After the two of them were in a daze for quite a while, Mu Yanming was the first to come to his senses. He sat up straight and put some distance between them.
"You should stay in the mansion and recuperate well these days. Don't run around."
Mo Qinghuan didn't take it seriously. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Didn't the prince arrange for Young Master Lu to protect me? I remember Bai Ke said that he's highly skilled in martial arts."
At the mention of Lu Zixiu, the light in Mu Yanming's eyes dimmed a bit. He said somewhat unhappily, "But he can't watch over you twenty - four hours a day. Anyway, you just stay in the General's Mansion properly."
Mo Qinghuan knew that he said this not because he was worried about her, but rather to imply indirectly that she should stay in the mansion and find the key quickly.
But she still nodded cooperatively. "I understand. Coincidentally, I also plan to remove and reinstall the stone bricks in the yard. I'll also take this opportunity to dig up the trees. I should be able to find the key in a few days."
Somehow, she suddenly felt a pang of loss. Finding the key probably meant the end of their cooperation.
She hadn't even thought about what to do after leaving the Regent's Mansion...
Seeing her mood suddenly turn low, Mu Yanming reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. There was undeniable concern in his eyes. "Does your wound hurt too much?"
Mo Qinghuan shook her head. "It's okay. Prince, you should go back quickly." She turned her head and looked towards the door.
Mu Yanming originally wanted to stay, but seeing Mo Qinghuan keep driving him away, he had no choice but to stand up and walk out.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to remind her, "Don't do anything stupid again. If there's anything, send Qing Heng to find me."
Mo Qinghuan nodded, but her mood still seemed rather low.
Mu Yanming turned around and walked towards the door. Suddenly, she stared at his back and said silently in her heart, "Mu Yanming, you're really good, truly good."
As if sensing something, Mu Yanming looked back at Mo Qinghuan before opening the door. Mo Qinghuan gave a calm smile and tilted her head. "Go back."
He opened the door and walked out. After leaving the yard, he noticed Lu Zixiu sitting not far away.
He turned to Qing Heng and gave an order, "Qing Heng, take good ca..." Seeing Lu Zixiu looking over, Mu Yanming immediately changed his words. "Keep a good eye on the princess. Don't let her run around, especially don't let her associate with dubious people."
Qing Heng bowed with clasped fists. "Yes, Your Highness."
After saying that, he directly bypassed Lu Zixiu and left the General's Mansion.
...
After nightfall, Mo Qinghuan sat alone in the room and couldn't fall asleep. She remembered that during the day, Mu Yanming said he would go to the General's Mansion tonight to investigate the source.
After pacing back and forth in the room a few times, she really couldn't stay still anymore. She got up and walked out.
"Qing Heng, where's Young Master Lu?"
Qing Heng was guarding the courtyard gate. Hearing the princess looking for Young Master Lu in the middle of the night, he lowered his head in embarrassment.
"Princess, it's so late. What do you need Young Master Lu for?"
Mo Qinghuan gave an awkward smile. "Oh, I have something to do outside the mansion."
Qing Heng stepped forward. "Princess, if you have something to do, you can order your subordinate to do it. It's so late. Your Highness should not go out."
Helpless, she had no choice but to go back to her room.
Just as she entered the room, her mouth was suddenly covered.
She stared in horror with wide eyes and quickly put her hands behind her back.
"Where do you want to go?" When she saw it was Lu Zixiu, she let out a sigh of relief and put the anesthesia needle in her hand back into her space.
"I want to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion." She looked into Lu Zixiu's eyes and said.
Lu Zixiu thought for a moment, grabbed her wrist, and jumped out of the back window. Then he pinched a stone between his fingertips and flicked it gently in Qing Heng's direction. Hearing the noise, Qing Heng went over to check.
Taking advantage of this gap, Lu Zixiu put his arm around Mo Qinghuan's waist and jumped out of the window.
After leaving the General's Mansion, Mo Qinghuan walked in front while Lu Zixiu watched her from behind.
"Lu Zixiu, let's hurry over. If we're late, we'll miss all the good shows." She turned her head and looked at Lu Zixiu.
Lu Zixiu quickened his pace and walked up to her.
The two of them walked towards the Prime Minister's Mansion together. However, when they were still four or five rows of civilian houses away from the Prime Minister's Mansion,
Lu Zixiu suddenly noticed something was wrong.
"Wait!" He grabbed Mo Qinghuan's wrist.
Mo Qinghuan looked back at Lu Zixiu in confusion. "What's wrong?"
He pointed to the rows of civilian houses behind them. Mo Qinghuan looked in the direction he was pointing and instantly understood what he meant. "There are only a few sporadic lights on in those civilian houses, while there isn't a single lit place in these rows. Could it be that the Prime Minister's Mansion bought these civilian houses to prevent the people nearby from noticing anything..."
"Probably. You wait for me here. I'll go and check if there's anyone in these civilian houses."
Mo Qinghuan nodded and hid her figure behind a big tree.
Lu Zixiu had only walked a few steps forward when he suddenly turned back.
He was worried about leaving Mo Qinghuan alone here. The previous incident had always haunted his dreams. He was afraid that once he left and looked back, he wouldn't be able to see her.
Seeing him turn back, Mo Qinghuan poked her head out from behind the tree.
"What are you doing?"
Lu Zixiu walked up to her. "You'd better come with me. It's too dangerous for you to stay here alone."
Saying that, he pulled her wrist and walked forward.
When they reached a civilian house, Mo Qinghuan stood at the base of the wall while Lu Zixiu lightly jumped onto the corner of the wall to check. He peeked inside but didn't sense anyone breathing.
So he jumped down and shook his head at Mo Qinghuan.
"Could it be that there's no one in all of them?"
Lu Zixiu shook his head. "Not necessarily. Since he was so meticulous in buying all the nearby civilian houses, he couldn't be so negligent."
Just as they were talking, suddenly a group of people rushed out. Torches instantly lit up the night.
The Prime Minister walked out from behind the crowd. When he saw Mo Qinghuan, he was first stunned, and then he looked at Lu Zixiu.
The smile on his face gradually became lewd. He raised his finger and pointed at Mo Qinghuan, then at Lu Zixiu. "The Regent's Princess, and the other one... seems to be a guest of the Regent..."
Lu Zixiu gave a soft laugh and slightly raised the corner of his mouth. "So what if I am?!"
The Prime Minister laughed heartily. "So what? Of course, it's nothing. I'm just curious. Why are the two of you here so late at night? Could it be that you think these empty houses are a good place to seek pleasure..." After saying that, he turned to the guards beside him and burst out laughing.
"You old scoundrel, stop spouting nonsense!"
Lu Zixiu cursed angrily and was about to attack when Mo Qinghuan grabbed him. "Lu Zixiu, a wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him. Don't be impulsive!"
"But he..." Mo Qinghuan quickly interrupted him. "There's no 'but'. It won't kill you to let him say a few words."
Seeing Mo Qinghuan protecting Lu Zixiu, the Prime Minister's smile became even more unrestrained. "I really didn't expect that the Regent's Princess would protect this pretty boy so much. I wonder what the Regent would think if he knew about this..."
Lu Zixiu broke free from Mo Qinghuan's hand. "If I endure this any longer, I'll be a coward!"
"Lu Zixiu!"