THIP Chapter 59

After another day of treating Mu Qingzhi, a secret agent from the Moon Dynasty, embedded within Great Chu, finally made contact with Mu Liuyin.

Mu Liuyin stared expressionlessly at the secret message tucked between the pages of a medical text, her face blank with disbelief.

They seriously just stuffed a classified note into a guest room at the Prince of Qi’s estate? What, do they think this place is their home?!

Still, it seemed the secret note hadn’t been discovered by the Prince’s shadow guards—otherwise it would’ve been delivered straight to the prince himself, not hidden away in a book like this.

Calling it a “secret letter” was generous—it was just a thin piece of paper, bearing coded language only used by Moon Dynasty spies. Mu Liuyin read through it once and immediately understood: the original body’s royal sister, now the emperor of the Moon Dynasty, was already entertaining thoughts of war. She was urging Mu Liuyin to act against the Prince of Qi as soon as possible. The plan was to find a way to escape the estate before Mu Qingzhi died. Someone would be waiting to escort her back to the Moon Dynasty.

Back on New Year’s Eve, someone from the Moon Dynasty had come to persuade her to return to the palace. Mu Liuyin had refused. At the same time, she had asked the elusive spy to report back on the prince’s condition. If she wanted to continue staying here under a legitimate pretense, she couldn’t just tell her royal sister she was trying to save Mu Qingzhi. So instead, she made up a story about using her medical treatment as a cover to poison and assassinate the prince.

She hadn’t expected that this excuse would end up stirring her sister’s ambition to launch a war early.

Even if Mu Qingzhi was currently a cripple in a wheelchair, the emperor still feared her strategic genius. After all, even if Mu Qingzhi couldn’t lead troops herself, she could still devise battle plans.

So now, the Moon Emperor wanted to eliminate her before the two nations officially went to war.

Mu Liuyin sat in silence for a moment, then picked up her pen and wrote back with a fabricated excuse, claiming that she couldn’t kill the Prince of Qi just yet. She originally wanted to urge her sister to postpone the war, but that kind of reasoning didn’t suit the personality of the person she was supposed to be.

What she didn’t know, however, was that the secret letter tucked into her medical book had already been discovered and copied by the Prince of Qi’s shadow guards.

By the time her response reached the Moon Dynasty, the prince’s people had already cracked the letter’s code.

Who would’ve thought that Moon Wuxi, the Moon Emperor, still dreamed of uniting the entire realm? Mu Qingzhi’s expression remained calm until she saw the part where Moon Wuxi instructed “Shi Wuyin” to eliminate her as soon as possible. In that moment, her detached demeanor turned ice cold.

Alongside that coldness came a deep, bitter fury. Though Mu Qingzhi had long suspected that Shi Wuyin was the Moon Dynasty’s Seventh Prince, she hadn’t had solid proof—until now. Reading the translated message, her gaze grew even colder, burning with rage.

Then, upon reading Mu Liuyin’s reply, her heart turned completely to ice. Even though Mu Liuyin had claimed she couldn’t kill her yet, she had intended to do so.

Her grip tightened. With a faint crack, the armrest of her wheelchair shattered beneath her fingers.

The fragile trust she had started to build toward Mu Liuyin, thanks to the gradual return of feeling in her legs, crumbled in an instant.

“Your Highness…”

“Keep watching her.” Mu Qingzhi’s voice was hoarse, but her tone was utterly calm.

But her long-serving guards understood—this was what Mu Qingzhi sounded like when she was angry.

Not even when she learned it was Mu Yinglan who poisoned her had she been this furious.

Meanwhile, Moon Wuxi narrowed her eyes slightly as she read Mu Liuyin’s message. Killing the Prince of Qi had once been nearly impossible—before Mu Qingzhi was disabled. Now, however, the task was significantly easier. And poisoning her wasn’t the only option.

Moon Wuxi had no intention of delaying her plans any longer.

She turned to the spy behind her. “You said the Prince of Qi and the Seventh Prince will be going out during the upcoming Lantern Festival?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the spy replied respectfully.

“Then set the plan in motion on the night of the festival.” Moon Wuxi’s voice was low and chilling. “And make sure to bring the Seventh Prince back with you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

—

Back at the Prince of Qi’s estate, Mu Liuyin remained completely unaware that Moon Wuxi still planned to kill Mu Qingzhi—and had even finalized the date. She also had no idea that her secret letter had been fully exposed to the prince.

Everything proceeded as usual. She continued treating Mu Qingzhi, just as before.

The Lantern Festival was drawing near, and the capital of Great Chu had already become lively with celebration. Lanterns adorned the palace, the streets, and every household. Even the typically quiet estate of the Prince of Qi was decorated with lanterns, on Mu Qingzhi’s order.

