What I Deserve!

Bai Yuji had never felt so exhausted in her life.

She looked at He Xifeng and said in a deep voice, "We should avenge Luo Qing! We should even more so avenge Nanzhao! But to attribute every evil to our enemies only makes me feel that we are base and twisted."

"Our goal this time has already been achieved; even if we continue to press the attack, we will gain no further benefits. The key now should be to leverage the influence of this matter to establish the prestige of Nanzhao among the various states, rather than venting our own anger and resentment."

"Do you... understand what I mean?"

He Xifeng was speechless for a long time, eventually compromising in a low voice, "The Princess is right! It is just that, Princess, you have still been influenced by the so-called morality of the Central Plains people..."

Bai Yuji grew somewhat angry, "Is the Great Elder trying to lecture me?"

"I would not dare!"

He Xifeng hurriedly denied it; this was the first time she had felt such anger emanating from Bai Yuji.

Further words were useless, and she lacked the confidence to win an argument against Bai Yuji.

Yet, she felt that the Princess's mindset had undergone a subtle change.

If this were allowed to develop, she feared it would lead to grave consequences.

She took a deep breath and asked, "Princess, has Qin Muye already discovered that this matter is related to us?"

"How did you know?"

"Just now, he didn't say a single word to you."

"..."

"This boy is truly deep and unreadable; no wonder he can make the Princess feel so guilty."

"Great Elder!"

Bai Yuji's voice was laced with anger, "If we do not attribute our wretchedness to outsiders, do we no longer have the resolve to seek revenge?"

He Xifeng sighed, "Princess, do you still remember my previous speculations regarding Qin Muye?"

"I remember! What about them?"

Bai Yuji was incredibly restless, yet she could still recall the content of He Xifeng's speculations.

She had said that Qin Muye was extremely adept at exploiting the sympathy of others, appearing innocent and weak, but in reality, he was the most cold-blooded and selfish person in the world.

Otherwise, he could not have cooperated so readily with Nanzhao's plan, putting Qin Kaijiang in mortal danger just to save his own skin.

She had also said that she was slowly falling into a trap he had meticulously designed.

He Xifeng said in a deep voice, "Today, he spoke to you with cold words, yet he did not stand up for Qin Yanying, not even a single word. Even now, do you still think I am maliciously misjudging others?"

Bai Yuji: "..."

He Xifeng bowed deeply to Bai Yuji, "If the Princess does not believe me, you may simply wait and see. This case is of great importance; such a cold-blooded person will only act like a turtle hiding in its shell to continue protecting himself! The Princess has a kind heart, but it is easy for you to be deceived and blinded. With a great feud before us, you must remain clear-headed! I take my leave!"

Following this, her physical body transformed into a swarm of ants and crawled out through the window.

Bai Yuji took several deep breaths.

Yet she still felt as if her vision was going black.

She felt as though two powerful, diametrically opposed forces were frantically tearing at her heart.

And she had no idea which one she should obey.

The hatred of a destroyed nation and a slaughtered race kept urging her to do things she deemed wrong.

Yet, someone kept telling her that the reason she felt this was wrong was because she had been educated by her enemies.

She felt very self-reproachful, blaming herself for not being firm enough.

Yet, she would also feel helpless and sad because of the disappointed and disdainful gaze of her enemy's son.

Disappointment, disdain—were those really just his tactics?

Who was truly in the wrong regarding this matter?

Bai Yuji's thoughts were in chaos, and feeling both physically and mentally exhausted, she covered her head with a quilt and soon drifted into a hazy sleep.

She felt as though she had slept for a very long time.

But after opening her eyes, the sky was still bright.

She glanced at the sun, which had only just begun to dip into the west; calculating the time, she estimated she had only slept for two hours.

She rubbed her throbbing temples and got up to leave the room. Seeing that the doors and windows of Qin Muye's room were all open, she leaned over to peer inside, only to find that there wasn't even a shadow of a person.

Where had he gone?

Her heart skipped a beat, fearing that Qin Muye might do something unwise.

She quickly left the courtyard and grabbed a maid, asking, "Where is the Young General?"

The maid hurriedly replied, "Replying to the Young Mistress! The Young General has gone out."

"When?"

"Two hours ago!"

"Where did he go?"

"I, I don't know! The Young General's face was black as thunder, and we didn't dare to ask."

"..."

Bai Yuji forced herself to steady her nerves and hurried toward the outside of the estate.

During the day, Qin Muye had still been able to persuade Chen Sui not to act rashly.

Regardless of whether he was cold-blooded or not.

At the very least, it showed that he remained calm.

If she were in his shoes, the most likely course of action would be to seek help.

But at this critical juncture, how many people would be willing to lend a hand to the Qin Family?

Bai Yuji could only think of one name.

Li Xingluo!

Imperial Princess Mansion.

Bai Yuji pulled back the carriage curtain, but did not see the figure of Qin Muye.

Jumping down from the carriage, she strode to the gate and cupped her hands, saying: "This commoner..."

She had barely begun to speak.

The gatekeeper smiled and cupped his hands in return: "You must be the confidante of the Heir to the Marquis of Southern Suppression, right? Coming to the Imperial Princess Mansion today, is there some instruction you wish to offer?"

"I dare not offer instruction; I simply did not see the Heir in his estate and came specifically to look for him."

