Lingxuan said. She stood silently, keeping a great distance between herself and Mu Lingxuan.

Gu Junxi was wary, afraid of touching his expression and making Mu Lingxuan feel hurt and bored.

He didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

After Mu Lingxuan left, Gu Junxi first checked herself over and, finding nothing amiss, quietly looked around the room, inside and out.

Familiarize yourself with the environment to facilitate subsequent actions.

After doing all this, Gu Junxi lay back on the bed and quietly fell asleep.

She had already informed her mother and Uncle Qin that if they couldn't find her, they would definitely suspect Mu Lingxuan. She believed that it wouldn't be long before her mother and the others came looking for her.

Gu Junxi stayed here for three days, during which Mu Lingxuan neither appeared nor used any Gu poison to control her. Mu Lingxuan only reappeared on the morning of the fourth day.

Mu Lingxuan wore a simple black brocade robe with gold trim. He had heavy dark circles under his eyes and seemed to be shrouded in a shadow.

In front of me were bird's nest porridge, golden steamed buns, golden shrimp dumplings, and refreshing pickled cucumbers...

Mu Lingxuan and Gu Junxi sat facing each other eating breakfast. This was the quiet and harmonious time they had ever shared since their falling out.

Mu Lingxuan took a sip of porridge and looked up to see Gu Junxi taking a bite of a shrimp dumpling. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why aren't you angry and making a fuss with me?"

Gu Junxi glanced at Mu Lingxuan: "If I make a scene, will you let me leave?"

Mu Lingxuan shook his head.

Gu Junxi scoffed: "Isn't that obvious? Since making a scene won't let me leave, why should I make a scene?"

That made a lot of sense, and he couldn't find a word to refute it. Mu Lingxuan couldn't help but feel that he had gone to the unnecessary trouble and deserved to ask the question.

Gu Junxi said, "Anyway, I just lost my child and don't want to care about the outside noise. I'll just stay here quietly and have good food and drink. There's nothing wrong with that."

Mu Lingxuan glanced at Gu Junxi, unsure whether he believed her or not, but a smile finally appeared on his face. He tentatively placed a piece of pickled cucumber on Gu Junxi's plate: "It's good that you think this way. If you need anything, just tell the guards at the door, and they will prepare it for you."

"Whatever." Gu Junxi said indifferently.

The two remained silent and continued eating. Near the end, Mu Lingxuan suddenly put down his chopsticks, looking somewhat bewildered.

“Like your father, he treated you and Gu Juntang differently because he thought Gu Juntang was his daughter just like you. But why can’t some people, who only have one child, treat their child with their whole heart?”

"Is Consort Li treating you badly?" Gu Junxi immediately understood the meaning behind Mu Lingxuan's words.

Consort Li had always seemed impeccable during their meetings, and treated Mu Lingxuan with utmost care, showing no signs of disrespect.

Mu Lingxuan pursed his lips and denied it: "No."

After he finished speaking, he got up and left the courtyard.

Mu Lingxuan did not appear again that day. Later that evening, Ning Hanshuang, masked, climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard.

At this moment, Gu Junxi was swinging on a swing in the yard.

"You look so comfortable. It seems Mu Lingxuan didn't make things difficult for you." Ning Hanshuang removed the veil from her face.

Gu Junxi took the bundle from Ning Hanshuang's hand and walked into the room, where Ning Hanshuang followed.

After making sure she wouldn't be discovered, Gu Junxi took everything out of the bundle and temporarily hid it in the cabinet.

These are medicines, medical books, and tools used to study Gu poison.

These were things she had told her mother about long ago.

After she disappeared, they put these things away.

Then I'll figure out a way to get it to her.

Before her master arrived, she had to actively try to save herself.

While working, Gu Junxi answered Ning Hanshuang's question: "Mu Lingxuan only stayed here a little longer on the first night he brought me to the Xuanwang Mansion. Apart from having breakfast here this morning, he hasn't appeared in the past few days."

"However, he mentioned Consort Li today. What has happened outside in the last three days?"

Ning Hanshuang frowned, a murderous glint in her eyes: "Qingyanzi is becoming increasingly arrogant, searching everywhere for beautiful women to assist in alchemy, causing widespread panic. Furthermore, Consort Li has regained the Emperor's favor. Yesterday morning at court, the Emperor even proposed making Consort Li Empress."

"After Consort Li was made Crown Prince, the next step was to depose A-Ling and make Mu Lingxuan the Crown Prince." Gu Junxi analyzed, "But why is Mu Lingxuan unhappy? This should be what he has always wanted."