Mu Ming smiled gently; this was the first time he had ever seen an "old lady" who could be shy.
"Hold on tight!" Mu Ming whipped the horse, and the black horse beneath him charged into the city gate like a black whirlwind.
In the twilight of night, everything is asleep.
The horses' hooves pounded on the hard stone pavement, producing a series of powerful yet light rhythms.
The cool evening breeze and the warm, humid air from the twilight behind her kept swirling around Chu Xiyin's neck, making her feel tingly and itchy, which made her quite uncomfortable.
Chu Xiyin rubbed her neck, complaining bitterly to herself, "Why is the palace so far away?"
Mu Ming noticed her discomfort and mischievously leaned close to her ear, asking, "How should I address you?"
Chu Xiyin shrank her neck, glanced at him, leaned forward, and said coldly, "Just call me Granny Xi!"
"How about Grandma Xi takes care of my food and daily life from now on?" Mu Ming sat up straight and stopped teasing her.
"No problem, I'll take care of it!" Chu Xiyin patted her chest and assured him. Anyway, she didn't plan to stay in the palace for long. As long as she could see the prince, being a servant for a few days was no big deal!
"We've arrived!" Mu Ming couldn't contain his excitement. After traveling for several years, returning to the palace brought a unique sense of familiarity.
The wealth of the Twilight Kingdom is indeed well-deserved!
Chu Xiyin followed Mu Ming all the way into his palace.
"Grandma Xi, please make do on that soft couch tonight!" Mu Ming said, pointing to a mahogany soft couch covered with a tiger skin.
Chu Xiyin's eyelids were already drooping, and when she saw the soft couch, she couldn't help but walk towards it.
"Grandma Xi, I'd like to take a bath. Could you please boil some water for me?" Mu Ming said with a smile.
Chu Xiyin, who was feeling extremely sleepy, felt a surge of frustration and secretly rolled her eyes at him countless times.
Forget it, considering he kindly took her in and was so polite, I won't hold it against him.
Chu Xiyin filled the bathtub with water and then tested the water temperature with her hand; this temperature was the one she was most satisfied with.
"Grandma Xi, is it ready yet?" Mu Ming called out like a child.
"Alright, alright. This water temperature will surely satisfy the Second Prince!" Chu Xiyin looked up and smiled.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she looked up, a bronze-colored figure caught her eye.
"You... why aren't you wearing any clothes?" Chu Xiyin stammered.
"Does Grandma Xi wear clothes when she takes a bath?" Mu Ming asked with a smile as he stepped into the bathtub, splashing water everywhere.
"I...I'm going to rest now," Chu Xiyin said hurriedly, her head down.
"Wait!" Mu Ming suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Grandma Xi, please rub my back!"
Chu Xiyin gritted her teeth and squatted down with a helpless expression. Mu Ming's physique was indeed impeccable. Solid bones, supple muscles... and on his neck, like Green Butterfly, was a lifelike butterfly tattoo.
"I heard that the Third Princess is getting married the day after tomorrow!" Chu Xiyin said, carefully examining the butterfly while rubbing his back.
"I came back this time precisely for this matter," Mu Ming said, squinting his eyes.
"I wonder who these three prince consorts are?" Chu Xiyin increased the pressure on her hands.
"I don't know either. I received a letter from my third sister saying that she had found her Mr. Right, so I rushed back as fast as I could."
Chu Xiyin looked listless and somewhat lost in thought.
"What? Granny Xi also wants to meet this prince consort?" Mu Ming wiped his face and suddenly turned around to ask.
She didn't expect him to turn around suddenly. In her panic, the towel in her hand slipped into the water and sank quickly to the bottom of the tub along the side.
Chu Xiyin blushed, unsure of what to do.
Mu Ming picked up a towel from behind and handed it to Chu Xiyin with a mischievous smile. He turned around and said, "Grandma Xi is already this old, why are you still so shy when you see a man's body?"
