Chapter 46 – Dared to Take Advantage of Me

After the Emperor left Tai Jin Hall, Tang Wenzong hurried out of the grand hall in search of Mu Nanjin.

“Mu Nanjin!”

Before he could even speak, Mu Nanjin, who already knew why he had come, cut him off coldly.

“I’m not going back. And I’m not lowering the price.”

By “not going back,” she meant she had no intention of returning to the Tang family, and “not lowering the price” meant that her Jade Beauty Pills would not be sold at a discount.

“Huh?”

Tang Wenzong was stunned, completely thrown off guard. Before he could recover, Mu Nanjin had already walked off, and no matter how fast he chased, he couldn’t catch up.

He sighed deeply, then turned to the colleagues passing by and said, “You all saw that, right? She won’t sell me her pills cheaper, even though I’m her own kin.”

Everyone had indeed witnessed Mu Nanjin’s attitude toward him. None of them dared mock Tang Wenzong any further. After all, Mu Nanjin clearly didn’t play favorites. They could only find another opportunity to approach her privately later.

After leaving the palace, Mu Nanjin went home first for a short nap. After lunch, she headed to the Commandery Office to deliver food to the prisoners.

Only then did she learn that two prison guards were required to accompany her during the delivery. Their main job was to push the food cart and distribute meals, while her duty was simply to supervise.

As Mu Nanjin wondered why something as simple as delivering food needed her supervision, the two prison guards suddenly stopped in their tracks, looking visibly uneasy.

“My Lady, that area ahead isn’t somewhere we’re supposed to go in,” one of them said nervously. “We’ll stop here.”

Seeing how terrified they were, Mu Nanjin merely nodded.

The moment she did, the two guards bolted away as though being chased by ghosts.

Mu Nanjin turned to look ahead.

The passageway before her was pitch-black, so dark she couldn’t even see her own hand. Strange noises echoed faintly through the air: eerie chuckles, hissing sounds, and dull thuds. The entire dungeon felt oppressive and haunted. For someone faint of heart, just standing outside might have been enough to scare them to death.

Undeterred, Mu Nanjin pushed the food cart forward.

Under the dim light of the lantern hanging from the cart, she saw that both walls were plastered with talisman papers. The cell doors here were unlike the barred gates of the outer prison; instead, they were thick slabs of iron, carved all over with intricate talismanic runes.

Near the bottom of each door was a small opening, just large enough to slide a bowl through.

Mu Nanjin ladled out six bowls of food, pushing one through each door in turn. But when she reached the last cell, something soft and damp suddenly brushed across the back of her hand, followed by a lewd, cackling laugh.

“Hehehe…”

She immediately drew her hand back, only to find a streak of clear, sticky liquid, like saliva, on her skin.

Mu Nanjin’s expression twisted in disgust. She shook her hand sharply, then pushed the food cart out of the dungeon without a word.

Waiting outside, Captain Liu quickly stepped forward when he saw her emerge. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

【Delivering food, what could possibly happen?】

Mu Nanjin grabbed his sleeve and casually wiped her hand clean on his robe.

Captain Liu scowled. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I just got licked on the back of my hand.”

Captain Liu: “…”

So… she just used his robe as a rag?!

【He dared to take advantage of me? Next time I’ll make sure he dies a miserable death. Of course, if he’s good-looking, I might spare his life and make him take responsibility for it.】

Captain Liu rolled his eyes skyward.

He really shouldn’t have worried about her at all.

“By the way,” he said, clearing his throat, “Lord Deng from the Right Division just requested you from Lord Kan. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be assisting Lord Deng. Once the foreign envoys leave the capital, you’ll return to the Left Division.”

“Oh.”

Mu Nanjin nodded, then paused. “Who ordered me to deliver food to the prisoners today?”

“Lord Kan,” Captain Liu replied.

Mu Nanjin’s eyes glinted. “Good. Go find Lord Kan.”

Captain Liu blinked, confused. “Find him? For what?”

“You’ll know when you get there.”

Still puzzled, Captain Liu made his way to Kan Chaoyan’s study.

Without looking up from his desk, Kan Chaoyan asked, “What is it?”

“Mu Nanjin told me to come find you.”

Kan Chaoyan lifted his head, and his eyes immediately fell on Captain Liu’s robe. His expression froze.

“What on earth happened to your official uniform?”