Mu Xi's gaze fell on Dou Shiliu, who was kneeling on the ground, and he said calmly, "20 lashes. The clothes are made of water-grade material from the southern mountain region. Make ten of them and hand them over."

Dou Shiliu's body trembled slightly. He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. He simply mumbled, "Yes."

Mu Xi wheeled herself out in her wooden wheelchair, which was made by the best carpenter in the Forbidden City, but Mu Xi still felt it wasn't very practical.

The rolling wheel was stuck in the entrance hall. Mu Xi glanced indifferently behind him, and Dou Shiliu immediately got up and pushed him out.

"I need to learn more about how to make wooden wheels," Muxi said, and then pushed the wooden wheel away little by little.

The man's handsome features were so soft, but his eyes were indeed ruthlessly empty.

Now that she knew Mu Xi was her master, Dou Shiliu could certainly fulfill his requests.

But those 20 lashes...

Dou Shiliu's eyes flickered. She decided to go to the Southern City Mountain to find Shui Ma Liao instead; she didn't want to be whipped 20 times.

When Dou Shiliu left the Mu residence, An Er knelt in the study.

"An Yi left the mansion and rode his horse towards the southern city's mountain range."

An Er knelt on one knee, his eyes lowered, not looking at the man on the wooden wheel above, and simply reported the situation.

Mu Xi gracefully lifted the purple teacup on the table, which was filled with the aroma of tea, and took a small sip. "Mmm."

An Er hesitated for a moment, then spoke up: "An Yi did not come to receive his punishment."

After saying that, he lowered his head even further. He and An Yi were both unfortunate people, but as secret guards, they had to serve their masters wholeheartedly.

She placed the tea lid on the purple teacup, her slender fingers pausing slightly, her calm eyes remaining undisturbed.

"After you come back, continue to increase the intensity; you can call Zero and the others."

The man on the wooden wheel spoke casually, saying that today's tea didn't taste as good as the one he brewed.

After receiving the order, An Er disappeared into the shadows of the study, where the fragrant boudoir was filled with military books.

Mu Xi opened a book, his eyes lowered, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, and he was focused on reading it. He had read Sun Tzu's Art of War countless times.

...

Dou Shiliu had no idea that she would still be whipped when she got back. She was now focused on galloping her horse toward the southern city mountain, where the water-grade materials were of excellent quality and, of course, very expensive.

Mu Xi didn't give her any money, which meant she had to find her own way. She liked that she had a system that could provide paper money anytime, anywhere; it was incredibly convenient.

White Ball: "...", Hehe

Following the route he remembered, Dou Shiliu turned into a small alleyway. The paving stones inside were covered with moss, but there were very few of them. A few days ago, a light rain had fallen on the southern mountain.

The drizzling rain probably washed away the lush green moss on the ground, revealing its original clean appearance.

"Bang bang bang..."

Dou Shiliu stood at the end of the alley, where the old-fashioned plaque with a dilapidated facade was erected, bearing the words "Fushuntang" in large characters.

The person inside heard the knocking and opened the door, only to see a familiar face.

"Young Master Yi, please come in."

Dou Shiliu stepped inside, and the person behind him closed the door and followed, asking a few questions: "Does Prince Mu want clothes again?"

No, it's because she secretly wore it, so she was particularly disgusted with it, which is why I asked her to come and buy clothes.

Dou Shiliu coughed a few times, "I want 20 white robes made of water-grade fabric."

The man was slightly surprised: "Then you'll have to wait quite a while to get it."

Muxi's clothes were all handmade, with each embroidery stitched on.

20 items, it's estimated that it will take until the second half of the year to collect them all.

The distance between Nancheng Lingshan and the capital is quite far, so Muxi was deliberately making things difficult for her, hoping she would have to travel back and forth.

Dou Shiliu's brows furrowed in helplessness, but it vanished in an instant. She spoke calmly, "Complete one task, then send a message by carrier pigeon."

The man nodded and didn't ask anything more.

Would you like to come in and sit for a while?

Dou Shiliu shook her head. She had only come to instruct them to make clothes. She left the money behind, turned around, mounted her fast horse, and hurried back to the Mu Mansion.

Emperor Muqi's brother was spared by the emperor during a dynastic change because he was unambitious and disabled; otherwise, the outcome would have been as expected.

Dou Shiliu was still glad that the cannon fodder in this world had a leg disease, but he also developed a calm and unhurried temperament.

Muqi's mother left him a group of secret guards, namely Zero, Dark One, Dark Two, Little Five, and the Grand Duke.

They fought desperately among 3,000 people to be the last ones standing. Dou Shiliu will never forget the image of Muxi's mother.

That woman, as beautiful as the moon, also had a heart as cold as the moon.

A few hours later, Dou Shiliu returned at top speed.

Suddenly, I sensed a familiar aura approaching – it was An Er.

Dou Shiliu dismounted, put the horse down, and came out to see An Er standing in front of him with a blank expression.

"Dark One, order the punishment," the voice was cold, but it was enough to give the girl a terrible headache.

Dou Shiliu frowned, "I won't."

"This is the master's order."

Despite the cannon fodder's command, Dou Shiliu shook his head, his eyes filled with coldness, "You should know that ten lashes will leave me bedridden for half a month."

An Er calmly observed, "This is the consequence of failing your mission."

Dou Shiliu was assigned by Mu Xi to assassinate someone, but he failed. So when Dou Shiliu first arrived, he was punished by being whipped 10 times.

However, after the second lash, she entered this body and naturally didn't let the second lash continue; she ran away.

"The master said, double it." The simple words "double it" made Dou Shiliu's back stiffen instantly.

"On what grounds?"

"An Yi, have you forgotten the rules?"

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible."

Dou Shiliu's injuries had not yet healed, and she did not want to fight An Er, so she could only try to get An Er to cover for her.

However, she seemed to have underestimated how recklessly the bodyguards obeyed their master.

"An Er, we grew up together," Dou Shiliu said breathlessly, dodging An Er's palm strike.

An Er remained expressionless, his eyes showing no change. "An Yi, this is the master's order; guards cannot disobey."

He didn't know why An Yi was so resistant.

Isn't getting injured a daily occurrence for bodyguards? Why are they hiding and resisting like this? An Er doesn't understand.

Now he has only one goal: to capture Dou Shiliu.

Dou Shiliu, as cunning as an eel, said, "An Er, we're friends!"

An Er was confused. "As secret guards, we can't disobey our master. An Yi, you need to understand, you weren't like this before."