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

Upon hearing this, Li Yunxi breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good."

"Have you studied painting?" Mu Yan asked.

"I can't say I've studied it," Li Yunxi said modestly. "I only know a little bit about it. If you really want to know, it's not even the basics."

“You are too modest,” she said. “I think what you just said was excellent. If you study it carefully, you will achieve great things.”

Li Yunxi was a little embarrassed by the praise, and changed the subject, saying, "Miss Mu San seems to be very interested in recognizing paintings."

"I suppose so," Mu Yan said with a smile, "but I can't understand it. The annotations are too complicated. After looking at them for a while, I feel dizzy and my eyes get blurry. It's really beyond my reach."

“I see. It is indeed quite complicated to interpret paintings. I looked at it a few times before, but I gave up on it.” He comforted her, “Miss Mu, you don’t need to worry too much. Since ancient times, everyone has their own expertise. Neither of us are specialists, so it is naturally difficult for us to learn. But we are old enough to study it slowly.”

As Li Yunxi spoke, she leaned down to look at the painting again, "However, I always feel that this painting by Miss Mu doesn't seem to be the first one she's ever done."

He carefully examined the branches in the painting. The brushstrokes were firm and powerful, and the finishing strokes were skillful, clean, and decisive, without any hesitation.

With so many branches, requiring both changing their direction and keeping track of their length, it's impossible to make them in a short time.

However, this painting was done with only a few strokes, the brushstrokes were fine and exquisite, and the spacing between the branches was accurately controlled. A beginner could not possibly achieve this.

Therefore, it is clear that Miss Mu San painted this picture more than once.

Why is the same painting painted so many times?

Li Yunxi couldn't understand it.

“Young Master Li has a keen eye. This isn’t the first time I’ve painted this.” Mu Yan asked curiously, “Besides these details, what else do you see?”

Li Yunxi shook her head, "Miss Mu's painting hides too many things, Yunxi really can't understand it."

"It's nothing," Mu Yan said calmly as she put away the painting. "It's just a few withered branches, nothing profound. I was just painting it for fun. Young Master Li, you don't need to take it to heart."

She gently stroked the painting, her thoughts already drifting far away.

She painted this picture countless times.

She used to paint at the base, and now she's still painting in Phoenix Kingdom, but for more than twenty years, no one has ever understood her paintings.

Although Li Yunxi did not explicitly state the implied meaning, she clearly revealed the true intent of the painting.

He was the first person besides her master to understand her.

The thirty-seven branches in the painting represent the thirty-seven hardships she endured.

Every ordeal felt like a brush with death, and the pain left her speechless.

But I had to force myself to write down these painful memories.

Her master once said that pain is meant to be remembered. If you don't remember it, you'll never be able to distinguish between pain and even greater pain. Not knowing pain means not learning from it.

One must learn from one's mistakes, and one must not live with pain.

As she was pondering, a clear and gentle voice came from above her head. He said, "Since it has been painted many times, it must have special significance for Miss San. How could it not have a deeper meaning?"

Li Yunxi looked up at the withered branches in front of the courtyard and murmured: "The wind and frost have stripped away its skin and flesh, yet it still stands tall and proud against the cold frost. The withered branches guard the empty courtyard, only wishing to stand firm until dawn. The withered branches stand firm, which has a profound meaning."

“Indeed,” Mu Yan said, “Withered branches hang in the air, while remaining trees are close to spring. Enduring this cold winter and then welcoming the new spring can be considered the second layer of meaning.”

“In that case,” he turned to look at her, a smile in his eyes, “the third layer of meaning is that Miss will recover soon with the medicine.”

"Well said!" Xiangqin exclaimed excitedly.

Although she couldn't understand the flowery language used earlier, she could understand the man's wish for her master to "recover soon."

“You understand now,” Mu Yan said with a smile. “You were silent the whole time, I thought you were asleep.”

“How could I fall asleep?” Xiangqin said. “I still have to guard my master! I must do my duty.”

Although... I accidentally dozed off for a while.

Seeing this, Li Yunxi felt she shouldn't disturb them, so she bowed slightly and said, "I've bothered you for so long today, so I'll take my leave now and visit you another day."

Mu Yan nodded, "Young Master Li, please take care."

After Li Yunxi left, Xiangqin approached Muyan and praised, "Master, that young master Li just now seemed so clever."

“He’s a talented man from Kyoto, of course he’s smart,” Mu Yan said disdainfully, “Wipe your drool.”

"Ah?" Xiangqin blushed and quickly raised her sleeve to wipe her mouth.

She remembered that she had washed her face today. Where did the drool come from? Could it have accidentally leaked out while she was dozing off?

