Xiao Chenyan was driven from the carriage, his expression naturally displeased.
He felt Qing Wu was presumptuous but also suspected her unusual behavior, and couldn't help but glance at Mu Ying a few more times.
Upon looking, he found her somewhat familiar.
Mu Ying's condition was indeed not good; she was mentally unsound, and one of her feet was bare, it was unclear if she had never worn a shoe or if it had fallen off.
She kept muttering the name 'Yu Lang'.
Xiao Chenyan spoke, "Help this Madam up."
Mu Ying was helped into the carriage. The Prince's Manor's carriage was not narrow, but Mu Ying seemed terrified of enclosed spaces. As soon as she got in, she struggled to escape.
"Don't lock me up, don't!"
"Yu Lang, I need to find my Yu Lang—"
Mu Ying looked gaunt, but her strength was immense. Lu Qiao and Hong Rui were afraid of hurting her, so they were hesitant.
In the chaos, Qing Wu grabbed Mu Ying's hand.
"No one will lock you up, don't be afraid, okay..."
Mu Ying was still struggling, her nails scratching Qing Wu's hand, leaving a blood mark. Qing Wu, however, remained unmoved.
Lu Qiao and Hong Rui exclaimed, "Princess Consort!"
Qing Wu's grip did not loosen, and she silently recited a calming mantra.
Her voice seemed to possess a magical quality.
Mu Ying's fear seemed to be gradually soothed. She sat motionlessly like a puppet. Although her body was still trembling, she didn't harm anyone else.
The two women breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to help. Lu Qiao wanted to apply medicine to Qing Wu's hand, but she shook her head and said,
"First, check if Madam Mu has any injuries."
Qing Wu made space and sat down on the other side. Her smile was gone, and Lu Qiao and Hong Rui felt a chill emanating from her. Their movements while checking Mu Ying's injuries became even more cautious.
The Judge's Brush's voice sounded in her mind, "A Wu, do you know her?"
Qing Wu replied, "She is my cousin."
"Ah, this..." The Judge's Brush's voice was hesitant, "She's looking for a child, you must have noticed, right? The palace of children around her is shrouded in death qi. I'm afraid the child is already..."
Qing Wu remained silent. The moment she saw Mu Ying, she had noticed the death qi surrounding the area of her children's palace. Her child had likely already met with misfortune.
"Although there is death qi, there is also a sliver of life force," Qing Wu said. "Perhaps there is still hope to save them."
The Judge's Brush said, "Then we must find the child as soon as possible. However, your cousin's condition isn't much better right now. She has soul-separation syndrome; her Three Souls and Seven Spirits are unstable. How much suffering must she have endured?"
Qing Wu felt agitated.
Mu Ying was six years older than her. Although she only lived in the Marquis Zhenguo's Estate for a few years before getting married, Qing Wu was at an age where she was detested by everyone and loved to be mischievous.
Her mother was a heroic woman with a military post, so naturally, she had no time to manage the Inner Courtyard. Her father, even more so, was busy with military affairs.
Her Older Brother Yun Zheng, though he doted on her, was a man after all.
During those years in the Inner Courtyard, Mu Ying took great care of her.
In Qing Wu's memory, Mu Ying possessed the spirited demeanor of a Military General Family, skilled in riding, archery, and horsemanship. She also had the grace and elegance of a noble family's daughter, well-versed in poetry and literature.
She also had excellent cooking skills. Whenever Qing Wu said a few sweet words, even if she craved something late at night, Mu Ying would get up, playfully scolding her as a reincarnated glutton, and cook delicious food for her.
When she left the capital, Mu Ying had just gotten married. Her husband was a Top Scholar from a humble background, and marrying Mu Ying was considered a step up for him.
In the following two years, Qing Wu received letters from Mu Ying while at the border. The words in her letters indicated that the Top Scholar Mu Ying married treated her very well, and they were a loving couple.
And now...
The Marquis Zhenguo's Estate had fallen. Although the Mu Clan was not implicated due to the Iron Certificate of Exemption granted by the late Emperor, their influence had waned. Furthermore, the Mu Clan had no male heirs left.
Given Mu Ying's current condition, one could imagine the life she had endured over the past decade.
"Princess Consort, this servant feels Madam Mu's condition is not right," Hong Rui suddenly spoke, her hand supporting Mu Ying. She gestured for Qing Wu to look.
Qing Wu focused her gaze, her eyes narrowing.
Mu Ying was so thin that her features were distorted. Her hands were skin and bones, so much so that something beneath her skin was vaguely visible to the naked eye. Beneath the skin, there was clearly something.
The next moment, Hong Rui pulled a soft needle, nearly half a finger long, from beneath Mu Ying's skin.
The soft needle was as fine as a hair, and it was unclear how it was crafted, as it could bend.
Qing Wu's expression turned terrifyingly grim.
