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

Gu Junxi grasped Mu Qingfu's hand in return, appearing remarkably calm.

“Cousin, I will not leave. I know you are thinking of me. But if Qingyanzi succeeds in supporting Mu Lingxuan to the throne, who knows how many people will suffer at his hands. I will stay not only for A-Ling, but also for the people of Sheng Kingdom. As the Crown Princess, I must shoulder the responsibilities I should bear.”

Gu Junxi's words were perfectly reasonable, and Mu Qingfu couldn't even find any words to refute them. Thinking about it this way, she felt that she had been shallow.

But if it were her, as a princess of Sheng Kingdom, she couldn't just stand by and watch Qingyanzi do evil.

Mu Qingfu nodded in agreement: "Alright then, I'll go to the palace with you."

Gu Junxi disguised herself as Mu Qingfu's maid and entered the palace, but unfortunately she was stopped when she entered the inner hall.

"How dare you stop me, the princess!" Mu Qingfu said sharply, her gaze sweeping over the eunuch who had blocked her way.

The eunuch naturally recognized Mu Qingfu and knew how much Emperor Sheng favored her. However, there were instructions from above that no one was allowed to enter the inner palace during Emperor Sheng's illness.

"Princess Qingfu, I'm sorry, but orders have been given that no one is allowed to enter." The eunuch bowed slightly, his face showing respect, but in reality, he didn't take Mu Qingfu seriously at all.

"Orders? Who gave you orders? The Empress Dowager is praying at the temple. Your Imperial Uncle is unconscious. Who gave you the authority to do this!" Mu Qingfu pressed aggressively, raising her hand and slapping the eunuch hard across the face, knocking him to the ground.

Mu Qingfu then forcefully drew her sword and led the disguised Gu Junxi into the inner hall.

Upon entering the inner palace, besides Emperor Sheng, only his trusted chief eunuch, Xu Decai, was present. Xu Decai was absolutely loyal to Emperor Sheng, so he certainly wanted the emperor to be well.

Gu Junxi is now entering the palace to treat Emperor Sheng's illness, so the two are not in conflict and their interests align, so she can be trusted.

“Princess Qingfu, what is this…” Xu Decai came forward and glanced at the sword in Mu Qingfu’s hand.

"Eunuch Decai, how is Uncle Huang now?" Mu Qingfu did not answer Xu Decai's question, but glanced at the bed.

Emperor Sheng lay on his bed with his eyes closed, his body thin and his face haggard, breathing heavily but exhaling slowly. A normal person would immediately recognize this as a sign that his end was near.

Previously, Emperor Sheng trusted Qingyanzi, so Xu Decai dared not offer much advice. But now that Emperor Sheng is clearly nearing his end, Xu Decai can no longer afford to worry about such things.

A new emperor, a new court.

As Emperor Sheng's personal attendant, if Emperor Sheng were to die, he would certainly be buried with him and would not survive.

“Princess Qingfu, His Majesty seems to be in poor condition. Could you please find an imperial physician to examine him?”

Xu Decai had considered saying this to Mu Lingxuan, but later changed his mind, since Mu Lingxuan was clearly in cahoots with Qingyanzi.

Having confirmed that Xu Decai was a royalist, Gu Junxi stopped pretending. She raised her head and nodded to Xu Decai: "Eunuch Decai, please lead the way."

"Crown Princess! It's you! It's wonderful that you can enter the palace." Xu Decai's eyes lit up when he saw Gu Junxi. He hurriedly cleared a path for Gu Junxi and helped to pull the Emperor's hand out from under the brocade quilt.

Gu Junxi sat on the edge of the bed, placing two fingers on Emperor Sheng's wrist.

Mu Qingfu stood guard at the door, preventing anyone from coming in.

Almost as soon as Gu Junxi finished taking his pulse, Mu Lingxuan heard the commotion and rushed over.

Mu Qingfu was not afraid of Mu Lingxuan's arrival at all. She stood at the door and stared at Mu Lingxuan with disdain.

"You've come quite quickly. Let me ask you this: why are you forbidding anyone from visiting your royal uncle? Don't forget, among all your royal uncles, you are the one he loves the most. Don't break his heart."

Mu Lingxuan ignored Mu Qingfu's deliberate provocation. His gaze passed over Mu Qingfu and went directly to the inner room: "She's here, isn't she?"

Mu Qingfu was stunned for a moment, not expecting Mu Lingxuan to be so perceptive and to guess the truth of the matter so quickly.

But for Gu Junxi's sake, she would never admit it unless absolutely necessary.

Mu Qingfu stubbornly replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Mu Lingxuan didn't bother with Mu Qingfu. He merely glanced at her before heading straight for the inner hall. Mu Qingfu followed, reaching out to stop him.

Mu Lingxuan said, "If you want to lure Qingyanzi here, then keep causing trouble. You should already know a thing or two about Qingyanzi's methods. In the end, not only will your Xixi be implicated, but you yourself will probably not fare well either."

This sentence hit Mu Qingfu's weak spot perfectly.

Taking advantage of Mu Qingfu's hesitation, Mu Lingxuan bypassed her and entered the inner hall.

At this moment, Gu Junxi had already stood up. When she saw Mu Lingxuan coming over, her clear eyes looked directly at Mu Lingxuan.

Mu Lingxuan was momentarily dazed.

Gu Junxi spoke up: "Prince Xuan, don't forget the deal between us. My father's condition is not optimistic, and I hope to stay in the palace to treat him. I need your cover."

Mu Lingxuan glanced at Emperor Sheng, then looked back at Gu Junxi and nodded: "Alright. But if Qingyanzi discovers you, the Gu worms in your body will be under his control. You might die."

Gu Junxi smiled and said, "It doesn't matter."

Gu Junxi's words carried a sense of detachment from life and death, which only made her more captivating. It seemed that her heart had always beat only for Gu Junxi.

Mu Lingxuan said bitterly, "Now the palace is full of Wei Ming's men. It's indeed difficult for you to stay in the palace with Qingyanzi and avoid Wei Ming. However, since I promised you, I will try my best to keep my word. To avoid suspicion, you and Qingfu should leave the palace first. I will find a way to bring you back to the palace later."

Mu Lingxuan's concerns were all reasonable. With Mu Lingxuan willing to cover for her, why should Mu Qingfu take any risks?

Mu Qingfu looked down on Mu Lingxuan, and upon hearing Mu Lingxuan's words, she instinctively opened her mouth to refuse.

Gu Junxi stopped him.

Gu Junxi nodded in agreement: "Alright, then I'll trouble Prince Xuan."

Gu Junxi's politeness stung Mu Lingxuan, but this time, he didn't react as extremely as before, only giving a disappointed hum.

"I have a feeling that Mu Lingxuan is acting strangely. He's being so agreeable this time. To be honest, what exactly do you have against him?" As Mu Qingfu left the palace, she thought about Mu Lingxuan's attitude and felt that something was off.

Gu Junxi naturally wouldn't talk about past lives and present lives, she just smiled and said: "Perhaps it has nothing to do with me having leverage over him, he just simply figured it out."

"is it?"

"Ah."

Not long after Gu Junxi and Mu Qingfu left the palace, Qingyanzi found Mu Lingxuan again.

Just as Mu Lingxuan said, now the palace is full of Qingyanzi's people, and he can know about any slight movement.

Qingyanzi stared at Mu Lingxuan suspiciously: "I heard that Mu Qingfu caused a scene in the palace and even managed to meet the Emperor. Your Highness, why did you let her go so easily? Aren't you afraid she'll gossip? Or have you formed an alliance with her?"