His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

Mu Yuan accepted the secret letter and said, "Your Majesty, I have another matter I would like to ask you for your guidance on."

Zhu Youzhen nodded slightly, signaling Mu Yuan to continue.

Mu Yuan continued, "Prince Ning regards me as a mortal enemy. He is the Emperor's man. Since I am staying in the capital, Prince Ning will surely return upon receiving the news. What arrangements will the Emperor make then?"

He and Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, had reached a point of no return.

If Zhu Zheng returns, joining forces will be impossible. If Zhu Zheng continues to sabotage things behind the scenes, Mu Yuan will be attacked from both sides.

"I will absolutely not tell him about what you did for me. You can do whatever you want."

Zhu Youzhen's tone revealed no emotion.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan posed the most crucial question: "Does the Emperor's word mean everything? Even if it means the death of either Prince Ning or me?"

Zhu Youzhen remained silent.

Seeing his tacit agreement, Mu Yuan instantly felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, was, after all, the son of Zhu Youzhen. In order to pave the way for his chosen heir, Zhu Youzhen even allowed the two tigers to fight each other.

As expected, there is no such thing as family affection in the royal family.

Mu Yuan shook his head secretly.

"You may think I'm heartless, but I did this entirely out of personal feelings, for the sake of the people!!"

Zhu Youzhen became more and more agitated as he spoke, and he couldn't stop coughing.

Fearing that Zhu Youzhen might cough himself to death in front of him, Mu Yuan hurriedly said, "Since Your Majesty has said so, I will do as you say."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youzhen's complexion gradually improved, and his cough was no longer as severe as before.

He took out a gleaming token from under the pillow beside him.

"I cannot grant you an official position, and even if I did, it would be without any real power. With this token, you may freely enter and leave the palace to see me!"

Mu Yuan accepted the token. It was not hard to tell from Zhu Youzhen's words that the Crown Prince had basically taken control of the court.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have said that even if he was given an official position, he would have no real power!

"Whether you can keep the Crown Prince in check depends on you now. Don't waste all the effort I put into keeping you in the capital a secret!"

Zhu Youzhen looked at Mu Yuan with high hopes and solemnly gave him his instructions.

Mu Yuan initially found it strange, but now he has received confirmation from Zhu Youzhen.

That's when I finally woke up from my dream.

Qin Hongxiu and Tuoba Yue's remarriages were a facade created by Zhu Youzhen to lure Mu Yuan to the capital.

All for this moment!

Faced with Zhu Youzhen's entrustment, Mu Yuan said with a serious expression:

"I will do my utmost!"

Zhu Youzhen looked dejected and waved his hand weakly: "You may leave, I am tired."

He was already old, and his health had been deteriorating in recent years. In addition, he had talked with Mu Yuan for so long, and his emotions were agitated just now, which caused him to cough uncontrollably. He needed to rest to relieve the cough.

"Your subject takes his leave."

Mu Yuan bowed to Zhu Youzhen and then turned to leave the palace.

We went outside.

When Qin Hongxiu saw Mu Yuan come out, her heart finally relaxed.

Ever since Mu Yuan went in, she was terrified that something bad would happen.

After all, the person they were facing this time was different from those petty squabbles in the past; it was the ruler of the world—the Emperor!

Qin Hongxiu went to greet him. She was very curious about what Mu Yuan had talked about with the emperor for so long after entering the hall. Just as she was about to ask,

Mu Yuan spoke first:

"We'll talk about it when we get back!"

Back at the Xu residence.

When Madam Xu learned of Mu Yuan's return, she immediately went to the courtyard where Mu Yuan was staying and inquired about him indirectly.

"Nephew, you've been to the Fourth Prince's place for so long, you must have gained his favor, otherwise you wouldn't have returned so late."

Mu Yuan didn't want to bother with this profit-driven woman. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"I not only went to the Fourth Prince's place, but also to the Crown Prince's. Just an hour ago, I went to the palace and met with the Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Xu's face was filled with disbelief, and her eyes were full of doubt.

"You're lying!"

"If you don't believe me, you can ask her." Mu Yuan pointed at Qin Hongxiu.

Qin Hongxiu didn't know why Mu Yuan was saying these things to Madam Xu, but since Mu Yuan had done it, the only thing she could do was cooperate with him.

"It's true!"

Qin Hongxiu nodded earnestly.

Madam Xu immediately became interested and moved closer to Mu Yuan, asking, "What did the Emperor say to you when he summoned you?"

"I can tell you," Mu Yuan initially seemed willing to reveal the information, but then he changed the subject, saying, "However, if this gets out, it could cost you your life. You'd better be prepared!"

Upon hearing the words "beheading," Madam Xu instantly lost all interest in inquiring further.

She waved her hands repeatedly, her smile awkward, and said, "You don't need to tell me that, I'm not interested in knowing."

"Since I'm not interested, I'm going to rest now."

Mu Yuan subtly led Madam Xu away.

Madam Xu was quite shrewd and naturally understood the meaning behind Mu Yuan's words. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Then I won't bother you any longer."

After saying that, he left in a hurry, not daring to linger with Mu Yuan for even a moment longer.

"If you won't tell her, then tell me, what did you talk about with the Emperor?"

After Madam Xu left, Qin Hongxiu asked Mu Yuan with curiosity what he had talked about with the emperor after entering the palace.

When facing Qin Hongxiu, Mu Yuan used the same tactics he had used on Madam Xu.

"If you reveal this, it will be a leak, and that's a capital offense!"

However, Mu Yuan's approach failed to intimidate Qin Hongxiu at all. She pouted and said angrily, "Trying to use the same tactics you used on Madam Xu on me? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Mu Yuan sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Qin Hongxiu, but the content of his conversation with Emperor Zhu Youzhen was simply too shocking.

If I were to speak out and the matter were to leak out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Seeing that Mu Yuan was unwilling to talk, Qin Hongxiu understood and gave up asking: "If you don't want to talk, then forget it."

At this point, she decided to change the subject:

"Since you're unwilling to disclose your conversation with the Emperor, you must at least tell me how you plan to resolve Seventh Sister-in-law's matter next, right?"

Thinking that her seventh sister-in-law, Tuoba Yue, was still at the Siyi Pavilion, Qin Hongxiu couldn't help but feel worried.

After all, if this matter isn't resolved...

In a while.

Tuoba Yue will have to remarry.

"I have my own way of dealing with Seventh Sister-in-law's matter," Mu Yuan said with a confident smile.

He carried a secret letter. As long as he stayed in the capital and kept the crown prince in check, allowing the emperor to secretly cultivate a true heir, he could then take Tuoba Yue away from the capital and return to the southwest.

Of course, Qin Hongxiu cannot be told about this yet.

The entire plan must be kept secret from anyone other than Mu Yuan and the Emperor.

After all, things are accomplished in secrecy!

"You have a way?" Qin Hongxiu looked at Mu Yuan with curiosity. She really couldn't figure out what kind of solution Mu Yuan could have.