Mu Guanchun sat straight up with a sharp snap.
This startled Mu Hanqing so badly that her hand slipped while she was administering acupuncture, almost sending Mu Guanchun to see King Yama prematurely.
She’s awake!
Mu Hanqing had a lively personality. Once she realized what was happening, her tone bounced up and down like a little rabbit.
Mu Guanchun looked at her own full imperial sister, completely motionless.
It was rather spine-chilling.
Mu Hanqing asked, What is wrong with you?
Recalling that bizarre dream, Mu Guanchun asked as if guided by some ghost, What day is it today?
The tenth… of the twelfth lunar month. Two days ago, I even came to your manor for two bowls of Laba porridge.
The tenth of the twelfth lunar month?
Mu Guanchun muttered to herself. In the dream, today was the day Lier and that beast were destined to meet.
Where is Lier? she asked, rambling incoherently.
Suspecting that the hidden weapon had knocked something loose in her brain, Mu Hanqing put down her silver needles, picked up the book, and flipped through a couple of pages.
There’s nothing here at all. It’s just a wordless book… That assassin is truly strange for throwing a book at you.
I asked you, where is Lier?
Mu Guanchun snatched the wordless book back, only to find that there were clearly words written on it. The cover even prominently displayed the title: The Biography of the Scumbag Female Consort.
Mu Guanchun froze. She quickly flipped through the book from start to finish.
It was identical to the story in her dream.
Lier went to the Imperial Hospital. The medicine pavilion in the Prince’s Manor is short of a stalk of iron-skin dendrobium. With it as a medicinal guide, your recovery will be much faster.
After a long silence, Mu Guanchun asked, Why did you call it a… wordless book?
There are words on it?
You… can’t see them?
Mu Hanqing placed the back of her hand against Mu Guanchun’s forehead with a solemn expression: It’s over, completely over. She’s been hit so hard she’s gone mad…
However, Mu Guanchun hurriedly got out of bed, tossed the book aside, grabbed her clothes and deerskin boots, and prepared to head out.
Mu Hanqing grabbed her arm. Where are you going? You need to rest and recuperate properly.
Let go quickly! Any later, and my prized cabbage is going to be rooted up by a pig.
The text in the book had stated that Lou Yunli was on her way back from the Imperial Hospital with medicine when she passed through the marketplace. There, she encountered a wicked little brat who completely lacked civic virtue. The child had sneaked deep into the marketplace and set off a small firecracker, startling the pigs, cattle, and sheep, causing them to panic and stampede wildly onto the street, where they collided with the Prince’s Manor’s carriage.
Lou Yunli was violently thrown out from inside the carriage, and at the critical, life-or-death moment, the female protagonist, Yu Qingxiao, made a dramatic appearance, executing a classic hero saves the beauty sequence.
It was precisely because of this encounter that Yu Qingxiao sparked her revenge inspiration, planning to use a marriage proposal to Lou Yunli as a way to get closer to her, the Prince of Fortune.
Her top priority right now was to prevent them from meeting.
Leading a group of elite guards, Mu Guanchun galloped wildly on horseback through the mid-winter streets, rushing to the marketplace by the Little Cloud River at top speed.
This area was a trading post for livestock, crowded with people and even more animals. The excrement of pigs, cattle, and sheep mingled with a thin layer of snow that had been trampled into a muddy mess.
The stench of manure and raw meat intertwined in the air, so pungent that the top of Mu Guanchun’s head ached.
She dismounted and walked, having to carefully navigate the sticky, slippery ground to avoid a fall that would leave her bruised for days. Afterward, she tied her horse to a hitching post and hurried along, scanning left and right with her guards.
Her chief ceremonial guard, Li Gu’er, boldly asked, What sort of person is Your Highness looking for?
Scatter all the guards immediately and secure every single brat in this area, especially the ones setting off small firecrackers!
A… brat? Li Gu’er was thoroughly confused, but dared not ask further.
Mu Guanchun guessed that there shouldn’t be too many little brats in the marketplace. In such a chaotic place, what parent would willingly drag their children out here to suffer in the early morning?
A quarter of an hour passed… then half an hour.
The wicked little brat finally appeared: a female child with two wicked little hair buns on her head. In her left hand, she held a fiery-red little firecracker, and in her right, a flint and steel, ready to ignite the fuse.
Mu Guanchun thought to herself that something was wrong. The text clearly stated it was a male child.
Stop right there! Li Gu’er sprinted forward and snatched the items from the child’s hands.
Mu Guanchun hurried over, bent down, and said in a gentle voice, Little one, startling these livestock will cause a disaster.
