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

"I don't want to eat anything. Ah Ling, you have no idea how worried I was about you after not hearing from you for so long. Thank goodness you're really back... otherwise... I really don't know what I would have done!"

Gu Junxi poured out her longing for him.

Seeing the way her mistress's youngest daughter was expressing her emotions, Xi'er couldn't help but chuckle softly.

She tiptoed out of the room and closed the door.

The moment the door closed, she couldn't hold back her tears, which welled up in her eyes.

Since Gu Juntang returned to the Gu residence, their master has never shown such a shy and trusting expression as she does now.

Back then, I would cry almost every day because of Gu Lichuan and Mu Lingxuan.

Our master has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

She was truly happy for her master.

Xi'er clasped her hands together and let out a heavy sigh. Feeling relaxed, she looked up and met a pair of probing eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Xi'er glared at Xuan Ying.

Xuan Ying continued to stare at Xi'er's round face, asking curiously and deliberately, "Why are you crying? Wasn't the Gu worm in the Crown Princess's body temporarily suppressed?"

Xi'er rubbed her eyes, and her nose turned red as well. She replied naturally, "I did manage to suppress it. I'm just happy that the Crown Princess and His Highness the Crown Prince have reunited."

Xi'er's explanation only confused Xuan Ying more: "If you're happy, why are you crying? And your eyes are red, your nose is red, really..."

"Really? Is it ugly? I don't care if it's ugly or you cry. Your master is so outstanding, how come he has such an annoying subordinate like you?" Xi'er got angry, pushed Xuan Ying aside and left.

Xuan Ying was pushed back down the steps. He scratched the back of his head innocently and stared in the direction where Xi'er had left.

He clearly meant to say that Xi'er cried like a rabbit, not that she was ugly, so why was this girl so sensitive?

To say that she is not as likable as His Highness is not as reasonable as the Crown Princess.

Xuan Ying, sword in hand, stood dejectedly guarding the doorway to the room.

The people inside the room were completely unaware of the little incident that had happened between Xuan Ying and Xi'er. At this moment, Mu Lingye had already put Gu Junxi on his lap.

Gu Junxi's lips were even redder than if she had applied lip rouge, as were her cheeks. Her breathing was slightly disordered, her clothes were half-open, and her eyes were watery. She leaned against Mu Lingye's chest as if she had been badly bullied.

When they first kissed, Gu Junxi could clearly feel Mu Lingye's desire for her. This desire was unrestrained, a completely different feeling from before. Mu Lingye had done everything a husband and wife could do, and because of the child in her womb, only the final step remained.

Gu Junxi wrapped her arms around Mu Lingye's neck, her watery eyes reflecting his image, and asked with joy, "The Gu in your body has been cured?"

"Hmm." Mu Lingye's breathing was also rapid, and a deep voice slipped from his throat. He was somewhat avoiding the question, but he also knew in his heart that even if he kept it a secret now, Gu Junxi would find out about it sooner or later.

His fingers gently stroked Gu Junxi's cheek, then moved down to her earlobe: "Mr. Suxin still has no clues. My Gu poison was cured by the Valley Master of Medicine."

Master Suxin has written to the Master of Medicine Valley. The letter says he will encounter a major tribulation in his life. However, you need not worry; a reclusive master like Master Suxin will surely have a way to avert this calamity.

"I know." It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried, but worrying wouldn't do any good. Gu Junxi nodded, unwilling to think too much about it, planning to arrange for someone to go find her master later.

Her hand moved upwards, landing on Mu Lingye's brow: "You haven't sent any news back, you must have encountered danger. Can you tell me what happened after you left the capital? Leng Xuanjue, why did you disappear?"

During this time, Gu Junxi was dealing with Mu Lingxuan in the capital, but she was also keeping an eye on Leng Xuanjue's movements.

She knew very well that after Mu Lingye left the capital, Leng Xuanjue had been claiming illness and had not left the post station.

She couldn't think of any other possibility besides following Mu Lingye.

Moreover, if it weren't for this incident, given Leng Xuanjue's ambitious nature, he couldn't possibly have stayed out of the chaos in the capital during this period.

“Leng Xuanjue is dead!” Mu Lingye stared at the burning candle for a long time, then said fiercely as if relieved.

The words "Leng Xuanjue is dead" were easy to say, but Gu Junxi sensed the difficulty in them.

No wonder Mu Lingye hasn't sent any news for so long; he must have been seriously injured when he killed Leng Xuanjue.

Thinking of the grievances Mu Lingye had suffered time and time again at Leng Xuanjue's hands, she felt particularly sorry for him and could also understand Mu Lingye's feeling of relief.

Gu Junxi hugged Mu Lingye tightly again: "Ah Ling, it's good that he's dead. You did the right thing."

She wouldn't pry into the details. Doing so would be like forcing Mu Lingye to relive those painful and unpleasant experiences, which would be a second round of hurt. She only needed to know the general outline.

Gu Junxi kissed Mu Lingye's chin again, as a silent comfort.

She didn't want to talk about these unhappy things anymore and deliberately changed the subject.

"Ah Ling, where is Brother Yaoshi? Where is he now?"

With Leng Xuanjue dead and Gu Junxi present, Mu Lingye could now face Leng Xuanjue with equanimity. Mu Lingye's tone was gentle: "He went to the palace and removed the Gu poison from the Emperor."

Mu Lingye recalled that Gu Junxi was under control when these events occurred today, and carefully told Gu Junxi everything that had happened that day.

She had never seen the process of removing the Gu poison before, and Gu Junxi was very interested in it. Besides, Emperor Sheng's condition was not optimistic, and as the Crown Prince, Mu Lingye should stay by his side to avoid gossip.

Gu Junxi jumped off Mu Lingye, not mentioning going to guard the Emperor, but only saying, "A-Ling, let's go to the palace together. I've never seen anyone remove the Gu poison before. I still have no clue about researching antidotes for Gu poison. Perhaps if I see Brother Yao doing it tonight, I'll be able to do it."

How could Mu Lingye bear to refuse his lover?

He looked at Gu Junxi with intense, doting eyes, not wanting to hide anything.

“Removing the Gu poison will be a bit painful, and I don’t want to frighten you. So, we won’t rush to remove the Gu poison from your body. I’ve already had the Valley Master of Medicine suppress it for you. Let’s wait until we find Master Suxin or capture Qingyanzi before we proceed.”

"I'll listen to you on all of this." Gu Junxi had no objections, but also expressed her determination: "But I'm not afraid of pain. For the sake of the baby and you, I will prepare for the worst."

"Okay!" Mu Lingye didn't want to argue with Gu Junxi and respected her opinion in everything. He gently took her hand and left the Crown Prince's residence, heading towards the palace.

The palace was brightly lit, and the patrols and search teams continued unabated. Gu Junxi, led by Mu Lingye, entered the imperial city, passed through long alleys, and arrived outside the Emperor's bedchamber.

Many imperial relatives and concubines stood outside Emperor Sheng's sleeping quarters.

"Ah..." A heart-wrenching scream came from inside the dormitory.