Gu Qing followed the pre - arranged method to deliver the message, but received no response.
Disheartened, he returned to the Gu Mansion. When he stepped into Gu Qinglan's room, he saw Lord Gu still keeping watch by his daughter's bedside.
Lord Gu glanced at Gu Qing. "Why so dejected?"
"Father, who hurt Lan'er?"
Lord Gu averted his gaze and looked at his daughter. Clutching Gu Qinglan's hand anxiously, his eyes were filled with distress.
"You don't need to worry about this. Just do as I tell you."
Gu Qing lowered his head, fists clenched tightly. "Father, I'll take my leave then."
Lord Gu ignored him. Frowning slightly, Gu Qing left. Back in his own courtyard, he looked up at the sky. It was just past midnight, but he was seething with anger and couldn't fall asleep.
He drew his sword, tossed the scabbard aside, and started practicing.
However, due to his inner turmoil, his moves were haphazard. After a short while, he felt a churning in his chest and discomfort.
He had to stop, sitting on a stone bench with his head down, propping the sword with one hand.
Someone approached from behind. Recognizing Lord Gu's footsteps, he didn't move.
Lord Gu came over and stood in front of Gu Qing, blocking the moonlight that had been shining on him.
"What are you practicing sword for in the middle of the night?" Lord Gu's tone was somewhat displeased. Although Gu Qing had been with him for many years and knew it was his way of showing concern, such a tone still made him a bit uncomfortable.
He looked up at Lord Gu, the pain in his eyes hard to conceal. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his chest, followed by a coppery taste in his throat. He forced himself to calm his breathing to prevent the blood from spurting out.
Lord Gu naturally noticed Gu Qing's uneasiness and said nothing more.
Just as Lord Gu was about to leave the courtyard, Gu Qing suddenly vomited a large mouthful of blood.
He wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb and got up to walk into the house.
...
Early the next morning, Mo Qinghuan opened her eyes. Mu Yanming was still lying beside her.
She found it strange. Usually, Mu Yanming got up early. Why was he still asleep when she had already woken up?
She reached out and gently poked his arm. There was no response.
She pushed him again, still no response.
Mo Qinghuan realized something was wrong. She grabbed Mu Yanming's hand to feel his pulse when suddenly, her wrist was firmly grasped.
She rolled her eyes and sat cross - legged on the bed. "Is this fun, Regent?"
Mu Yanming opened his eyes and sat up. "Last night, when you were asleep, you probably didn't hear what I wanted to tell you. So I waited here on purpose for you to wake up and tell you in person."
Mo Qinghuan pulled back her wrist that had been tightly held by him and gently rubbed it. She averted her eyes, not looking at Mu Yanming.
Actually, she had heard what Mu Yanming said last night, but she just didn't want to respond. Who knew this man would wait here on purpose to say it again.
Seeing that she didn't say a word, Mu Yanming flicked her forehead. "What's wrong? Don't want to hear?"
Mo Qinghuan raised her eyebrows and said arrogantly, "Yes, I don't want to hear." Then she tried to jump out of bed, but Mu Yanming stretched out his long leg to block her way.
"I don't want to go to today's welcome banquet. Is there any way to make me look seriously ill?" He propped his hands on either side of his body, his deep eyes fixed on Mo Qinghuan.
Mo Qinghuan sat there, not knowing whether to move or not.
Finally, Mu Yanming leaned forward. She instinctively stepped back, breaking the deadlock.
"Yes, it's easy. You can be ill for as long as you want, and even the imperial physicians won't be able to find the cause." Mo Qinghuan said, leaning forward slightly.
The sudden proximity between them once again created an awkward situation.
Mu Yanming swallowed hard. "Okay, then I'll have to trouble the princess." He got out of bed first and bent down to put on his boots.
Mo Qinghuan was in a daze for a while. Just now, she saw Mu Yanming swallow, and a series of ambiguous images popped into her mind out of nowhere.
She was startled by her own thoughts and couldn't help shivering.
She sat on the edge of the bed, legs dangling and swaying.
"Your Highness, why don't you want to go to the welcome banquet?"
Mu Yanming turned to look at her. His hand was on his waist, tying his belt.
Suddenly, he stopped and tilted his head towards Mo Qinghuan. "Come, help me get dressed, and I'll tell you."
Mo Qinghuan gave a cold smile, then immediately regained her expressionless look. She stood up and walked towards the wardrobe.
When she opened the wardrobe, she found that the left side was filled with her clothes, and the right side with Mu Yanming's.
She turned around and pointed at the wardrobe, asking Mu Yanming, "What's going on?"
Mu Yanming finished tying his belt and walked over. "As you can see." With that, he stretched out his long arm and picked out a dress for Mo Qinghuan in a similar color scheme to his own.
"From now on, you can't dress as casually as before. Your clothes should complement mine."
Mo Qinghuan curled one corner of her mouth. She didn't expect this man to be so childish. Wasn't this just like wearing couple's outfits?
She took the dress and walked behind the screen to change. She had been here for a while and already knew how to wear these clothes, so it was a breeze.
However, just as she took off her outer robe and put on the top, when she flipped her hair back, a little accident happened.
"Ouch." She let out a soft cry, covering the back of her head. With difficulty, she turned around and saw that her hair was caught in the carved gap of the screen.
Mu Yanming also heard the commotion on her side. Standing there behind the screen, he asked, "Do you need my help?"
"No." Mo Qinghuan replied coldly. She tried to pull her hair out by herself, but since she couldn't see behind, after tugging for a long time, she couldn't get her hair out of the gap. Instead, she almost tore off her scalp.
Mu Yanming shook his head helplessly, walked over, and reached out to help Mo Qinghuan arrange her hair. He gently pulled the hair out bit by bit, trying his best not to make her feel pain.
After about a minute, Mo Qinghuan felt her scalp loosen, and Mu Yanming let out a sigh of relief. "Okay."
She turned to say thank you but forgot that her clothes weren't fastened yet.
Mu Yanming's eyes landed on Mo Qinghuan. Immediately, he closed his eyes.
Mo Qinghuan felt a burning sensation on her face and quickly fixed her clothes.
But for some reason, there were one unexpected thing after another today. She tied the belt into a knot that couldn't be undone.
She sighed helplessly. Mu Yanming, with his eyes closed, asked her, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Can you call Dan'er in for me?" She felt so embarrassed in front of Mu Yanming today.
She hung her head like a quail.
Mu Yanming opened his eyes and looked at her. She was fumbling with the ribbon.
He reached out, patiently untied the ribbon, and tied a double - loop knot.
Then he turned around and walked out, leaving Mo Qinghuan covering her face in shame.