A short-stature man driving two piglets approached. Seeing that they were extravagantly dressed, he first scolded the girl for running around blindly, then tied his piglets to a wooden stake. He shoved the girl’s head down, snapping, Quickly thank the two nobles for their warning.
He then turned to Mu Guanchun and asked, Are you customers looking to buy piglets? The piglets from my family are exceptionally good. When they grow up, they’ll be plump and sturdy. Just look at these two, how robust they are!
Mu Guanchun replied, Just passing through.
The man immediately looked displeased and redirected his foul temper onto the little girl. You money-losing piece of trash, born like an evil ghost just to stir up trouble! You ruined a perfectly good sale. If I weren’t so busy on my own, I wouldn’t have dragged you along. In a few years, I’ll sell you off to some wealthy gentleman to be a concubine!
His words were as harsh and vicious as could be.
Unable to stand by and watch, Mu Guanchun signaled Li Gu’er to give him a strict civic lecture.
At that moment, the little girl burst into loud, wailing tears.
The man yelled, Still crying, damn you! Get out of here, go back home and take care of Zhaodi and Pandi!
This barrage of names filled Mu Guanchun with an ominous premonition. Her brow furrowed tightly as she asked, You have a son?
The man instantly beamed with joy. Yes, I do! He came with me, just turned three years old and clever as a tack. Eh… where did he run off to?
He grew extremely anxious, gave the little girl’s backside a kick, and muttered, I told you to watch Yaozu, and all you know how to do is set off firecrackers. I bought those specifically for Yaozu!
Mu Guanchun decisively signaled Li Gu’er to kick him back.
The kick sent the man flying into a face-plant, right onto his own piglets’ manure, causing him to howl in pain. Scrambling up in a furious rage, he yelled, Why are you hitting people?!
Mu Guanchun cast a sideways glance at him and asked indifferently, You give birth to so many kids, do you have a throne to inherit?
My family has had a single male heir for three generations! What business is it of yours?!
Li Gu’er’s slap followed immediately. He struggled desperately to fight back, resisting hard… but couldn’t win against a trained guard, ending up crying out, Heroines, spare my life!
Bang!
A sharp explosion rang out.
It startled the cattle, pigs, and sheep into squealing in unison.
The real wicked little brat had finally appeared.
Mu Guanchun looked out into the distance and saw Yaozu in the middle of the crowd, lighting another small firecracker and tossing it right beside the hooves of a large yellow ox.
Bang!
Startled, the ox kicked up its hind legs, broke free of its rope, and bolted wildly.
The situation spiraled out of control. The surrounding pigs and sheep joined the stampede, knocking down person after person.
Outside the marketplace, Mu Guanchun spotted a lavish, canopied carriage driving past. The two pulling horses were a majestic pair of snowy-white steeds, their four hooves striking the ground as proudly as if treading on clouds.
Under the vast heavens, aside from the Son of Heaven, only the imperial carriage of the Prince of Fortune deserved such grandeur.
Mu Guanchun gasped, Lier!
Tossing its horns wildly, the yellow ox charged out of the marketplace straight toward the carriage.
Using every ounce of strength she possessed, Mu Guanchun sprinted at top speed, only for the chaotic crowd to block her path.
Her heart leaped right up to her throat.
The two majestic steeds were suddenly startled as well, both rearing up onto their front hooves.
The carriage began to sway violently, pitching back and forth. The very next instant, Lou Yunli was violently hurled straight out of the carriage.
A moonlight-white figure flashed out from the crowd, sleeves fluttering gracefully as she caught Lou Yunli securely in her arms.
Lou Yunli leaned against her embrace, their eyes locking.
The rescuer lowered her head and broke into a brilliant smile. The morning sun washed over her face like golden ripples, making her smile look all the more radiant in the halo of light.
Mu Guanchun’s heart turned thoroughly ice-cold.
Yu Qingxiao had gone ahead and saved the beauty after all.
The very thing she least wanted to happen had indeed occurred.
Following the commotion, the elite guards rushed in from all directions, stabilizing the chaotic scene and capturing the runaway livestock.
The banks of the Little Cloud River served as the ultimate viewing gallery for this farce. Crowding around the carriage, the onlookers gathered tighter and tighter.
Mu Guanchun struggled to push her way through the rubbernecking crowd. Just as she squeezed forward, some blind fool bumped into her, sending her tumbling straight into the Little Cloud River.
Mu Guanchun was forced to gulp down mouthfuls of river water.
Glug, glug, glug…
Li Gu’er’s first instinct was to save her master, but right before diving into the water, she remembered she didn’t know how to swim. She could only shout at the top of her lungs, The Prince has fallen into the water! Someone come quick!
