Female-dominated society: Striving for the position of powerful minister, doting on Xiao Yunqing

Upon closer examination, I realized that something was increasingly amiss.

The whole family eats soup and water, so they should all be thin.

Yang Jiaxin, on the other hand, has become plump. Although she was injured, she has not been sick once in the past few years.

He always finds an excuse to go out, and when he comes back smelling of cooking, he must have secretly gone out to cook for himself.

The more Yang Qiaoyue thought about it, the more she felt it was unfair. She hadn't done anything wrong, nor had she been greedy for money. She shouldn't have to suffer this punishment.

Shen Chenxi moved the screen aside and tentatively asked, "Yang Qiaoyue, it seems you have something to say?"

"My lord!" Yang Qiaoyue knelt on the ground. "This was all done by my mother alone. Zilin and I knew nothing about it! We didn't touch a single penny of those one hundred taels!"

"Oh?" Shen Chenxi feigned surprise. "So, all of this hundred taels was Yang Jiaxin's doing?"

Yang Qiaoyue nodded repeatedly, afraid of being implicated.

"You..." Yang Jiaxin was so angry that she couldn't speak and fainted on the spot.

Mu Yunqing beckoned for someone to drag her away, then looked up at Yang Qiaoyue, "Since she is innocent, take Yang Zilin back with you."

"Yes, I'll take Zilin back right away!" Yang Qiaoyue replied, hurriedly getting up and running with Yang Zilin.

Seeing that the case was closed, everyone dispersed.

“I, Shen, have resolved the case as required,” Shen Chenxi said, pacing to his side. “I wonder if Lord Mu’s words still stand?”

“It naturally counts,” Mu Yunqing said solemnly. “However, there is still one thing I don’t understand.”

"Are you asking me why I'm so sure Yang Jiaxin will confess?"

Mu Yunqing's expression stiffened for a moment, then returned to normal. "I wanted to ask you if you have any dietary restrictions?"

"No." Shen Chenxi moved the case file in front of him aside. "Lord Mu, if you don't ask now, I won't bring it up again later."

“Since Lord Shen insists that I speak, then I will not hide anything,” Mu Yunqing said frankly. “How do you know that Yang Qiaoyue has something to say? And how do you know that Yang Jiaxin has hidden one hundred taels of silver?”

“I’m not a god,” Shen Chenxi said, spreading his hands. “I’m just seeing through appearances to the essence.”

"Is that so?" Mu Yunqing looked up to meet his eyes, deliberately slowing her tone. "I have a feeling... that Lord Shen seemed to have anticipated this all along."

"Lord Mu, are you doubting me?"

“Lord Shen, you misunderstand,” he said, turning his gaze away. “I was seeking your guidance.”

"Seeking guidance?" Shen Chenxi couldn't help but laugh. "Lord Mu's method of seeking guidance is truly eye-opening."

"To broaden Lord Shen's horizons is a skill in itself."

"Ha, Lord Mu is so smooth, he can respond to anything."

"Alright, don't you get tired of bickering every day?" Mu Yunqing stood up and said, "Let's go have a drink."

"Since Lord Mu has extended such a warm invitation, I, Shen, will not stand on ceremony." With that, he followed Mu Yunqing out the door.

_

Military training ground

Mu Yan and the others finished their evening training and were walking down the road with their heads down.

Suddenly a pebble hit her feet, and she turned her head to look.

Song Qi'an was seen squatting on the wall, a carefree smile on his face, holding a handful of pebbles in his hand.

"Why are you here?" Mu Yan walked towards him.

Song Qi'an lightly leaped down from the wall, dusted himself off, and said, "I heard from Xiangqin that you came to the military training ground. I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd try my luck."

"I never expected to run into you!"

Mu Yan pulled him behind the wall and whispered, "This is the military training ground. Do you think this is the Prime Minister's residence? You can't just come here like that."

“Of course I know that the military training ground can’t be come here casually. I climbed over the wall,” Song Qi’an pointed to the wall, a corner of the osmanthus cake in his arms peeking out.

What is hidden there?

He crossed his arms and looked at Mu Yan with a smile, "Take a guess!"

“It smells like osmanthus cake,” Mu Yan said, holding out her hand. “Here you go.”

Song Qi'an handed her the osmanthus cake, saying, "You're quite generous."

"Consider this a return gift you owe me from last time," Mu Yan said, opening the pastry bag and stuffing a piece of osmanthus cake into her mouth. "It smells so good, I haven't had any desserts in ages."

"Eat slowly, no one will compete with you."

"What do you know? Good things taste better when you eat them quickly."

Song Qi'an leaned closer to her and said mysteriously, "Want to go somewhere fun?"