It looked beautiful.

“We’re going out at night?” Mu Liuyin asked.

“The Lantern Festival is at its liveliest after dark,” Mu Qingzhi nodded, then chuckled. “But remember to wear a veil when we go. The streets will be packed—and I hear that modest young men usually wear veils at such events.”

She deliberately emphasized the words modest and young men. Mu Liuyin stiffened. Up until now, Mu Qingzhi had never made an issue of gender in the estate, and Mu Liuyin had nearly forgotten that this was a matriarchal world, where women held a higher status.

She looked up and met Mu Qingzhi’s half-amused gaze.

“…Got it,” she replied stiffly.

As night fell and the moon rose, the city lit up in full. Mu Liuyin wheeled Mu Qingzhi out of the estate, their guards hidden in the shadows.

The streets buzzed with activity. Lanterns of all shapes and sizes lined the stalls. Vendors hawked snacks and masks, and there were booths for riddles and games.

Mu Liuyin was especially drawn to the lantern riddles. She pushed Mu Qingzhi toward a riddle stand and eagerly joined in, solving some, failing others, but enjoying herself.

Mu Qingzhi, watching the rare smile on Mu Liuyin’s face, smiled faintly herself. “You’re enjoying this?”

Mu Liuyin nodded. “Very much.”

She had barely finished speaking when a flash of cold light pierced the crowd, aiming straight for Mu Qingzhi’s heart. Shadow guards were already clashing with a dozen sudden assassins. Mu Liuyin’s eyes widened in alarm—too late to intervene.

But just as the sword was about to strike Mu Qingzhi’s chest, she raised two fingers and caught the blade between them. It trembled violently, but couldn’t move forward another inch.

Cold sweat trickled down Mu Liuyin’s forehead. She surged her internal force, trying to push Mu Qingzhi to safety. But aside from the surrounding assassins, the crowd had descended into chaos, running in every direction.

Mu Qingzhi’s expression remained calm. With a slight flick of her fingers, the blade snapped in two. The assassin was hurled backward by a powerful burst of energy, collapsing to the ground.

“Cough…” A trace of blood slid from Mu Qingzhi’s lips as she coughed. Ever since her injury, she had rarely used her internal force—it took too much out of her. Even now, as weakened as she was, she wasn’t so easy to kill.

Her pale gaze turned frosty as she looked at the fallen assassin, unsure if he was dead or alive.

The rest of the assassins were tangled up with the shadow guards. Though they tried desperately to get to Mu Qingzhi, they couldn’t get near her again.

Her guards were simply too skilled. By the time the city patrol arrived, the assassins were either dead or had committed suicide with poison after failing their mission.

These were Moon Dynasty-trained death soldiers.

But Mu Liuyin’s focus was on the blood at Mu Qingzhi’s lips. She quickly took her wrist and checked her pulse, relieved to find the damage was only due to her internal poison.

Hearing Mu Liuyin’s subtle sigh of relief, Mu Qingzhi blinked in surprise. Her gaze lowered slightly, her voice calm: “Let’s return.”

[Host! More attackers are lying in wait!]

Just as Mu Liuyin wheeled her forward, Xiao Jiu’s urgent warning rang in her mind. She immediately twisted around, yanked Mu Qingzhi out of the chair—

—and they both tumbled to the ground as a hidden bolt struck the wheelchair’s back.

Their eyes met. Mu Liuyin, breathless, was pinned on top of Mu Qingzhi. “Mu Qingzhi…?”

Mu Qingzhi looked puzzled, as if unsure why Mu Liuyin would save her.

Staring at the worry in Mu Liuyin’s eyes, she said quietly, “Get off.”

Only then did Mu Liuyin realize she was still on top of her. She scrambled off quickly. A shadow guard had already removed the bolt from the chair. The attacker had fled.

They returned to the estate under tight guard. Just as Mu Liuyin was about to go back to her room, Mu Qingzhi called out.

Mu Liuyin turned, puzzled. “Yes, Your Highness?”

Mu Qingzhi’s lips curved faintly. “Tell me—did you truly not know about tonight?”

Cold sweat slid down her back. Mu Liuyin’s face froze. She didn’t even know when she’d been exposed. Looking at Mu Qingzhi’s composed expression, she forced herself to stay calm and replied, “If Your Highness didn’t know… how would I know?”

Mu Qingzhi gave a soft, low laugh. “Shi Wuyin… or should I call you the Seventh Prince of the Moon Dynasty?”

Mu Liuyin wanted to argue—but looking at Mu Qingzhi’s certainty, she knew no excuse would work.

As her silence dragged on, Mu Qingzhi raised a brow and smiled faintly. “Seventh Prince?”

Mu Liuyin: QAQ

Help! When did my cover get blown?!