Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

"I thought my second brother would find a more suitable reason to take action, or at least prepare enough evidence to completely pinpoint my seventh brother's guilt."

Unexpectedly, just a few days after the Marquis of Zhennan left, he couldn't wait to poison his seventh brother.

The fact that they used such rudimentary methods is somewhat disappointing.

If I'm not mistaken, there are quite a few people, both in and out of the government, who have grievances against my second brother.

As Jun Yunxin spoke, she scooped a kitten from the bed and was currently stroking its belly with her fingers.

"A stray arrow killed a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm. Even dramas wouldn't dare to portray such a thing, but my second brother did it anyway. It's truly laughable."

"Meow!"

"Meow meow meow!!!"

Perhaps because its belly was being scratched too comfortably, the kitten suddenly meowed, its soft, sweet voice interrupting Jun Yunxin's words. Immediately afterwards, a chorus of meows filled the room.

The voices came one after the other; the first one was genuine, while the second one was a somewhat clumsy imitation, but it had the advantage of being softer and sweeter, adding to its cuteness.

The moment Mu An looked up, her eyes met Jun Yunxin's.

Her small mouth was slightly open, clearly in the shape of a meow.

Both of them were silent for a moment. Mu An decisively lowered his head and started counting ants, pretending that he hadn't seen anything.

"Cough cough cough!" Jun Yunxin coughed awkwardly twice, pretending that nothing had just happened.

She held the kitten in her arms and spoke to Mu An, but her eyes avoided looking at him.

"My second brother's actions are too reckless, catching us off guard. I am now worried that his next target will be my imperial brother."

Unlike his other elder brothers, due to certain circumstances, the emperor has not yet been granted the title of king and therefore does not have the right to establish his own residence outside the palace.

Like me, he lives in the palace and has few trustworthy people around him. If my second brother wanted to harm him, it wouldn't be difficult for him.

As she spoke, Jun Yunxin raised her head and looked at Mu An.

"Although Seventh Brother is dead, his influence remains. These people are all holding back their anger, which could be unleashed at any moment."

The second brother's move, however, pushed him into a quagmire and also caused him to lose the support of centrist ministers.

"I'm currently considering whether we should act prematurely, or wait a few more days, let public opinion ferment, and wait until the situation becomes more chaotic before catching them off guard and decisively deciding the outcome."

Seeing Jun Yunxin staring at her, Mu An decisively shook her head.

He didn't think Jun Yunxin was genuinely asking for his opinion; she was just seeking validation.

Just as he expected, before he could even speak, Jun Yunxin added another sentence.

"Objectively speaking, it is more in our interest to wait a while. Besides, not long ago, the Cui family secretly came over, seemingly intending to cooperate with us."

"Your Highness is quite right. Rather than taking the initiative, it would be better to let the Second Prince lose the support of the court officials on his own. When we do take action then, it will be for our own protection, so we won't have to bear the infamy."

Seeing that Mu An supported her point of view, Jun Yunxin nodded slightly: "According to the current intelligence, Second Brother can mobilize four Celestial Martial Saints."

There are five of us on our side. Besides the three from your Dark Feather Guard, General Bai from the Tiger Legion and his deputy are also in the capital at the moment.

Ninth Brother shouldn't participate in this succession struggle. If the battle breaks out, the four Martial Saints on Second Brother's side will be dealt with by others. You should lead our forces to seize the Vermilion Bird Gate as quickly as possible.

As for my second brother, do not make a move. Killing a prince is no small crime. Unless it is a fight between the two sides, the Dragon Guard will not let anyone who attacks the royal family go unpunished.

"I don't want to get my hands dirty with the blood of my loved ones, so let him be killed by poisoned arrows in the chaos."

As the room fell silent again, Mu An realized that the interrogation for tonight was over.

But for some reason, Princess Yongning didn't seem to want him to leave, so he didn't know whether to stand or sit.