"Do not want to."

"Oh, come on, come on," Song Qi'an tugged at Mu Yan's sleeve and shook it, his tone slightly coquettish, "I promise you'll like it!"

Mu Yan pulled back her sleeve and said, "No, no, the country has laws. If I run away without permission, I will be expelled!"

Song Qi'an chuckled, "That's easy, this Marquis has a way." He whispered a few words in Mu Yan's ear, "How about it?"

Mu Yan rolled her eyes at him, "I'm not going."

"Really not going?" He sighed with feigned regret. "Then I'll take all these osmanthus cakes with me!" As he spoke, he made a move to put the cakes away.

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond!" Mu Yan slapped his hand away. "Once it's given, it's given. There's no reason to take it back!"

"Okay, okay, here you go." Song Qi'an couldn't help but laugh as he watched her guarding the food. "But if you don't go, you'll be wasting this precious time."

"I'm so busy every day, how can I have time to enjoy any good times?"

"What are you busy with?"

"Training!"

"So you really won't be able to come out until the end of the year?"

"Yes, there's still January left."

"It'll be so long..." Song Qi'an drooped his head, then looked up at her expectantly, "Then you must come visit me during the New Year!"

"What do you want? Give me a reason for contacting you."

"Come here and I'll tell you."

"Oh." Mu Yan took a step closer to him.

"Don't forget, you still owe me a favor."

"cut!"

"Haha, I expected your reaction." Song Qi'an laughed and took a step back, then his expression suddenly turned serious. "However, I'm telling you the truth. I've always remembered what you owe me!"

"Okay, okay, that's all the truth," Mu Yan pushed him away, "You should go now, I should go back."

"You're kicking me out like this? You didn't say that when you took the pastries!"

"This is incomparable! Let's go!"

"Alright, I'm off then," Song Qi'an leaped back onto the wall and shouted to her, "By the way, osmanthus cake tastes best when it's hot, it won't taste good if it gets cold. I'll bring you some more next time!"

"Okay! Go back now!" Mu Yan waved to him and turned to go back to her bedroom.

_

bedroom

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard Ling Yun's voice, "Do you know who is currently in charge of the Dali Temple?"

"Who is it? Who is it?" the crowd echoed, asking her.

"Guess," Ling Yun said, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.

"Speak now!"

"It's a man, his name is Mu Yunqing!"

"Nonsense!" Ning Xi retorted, "His name is clearly Shen Chenxi!"

"Call him Mu Yunqing!"

"Call him Shen Chenxi!"

"Did you understand? You're going to argue with me!"

"Of course I understood, my mother told me!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing," someone stepped in to mediate. "You two each tell us, and then the rest of us will know!"

"Yes, tell us!"

Ling Yun cleared his throat and began to speak, "This Mu Yunqing is intelligent and good-looking. I've heard..."

Mu Yan didn't listen to what was said next; she wrapped herself in the blanket and went to sleep.

_

Qingyunzhai

Shen Chenxi slowly wiped the chopsticks with a handkerchief, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Lord Mu, you're being so generous today, is there something you need from me?"

"Seeing how hard you've worked, I'll just treat you to a nice meal," Mu Yunqing said, raising her hand to pour him a cup of tea.

"I see." Shen Chenxi smiled gently, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes. "But why do I feel that Lord Mu has something to say?"

"Lord Shen is overthinking it," Mu Yunqing said, reaching out to place a piece of food on his plate.

Shen Chenxi looked at the food in the bowl, paused slightly, then looked up at Mu Yunqing, "Thank you, Prime Minister. However, it seems that we are not yet at such an intimate level, are we?"

"It's just a piece of food, just eat it."

"Then I shall accept your invitation." Shen Chenxi elegantly picked up a piece of food and put it in his mouth, chewing it carefully. "Lord Mu, you didn't invite me to dinner just so I could eat some food, did you?"

"You're quite clever."

He put down his chopsticks, took a sip of tea, and smiled, "Lord Mu, you flatter me. However, I think Lord Mu should speak frankly."

Seeing that he had brought it up, Mu Yunqing no longer hid it, "Does Lord Shen still remember the palace maid who died before?"

“Of course I remember,” Shen Chenxi paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, but his face remained impassive. “What is Lord Mu’s intention in suddenly bringing her up?”

"I had Pei Xuan investigate. Guess who did it?"

"The people in this palace are a complex bunch," Shen Chenxi said, bending his index finger to rest on his chin. After a moment of contemplation, his tone was somewhat probing. "It's not easy to figure out who's behind this. Could it be... that Lord Mu has discovered something?"

"Yes, I had Pei Xuan keep watch every day, and now we're starting to see some progress."

