The carriage drove straight back to the Regent's Mansion. After arriving, Mu Yanming carried Mo Qinghuan in his arms all the way back to the Yangyang Hall.
A Tahuan followed behind with a sulky look on her face.
Those who had previously speculated that Mo Qinghuan had fallen out of favor suddenly perked up. They all guessed that the princess was still in the regent's good graces and that the previous incident was just a quarrel.
After all, Mo Qinghuan had always been kind to everyone in the mansion. They didn't want this fierce woman to take charge.
...
Not long after Mo Qinghuan was placed on the bed, she woke up. She saw Mu Yanming sitting by the bed, his face showing obvious anxiety.
But thinking of what had just happened, she angrily turned her head to the inside.
"Qinghuan, I know you're angry with me, but..."
She shook her head, interrupting his unfinished words. "There's no need to explain anything to me. I know that whatever you do, you have your own reasons. I shouldn't have asked, and I have no right to either."
Mu Yanming was about to say something else when Bai Ke's loud voice came from outside. "Your Highness, our men have been guarding outside the Left Prime Minister's Mansion for a whole day, but there has been no movement."
Hearing this, Mu Yanming stood up. It couldn't be. Lan Yiming hadn't shown up at the winter banquet today, which meant he had a plan. He couldn't have just stayed in the mansion all day without coming out.
He walked to the door. Before opening it, he glanced back at Mo Qinghuan, then pulled the door open and walked out. "Immediately lead some men to search the prime minister's mansion. We must catch that old fox, Lan Yiming."
Although his voice was very low, Mo Qinghuan still heard his order inside the room.
She knew what the Left Prime Minister had done. Naturally, she had no sympathy for a person like Lan Yiming who had studied viruses to harm others.
But what about the servants in the prime minister's mansion... or the babies in the cradle? They were so innocent. Not only were they involved in this incident for no reason, but were they also going to lose their lives?
Thinking of this, she got up and decided to go with them to take a look.
Although she wasn't sure if she could influence Mu Yanming's decision, she had to do her best.
So, as soon as Mu Yanming and his servant left, she took Dan'er and followed them.
...
In the prime minister's mansion, when Mu Yanming arrived, Zuo Fei was standing in front of the main hall with a sword in his hand.
When he saw Mu Yanming, he bowed respectfully. "Zuo Fei pays his respects to the Regent."
Mu Yanming scanned the surroundings. "I don't like to beat around the bush. Tell me, where is your adoptive father hiding?"
Zuo Fei knelt on the ground with a thud, raising his fists above his head. "Your Highness, could you please listen to me?"
Mu Yanming glanced at him sideways. "Fine, go ahead."
Zuo Fei raised his head but kept his eyes downcast.
"Please spare the lives of everyone in the prime minister's mansion, Your Highness. Zuo Fei is willing to take the punishment for his father."
At this moment, Mo Qinghuan climbed onto the wall. She pricked up her ears to listen to the movement in the courtyard.
Just in time, she heard Zuo Fei's words and couldn't help but sigh.
"Zuo Fei is really a man. It's a pity that if he had been raised by a decent person, he might have become a pillar of the country."
Mu Yanming pondered for a moment, then lazily lifted his eyelids and looked at Zuo Fei. "Can your life be worth your adoptive father's?"
Zuo Fei had always known the Regent's methods, but for the lives of more than a hundred people behind him, he had to plead with him.
So he gritted his teeth and kowtowed three times to Mu Yanming. "Please spare the lives of everyone in the prime minister's mansion, Your Highness. Zuo Fei is willing to be a servant and serve Your Highness."
Mu Yanming seemed to have heard a joke. He snorted and laughed. "Even if you're a good man, I don't dare to keep Lan Yiming's man by my side. But I can promise you that as long as you tell me where your adoptive father is, I'll spare everyone in the prime minister's mansion."
Hearing this, Zuo Fei was in a very difficult situation. No matter what, Lan Yiming was his adoptive father and the benefactor who had raised him.
If it weren't for him, Zuo Fei didn't know where he would be now. Maybe he would have starved to death on the street when he was a child.
So how could he betray his adoptive father... He would rather die himself!
Mu Yanming naturally knew what was on his mind, but there was a blood feud between him and the Left Prime Minister.
It was the Left Prime Minister who had also meddled in the death of the great general back then.
How could he let him go...
"Come here. Take Zuo Fei back to the mansion. I'll interrogate him myself. As for the prime minister's mansion..."
Confiscate it...
These three light words decided the lives of more than a hundred people.
Hearing this, Zuo Fei broke free from the guards' restraints like a madman.
"Regent, if you really don't want to spare the lives of everyone in the prime minister's mansion, then Zuo Fei will only fight to the death. After that, you can just step over my corpse."
Bai Ke wanted to step forward to dissuade him. "Why are you so stubborn, Young Master Zuo? Is the Left Prime Minister really worth you doing this?"
Zuo Fei sighed helplessly. "Do you still remember the corpses you found on the outskirts of the city a few days ago, Young Master Bai..."
Mu Yanming looked at Bai Ke, and Bai Ke was startled. Since the regent had returned, so many things had happened, and he had actually forgotten to report this matter to Mu Yanming.
He mentioned the corpses at this time, and Bai Ke immediately understood. "You deliberately placed the corpses there?"
Zuo Fei smiled. "Yes. I knew that I couldn't stop him with my own strength. Coincidentally, I knew that the princess was investigating this matter, so I buried the corpses there shallowly. Sure enough, even God is on the side of the just. Not long after I buried the corpses, it rained heavily."
Bai Ke sighed. "Since you knew he was so stubborn, you should have known that letting him escape would cause endless troubles."
Mu Yanming obviously lost his patience and raised his hand to stop Bai Ke's words.
"I'll give you one last chance. As long as you tell me where the Left Prime Minister is, I'll keep my promise and won't make things difficult for anyone in the prime minister's mansion, including you."
He glanced at Zuo Fei coldly, with a strong warning in his eyes. "But if you still remain stubborn, you won't be able to save anyone's life."
Zuo Fei seemed to waver but still held his ground.
Just as he was hesitating, a servant came to report. "Your Highness, the spy from the northwest reported that last night, a figure fled in a hurry towards the northwest. It is speculated that it might be the Left Prime Minister."
Zuo Fei was shocked when he heard this. He only knew that Mu Yanming had many informants, but he thought they were only in the capital.
He didn't expect that his reach had already extended to the northwest.
If that was the case, his adoptive father was doomed to be caught. If he could save the lives of these more than a hundred people for him, it would be considered doing good deeds for him.
Mu Yanming looked at Zuo Fei. "What you say now still counts."
Zuo Fei, who had just stood up, knelt down again.
"My adoptive father intends to go to Beirong and try to defect to the King of Beirong."
Mu Yanming sneered when he heard this. "Doesn't he know that Beirong is now in civil strife? If he goes there, he'll just be a ghost under the sword."
Zuo Fei shook his head. "No. My adoptive father has a close relationship with Beirong. There must be some deal between them."
Mu Yanming didn't expect that the Left Prime Minister would dare to collude with the enemy and betray the country. He scolded coldly. "He really has a lot of nerve!"