"What's wrong?" Meng Yun noticed something was off about the two as soon as he entered the room, especially Mu Ange's face, which was as black as charcoal. He had a bad temper, but he was usually very good at pretending. What was wrong with him now?

"Here, osmanthus cake."

Sister Yun placed the osmanthus cake on the table, hoping to ease the atmosphere, but the two of them didn't even glance at it.

Meng Yun sighed helplessly, chuckled softly, and continued trying to find a topic to discuss:

"I heard that Xiao Ningzi has been promoted, so he can take better care of me in the future, and An Ge can feel more at ease."

Mu Ange said, "Of course."

But in his heart he thought, 'Him? A clueless eunuch; he'll be lucky if he doesn't cause trouble for my aunt.'

An Ning looked up at him and saw that the guy was putting on such a composed act, truly a hypocrite to the extreme.

"This servant knows nothing and can't possibly take care of you. It's good enough if I don't cause trouble for Sister Yun." An Ning curled her lips into a wicked smile, repeating Mu Ange's inner thoughts in a sarcastic tone, her round eyes fixed on him, wanting to see his reaction.

Mu Ange suddenly looked at An Ning, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. He simply did not believe that a eunuch could read his true thoughts; it was just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.

"A person should know their own limitations. Little Ningzi, it turns out you're not so stupid after all."

Mu Ange decided to stop pretending and confront An Ning head-on.

"An Ge, you're not allowed to talk about Xiao Ningzi like that," Sister Yun scolded him.

An Ning chuckled twice: "It's alright. A servant is just someone to be ordered around. Your Highness is of noble status. Even if you know that you've spoken recklessly and made outrageous remarks, you probably won't apologize to people like us."

Mu Ange sneered, his eyes searching over An Ning: He was actually trying to get him to apologize indirectly, what a fool's dream!

"An Ge, Xiao Ningzi has helped us a lot. You shouldn't say that about him. Apologize to Xiao Ningzi right now!"

An Ning curled her lips into a smile, barely suppressing her laughter: 'You got what you deserved, you dog of a man.' Thinking this, she slightly raised her head, her eyes fixed on Mu Ange, full of provocation.

Mu Ange's face darkened further, but he always obeyed his aunt's every word.

"I'm sorry." The voice was barely audible, yet the speech was incredibly fast.

An Ning frowned slightly, picked at her ear with her little finger, and then looked at Sister Yun with an innocent expression: "Sister Yun, what did the prince say? I didn't hear it."

Mu Ange was furious. If his aunt hadn't been there, he would have hung the eunuch up and beaten him long ago.

Sister Yun looked at An Ning, whose mischievous and clever nature made her seem strangely like a woman: "Ange, a real man can bend and stretch. Since you did something wrong or said something wrong, it won't hurt you to apologize."

Mu Ange took a deep breath, her usually gloomy eyes gradually hardening with frost. She glared at her before quickly turning her head away: "I'm so sorry."

The voice was loud and clear, each word distinct and deliberate.

He clearly said sorry, but Anning always felt that he meant: I'll kill you!

"How could this servant possibly accept Your Highness's apology? I am truly terrified." An Ning perfectly embodied the phrase "having gained an advantage but still acting innocent."

"Aunt, I have other matters to attend to at home, so I must take my leave today. I will come to see you another day."

As she spoke, Mu Ange stood up.

An Ning was overjoyed: Great! This plague god is about to leave, and I can finally have a good chat with Sister Yun.

"Let Xiao Ningzi escort me out of the palace." Mu Ange's gaze swept over An Ning, and An Ning's little plan instantly collapsed.

'Damn, this guy's been waiting for me here.'

An Ning looked like she had swallowed a fly, her face scrunched up as she reluctantly said, "Yes, this servant will escort you out of the palace right away."

"You bastard, I really want to send you straight to the Western Paradise!" An Ning sighed helplessly, venting her anger in her heart.

Outside Liuyun Palace.

Mu Ange walked ahead on his own, while Anning followed behind dejectedly. Suddenly, Mu Ange turned around, took a quick step forward, and almost instantly cornered Anning against the wall.

An Ning let out a soft cry, her back forced against the palace wall. She subconsciously looked around, but there was no one else around except for the plague god in front of her.

In her panic, she looked up at Mu Ange and saw that his huge figure almost completely shrouded her in shadow. He exuded a chilling aura, and his phoenix eyes were fixed on her, his anger visibly palpable.

Anning even felt that he wanted to stab her directly to vent his anger.

Just as An Ning was lost in thought, Mu An Ge suddenly grabbed her collar roughly and yanked it off.

Her face was about to collide with his chest, and An Ning instinctively closed her eyes, then opened them again in a panic.

Mu Ange looked at her carefully, until that tender and delicate face suddenly pressed against his chest. For a moment, he was at a loss. Instantly, a faint fragrance filled his nose. It was neither as sweet as a woman's nor as refreshing as a man's. It was a comfortable scent that was somewhere in between.

"Your Highness, in public, you wouldn't be trying to strip a eunuch like me, would you?" An Ning stared at him warily, covering her collar with her hand to prevent him from seeing more of her skin.

Mu Ange only realized at this moment that because of her reckless actions, the eunuch's collar had been forcibly torn open, revealing a section of his snow-white neck.

Mu Ange glanced at her and was as if struck by lightning. In a panic, he quickly let go of her hand, turned around, and said coldly, "The one who belongs to my heart is a peerless beauty. In the past two or three years, I have never had one. So you shouldn't say that I have gained another beauty. There has never been a beauty by my side."

An Ning, who was adjusting her collar in shame and indignation, suddenly stopped, puzzled: So, he was angry because she said he had found another beauty, not because she had tried to outsmart him and make him apologize?

"Your Highness, you don't need to say these things to me." After all, he was just a eunuch, and his many beauties had nothing to do with him. There was really no need to say these things.

"Throughout the ages, the world is ever-changing. We may betray the gentle breeze and bright moon, we may betray power and prestige, but only a sliver of longing and enduring affection in two places cannot be betrayed." The words were spoken in a cool and aloof tone, yet their warmth lingered after they were spoken. Mu Ange walked forward alone, leaving behind a thousand strands of sorrow in the palace.

An Ning stood there, watching his straight back as he walked away into the distance, and couldn't help but cross her arms and mutter, "He's such a love-struck fool."

The joy in criticizing Mu Ange vanished as soon as he finished speaking. The world is full of trials and tribulations, and he has experienced many things since childhood. He should have seen the wickedness of people's hearts. I didn't expect that after going through so many trials, he would still have a pure heart. I thought he was a scoundrel and villain, but I didn't expect him to be a rare and open-minded man in this world.

Thinking of this, An Ning slowly raised her head, looked at the gradually darkening sky in the distance, and then stretched lazily: "Hey, no matter how good he is, what does it have to do with me? I'm tired, time to go back inside and eat some braised pork knuckle~"