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

"Help! Someone has fallen!"

"They fell?"

"Who?"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw that a group of people had already gathered in front of the pavilion.

Hearing the noise, Xiao Qingzhou rushed over with Mu Yan and the others. They found an empty space in front of the pavilion, lightly covered with snow, and a pool of red blood on the ground.

"Ling Yun, Ning Xi, you two go down and check, make sure you bring the person back!" Xiao Qingzhou ordered. "Mu Yan, Qiu Yi, you two follow the trail and capture the person."

The men accepted the order and left.

Li Yunxi looked up and saw only one figure.

She wore a red-collared black dress, her long hair was tied up high, a sword was at her side, and her steps were steady and powerful. She looked much more robust now.

This was an outfit he had never seen before.

He recognized the leader; it was Commander Xiao.

But isn't Commander Xiao a member of the military academy?

Why would Mu Yan go to the military training ground? In just a few months, she couldn't possibly have had the opportunity to go there.

But when he counted the days, he realized that he hadn't seen Mu Yan for quite some time.

He thought she was just sick, not realizing she had already entered the military academy.

I can't quite put my finger on how I feel.

With Mu Yan's talent, it would be a waste for her to stay in the Prime Minister's mansion. She can go to the military training ground... He should be happy for her.

But the thought of the long road ahead made him unable to feel happy.

_

Mountain forest

Snowflakes fluttered down, covering the branches with a thin layer of snow.

Song Qi'an was playing in the snow under a tree when he heard footsteps. He turned around and saw that it was Mu Yan who had come.

Song Qi'an brushed the snow off his clothes and strode towards her. "What are you doing here!"

“I came with Commander Xiao to protect you,” Mu Yan looked up at him, “And you, what are you doing here?”

"It's so stuffy in the temple, I came out for a walk."

"Let's go back, it's not safe around here," Mu Yan said. "Someone just fell down over there."

"Fell down?" Song Qi'an pressed. "How could you suddenly fall down out of nowhere?"

“I don’t know either,” Mu Yan said, her brows furrowed and her expression grave. “But judging from the situation, it seems someone did this on purpose.”

"And you, are you alright?"

Just then, a whistle blew.

"I'm fine, I won't talk to you now," Mu Yan said, running towards Songming Temple. "I have to go check on it."

"Hey," Song Qi'an hurriedly caught up with her, "Wait for me!"

_

Inside Songming Temple, Lingyun and Ningxi brought the deceased up and placed him conspicuously in the pavilion.

The crowd whispered amongst themselves; some were panicked, others were in turmoil.

"Don't panic, everyone!" Xiao Qingzhou shouted to stop the crowd's discussion. Looking at the empty space, his expression grew even colder. "Muyan, take men and seal off the scene. No one is allowed to approach. This matter is no small thing; we must investigate it thoroughly!"

"Yes!" Mu Yan quickly directed her men to cordon off the scene and carefully examined the surrounding traces.

Qiu Yi quietly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Look at that person's expression, it's very strange."

Mu Yan looked up and indeed saw a maid with a shifty look in her eyes, as if she had something to hide.

She slowly approached the maid and whispered, "Do you know this person on the ground?"

The maid was startled and quickly shook her head.

Mu Yan lowered her eyes and saw that she was holding a handkerchief with a unique embroidered pattern.

Just as I was about to ask further questions, another scream came from the crowd.

Another maid rushed over, pointing at her and shouting, "It was you! You pushed Asu down there!"

The maid turned pale and retorted, "You're talking nonsense!"

Mu Yan stopped the agitated maid and calmly said, "This matter needs to be investigated thoroughly; we cannot make false accusations."

The maid knelt before Mu Yan and kowtowed, saying, "My lord, I swear on my life that everything I said is true. I really did see Liu Yun push someone!"

“My lord,” Liu Yun also knelt down beside Mu Yan, “please do not believe her one-sided story. I did not push Asu!”

"Shut up," Xiao Qingzhou said sternly. "If you want to talk, go to the Dali Temple! This matter is not under the jurisdiction of our military training ground."

Suiyin and Liuyun were too frightened to speak and lowered their heads even further.

"Muyan, go and escort His Majesty's carriage," Xiao Qingzhou instructed. "Qiuyi, go to the Dali Temple to report the case!"

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

_

Dali Temple

Shen Chenxi was leaning against the window reading a book when an orange cat ran to his feet.

He looked down at the orange cat at his feet, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Where did this cat... come from?"

I found it outside the window yesterday.

Shen Chenxi bent down and picked up the cat, gently stroking its fur. "Lord Mu is kind-hearted, but it's probably not appropriate for this cat to be here."

"Is there something wrong?" Mu Yunqing looked up at him.

