Mu Weiliang returned to the Crown Prince's Palace and gave instructions to Qianxun.

"Go and investigate everyone in the Crown Prince's residence. See if any outsiders entered while I was away. If so, deal with them directly without asking me."

Chihiro was extremely excited after hearing this: "Yes, Your Highness."

Mu Weiliang sat on the soft couch in the main hall, recalling the look in Mu Tianqi's eyes when she asked him the question earlier.

What did that moment of anger mean? Did he truly not know that Mu Yanzheng had attempted to assassinate him? Or did Mu Yanzheng fail in his assassination attempt but have been caught red-handed by him?

Perhaps both are true, but who cares? In any case, to me, everyone in the entire palace is just a stranger.

He needed to make a plan quickly; he didn't want to waste time in this boring place.

While Mu Weiliang was deep in thought, Qianxun had already returned with the results of her investigation.

"Your Highness, we found more than a dozen this time, all of them with a broken leg, and sent them all back."

Mu Weiliang nodded: "Which palace are they all from?"

Chihiro: "They're just a few girls from the princes' palaces, and a few from their mothers' palaces. They're probably trying to seduce His Highness the Crown Prince."

Mu Weiliang glanced at him sideways: "Oh ho, how come you're so clever this time?"

"Hmph, I'm not completely ignorant, okay?"

Mu Weiliang smiled and said, "Alright, alright, go and have Mu Qing make me something to eat. I'm hungry."

"Okay, I'll go find Sister Muqing right now."

Chihiro was quick; less than half an hour after she left, palace maids brought in trays of food.

The head maid was dressed differently from the other maids, her clothes being slightly more refined.

He walked up to Mu Weiliang and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, time is a bit tight. Please make do with this for now. Mu Qing will cook you a big meal tomorrow."

Mu Weiliang waved her hand: "I've already told you, Mu Qing, you don't need to perform such a grand ceremony. Just be like Qianxun and the others. You're not a member of the Crown Prince's residence, so you don't need to follow the rules of the Crown Prince's residence at all."

Mu Qing shook her head: "No, Your Highness. Since I am in the Crown Prince's residence, I must follow the rules of the Crown Prince's residence. Otherwise, people will have a handle against me and the Crown Prince will be put in an unjust position."

Mu Weiliang said while eating, "I don't care about these things."

Mu Qing smiled calmly: "Your Highness may not care, but others are not indifferent. Mu Qing is just fine as she is."

Mu Weiliang nodded: "Okay, do whatever you want. Just remember, don't force yourself."

Mu Qing nodded and turned to leave.

Mu Weiliang sighed as she watched her retreating figure: "Sigh, Qianxun, why does Mu Qing have to be so proper? It makes me uncomfortable just looking at her."

Qianxun swallowed the food in her mouth and replied, "Perhaps he's worried that His Highness the Crown Prince will be caught red-handed. Besides, Sister Muqing has been serving the Empress for a long time, so these rules and etiquette are ingrained in her bones. If you don't let him perform the proper etiquette, Sister Muqing might feel uncomfortable instead."

Mu Weiliang glared at him: "You think you know so much? I've never seen you be well-behaved."

"Oh dear, Your Highness, you don't like these things, so Chihiro won't make them so as not to upset you."

Mu Weiliang reached out and threw the chopsticks in her hand at her: "Why do you always give me so many lectures? So you're doing it all for my own good?"

Qianxun caught the chopsticks that Mu Weiliang threw to her and quickly handed them to him like a sycophant: "Your Highness, Qianxun is just trying to make Your Highness less upset! Qianxun is Your Highness's personal bodyguard. If Your Highness finds everything about Qianxun unpleasant, how can Qianxun protect Your Highness?"

Mu Weiliang glanced at him, took the chopsticks, and continued eating.

"Your Highness, do you think I'm right?"

Mu Weiliang put down her chopsticks: "Right? You've already said it, what else can I say? Are you going to eat or not? If not, get out."

"Of course I ate it. I've been craving Sister Muqing's cooking ever since I got back. Your Highness, let me tell you, Sister Muqing's cooking is truly amazing. It's better than any other food I've had in India."

Mu Weiliang snorted: "You've been with me since you were a child. In India, how many places have you eaten at? And in Qinglong Kingdom, you didn't eat a single bite less either."

With her mouth full of rice, Chihiro mumbled, "Your Highness, the food in the Azure Dragon Kingdom is so delicious! I'm just trying not to waste food and cherishing every meal."

"Eat, eat, all you know is how to eat." Mu Weiliang scooped half a bowl of food out of his bowl.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Seeing Qianxun wolfing down her food, even Mu Weiliang, who usually doesn't eat much, was able to eat an extra half bowl of rice.

After the meal, Qianxun instructed someone to clean up the things and then followed Mu Weiliang to the study to discuss matters.