"If you did not see the Heir, why come to the Imperial Princess Mansion to look? It seems the Heir and the Imperial Princess have no friendship."

"This..."

Bai Yuji hesitated slightly: "The Heir is not here?"

"Naturally, he is not!"

The gatekeeper sighed softly, but his eyes deliberately glanced to the side.

Bai Yuji followed his gaze and discovered a small alley. Judging by the direction, it should lead to the inner river. The entire street along the river was lined with the mansions of princes and nobles, and the back gates of these residences all bordered the scenic river embankment.

She immediately understood what the gatekeeper meant. After thanking him, she ran quickly toward the alley.

Passing through the alley and running to the back gate of the Imperial Princess Mansion, she indeed saw that familiar figure.

The weather in early winter was very cold.

Especially by the river.

That person was standing in front of the gate, wrapped in a robe, his lower legs trembling slightly.

"Qin Muye!"

"..."

Qin Muye glanced back, but withdrew his gaze without saying a word.

He had come here simply to make his stance clear.

After all, a Puppeteer is a Puppeteer, and the Qin Family is the Qin Family.

Relying solely on Li Xingluo would likely make it difficult to exonerate Qin Yanying. Although no one in the Capital City was willing to be on good terms with the Qin Family, making it difficult to get Li Xingluo to cooperate with him, he had to put his attitude forward.

He would leave once he received word.

During this time, he did not want to see Bai Yuji.

Of course, he didn't want to see her at home, either.

Right now, he just wanted to get Qin Yanying out as quickly as possible; thinking about anything else was just a headache.

"Are you cold?"

"You don't need to worry about it."

"It's very cold, and your health is poor!"

"What does that have to do with you?"

"You..."

Bai Yuji did not know what else to say, so she could only unfasten her cloak and drape it over him.

Qin Muye did not refuse, nor did he speak; he just stood there quietly.

After waiting for a while longer.

Bai Yuji could not help herself: "The Imperial Princess is truly rude. How dare she make you wait this long? I'm going to go reason with her!"

As she spoke, she prepared to go up and knock on the door.

Yet, unexpectedly, before her knuckles could even fall, the door opened on its own.

Pu Mingzhu pushed the door open and stepped out. She smiled slightly at Bai Yuji, then walked up to Qin Muye and bowed, sighing softly: "Why must the Heir go to such lengths?"

Qin Muye merely chuckled: "Mother Pu is finally willing to see me. What does the Imperial Princess say?"

Pu Mingzhu sighed helplessly: "The Imperial Princess naturally sympathizes with General Qin's plight, but the situation in the capital is quite complex. Having contended with the Crown Prince for many years, the Imperial Princess is watched by countless eyes. I ask that the Heir understand."

"I understand!"

"Then... will the Heir please return?"

Pu Mingzhu made a gesture of invitation, yet with a very subtle movement, she slipped a cloth handkerchief into Qin Muye's sleeve.

Qin Muye's eyes flashed, and he immediately put on a look of disappointment: "Farewell!"

With that said.

He feigned indignation and left in a huff.

Once inside the carriage, he took out the handkerchief and saw a line of elegant, bold characters written upon it:

Heir, do not worry. The key to the sentencing of this case lies with the Department of Case Review and the presiding judge. The trend of fawning over Demon Official in the court is severe, especially within the Court of State Ceremonial. Only by moving the case out of the Court of State Ceremonial is there any chance of victory. I will do my best to pull strings; Heir, please wait and see. If a variable is found, I implore you to work with me in full cooperation.

"Phew..."

Qin Muye let out a sigh of relief, feeling more and more that Li Xingluo was reliable.

Moving the case out of the Court of State Ceremonial was exactly what he had been thinking.

The biggest problem with the case right now was the private interrogation by the Court of State Ceremonial.

As long as it could be moved out and held as a public trial, he would basically have won half the battle.

Of course, the difficulty was not small.

But since she had proposed this plan, it meant she already had a certain degree of confidence.

Regardless, he absolutely could not sit in the prison of the Court of State Ceremonial; the influence of the Demon Official there was too strong, and there was no way he would have an easy time.

Even if he had to be locked up, it had to be in the cells of the Brocade Guard.

That side was all his own people.

With Commander Chen Sui there to provide supplies, it would practically be like home quarantine.

"Qin Muye."

"Hmm!"

Qin Muye reined in his smile, tucked the handkerchief back into his robes, and then took off his cloak and handed it over: "Thank you!"

Bai Yuji: "..."

She suddenly felt a sense of grievance.

She hadn't come here just to hear him offer a polite "thank you."

Seeing her eyes redden slightly, Qin Muye felt both annoyed and absurd, but in the end, he spoke up: "If you have something you want to say, just say it."

Bai Yuji's eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed again.

No matter what, the plan had only been implemented because she had nodded her approval.

No matter how complex the process, this story could not change its beginning or its end.

After a moment of silence, she gave a self-deprecating smile: "I deserve this!"

The atmosphere fell silent once more.

When the carriage stopped at the gate of the Southern Pacification Mansion and she saw Qin Muye preparing to disembark, she hesitated for a moment before grabbing his sleeve.

Qin Muye asked: "Is there something else?"

Bai Yuji's lips moved: "I will brew some medicine to ward off the cold for you later. You... must not refuse to drink it!"

Qin Muye: "..."