_

Dali Temple

As soon as Mu Yunqing and his companion got off the carriage, they smelled an extremely strong stench of blood. Taking a few steps inside, they saw a group of people lying haphazardly in the hall, with bloodstains still wet on the ground and books scattered on the floor.

Pei Xuan leaned against the door, blood smeared at the corner of his mouth, and only a broken sword remained in his hand. Wei Chengfeng leaned against him, clutching his stomach and crying out in pain, "Ouch, it hurts so much, it hurts so much!"

Upon seeing the two men enter, he cried out, "My lords, you're finally back! I almost lost my life!"

"What happened?" Mu Yunqing's heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward to help Wei Chengfeng up.

“This morning,” Wei Chengfeng said, “a few men in black broke in, kidnapped the man from the prison, and seriously injured the two of us.”

As he spoke, he moved Mu Yunqing's hand away and said anxiously, "My lord, don't worry about me, quickly save Pei Da... ah, I mean Pei Xuan, he's badly injured."

Mu Yunqing turned to look at Pei Xuan, "How are you? Where are you injured?"

"I'm fine," Pei Xuan waved his hand and said, "I only took a few stabs, it's a pity those people got away."

"It's alright, the monk may run away but the temple can't." Mu Yunqing helped him up and said, "You two go back and heal your wounds first. Lord Shen and I will handle the rest."

Wei Chengfeng hesitated and said, "No...don't you need us to provide clues?"

Mu Yunqing glanced at the footprints on his official robe and said, "Don't worry about these things, old man. Go back and take good care of your injuries."

"Then I'm leaving!" Wei Chengfeng asked uncertainly, "Are you really leaving?"

Mu Yunqing nodded and said, "Okay, go ahead."

"Okay!" Wei Chengfeng agreed and helped Pei Xuan run shakily toward the clinic.

"Hiss," Pei Xuan frowned and said, "Slow down, slow down!"

“We can’t slow down, we need to go even faster,” Wei Chengfeng said as he ran. “If we go any slower, you’ll become a bloodless puppet! How can I just watch you bleed to death?”

Pei Xuan: "..."

Can't you speak properly? Who did you say bled to death?

Wei Chengfeng didn't care about the expressions on the faces of the people beside him, and dragged them forward as fast as he could.

If it weren't for Pei Xuan, this old man would have truly perished here today.

We absolutely have to take Pei Xuan to the clinic for a proper check-up, lest he develop a chronic illness.

_

Main Hall

Mu Yunqing frowned and paced back and forth in the room. He had guessed that Zhang Xunyu would take some action, but he did not expect her to be so impatient.

Why are they so eager to save the man in black?

Shen Chenxi found it inexplicably funny to see him like this.

"Lord Shen is in quite a good mood," Mu Yunqing said coldly, "to be able to laugh at a time like this."

“Of course I can laugh,” Shen Chenxi said with a smile. “It’s not common to see Lord Mu like this. If you don’t laugh now, you might not see him again.”

Mu Yunqing choked for a moment, glanced at him, and said calmly, "Lord Shen would be better off focusing on important matters."

"Is it serious business?" he asked. "Does Lord Mu mean the man in black or Zhang Xunyu?"

Both are true.

"I can't think of anything," Shen Chenxi sighed, and said, "I wonder if Lord Mu has any brilliant ideas?"

“She planned this all along, otherwise she wouldn’t have kept the two of us here.”

“She did have another purpose in doing this today.” Shen Chenxi nodded slightly in agreement. “However, I didn’t expect her to be so bold as to dare to do it in broad daylight.”

“Heh,” Mu Yunqing sneered, “What doesn’t she dare to do? She’s paved two roads.”

"Two paths?" Shen Chenxi turned to look at him, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Firstly, she wants to get us to choose sides, and secondly, she wants to take the opportunity to kidnap the prisoner. If something goes wrong, she can use the banquet as an excuse to get away, leaving all the responsibility on you and me."

Shen Chenxi crossed his arms and nodded gently, "Lord Mu is absolutely right. Zhang Xunyu is a meticulous man, and these two moves were indeed ruthless."

“Now that the man in black has escaped,” Mu Yunqing stared at him, “what explanation do you have for His Majesty?”

"As for His Majesty..." Shen Chenxi lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then looked up at him, "Why don't we keep it a secret for now?"

“No, this is deceiving the emperor,” Mu Yunqing said solemnly. “There must be an explanation.”

"Lord Mu, what's the rush?" Shen Chenxi couldn't understand.

"Me?" Mu Yunqing asked, puzzled. "Isn't it Lord Shen who's been clamoring to investigate Zhang Xunyu?"

"I was just mentioning it casually, and Lord Mu actually took it seriously?" Shen Chenxi teased. "No wonder you're so concerned after only meeting Miss Mu once. Lord Mu is really easy to fool."

Mu Yunqing gritted his teeth and said, "Shen, Chen, Xi."