Just as he was about to take his leave, Jun Yunxin glanced at him indifferently and spoke in a tone that was neither too loud nor too soft.

"I heard you've been doing quite well lately, resting during the day and indulging in romance at night, even earning the title of 'Flower Moon Immortal.' You're probably not sleepy this late at night, so stay here and keep watch tonight."

After saying that, without waiting for Mu An to refuse, Jun Yunxin raised her hand and pulled down the curtains, then shrank into the quilt and disappeared from his sight.

The series of movements were fluid and seamless, giving Mu An no chance to react.

Before long, a somewhat sleepy voice rang out again.

"You will stay here from now on. I stole five of the finest spiritual plants from the royal treasury. Use them up as soon as possible. When you are cultivating, you are not allowed to go anywhere else. You must stay by my side."

After saying that, he withdrew his head, which had just been poking out, leaving only his faint breathing.

Before Mu An could react, Lin Li, with an unfriendly gaze, had already walked up to him. She reached out and forcefully turned Mu An around, making him face away from Jun Yunxin.

"I'll have to trouble you tonight, Lord Mu. I'll bring you a table and some refreshments. The room is quite large, so please sit further back so as not to disturb the princess's rest."

Looking at Lin Li, whose eyes were narrowed to slits, Mu An opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say no.

That's way too much!

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he had a feeling that if he said anything more, the maid in front of him would draw her sword and attack him.

He glanced behind him, shook his head slightly, and sat down by the window.

Before long, Lin Li brought out a table and placed it in front of him, and then put a screen between him and Jun Yunxin, which made his mouth twitch.

Goodness, they're quite prepared, are they trying to guard against thieves?

Mu An lived in brothels every day, and had seen all kinds of beauties.

Your princess has such small arms and legs, she's less than 1.5 meters tall, and she's sick. Who would want her?

Fine, I'll let it go for the sake of those five spiritual plants!

……

December 28th, the 29th year of Chengtai.

An imperial edict was issued from the Tianqi Palace, stating that the Emperor missed his sons and summoned the Third Prince Jun Yunhua and the Ninth Prince Jun Cheng'an to the palace the following day for an audience with the Emperor.

That night, Yongning Palace was brightly lit.

In a sense, the Second Prince Junji was not as decisive as he had been when he killed the Seventh Prince.

He spent a full month stabilizing the court and fabricated enough evidence to condemn the Third Prince and the Ninth Prince before finally deciding to take action against his other two brothers.

In Mu An's view, as an enemy, this second prince was somewhat too indecisive.

Over the past month, various rumors have been circulating in the streets and alleys of Qi'an City.

He murdered his own brother, imprisoned the emperor, and persecuted loyal officials...

The forces led by the second prince used the power of the regency to launch a massive crackdown on those who spread rumors.

In just one month, more than 7,000 people were imprisoned.

Most people are only willing to believe what they want to believe.

The more you try to suppress information, the more suspicious people become, and the more outrageous the rumors become.

Anyone with eyes can see that this is the remnant of the Seventh Prince's forces at work, and possibly the Ninth Prince, the Third Prince, and Princess Yongning are also secretly pushing things along.

If Mu An were facing this situation on his own, he would use all the resources at his disposal when the news broke.

Without further ado, they killed the other princes and launched a coup.

The victors are kings, the losers are villains; history will ultimately be written by the victors.

But the regent prince did not do that; instead, he kept trying to stabilize the court and clear his name.

It wasn't until things completely backfired that they forged that imperial edict today.

Tonight, Mu An, dressed in black, stands atop Yongning Palace.

The winter wind ruffled his hair, bringing a chill. His right hand gripped the hilt of the sword, while his left hand rested on the blade, gently stroking the grooves along its surface.

The moonlight shone down from the high sky, reflecting his cool and aloof face.

He looked up at the torches in the distance; the scattered lights connected together, surrounding the entire Yongning Palace.