Hong Rui gritted her teeth and said, "This servant once heard of a torture method where silver needles are crafted to be as fine as hair and inserted into a person's flesh. The surface shows no wounds, but every needle pierces the flesh, making it impossible for the victim to find peace while walking, sitting, or lying down."
"Over time, the victim either goes mad or commits suicide from the unbearable torment."
Sitting on pins and needles was bad enough, let alone needles piercing the flesh!
Mu Ying was like a puppet, manipulated by others, and showed no reaction to the outside world.
Qing Wu had found Mu Ying's posture strange before; now she understood everything!
"How many more of these needles are there on her body?"
Hong Rui's tone was heavy, "There are likely quite a few. Some positions are inconvenient to check in the carriage."
Qing Wu gritted her teeth, wishing she could unleash slaughter on the spot. Her dear Sister Ying was being tormented like this!
What was that Top Scholar's name again?
Wang Sheng? I wonder what official position he holds now?
As she pondered, voices were heard from outside the carriage, seemingly looking for Mu Ying.
A killing intent flashed in Qing Wu's eyes. They've finally arrived.
Since they encountered Mu Ying midway, Prince Yan's Manor's carriage could not stop in the middle of the road and obstruct the common people's passage, so the carriage was parked next to a teahouse.
Xiao Chenyan was driven from the carriage and wouldn't wait outside indefinitely, so he went into the restaurant to wait for the time being.
His already uncomfortable body was made worse by Qing Wu's 'Iron Head Skill', so his mood was naturally not good.
Bai Sui hurried over, having already confirmed Mu Ying's identity and informed him of Hong Rui's findings.
Xiao Chenyan's expression also darkened.
So she was Little Bean's cousin?
"Your Highness, Madam Mu's husband's family is Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of Revenue," Bai Sui said in a deep voice. "His name also appeared in Yun Houxing's account book."
A fierce glint returned to Xiao Chenyan's eyes.
Suddenly, a woman's sharp cry from downstairs was accompanied by several screams.
Xiao Chenyan looked down and saw Qing Wu standing on the carriage shaft, holding a horsewhip and fiercely lashing a group of female servants.
"The servants of the Ministry of Revenue's Vice Minister are quite arrogant, daring to snatch people in the street!"
"Even if your Vice Minister Wang himself came today, I would still whip him!"
Those being whipped were indeed servants from the Vice Minister's Mansion.
It could be said that this group of people was unlucky.
Xiao Chenyan had boarded the upper level of the carriage, and most of the accompanying Black Armored Guards had also entered the teahouse to avoid disturbing the common people outside.
The carriage was parked alone by the teahouse, appearing unguarded, but in reality, eyes were watching from all directions.
Yet, when the servants from the Vice Minister's Mansion rushed over, they only heard that a madwoman had rushed to someone else's carriage and didn't bother to inquire whose carriage it was.
Xiao Chenyan had always maintained strict military discipline and was frugal in the military. His carriage was not ostentatious.
The servants didn't recognize it as Prince Yan's carriage and assumed it belonged to an ordinary family. Seeing no guards outside the carriage, they aggressively approached, demanding to seize the person.
Qing Wu was already furious. Seeing the other party's servants trying to barge into the carriage, she grabbed her horsewhip and lashed out.
The leader was an old woman with triangular eyes and sharp brows, possessing a shrewish appearance.
The guards she brought were screaming in pain from the lashes, and she herself was not spared.
"You shrewish little slut, how dare you hit me!"
"Everyone, come quickly and see! Here's a rogue harboring a thief and assaulting people! Believe it or not, I'll have you arrested!"
The old woman's shouting attracted many common people.
The old woman was cunning. She babbled nonsense, never mentioning Mu Ying's true identity, and slandered Mu Ying as a Family Thief who had stolen money and fled, claiming she was there to catch a thief.
The common people, unaware of the truth, began to discuss amongst themselves, some shouting to report it to the authorities.
The old woman didn't dare to truly report it. She was ordered by the Second Madam to capture Mu Ying and bring her back. If the matter escalated and it became known that the First Wife of the Vice Minister's family was a madwoman, it would be embarrassing.
Mu Ying had many 'problems' on her body. If they were discovered, their Second Madam might also be suspected.
Seeing Qing Wu remain silent and only stare at her grimly, the old woman mistook her for being hesitant to act for fear of harming the enemy and became smug.
She winked at the guards beside her, signaling them to go forward and seize the person again.
With a whoosh, a group of Black Armored Guards in armor filed out of the teahouse, drawing their swords and placing them directly at their necks.
The old woman and the guards screamed in terror, kneeling on the ground, not daring to move.
The surrounding common people also retreated in an uproar.
"The Ministry of Revenue's Vice Minister's family has quite some nerve, arresting thieves and coming after my Princess Consort."
The old woman saw Xiao Chenyan striding out of the teahouse and the 'Yan' character embroidered on the Black Armored Guards' uniforms. She almost fainted on the spot.
How could it be Prince Yan and Princess Consort Yan?!
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