“Lord Mu, please don’t be angry,” Shen Chenxi said. “Zhang Xunyu’s influence in the court is deeply entrenched. Taking action rashly would only bring harm and no benefit. Not to mention whether her allies would become enemies of us, even His Majesty would not allow us to investigate her at will.”

"I don't know much about the affairs of the court. Lord Shen, you might as well explain in more detail."

“This…” Shen Chenxi hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice, “Lord Mu, this matter is of great importance. Let’s find another place to discuss it in detail.”

"Where to go?"

Shen Chenxi looked at him, her eyes filled with a deeper meaning, "Naturally, we should go to a safe place."

"The Shen residence?"

“Wrong,” Shen Chenxi walked to the bookshelf, took out a book, and gently pressed it. The bookshelf slowly moved, revealing a hidden compartment. “Lord Mu, please.”

"This is……"

"Lord Mu, there's no need to be surprised. This place was built by someone I had a few days ago. No one but you and me knows about it."

"That's good then," Mu Yunqing replied, and followed him.

Shen Chenxi raised his hand and lit the candle, instantly illuminating the dark compartment.

"Lord Mu, do you know who Zhang Xunyu's biggest rival is in the court?"

Mu Yunqing said, "In terms of power, Prime Minister Mu is the most powerful, but she doesn't care about court affairs and only worries about the emperor, so she can't be considered a rival."

"Lord Mu is indeed exceptionally intelligent." Shen Chenxi chuckled, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "Although Prime Minister Mu wields immense power, she is devoted to the emperor and harbors no hostility towards Zhang Xunyu."

"Next up are the Song family, the Du family, and the Liu family."

“Indeed, these three families hold significant positions in the court.” Shen Chenxi paced back and forth in the hidden compartment, tapping the table lightly with a book in his hand. “But none of them are as powerful as Zhang Xunyu.”

“The Song family is full of loyal martyrs, so they would never side with Zhang Xunyu.” Mu Yunqing paused, then said, “As for the other two families, I don’t know much about them.”

Shen Chenxi continued, "The Du family and the Song family have been on good terms for generations and can be considered as one faction for now. I have sent people to investigate, and neither of them has any inclination to form an alliance."

"The Liu family, on the other hand, is a newly emerging family. It has only risen to prominence in the last few decades, but it has developed rapidly and has become a force to be reckoned with in the court." Shen Chenxi put down the book in his hand, his gaze becoming profound. "The relationship between the Liu family and Zhang Xunyu is also very subtle, with both cooperation and competition."

"It seems that these families are actually scattered and each has its own independent forces." Mu Yunqing smiled. "Then we still have a chance of winning if we start with Zhang Xunyu."

“Lord Mu, don’t be anxious,” Shen Chenxi continued, “Don’t forget that several smaller families also sought refuge with the Zhang family that night. Although their forces were scattered, they were still united, making it difficult to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.”

"To wipe them all out in one fell swoop?" Mu Yunqing frowned and said, "So, in the end, you still want to deal with Zhang Xunyu?"

Shen Chenxi knew she couldn't hide it from him, so she nodded in agreement.

Unexpectedly, the person in front of me suddenly exploded.

"Lord Shen, this is the officialdom, not a game!" Mu Yunqing said helplessly, "You are just a low-ranking official of the sixth rank. You have to consider the consequences of your actions. Of all people to target, why did you have to target an official appointed by the imperial court?"

"Officials appointed by the imperial court?" Shen Chenxi scoffed. "I thought that in Lord Mu's eyes, there were no ranks and everyone was treated equally. It turns out that he also values ​​these things."

Mu Yunqing said coldly, "Lord Shen's skill in labeling people is truly growing day by day."

"Not as quick as Lord Mu's way of praising the powerful and belittling the weak," he retorted.

"When have I ever flattered the powerful and belittled the weak?" Mu Yunqing laughed in anger. "Shen Chenxi, you are a member of the Dali Temple. Your duty is to investigate cases, not to dismiss officials."

“I have my own plans for this,” he said calmly. “There is no need for you to worry, Lord Shepherd.”

"Is Lord Shen trying to distance himself from me?"

"You're overthinking it. I just don't want to involve anyone else."

Okay, he's become someone else again. This guy changes his tune faster than turning the pages of a book.

I really don't know what to say. I really want to smash Shen Chenxi's brain to see how much guts he has inside.

Mu Yunqing took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down: "Lord Shen, we are officials in the same court and should support each other. If you insist on doing this, I can only do my best to protect you."

Shen Chenxi was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to say that. Before she could even feel touched, she was pulled out of the hidden compartment.

"doing what?"

"I'll take you to a good place." Before he could agree, Mu Yunqing used his lightness skill to fly towards Chenxin Lake.