Chapter 183: Sinister Schemes

"Your Highness Hui, we have no clues yet; I have already sent people to investigate. With so many boxes in the storehouse, it is impossible to parade them openly; they would surely be noticed."

"Where is the shopkeeper of the World's First Villa?"

Speaking of that, Gao Feng's expression turned a bit strange; Mo Junheng watched him and said in a deep voice, "What, hard to speak?"

"Your Highness, the shopkeeper of the World's First Villa has the surname Nan and is called the Southern First Young Master."

"Southern First?" Mo Junheng frowned, "She is called Southern First?"

"Your Highness, do you remember Miss Chi's medicine‑and‑food shop in Changxi Town?" Gao Feng whispered, "I have already had people buy meals from the World's First Villa; they are exactly the same as those in Changxi Town."

Mo Junheng's expression kept shifting; he slammed the bedboard hard and shouted, "So that's it! Southern First… what Southern First Young Master? This person is clearly Chi Nan Yi! No wonder Mo Junyan had someone deliver the World's First Villa's dishes to the palace; the two must have been colluding from early on! And those Dark Guard from yesterday were certainly arranged by Mo Junyan. Damn, Mo Junyan, you really are damned! I will definitely avenge this grievance."

"Your Highness, if the Southern First Young Master really is Miss Chi, should we recall the Dark Guard we sent to Changxi Town earlier?"

"No hurry; just let them go. What does it matter if we can't bring Chi Nan Yi back? Doesn't the Chi Family have other members? If I bring the Chi family members back to Jingcheng and lock them up, with them around I won't believe Chi Nan Yi won't be a threat."

"Understood." Gao Feng thought for a moment and said softly, "Your Highness, could the storehouse theft also have been done by Prince Li?"

Mo Junheng narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head, "Not to mention he is now a cripple; even at his peak he couldn't silently empty my storehouse. Still, we should investigate; caution is always good."

After Gao Feng left, Mo Junheng lay on the bed, and the scene of meeting Chi Nan Yi in Changxi Town flashed in his mind.

Even though she wore simple clothes and plain hair, she lingered in my thoughts; her eyes shone like stars, her radiant looks and entire aura far outshone the flamboyant women of Jingcheng by thousands of times.

All these years, holding a high position, he had seen countless aristocratic ladies—some gentle and obedient, some charmingly coquettish, some shrewdly calculating—but none ever left such an unforgettable impression after a single glance as she did; seemingly ordinary yet instantly striking.

Mo Junheng clutched the quilt tightly, a lingering obsession—one he himself had not noticed or refused to admit—surfacing in his eyes.

"Chi Nan Yi."

He uttered her name word by word, his throat tightening slightly.

"Everything Mo Junyan cares about, I will obtain: the Emperor's favor, Daqi's realm, and you."

At that moment, Chi Nan Yi, who was inventorying valuables in the space, suddenly sneezed.

"Which damn thing is whispering behind me?" she rubbed her nose and continued the inventory.

"No wonder it's the Empress and the Crown Prince—second only to one, above ten thousand—so many treasures." She lifted a porcelain vase and examined it closely: "If this were sold, even a single piece would sustain an ordinary family for several generations."

These items are eye‑catching; converting them unnoticed would be difficult, but that's fine—if we can't use them now we'll wait a few years. Besides these porcelain and paintings, aren't there countless gold, silver, jewels, gold bars and silver ingots as well?

Now I can consider myself a little rich lady.

With the daily shop income, even with my eyes closed I can hear the sound of silver coins being deposited.

When Chi Nan Yi emerged from the space, night had already fallen.

At that moment, she realized her stomach had started the empty‑city stratagem.

She was about to fetch something to eat from the space when a sound came from the window, and a faint milky scent drifted to her nose.

"Cream pastry?"

The two words slipped out.

Mo Junyan stepped out from behind the screen, carrying a food box.

"How could the Prince know I was hungry?"

Since he gave her a hairpin, Chi Nan Yi's relationship with Mo Junyan had grown a bit closer than before.

"This Prince passed by the cream pastry shop, recalled you once said you liked them, and this is the shop's last portion."

Chi Nan Yi took a bite; the milky flavor made her involuntarily squint her eyes.

"The Prince's gift truly came in time; the common girl was starving!"

In a flash, Chi Nan Yi devoured a cream pastry completely; Mo Junyan sat beside her, watching her slightly puffed cheeks, a subtle curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

"This Prince has never before seen anyone swallow something so quickly, yet so gracefully."

Chi Nan Yi heard this and laughed, "I'll take it as the Prince praising me."

"This Prince was already praising you." With no concealment, Chi Nan Yi's heart stirred, she picked up another pastry and turned her gaze elsewhere: "Besides delivering food, does the Prince have any other business today?" Her eyes swept over the edge of Mo Junyan's mask, where the scar that had been visible was already gone; it seems the scar‑removing ointment I gave him worked.

"Indeed there are some matters: the Meng Family and the Crown Prince's Residence have both sent people toward Yuping Village. The Crown Prince's men just left the capital and were captured by my men, but the Meng Family's party has been on the road for a while; they should arrive at Yuping Village soon."

"What? Why are they going to Yuping Village?"

"Meng Hui wants to bring you back to the Meng Family, probably thinking Meng Qinghe is a fool unfit for great responsibilities, so he plans to retrieve you. This move by the Meng Family isn't out of conscience; if my guess is correct, they intend to adopt you and marry you into the Crown Prince's Residence."

"Meng Hui, that dead old man, actually still has this idea, shameless! Doesn't he have a daughter? Meng Qinghe wants to be Crown Princess, so just marry her into the Crown Prince's Residence, right? He really thinks their Minister's Residence is some feng‑shui treasure that everyone wants to go to."

"You need not worry; even if the Meng Family goes to Yuping Village, they cannot touch the Chi family."

Chi Nan Yi heard this, her brows slightly raised, and laughed, "Indeed, with the Prince's men present, the Meng Family is still far from succeeding."

"What do you mean by that?"

"In Yuping Village's medicine‑and‑food shop, the Prince must have placed many people inside!"

In fact, Chi Nan Yi had sensed this early on.

Although the Tooth Madam commands countless people, it's uncanny that everyone I desire is in the Flower Madam's hand, even the maidservants who know some martial arts.

Chi Nan Yi had observed those maidservants; they didn't seem bought by the Tooth Madam from various places. Most importantly, their attitude toward Yun Shan was extremely respectful, as if employees seeing their superior.

Now, looking at Mo Junyan's expression further confirms my suspicion.

Those servants are clearly Mo Junyan's eyes placed beside me.

"The Prince must not trust me in some way, which is why he placed so many watchers?"