She walked over. Lu Zixiu was just about to bring the wine cup to his mouth when she stopped him.
He looked up and saw a figure in bright yellow. A broad smile spread across his face, a smile that was deep, intense, and infectious. "Princess, we sure are fated to meet."
He used his fan to move her hand away and drained the wine in one gulp.
"Stop drinking. Your wounds haven't fully healed yet." Mo Qinghuan snatched the cup from his hand and placed it on the table.
Just then, the sedan chair of the Left Prime Minister passed by the door. Seeing this scene, he stroked his beard and smiled sinisterly.
He beckoned to his attendant walking beside the sedan chair and whispered a few instructions through the curtain.
After the Left Prime Minister's sedan chair left, several hooligans swaggered into the inn.
They propped their feet on the table next to Mo Qinghuan and Lu Zixiu and shouted loudly, "Waiter, bring us your best wine!"
The waiter recognized them as well - known hooligans in the capital and quickly stepped forward with a forced smile.
Mo Qinghuan, annoyed by the noisy intruders, wanted to pull Lu Zixiu away.
Unexpectedly, Lu Zixiu, a bit drunk, waved his hand and accidentally bumped into the man behind him.
The man licked his lips and walked over. "You brat! Looking for trouble, huh?"
"He didn't do it on purpose." Mo Qinghuan tried to support Lu Zixiu. Lu Zixiu stood up and pulled her behind him, facing the hooligan, who only reached his Adam's apple.
Lu Zixiu placed his fan on the man's shoulder. "Get out of the way!"
"You think I'll just get out of the way because you tell me to? Who do you think you are!" The hooligan blustered, but his bravado was clearly waning.
Lu Zixiu shook his head with a smile. He gently pressed the fan on the man's shoulder, forcing him down. Just as the man was about to kneel, six or seven others rushed forward.
Unfortunately, they couldn't even touch the corner of Lu Zixiu's clothes before they were knocked to the ground, smashing a few tables and chairs.
He grabbed Mo Qinghuan's hand and walked to the counter. He took out a gold ingot and placed it on the counter. "Sorry to cause you trouble, innkeeper!"
Mo Qinghuan had never seen Lu Zixiu so imposing. But she had long known that his martial arts must be extraordinary. After all, he had managed to reach the capital safely despite being hunted by multiple groups of people. That was no easy feat.
However, his wounds hadn't fully healed yet. She was worried that his old injuries might flare up, so she gently tugged at his hem.
He turned around and looked down at Mo Qinghuan. "Don't be afraid. I won't let anything happen to you, Princess."
Mo Qinghuan looked up into his eyes. The smile on his face remained, as if nothing had just happened.
Mo Qinghuan looked at her own hand. Only then did he realize that he was still holding it and quickly let go.
"I'm sorry for my rudeness. I hope the Princess won't take offense."
"I'll walk you back to the palace."
Mo Qinghuan led the way, and Lu Zixiu followed behind, just looking at her.
He admired this woman who was clear - cut in her likes and dislikes, brave and resolute. Especially after hearing about how she outwitted her unvirtuous step - mother and step - sister in the mansion, his admiration for her grew even stronger.
He had originally thought... Forget it. Things had come to this. What was the use of thinking?
He just followed. When they reached the palace, Mo Qinghuan stopped and turned to look at him.
"We're here."
Before Lu Zixiu could reply, Mu Yanming, dressed in black, walked out of the palace.
"Why are you here?"
Mo Qinghuan sized up Mu Yanming. She couldn't help but think that this man had an excellent figure.
"My Lord, it's time to go."
Bai Ke reminded him and led over a horse.
"Do you want to go out of the city with me?" He mounted the horse and reached out his hand to Mo Qinghuan.
Mo Qinghuan was a bit dazed. "Oh, no thanks. You go ahead. I'm going to the clinic."
Mu Yanming had originally not wanted to say anything, but for her safety, he decided to give her a reminder.
"Alright. I'll assign someone to the clinic. If there's a patient looking for you, they'll come and inform you. That way, you don't have to sit in the clinic every day. It's not safe."
Mo Qinghuan knew that since they were going to get married, it was inappropriate for her to be out in public. So she nodded in agreement.
Then, he rode away on his horse.
"Mr. Lu, come in. I'll check your wounds."
...
In the room, Lu Zixiu sat on the edge of the bed. She stepped forward to unbutton his clothes. When the outer robe was just undone, she saw a bit of red. "Sure enough, it's bleeding."
She was about to continue undressing him when Lu Zixiu grabbed her wrist. "Don't trouble yourself, Princess. I can apply the medicine myself."
Mo Qinghuan understood his concerns. "Oh, okay. Then I'll go back first. But remember, don't overexert yourself. Take good care of your wounds."
She gave him a charming smile, and Lu Zixiu felt his heart skip a beat.
Mo Qinghuan had been gone for a while, but he still sat there in the same position, motionless.
...
Lan, dragging her sick body, came to the Prime Minister's Mansion. The Left Prime Minister sat on the upper seat, coldly looking at the hunched Lan. He said in a deep voice, "How did you end up like this? Didn't you have that Mo Qinghuan under your thumb before?"
Lan hung her head. "Father, I don't know what's going on. That girl suddenly became very powerful. It's as if she's a different person."
The Left Prime Minister put down his teacup. "So, you're no match for her now!"
Hearing this, Lan didn't want to admit it in her heart, but the truth was just that. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come back to ask her father for help.
"It would have been easier before, but now... She has the title of Sanyue Princess and is backed by the Regent. I really have no other choice. I had to..."
The Left Prime Minister smiled. The wrinkles on his face bunched up, and his eyes flashed with undisguised disgust. "Let it be for now. The Regent is watching closely. This is not the right time to act."
Lan knew that she had been abandoned by her father, so she played her trump card. "Father, if it were just about my own safety, I wouldn't care. But there's evidence in the secret chamber of the General's Mansion that's unfavorable to you. I'm afraid that if that evidence sees the light of day, all your painstaking efforts over the years will be..."
The Left Prime Minister grabbed the teacup on the table and threw it at her. "Good for you! You dare to threaten your own father!"
Lan covered her bleeding forehead. "Father, I'm not threatening you. I just want to tell you that the key to the secret chamber is in Mo Qinghuan's hands. Please act quickly and get the key from her before she marries into the Regent's Mansion and destroy the evidence."
"Get out!"
Lan staggered out of the door and bumped into a woman in red.
Lan seemed to have some impression of this woman, but she couldn't remember who she was for a moment.