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

Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, didn't finish his sentence; instead, he made a throat-slitting gesture.

Seeing that he had murderous intent towards Zhu Zhu, Lan Que quickly said:

"Your Highness, what if it's just a coincidence? Besides, Zhu Zhu is the daughter of the Prince of Jin, and also your niece. Isn't what you're doing a bit inhumane?"

He originally intended to use the bond of kinship to dissuade Prince Ning, Zhu Zhengda, from having any thoughts about Zhu Zhu.

However, Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, looked disdainful:

"This matter is of great importance. If Zhu Zhu really overheard our conversation, then she is the weak point in the entire plan. Since she is the weak point, she must be eliminated!"

Lan Que's heart skipped a beat.

He and Zhu Zhu were childhood sweethearts, and he was extremely unwilling to actually do anything to her.

Sensing Lan Que's reluctance, Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, walked to Lan Que's side, patted him on the shoulder, and said:

"To achieve great things, one must be ruthless! Your father, Lan Shi, was a duke, yet he was able to lead his troops to victory in every battle. It was because he was ruthless! How can one achieve great things if one is timid and hesitant because of a woman?"

"Your Highness...I..." Lan Que still couldn't bear it, but in order not to offend Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, he thought about it seriously and said, "Give me a day to consider it."

A hint of contempt flashed in Prince Ning Zhu Zheng's eyes. He cursed Lan Que as a coward in his heart, but his face showed a completely different expression.

He laughed and said, "I was young once too. Alright, then you can think about it for a day. But you have to make up your mind as soon as possible, otherwise, that girl Zhu Zhu might ruin our big plan!"

the other side.

Zhu Zhu was imprisoned by the governor.

Because she was a princess, she encountered no obstacles during this time.

"Mu Yuan, do you still remember me?"

Zhu Zhu arrived outside the cell where Mu Yuan was being held and greeted him.

Mu Yuan carefully examined Zhu Zhu and said:

"Are you Princess Zhu Zhu?"

"I didn't expect you to still remember me." Zhu Zhu smiled.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

He had encountered Zhu Zhu before, and because of an accidental collision, it escalated to the county government. Mu Yuan couldn't help but remember her.

"Does the princess have such refined tastes that she comes to stroll around the prison?"

Mu Yuan joked.

"At a time like this, you still have the mind to joke around." Zhu Zhu glared at Mu Yuan, then called over the jailer and ordered him to open the cell door.

"Your Highness, it's not that I'm unwilling to open the prison door, but the governor has ordered that no one is allowed to see Prince Mu. Letting you in to see him would be a violation of the governor's orders. If you open the prison door, the governor will find out, and I'll be in deep trouble. Please don't make things difficult for me."

The jailer looked miserable, almost on the verge of tears.

Zhu Zhu didn't care about any of that. She snatched the keys from the jailer and started trying them one by one to open the cell door.

Seeing this, the jailer dared not intervene and could only stand by anxiously.

After some fiddling around...

Zhu Zhu finally opened the cell door, went inside, tossed the key to the cell boss, and gave the order:

"Lock the door and wait outside."

The jailer pursed his lips, and in the end could only do as Zhu Zhu asked, locking the cell door and turning to leave so that Zhu Zhu and Mu Yuan could talk.

"What do you mean by this?" Mu Yuan asked, puzzled after witnessing the whole thing.

Zhu Zhu leaned close to Mu Yuan and whispered mysteriously, "Actually... I know you've been framed."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan's face showed a hint of helplessness.

"What's with that expression?" Zhu Zhu was a little unhappy when she saw Mu Yuan roll his eyes.

Mu Yuan felt deeply helpless towards this willful princess, but he was too embarrassed to show his impatience in front of her. He sighed deeply and asked:

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Zhu Zhu looked around, then beckoned Mu Yuan to come closer.

Mu Yuan was skeptical, but he moved closer.

Zhu Zhu leaned close to Mu Yuan's ear and told him everything she had overheard outside the house about the conversation between Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, and Lan Que.

Mu Yuan's expression changed immediately after hearing this.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Surprised, Mu Yuan was even more curious about Zhu Zhu's behavior.

Zhu Zhu pouted and said:

"I don't think you're a bad person. Besides, if you were framed and killed, the southwest would be thrown into chaos."

"I've been in the Southwest for a while now. It's a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains, and the people are kind and honest. I don't want it to fall into chaos and cause people to suffer."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan couldn't help but feel a greater sense of respect for Zhu Zhu.

Although Zhu Zhu is a woman and a bit willful, what is commendable is that she cares about the common people and knows how to prioritize the overall situation.

Mu Yuan gained a completely new understanding of Zhu Zhu, and since she had taken the initiative to tell him, he couldn't help but ask her with concern: "You were eavesdropping on their conversation, were you caught?"

"I bumped into a maid on my way out," Zhu Zhu said casually, completely unconcerned.

However, Mu Yuan's expression was solemn.

"You should leave here immediately and go to the Xifu Army's garrison to find Qin Hongxiu."

Seeing the tense expression on Mu Yuan's face, and his serious tone as he told her to leave, Zhu Zhu looked bewildered and said:

"Why leave? With my status, who would dare to harm me?"

Mu Yuan rubbed his forehead, a wave of helplessness rising in his heart once again.

"One should always be wary of others. Lan Que, in his pursuit of revenge, even poisoned Feng Zhong, a trusted lieutenant who served his father. Prince Ning is even more ruthless than Lan Que, perhaps even more so. You are now the weak point in their plan; how could they not harm you?"

Reminded by Mu Yuan, Zhu Zhu's heart skipped a beat, and she was so frightened that she stood there stunned.

"Hurry up and leave!" Mu Yuan reminded him again.

Realizing what had happened, Zhu Zhu immediately summoned the jailer and ordered him to open the cell door before hurrying out.

Just as she stepped out of the cell, Zhu Zhu suddenly stopped and turned to look at Mu Yuan:

"Is there anything you need me to tell you?"

Mu Yuan shook his head and said, "You should leave as soon as possible. Once you reach the Xifu Army's garrison, just stay by Qin Hongxiu's side and don't leave her side for even a moment."

Faced with Mu Yuan's repeated instructions, Zhu Zhu nodded and then left the prison with peace of mind.

After she left.

Mu Yuan plopped down on the ground, lost in thought.

That night.

The prison was dark and damp, with candles crackling and burning along the corridor.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the corridor.

The figure finally stopped outside the cell where Mu Yuan was located.

Seeing Mu Yuan sitting cross-legged on the ground with a calm expression, the figure spoke softly, "You seem quite leisurely."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the figure through the cell door.

The figure belonged to none other than himself.

It was Lin Xueshang.

Mu Yuan was not surprised at all by her appearance.

After all, before coming here, he had given Qin Hongxiu instructions in a way that was ironic.

Now that Lin Xueshang has arrived, it proves that Qin Hongxiu has told Lin Xueshang about the matter.