"I'm a bit shy, I hope the Second Prince won't take offense!" Chu Xiyin stared fiercely at the back of his head, vigorously rubbing his back. "These past few days, the whole of Mu'ai Kingdom has been buzzing with the news that this Third Prince Consort is not only incredibly handsome, but also a truly great hero. I'm quite old, and it's a rare privilege to meet the Second Prince, so naturally I'd like to take advantage of your good fortune and see this great hero with my own eyes!"
"Oh? Is that so? Very well, tomorrow, you and I will go to visit this great hero, how about it?" Mu Ming suddenly leaned back, his clear eyes meeting Chu Xiyin's dark eyes. The close proximity startled Chu Xiyin so much that she suddenly slumped to the ground.
Mu Ming closed his eyes and smiled, "Grandma Xi, you should rest early! We have to get up early tomorrow!"
Chu Xiyin got up from the ground and glared fiercely at Mu Ming. This kid, on the surface he looks like a gentleman, but behind the scenes he's full of bad intentions.
Achoo—
"Who's talking about me behind my back?" Mu Ming sneezed several times in a row, looking dejected.
"The water is probably too cold. Would the Second Prince like some hot water?" Chu Xiyin asked with a sly smile from behind the screen.
"No need!" Mu Ming's voice was thick with a nasal tone.
Chu Xiyin walked towards the soft couch with a sigh of relief. She had just lain down when she saw Mu Ming walking towards her in that bronze-colored robe.
What's this kid up to? Is he trying to seduce an old woman?
Chu Xiyin quickly burrowed her head under the covers like a turtle.
Mu Ming gently passed by her and then gently lay down on the bed.
This guy, does he have a habit of sleeping naked?
Chu Xiyin shuddered twice, closed her eyes, recited Amitabha Buddha a few times, and then fell asleep peacefully.
"Grandma Xi, wake up..." Chu Xiyin threw back the covers, groggily opened her eyes, and saw Mu Ming staring wide-eyed at her face. She asked alertly, "What?"
"Your face?" Mu Ming pointed at her face, speechless with horror.
Chu Xiyin subconsciously touched her face and hurriedly jumped off the soft couch. "Where is the bronze mirror?"
Mu Ming shook his head blankly and said, "No!"
The Second Prince's palace doesn't even have a bronze mirror! What a joke! This person is either a reincarnation of a demon, afraid of being exposed by a mirror, or he's so confident in his appearance that he doesn't even bother using a mirror!
As if remembering something, Chu Xiyin rushed to the bathtub. Fortunately, the water hadn't been poured out yet.
She leaned down, bringing her head close to the tub, and looked at her reflection in the water. What she saw nearly made her fall headfirst into the tub. Whether it was because Siqi's disguise skills were inadequate, or because the water had soaked in, the human skin mask on her face was severely misaligned. The wrinkle at the corner of her left eye had fallen to her cheekbone, and the wrinkle at the corner of her right eye had stretched to her eyebrow. The skin on her nose and mouth was also strangely pulled.
In short, she was like a monster whose true form had been revealed by a demon-revealing mirror, and Mu Ming was the deity responsible for capturing the demon. At this moment, she was only thinking about how to explain everything to Mu Ming, and also whether she could live to see the prince one last time!
"Who exactly are you?" Mu Ming asked, standing in front of the screen.
After a long pause, Chu Xiyin suddenly stood up, slowly peeled off the human skin mask from her face, looked at Mu Ming, and awkwardly tugged at the corners of her mouth, saying, "I am Chu Xiyin, the wife of the Fourth Prince Yichuan of the Ziling Dynasty!" She approached Mu Ming, bowed, and then said, "Xiyin had no intention of hiding this from the Second Prince. However, the Third Princess is too unreasonable. Not only did she kidnap my prince, but she also forced him to marry her! I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. Please forgive me for any offense caused, Second Prince!"
Mu Ming leaned against the screen and smiled. Actually, he had known all along that she wasn't an old woman; his actions last night were all to test her. He just hadn't expected her to be such a stunning beauty!
"You mean, my sister stole your husband?" Mu Ming said with a smile.
"Exactly!" Chu Xiyin answered readily.
"You disguised yourself as an old woman and tricked me into bringing you into the palace just to win back your husband? Do you think you can do it all by yourself? Aren't you afraid of dying?" Mu Ming still had a smile on his face.