With a resounding splash, Yu Qingxiao dove straight into the Little Cloud River, sending water flying everywhere.
Mu Guanchun possessed rather poor swimming skills, but fortunately, she had years of political maneuvering under her belt, giving her an ironclad psychological fortitude.
She didn’t panic. Waving her arms and kicking her legs, she awkwardly floated back toward the surface.
Just as she finally poked her head out to catch a breath, a moonlight-white figure plunged down on top of her head like a boulder, driving her right back down to the riverbed.
Glug, glug, glug…
Caught completely off guard, Mu Guanchun desperately wanted to curse.
Water flooded both her nose and mouth.
The unstoppable coughing underwater could cost her her life, so she desperately suppressed the tickle in her throat.
Pushing the person pressing down on her away, she struggled back up to the surface, rising up, rising…
She couldn’t make it up.
She was genuinely exhausted.
Her chest spasmed, forcing out her very last breath of air.
Just as she was on the verge of perishing and drifting into unconsciousness, more people jumped into the water, many people.
She recognized one of them: Lou Yunli.
A drenched Lou Yunli directed a group of soaked elite guards as they either fished or carried a thoroughly soaked Mu Guanchun ashore.
Li Gu’er lent a hand from the side, driving away the gossiping onlookers who had crowded around.
Panicking terribly, Lou Yunli squatted down, half-supporting Mu Guanchun while continuously patting her back.
Taking a deep breath, Mu Guanchun finally caught her second wind. Turning her head, she saw that moonlight-white figure had also crawled ashore, completely drenched.
Dissatisfied, Mu Guanchun demanded, What were you doing?
The other person panted, I… I’m sorry. I wanted to save you, but I missed my mark when I dove in. I tried to do a good deed and ruined it instead.
Mu Guanchun: …
Looking closer at this person, although dressed in men’s attire, her face was as bright as the moon, her eyebrows like spring willows, and her moonlight-white gown pure and clean, she looked even fresher and more delicate than the tenderest jasmine of spring.
She was the spitting image of a novel’s female protagonist.
Mu Guanchun: !
It was Yu Qingxiao again.
Her protective instincts instantly tightened like a bowstring. She stood up and pulled Lou Yunli firmly behind her back.
Lou Yunli: ?
Mu Guanchun was tall, while Lou Yunli was a few inches shorter. Taken aback by being pulled away so abruptly, Lou Yunli was momentarily confused before asking, Did you hurt yourself anywhere?
Mu Guanchun shook her head, turned around, and asked, What about you?
Remembering to thank her savior, Lou Yunli cast aside protocol, stepped forward two paces, and performed a proper bowing salute toward Yu Qingxiao: Thank you, hero.
No need to be polite, Miss. As long as you are safe, all is well, Yu Qingxiao replied.
Lou Yunli nodded with a bright smile, Thanks to the hero’s timely rescue, this humble maiden is unharmed. May I ask for your honorable name? I shall come to your doorstep to express my gratitude another day.
This one is Yu Qingxiao,
Terrified that the two of them would have a another day, Mu Guanchun cut her off: Lier.
Hmm? Lou Yunli tilted her head, her phoenix-like eyes lifting slightly at the corners. A tiny tear mole sat at the outer corner of her right eye, looking as vivid as a star whenever her gaze shifted.
Mu Guanchun grasped her shoulders, examining her up and down, left and right, to confirm she didn’t have a single scratch on her skin.
Your Highness, Lou Yunli said, gently touching the injury on Mu Guanchun’s left temple with her fingertip, does it still hurt?
A minor injury.
Sensing the strange gaze coming from Yu Qingxiao, Mu Guanchun glanced sideways, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes. What kind of reward does the hero desire?
In all under heaven, only she held the title of Your Highness. Yu Qingxiao instantly recognized the identity of the person before her.
The Prince of Fortune!
Her heart pounded frantically against her ribs.
Hard work pays off; after countless hardships and bitter trials, she had finally reached this point today, and her enemy was standing mere inches away.
Every blood vessel in her body surged as if boiling with liquid fire, yet she forced herself to remain calm without showing the slightest flaw.
Mu Guanchun sneered coldly.
Oh, so you can read minds, can you?
She immediately cursed in her heart: You filthy scoundrel, treacherous as a ghost, drinking your mother’s foot-washing water every single day!
Yu Qingxiao: Huh?
Mu Guanchun: Ambitious as a wolf and gutless as a dog, playing the innocent sheep while wearing a fleece!
Yu Qingxiao: Eh?