Qiao Lian'er applied the ointment quickly and patted it twice to make sure it adhered well. The boy's eyes were dark and deep, which made her feel a little embarrassed, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

She shoved the face cream into his hand, avoiding his lingering gaze.

"Apply it every day, otherwise it won't look good."

"Okay, I'll listen to Lian'er. It's my fault for being so busy day and night and not taking good care of myself." He replied earnestly.

She has everything and can do everything; to be worthy of her, he must be perfect in every way.

Subconsciously, I touched my cheek; the warmth of her fingers still lingered there.

Qiao Lian'er had meant it as a joke, but upon hearing his reply, she burst out laughing.

Then she straightened her face slightly and explained the situation and progress of her trip to Dongfu Kingdom.

"There'll be a good show soon," Pei Shijiu said expectantly.

He entrusted the distribution of supplies to several capable subordinates, instructed them to be on high alert, and then went with her to the Kingdom of Da Nu.

At this moment, Mu Tai received a message by carrier pigeon. He sat at his desk, his face looking very unpleasant.

"Lord Mutai, what's wrong?" asked his trusted aide.

Mu Tai, with a cold face, showed him the letter.

After reading the contents, the confidant's expression turned serious: "That's unlikely. In my opinion, Crown Prince Takuhai's performance was quite sincere. Lord Mutai even obtained a life-saving Buddhist amulet for him, preventing the Princess of Daze Kingdom from harming him. How could he be two-faced and act like such an ungrateful villain?"

"This was written by someone I trust, so its authenticity is almost certain. More than a dozen cargo ships carrying gunpowder exploded, and the other ships have not had any problems for the time being, but the gunpowder on them is from the same batch. How can you expect me to believe that this gunpowder is safe?"

Mu Tai sneered.

"Once the gunpowder arrives, I'll have to inspect it carefully. Then I'll be able to tell whether he's a human or a ghost."

At this time, the gunpowder depot was being expanded because Prince Takumi promised to provide Mutai with enough gunpowder to fill three of the original depots.

Mutai made a promise to Emperor Shinyu that the other two gunpowder depots would be built with government funding, just waiting for the gunpowder from Dongfu Kingdom to be replenished.

If the gunpowder delivered is substandard, Mutai will be unable to explain himself to Emperor Shinyu, thus further eroding the emperor's trust.

Mutai could not bear such an outcome.

"I need to see Prince Takumi."

Takumi had just returned to Da Nu Kingdom from the border and arrived quickly.

Neither of them looked well, so the atmosphere became somewhat tense as soon as they met.

"Lord Mutai, things are not going as smoothly as we expected," Crown Prince Tuohai said as he sat down.

"Yes, it didn't go smoothly, and I'm afraid it won't meet my expectations," Mu Tai said sarcastically.

Prince Takumi gave him a strange look: "Lord Mutai already knows?"

"In this world, nothing can truly be hidden from people's eyes."

Prince Takumi felt that Mu Tai seemed a bit off today, and that the other man's anger seemed to be directed at him, and that his gaze towards him was more wary and scrutinizing.

His gaze darkened.

The task of spreading rumors about Qiao Lian'er and ruining her reputation was mainly handled by Mu Tai, since Mu Tai was originally from the Central Plains and had a better understanding of the situation there.

As a result, the task was not completed at all, and Mu Tai instead took advantage of him.

What's the logic behind this?