"Oh? Did Pei Xuan discover any clues?"

"They are from the Anning Palace."

“The Palace of Tranquility…” Shen Chenxi’s eyes flickered slightly. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his expression growing increasingly solemn. “Who is it?”

"Xiao Yu'an".

"It was her..." He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then looked up at Mu Yunqing, "How did Lord Mu find out?"

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Mu Yunqing put down his cup. “I want to hear your thoughts.”

“Heh, since the Left Prime Minister wants to hear my thoughts, then I will speak.” Shen Chenxi leaned forward and lowered his voice, “Xiao Yu’an’s position in the palace is not ordinary, this matter needs to be considered carefully.”

"Well, I plan to put this on hold for now."

"Does Lord Mu intend to wait for a suitable opportunity before reporting this matter to His Majesty?"

"clever!"

"You flatter me, Lord Mu." Shen Chenxi chuckled, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes. "However, I do have an idea, but I don't know if I should say it."

"please say."

“We might as well keep this a secret for now,” he said to Mu Yunqing in a low voice, while observing the surroundings. “Don’t alert them. When the time is right, we can present the evidence to His Majesty and bring down Xiao Yu’an in one fell swoop.”

Mu Yunqing tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought. "Does Lord Shen mean to bring down Xiao Yu'an?"

Shen Chenxi took a sip of tea, narrowed his eyes, and a ruthless glint flashed in them. "Xiao Yu'an's influence in the palace is deeply entrenched. If we don't get rid of him as soon as possible, he will surely become a major threat in the future."

"What Lord Shen said is very true, but she is, after all, a princess, and it is somewhat difficult to deal with her."

“Precisely because she is a princess,” Shen Chenxi put down her teacup and sighed softly, “we must proceed with caution in this matter, otherwise we will give others cause for criticism if we are not careful.”

“Hmm, that’s fine.” Mu Yunqing’s slender fingers caressed the cup. After a moment’s thought, he changed the subject. “However, Lord Shen, since we are officials in the same court, there are some things I still need to say upfront.”

"Oh?" Shen Chenxi looked at him with interest. "What does Lord Mu want to say to me?"

“This Xiao Yu’an dares to kill people at will in the palace,” Mu Yunqing said, his eyes lowered. He picked up his teacup and blew on it, revealing unfathomable eyes behind the rising steam. “He must have some influence around His Majesty.”

"You mean, she has influence behind the scenes?"

“It’s not impossible.” Mu Yunqing took a sip of tea and said slowly, “The people in the palace are unpredictable. The people around His Majesty may not be loyal to him.”

“What Lord Mu says is true,” Shen Chenxi turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a hint of inquiry. “Lord Mu, your relationship with His Majesty… seems to be quite extraordinary.”

"how do I say this?"

"Heh, why pretend to be stupid, Lord Mu?" He chuckled, a knowing glint in his eyes. "With your status, it's not something just anyone can do to rashly enroll in Baichuan Academy."

Mu Yunqing paused, then asked in a deep voice, "When did you find out?"

Shen Chenxi toyed with the cup in his hand and said casually, "From the beginning, I felt that your relationship with His Majesty was unusual. However, I did not expect that you two actually knew each other."

Mu Yunqing chuckled and said, "We've only met a few times, so we can't really call ourselves acquaintances."

“Lord Mu, we are both intelligent people,” Shen Chenxi leaned forward and looked directly into his eyes, “Some things don’t need to be said so clearly.”

"What do you want to know?"

“Naturally, it’s your relationship with His Majesty,” he said, his eyes darkening slightly, but his face still held a gentle smile, “and your position in His Majesty’s heart.”

"Lord Shen is joking," Mu Yunqing scoffed. "I'm just a minor official of the sixth rank, what status could I possibly have!"

“Lord Mu, there’s no need to belittle yourself,” Shen Chenxi shook his head gently, a hint of meaning in his eyes. “His Majesty has seen your talent and achievements.”

"If it's really as you say," Mu Yunqing said, feigning delight, "then that would be wonderful!"

Shen Chenxi smiled without saying a word.

Seeing that he did not reply, Mu Yunqing looked up at the sky and said softly, "Lord Shen, it's late."

"Then let's go."

"it is good."

_

next day

Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness

As soon as dawn broke, Mu Dong shook Song Qi'an awake from his bed.

"Young master, young master," Mu Dong said softly, "the lord is calling you, please get up!"

Song Qi'an, still half-asleep, sighed and said helplessly, "It's probably another call for me to see some young lady." He waved his hand impatiently, "Just tell her I'm busy!"

"Young master, this isn't about meeting some young lady," Mu Dong said with a grin, "it's good news!"