Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes were bloodshot, and her gaze at Nan Shiying was filled with the deepest hatred.
Seeing that the young woman was about to bite her tongue again in despair and anger, Nan Shiying dared not joke any further and quickly explained, "It's the antidote, the antidote! What I threw into your mouth was the antidote."
Mu Xiaoxiao did not believe him, thinking he was merely stalling for time.
Nan Shiying felt a headache coming on but had to reiterate, "It really is the antidote. If you don't believe me, try moving now and see if you can."
Mu Xiaoxiao, half-believing, lifted her hand. Her limp arm had regained its sensation.
She leaped from the ground, pulled out a hidden weapon from her怀, and was about to throw it at Nan Shiying. Xuan Yi flashed forward to block Nan Shiying, his long sword held horizontally before him. His gaze was sharp as he looked at Mu Xiaoxiao, yet his attitude was extremely respectful. "Please calm your anger, County Princess Jiacheng. My young master was merely joking with you and meant no harm."
"Hey, who says there's no harm?" Nan Shiying patted Xuan Yi's shoulder and retorted, "I have ill intentions towards idiots."
"You..."
Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes immediately reddened with anger.
"Young Master!"
Xuan Yi sighed with a hint of helplessness.
*Princess Consort, that's enough!*
Feeling that the other party meant no harm, Mu Xiaoxiao's tightly strung nerves slowly relaxed. She looked at this shameless scoundrel who dared to toy with her, her beautiful eyes like they were dipped in poison, wishing she could pierce a hole through Nan Shiying. Thinking of the indecent harassment she had just endured, Mu Xiaoxiao's anger surged to the top of her head. She pointed at Nan Shiying's nose and roared, "You know my identity, yet you dare to be disrespectful to me? I will definitely have my grandfather report to the Emperor and have your nine generations executed!"
Nan Shiying scoffed, her tone filled with disdain and sarcasm, "You truly forget the pain once the wound heals. With someone like you, you dare to venture into the martial world? Your martial arts are average, your appearance is average, your brain is average, and even your hidden weapons are used ordinarily. If you had encountered a truly wicked person today, would you still be standing here yelling at me?"
"You..."
Mu Xiaoxiao wanted to retort, but to her frustration, she found herself unable to refute him.
Her eyebrows shot up in anger, but the more furious she became, the more wronged and fearful she felt, and tears began to stream down her face.
She threw the hidden weapon to the ground, pulled over a stool, sat down, and began to sob.
Xuan Yi became flustered and looked at Nan Shiying: *Princess Consort, you are the one who made her cry, you deal with it.*
*Deal with it?*
*Am I that idle?*
Nan Shiying clicked her tongue, her face cold, and reprimanded, "If you want to cry, go cry outside. It's late, and I need to rest."
Mu Xiaoxiao suddenly looked up. She had never met anyone so fierce. Even her elder brother would become flustered and try to coax her after scolding her to tears.
Mu Xiaoxiao had never been spoken to so harshly in her entire life.
She stopped sobbing and began to wail loudly, crying and howling, "I won't go out, I'll just cry here! I'm so annoyed by you, so loud, wah~~~"
Her cries were truly pathetic.
Let alone Xuan Yi, even Old Du was stunned.
Nan Shiying looked at Mu Xiaoxiao, suddenly stood up, grabbed her by the collar, and unceremoniously dragged her towards the door.
Mu Xiaoxiao became even more obstinate, sitting down on the ground with a thud. She grabbed Nan Shiying's leg with her hand and refused to let go.
The veins on Nan Shiying's forehead bulged. With a fierce expression, she coldly threatened, "If you keep crying, I'll poison your tongue until you're mute."
Mu Xiaoxiao stubbornly retorted, showing no fear, "So be it if I'm poisoned mute! At worst, I'll just be a mute!"
Nan Shiying's head pounded. She suddenly crouched down, clamped Mu Xiaoxiao's jaw, and ground her teeth ferociously, "If you cry again, I'll slash your face, sprinkle honey on it, and then throw you into a flower bed for insects and ants to burrow into your wounds, and then..."
Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes widened in terror as she covered her mouth.
She dared not cry anymore.
"Let go!"
Nan Shiying commanded.
Mu Xiaoxiao quickly released her hand.
Nan Shiying, looking exhausted, turned and sat back down on the chair, signaling for her to sit down as well.
Mu Xiaoxiao patted the dust off her clothes, wiped away her tears, and walked to sit opposite Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying threw a handkerchief at her, saying with some disgust, "You're filthy, wipe yourself clean."
Mu Xiaoxiao accepted the handkerchief, daring to be angry but not to speak.
"Tell me, why did you steal our travel money?" Nan Shiying asked.
Mu Xiaoxiao's voice was hoarse from crying. She replied in a low, raspy voice, "The money I brought was all exchanged for grain to give to the refugees. I saw your carriage was very ornate and looked like it belonged to wealthy people, so I planned to steal your travel money, keep a little for myself, and exchange the rest for grain to help the disaster victims."
Nan Shiying glanced at her. Uncharacteristically, she did not mock but instead asked, "How many times have you done this?"
Mu Xiaoxiao looked up abruptly, biting her lip with a hint of grievance, and replied with a sob in her voice, "This is the first time."
"Pfft~"
Xuan Yi and Old Du couldn't help but chuckle.
Mu Xiaoxiao glared at them both and then asked with great confusion, "Where did I go wrong? I was so careful, why was I still discovered?"
Nan Shiying couldn't help but roll her eyes, utterly speechless. "Don't you know that before you sneak into a house, you should blow sleeping powder into it?"
"At the very least, you should ensure everyone inside is asleep!"
"Of course, the most important thing is, if you're going to steal, why were you circling and observing our carriage? I sprinkled a circle of fragrant powder around our carriage. As soon as you entered the inn, Qin Lao and I smelled that fragrance. If not you, then who would we catch?"
Mu Xiaoxiao's mouth fell open, and she stared at Nan Shiying in shock.
So, from the moment she entered the inn, she was completely exposed?
Was she exposed so early?
"Yes, that early." Nan Shiying mercilessly shattered Mu Xiaoxiao's confidence.
Mu Xiaoxiao was about to cry again.
Nan Shiying felt her scalp start to throb. She raised a hand to stop her pointless sorrow and asked, "Since you've been here for so long, have you seen Hongyi? Do you know if Hongyi left any relief funds before he departed?"
Mu Xiaoxiao instantly became vigilant, questioning suspiciously, "Why are you asking this? Do you want to steal the relief funds? You wish!"
Nan Shiying took a deep breath. If it weren't for the fact that her identity as County Princess Jiacheng could help her accomplish things she couldn't conveniently do herself, Nan Shiying would have already bundled her up and thrown her out the window.
She ground her teeth, asking with utter exhaustion, "If the relief funds are being embezzled, why can't we steal them to help the people?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, and she slapped her hand in excitement. "You're right!"