“Lord Mu, you are now seen as a benevolent official by the people,” he said, sitting down opposite Mu Yunqing with a cat in his arms, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Adopting a cat so rashly will inevitably attract criticism.”

"Heh," Mu Yunqing scoffed, "It's just keeping a cat, and people are going to criticize that?"

"The appearance of this cat at Lord Mu's residence," he said casually, teasing the orange cat in his arms, "inevitably makes people wonder if it was a gift from His Majesty."

"Lord Shen is overthinking it. His Majesty is of such high status that even if he were to give a gift, he would never give a cat."

"That may be true, but how many people can truly fathom His Majesty's thoughts?" Shen Chenxi's narrow eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of light flashing in them, and he said softly, "Lord Mu, better safe than sorry."

"With such a meticulous mind, it's a real pity that Lord Shen isn't in the Ministry of Justice."

"Lord Mu is too kind," Shen Chenxi chuckled, putting the cat back on the ground. "Compared to the Ministry of Justice, I still prefer investigating cases with Lord Mu in this courtroom."

"Is that so?" Mu Yunqing raised her hand, turned to flip through a page of the case file, and looked at him.

“Of course.” Shen Chenxi slowly straightened his sleeves, a faint smile playing on his lips. “After all, Lord Mu is quite a very interesting person.”

The orange cat meowed and circled around the two of them.

"This cat isn't shy at all." Shen Chenxi looked at the orange cat cuddling at her feet, her eyes flashing slightly. "Has Lord Mu given it a name yet?"

“No,” Mu Yunqing said with a smile, “If Lord Shen doesn’t mind, why don’t you give it a name yourself?”

“Hmm…” He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then smiled gently, “How about we call it ‘Tuanzi’? Look at its round and chubby appearance, it’s so cute.”

“Either is fine,” Mu Yunqing said. “Tuanzi sounds nice too.”

Shen Chenxi watched as Tuanzi rubbed against Mu Yunqing's legs and a thought suddenly struck her. "Lord Mu, do you think His Majesty might also like this cat?"

Mu Yunqing's face darkened, knowing that he was trying to trick her into revealing information again. She pretended not to understand and said, "I've heard that His Majesty likes white foxes."

Seeing that Mu Yunqing was not fooled, Shen Chenxi was not annoyed. He smiled and changed the subject, "Does Lord Mu know that if this cat is kept in the courtroom, it will probably cause a lot of trouble?"

"It's just a cat, what trouble could it cause? It might just break a bowl or a cup."

"This cat was picked up from outside after all," Shen Chenxi's lips curled slightly, a calculating glint in his eyes, "If someone uses this to cause trouble, saying that Lord Mu keeps a cat for..."

"For what?" Mu Yunqing teased him deliberately, "To curry favor with Lord Shen?"

Seeing that he was unmoved by reason, Shen Chenxi did not lose heart and continued, "However, I do have a way to help Lord Mu solve this problem."

"If Tuanzi knew you said it was a nuisance, she would be unhappy."

"Heh, it's just a cat, how could it know these things?" Shen Chenxi's lips curled into a faint smile, but his eyes held no mirth. "Lord Mu, are you joking with me?"

Seeing the look in his eyes, Mu Yunqing said meaningfully, "It doesn't understand, but I do."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Chenxi's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "Then, Lord Mu, why don't you tell me how it understood your thoughts?"

"It's willing to stay, so it must understand me."

"My lord!" Wei Chengfeng rushed in, "Something's happened at Songming Temple!"

"Heh, something happened so quickly." Shen Chenxi's expression remained calm, but he knew exactly what was going on. "Lord Mu, what do you think?"

“With one incident after another, it’s likely that someone is doing this on purpose.” Mu Yunqing stood up and said, “Let’s go and take a look.”

“Lord Mu seems quite anxious.” Shen Chenxi walked slowly to his side. “However, this matter is rather strange, so it would be best to investigate it first.”

"Of course we need to find out the truth first. How can we find out the truth if you don't go?"

"Is Lord Mu giving me an order?"

"Lord Shen, you flatter me. I wouldn't dare."

"Dare not?" Shen Chenxi chuckled lightly, his voice low. "I have witnessed Lord Mu's audacity firsthand."

Mu Yunqing put his arm around his shoulder and led him outside, saying, "Since we've met before, let's hurry up and leave."

Shen Chenxi raised an eyebrow, but did not pull away from his hand. "Lord Mu, what are you doing?"

"What?" Mu Yunqing teased, "Is Lord Shen's shoulder made of gold? Can't I touch it?"

“Of course not.” Shen Chenxi glanced at him, a half-smile on her face. “It’s just that if others saw Lord Mu’s actions, who knows what they would think.”

"What's there to speculate about between two grown men!" Mu Yunqing said as he pushed the man onto the carriage.

