Early the next morning, before dawn, a sudden and urgent knocking sound echoed through the Flaming Sun Palace.
Mu Yanming and Mo Qinghuan opened their eyes. After exchanging a glance, they realized that the knocking was on their own door. So, Mu Yanming got out of bed with a cold look on his face and walked to the door to open it.
A Tahuan didn't expect it to be Mu Yanming who opened the door, and at this moment, Mu Yanming was only wearing his inner robe.
So, at the moment the door opened, A Tahuan stared blankly at Mu Yanming's chest and stood still.
"Cough." Mu Yanming coughed coldly. A Tahuan came to her senses and slipped into the room from under Mu Yanming's arm.
Mo Qinghuan had already gotten out of bed and dressed when the two of them exchanged glances just now.
She walked out from behind the screen, sat down at the table, and looked at A Tahuan with a beaming smile.
A Tahuan glanced at the screen and then at Mo Qinghuan, smiling as she said, "Princess Regent, did the prince tell you?"
"Tell me what?" Mo Qinghuan looked up at Mu Yanming.
A Tahuan stood up and blocked Mo Qinghuan's sight. "The prince is going to take me as his concubine of equal status!"
Mu Yanming looked into Mo Qinghuan's eyes, trying to find the slightest ripple in them.
For a brief moment, he even hoped that Mo Qinghuan would show some different reaction. This would at least prove that Mo Qinghuan cared about him.
However, after hearing this, Mo Qinghuan seemed to have no reaction at all, not even a hint of doubt.
What was even more unexpected to him was that after a few breaths, Mo Qinghuan excitedly slapped the table. "Oh, this is a good thing."
A Tahuan was also stunned for a moment. Looking into Mo Qinghuan's eyes, she tentatively asked, "Your Highness, aren't you even a bit unhappy?"
Mo Qinghuan waved her hand indifferently. "With one more person to serve the prince, I'm only too happy. How could I be unhappy?"
Hearing this, A Tahuan was delighted. But before her joy could last even a second, Mu Yanming left with a gloomy face after slapping the table.
Mo Qinghuan looked at his back and then at A Tahuan, shrugging helplessly.
Suddenly, she remembered that Mu Yanming's arm was injured. If he went out like this in just his inner robe, it would expose his injury.
So, she quickly grabbed his clothes and ran out. As a result, she saw Mu Yanming standing in the pavilion in the courtyard and not going out at all.
Holding the clothes in her hand, she walked over step by step. Mu Yanming turned around after hearing the sound. Seeing that it was Mo Qinghuan, he nodded slightly. Looking into her eyes, he coldly asked, "You seem quite happy to have one more person in the prince's mansion, don't you?"
Mo Qinghuan threw the clothes on the stone table and turned to leave. But Mu Yanming grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her into his arms.
She instinctively raised her hand to block.
The distance between them was so close that they could almost hear each other's breathing.
"Your Highness, it was you who brought this person back. It seems that you shouldn't have such emotions, right?"
Mu Yanming looked at her cherry - red lips, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
As soon as this thought came up, he pressed on the back of Mo Qinghuan's head and kissed her.
Mo Qinghuan struggled constantly. Unfortunately, the difference in strength between men and women was too great. She simply couldn't break free from Mu Yanming's strong arms.
In the end, she had no choice but to give up resistance.
Just as A Tahuan came out, she happened to see this scene. She bit her lips, her face alternating between anger and embarrassment, and then strode away from the Flaming Sun Palace.
Finally, Mu Yanming let go of Mo Qinghuan contentedly and took the clothes into the inner chamber.
Mo Qinghuan looked at his back and thought that she should enter the palace to treat the Grand Princess. Besides, she also had to go back to the General's Mansion to deal with Mo Yao and her mother.
Since she had already announced in public yesterday that Mo Yao was not a daughter of the Mo family, then the two of them should no longer stay in the General's Mansion.
Thinking of this, she started walking towards the room. Just then, Mu Yanming walked out after getting dressed.
Mo Qinghuan saw his satisfied look. After giving him a disdainful glance, she picked up her medicine box and walked out.
Seeing this, Mu Yanming shamelessly followed behind Mo Qinghuan.
"Your Highness, don't you have anything to do? Why are you following me?"
She stopped and stood still.
Mu Yanming lifted her chin with one hand. "Last night, I was ambushed and injured. Of course, I have to go into the palace today to do some probing."
Only then did Mo Qinghuan understand that Mu Yanming was going into the palace to investigate the assassination last night.
But why was he so sure that the assassins were from the palace...
"Let's go."
Mu Yanming took the lead and walked in front. But when the two of them walked out of the Flaming Sun Palace, they saw A Tahuan standing at the door.
"Your Highness, where are you going?"
Mu Yanming subconsciously looked at Mo Qinghuan, only to find that she wasn't looking at him or A Tahuan at all.
Her calm and unperturbed appearance suddenly made him feel inexplicably stuffy.
"Huan'er, come with us into the palace. It's just the right time to talk to the emperor about the marriage alliance."
Hearing the name "Huan'er", Mo Qinghuan felt a bit disgusted in her heart and walked towards the main gate of the prince's mansion first.
Seeing this, Mu Yanming couldn't help raising his eyebrows. Mo Qinghuan's current attitude actually made him feel satisfied.
A Tahuan squinted at Mu Yanming. She knew that Mu Yanming did it on purpose to anger his princess.
So, she also cooperated and followed up.
After getting on the carriage, Mu Yanming sat in the middle, Mo Qinghuan on the right, and A Tahuan on the left.
Throughout the journey, none of the three took the initiative to speak.
When they arrived at the palace gate, Mo Qinghuan wanted to get off the carriage first, but A Tahuan also stood up, so the two bumped into each other.
Mo Qinghuan covered her head and gave Mu Yanming a cold look.
Seeing that Mo Qinghuan was angry, Mu Yanming grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the carriage.
A Tahuan was left behind by the two. She angrily snorted and stopped.
Mu Yanming didn't expect this princess from the Northern Rong to have such a bad temper. But since he had already promised to help her, he couldn't go back on his word.
So, he stopped and waited for A Tahuan to come over from a distance.
Mo Qinghuan broke free from Mu Yanming's hand and walked forward. Mu Yanming stood in the middle, suddenly in a dilemma.
Just as the situation was getting tense, the voice of the Second Prince, Mu Yichen, suddenly came from not far away. Seeing Mu Yanming, he shouted happily, "Brother Wang."
He walked up to Mu Yanming. Instead of saluting Mu Yanming like others did, he patted Mu Yanming's arm familiarly.
Mo Qinghuan stopped and looked back at the two of them.
She saw Mu Yanming looking at Mu Yichen with a cold face.
"Brother Wang, you haven't entered the palace for several days. And since we returned to the capital, we haven't had a good get - together. How about I host a banquet tonight at the Gathering Gentlemen Tower? Let's drink until we're drunk."
For some reason, Mu Yichen's enthusiasm suddenly made Mo Qinghuan feel that something was wrong.
But at this moment, she didn't react. It wasn't until evening, when Mu Yanming took her to the Gathering Gentlemen Tower and she saw the dishes on the table that she suddenly understood.