“Since I dared to come, I didn’t intend to leave alive! But before that, I want to see Your Highness,” Chu Xiyin said, lowering her eyes.
"So what if we saw them? They're getting married the day after tomorrow. Whether the Fourth Prince did it willingly or was forced, that's an unchangeable fact," Mu Ming said.
He wouldn't ruin his sister's happiness for a stranger!
"I just want to see him once! If the prince truly loves your sister, what harm is there in him seeing me? If the prince doesn't love your sister, then even if they stay together for life, the Third Princess will not be happy. If the Second Prince truly loves his sister, why does he stand by and watch her do such a foolish thing?"
Mu Ming paused for a moment, then realized that Chu Xiyin's words made sense.
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Does the Second Prince know Green Butterfly? I want to see her!"
Upon hearing the name Green Butterfly, a strange glint flashed in Mu Ming's eyes.
Chapter 45: From Prince to Imperial Son-in-Law? (Part 2)
Mu Ming was very efficient, and before long, Green Butterfly arrived in a hurry.
"The Second Prince is back!" When Green Butterfly saw Mu Ming, a rare tenderness flashed in her eyes.
Mu Ming nodded, a hint of evasion in his eyes.
"Why did the Second Prince summon Green Butterfly?" Green Butterfly asked, glancing at the maid beside Mu Ming with her head down.
"You may all leave now!" Mu Ming instructed the maids behind him.
Hearing the door creak shut, Green Butterfly paused, and when she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears.
As soon as Chu Xiyin stepped out from behind the screen, she saw Green Butterfly suddenly pounce into Mu Ming's arms. So, one of her toes awkwardly stopped in mid-air, not daring to land, for fear of disturbing the two of them.
Seeing Chu Xiyin's dazed expression, Mu Ming smiled and gently turned Green Butterfly around, saying, "Someone is looking for you!"
"Chu Xiyin!" Green Butterfly looked at her in surprise. She had finally managed to send her away, but unexpectedly, she had come back. Moreover, she had inexplicably appeared in Mu Ming's room! "What are you doing here?"
"Well, it's a long story. I've come to you because I need your help!" Chu Xiyin walked quickly to Green Butterfly and stared into her eyes. "I want to see the Fourth Prince!"
"This...this..." Green Butterfly looked hesitant. It wasn't that she was unwilling to help, but firstly, the Third Princess was almost always by the Fourth Prince's side, making it extremely difficult to see him. Secondly, recently, the Fourth Prince seemed to have changed completely, always expressionless and with a very strange temper; apart from the Third Princess, no one could get close to him.
"I promise I won't cause any trouble, I just want to see him once!" Chu Xiyin pleaded.
Green Butterfly frowned and fell silent for a moment.
Mu Ming smiled and said, "It's just a meeting, what's so difficult about that? Xiao Die, you take care of arranging things with the prince consort. Find a convenient time to arrange for them to meet alone. Miss Chu will disguise herself as my personal maid, that way, even if we're discovered, I'll take the blame!"
"Xi Yin thanks the Second Prince!"
Mu Ming raised an eyebrow and said, "By letting the thief into the house, I've become an accomplice without my consent. Since we're all in the same boat, there's no need to be so polite!"
Chu Xiyin smiled. This second prince is actually a good person! They are clearly born to the same parents, but for some reason, Mu Jing is so domineering.
Green Butterfly thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow night, the Third Princess will be hosting a banquet for Ambassador Tuohe. Perhaps there will be a little time then."
"Alright! Just give me a signal and I'll take Miss Chu there!" Mu Ming said gently, holding Green Butterfly's hand.
Green Butterfly glanced at Chu Xiyin, and a blush instantly spread across her beautiful face.
Chu Xiyin instantly understood the deeper meaning of "Green-clad butterflies dance in the wind with the moon, twilight and rosy clouds await the butterflies on the flowers." She gazed at the two of them, a hint of envy in her heart; how blissful it was for lovers to be able to stay together forever!
"Then I'll go prepare lunch first, you two can have a good chat!" With that, Chu Xiyin quickly left the room.
Muming and Lüdie were intimately entwined in the room.