On a summer night, the moon hangs in the sky, its soft light casting a hazy veil over everything around it.

In the distance, on the lawn, many royals and ministers gathered in small groups to roast the day's hunted game and drink wine; everything seemed so peaceful.

Mu Jin sat in the shade, her face softly outlined by the moonlight, tinged with worry and unease. She glanced occasionally into the depths of the hunting grounds, her anxiety growing.

Unable to contain himself, Mu Jin anxiously sent Ru Feng to inquire about the whereabouts of Emperor Gaozong of the South and Su Yi.

Seeing Ru Feng rush back, she quickly stood up and took a few steps forward, asking anxiously, "Is there any news about them?"

Ru Feng shook his head dejectedly and said, "I just asked several ministers who entered the inner area at the same time as the master, and they all said that after entering the inner area, the master's troops were too fast and they couldn't keep up at all."

"In addition, this year's abundant rainfall has led to lush vegetation and plentiful prey. They were quickly drawn to the wild animals covering the mountains and fields, and by the time they came to their senses, their master was nowhere to be seen."

Mu Jin frowned and nodded.

Dinner time had passed quite some time ago, but Mu Jin hadn't returned to her tent to eat anything. Ru Ying, who was with her, stepped forward to persuade her:

"Miss Mu, you should go back to your tent and rest and have some food. If something really happened to the master inside, he would definitely send a signal. At this time, no news is probably the best news."

"But if you go hungry, our master will hold us accountable."

After thinking for a moment, Mu Jin followed the maids back to the tent.

Not long after Mu Jin returned to her tent, Madam Xie sent someone to deliver some fragrant roasted venison. After pondering for a moment, Mu Jin had her maids carefully select a box of pastries, and then headed towards the Lin family's tent.

When Madam Xie heard that Mu Jin had come to visit, she was extremely surprised and quickly had someone invite Miss Mu into the tent.

Upon seeing Madam Xie, Mu Jin bowed and said, "Venom is extremely delicious. I have come to express my gratitude to Madam Xie."

Madam Xie hurriedly helped Mu Jin up, and said with a smile, "You're too kind. This little bit of venison is nothing to worry about, and it's too much trouble for you to make a special trip."

Mu Jin smiled slightly and replied, "It was my rudeness, and I'm sorry to trouble you. This box of pastries is a type of mandarin duck cake from our Dongyue Kingdom. I brought it here especially for you to try."

Madam Xie was delighted when she saw the pastry box that Mu Jin handed over. After exchanging pleasantries, Mu Jin couldn't help but speak up, saying, "I have something I'd like to trouble Madam Xie to inquire about."

Madam Xie pulled Mu Jin down to sit and poured her a cup of tea. "Is it related to the Emperor and the young prince?"

Mu Jin nodded: "Madam Xie, to be honest, it's so dark now, and neither the Emperor nor Prince Yi has come out of the inner area. I'm a little worried. Could you please ask General Xie if he has seen Prince Yi in the inner area?"

Madam Xie was taken aback upon hearing this. She smiled and said, "Oh, I thought it was something important. My husband just came back and I asked him. The Emperor and Prince Yi are making a bet inside. They won't come out until they catch the black bear."

Despite Madam Xie's best efforts to conceal it, Mu Jin could still sense a fleeting moment of panic. Mu Jin knew that Madam Xie had lied this time, and seemed to be trying desperately to hide something.

This made Mu Jin's heart pound even higher, so she decided to stop hiding it and speak frankly.

“Madam Xie, I can tell that you are a kind-hearted person. This afternoon you not only talked to me so much, but you also worried that I was hungry and brought me venison.”

"I won't lie to you, when King Yi entered the inner arena he told me that things would definitely not be peaceful there today. Do you know something about this? Could you tell me?"

Madam Xie looked at her in surprise, then said, "I didn't expect him to tell you even this." Then she smiled and said, "In the end, this is all men's business. My knowledge is limited. After all, it involves a lot of people and is not something that we women can get involved in."

Madam Xie's attitude meant she was unwilling to speak. It was precisely this attitude that confirmed Mu Jin's suspicions. Things were far from peaceful inside.

However, even the Lin and Xie families, as well as many high-ranking officials, left the inner court and came to the outer court. So what important matter was holding Emperor Gaozong and Su Yi back in the inner court?

However, judging from Madam Xie's appearance, the situation doesn't seem to have reached a completely dire point yet.

Mu Jin pondered to herself, while Madam Xie looked at her with a hesitant expression, and finally just spoke softly to Mu Jin.

"Miss Mu, why don't you go and get some sleep? They might come out soon."

How could Mu Jin possibly feel sleepy at this moment? However, as the night deepened, even if she didn't want to sleep, she couldn't continue to disturb Madam Xie.

So she said, "Thank you, Madam Xie. If you learn of any news about King Yi, please send someone to inform me." Madam Xie nodded slightly, and Mu Jin bowed again to express her gratitude before turning to leave.

Seeing Mu Jin's worried face, Madam Xie couldn't bear it and called out to her, "Miss Mu."

When Mu Jin heard Madam Xie's call, she thought that Madam Xie had changed her mind and wanted to tell her about the situation inside. A sense of joy welled up in her heart. She quickly turned around and looked at Madam Xie with anticipation.

“Miss Mu, although I don’t know exactly what happened inside, based on my understanding of His Majesty and the young prince, they will definitely be alright.”

Madam Xie stepped forward and gently patted Mu Jin's hand, comforting her, "Listen to my advice, don't think about anything, don't do anything, just get a good night's sleep. The young prince made you wait for him outside, and there's a reason for that. If he wasn't confident, he wouldn't have brought you to this troublesome place, don't you think?"

When Mu Jin heard Madam Xie say this, she was taken aback. Madam Xie's words did indeed enlighten her. Su Yi was a man who liked to take advantage of her with his words, but he was actually very good to her and never did anything without being sure of success.

If he really couldn't control the situation this time, he probably wouldn't have left her on the outside. Thinking this way, Mu Jin felt much more at ease. She smiled and said to Madam Xie, "Thank you very much, Madam. Then I will take my leave now."

Seeing that Mu Jin seemed much more relaxed, Madam Xie smiled and nodded at her. After Mu Jin walked away, Madam Xie sighed and muttered to herself, "I hope everything goes smoothly and that Yu'er's spirit can rest in peace."