"Lord Mu is absolutely right. I was overthinking it." Shen Chenxi smiled slightly and got into the carriage with him. "However, the matter of Songming Temple is probably not so simple."

"It could very well be Xiao Yu'an again."

The carriage swayed forward, the light from the outside window flickering on Shen Chenxi's face. "I've thought of that too. But why did she only target the maids?"

“Yes,” Mu Yunqing tapped her fingers lightly on the car wall, lost in thought, “the interval between these two cases is too short. Logically speaking, she shouldn’t be in such a hurry.”

"Who knows?" Shen Chenxi leaned lazily against the car wall. "We'll see when we get there."

"Ah."

_

Outside Songming Temple

Mu Yan and Song Qi'an walked on the road.

"It's only the first snow, why is it falling so heavily?" Song Qi'an asked.

Mu Yan looked up at the swirling snowflakes in the sky, lost in thought. "This matter is indeed a bit strange. The snow is falling so heavily; it's probably not a natural phenomenon."

“Yes, I feel the same way,” Song Qi’an said, arms crossed, looking into the distance with a serious expression. “The snow is falling so heavily; I’m afraid someone is trying to cover something up.”

“That’s hard to guess,” Mu Yan stopped and turned to look at him. “The main road is just ahead. Why don’t you go back first?”

"No, I want to go with you!" Song Qi'an quickly caught up with her.

"What are you going to do?" Mu Yan said. "With such heavy snow, I won't care if you catch a cold!" She then added, "I won't care if you encounter assassins either."

"I said I'd go with you, and I will!" His expression was firm, showing no sign of backing down. "Besides, I'm no delicate young master; what's a little snow to me?"

Seeing that he was determined to go, Mu Yan did not try to stop him. "You said it yourself, I will not be responsible for anything if anything happens."

"Don't worry, even if I die here," Song Qi'an patted his chest and said, "I will never blame you!" He then took out a hand warmer from his pocket and handed it to Mu Yan, "Here, warm your hands."

"No need, I don't need these."

"Hey, take this!" Song Qi'an forcefully shoved the hand warmer into her hands, his tone brooking no refusal. "Look at you, your hands are so cold. What if they get frostbite?"

"It's alright," Mu Yan said, shoving the hand warmer back into his hand. "It's just a light snowfall; it won't freeze anyone to death."

"Alright, alright, let's go, let's go." Song Qi'an responded to Mu Yan, walking alongside her while cautiously observing their surroundings. "Do you think the murderer might be hiding around here?"

"Perhaps, but be careful."

The snow was still falling, and a horse-drawn carriage was slowly moving along the road.

“That’s… His Majesty’s carriage!” Song Qi’an pulled Mu Yan along and walked quickly forward.

Mu Yan brushed his hand away, frowning as she said, "What's the rush? We still have some distance to go."

"I was just afraid you'd worry."

Mu Yan: "..."

She finally understood how the phrase "the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are" was used.

Before long, the carriage stopped in front of the two men, who bowed in unison.

"Everyone, get up."

"Yes."

"Your Majesty," Mu Yan said solemnly, "did you encounter any danger on your journey here?"

“No,” Xiao Ning turned to look at her. “I heard that a maidservant died at Songming Temple. Has the cause of death been determined?”

"Your Majesty, the people from the Dali Temple have not yet arrived," Mu Yan said in a low voice, "and we do not yet know how they died."

"Fine, I'll go and see for myself."

"Your Majesty," Mu Yan knelt on one knee, clasping her hands in prayer, her words earnest, "This humble woman is willing to stay and continue the investigation, to find the mastermind behind it all as soon as possible, and to restore a safe environment for Your Majesty!"

Xiao Ning waved his hand, "No need, you come with me."

"But Your Majesty..." Meeting Xiao Ning's unquestionable gaze, Mu Yan could only bow and say, "This subject obeys." After saying that, she followed the carriage forward.

I had only taken a few steps when I caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flash by.

"Stop! Don't run!" Mu Yan shouted and chased after him, but the dark figure was skilled in light-footed techniques and disappeared into the snowstorm in a few breaths.

Mu Yan had no choice but to return the way she came.

"Your Majesty, I just saw a dark figure flash by. It was very likely an assassin, but unfortunately he got away!"

"Court gatherings are always crowded and noisy. Since she didn't kill anyone, let her go."

"Your Majesty, this may not be appropriate," Mu Yan said with a hint of worry. "This person dared to show himself before Your Majesty, so he must have come prepared. If we don't capture him, there may be future troubles!"

"No need." Xiao Ning lowered the carriage curtain and said slowly, "This matter is not urgent. Let's go back to Songming Temple first."

Mu Yan was unwilling, but dared not disobey the imperial decree, so she could only bow and accept the order, saying, "This subject obeys."