"What's going on? Do you two know each other?"
Only after she asked did she remember that the servant had mentioned that their manor lord had two friends.
"Yes, but we haven't seen each other for a long time."
Mu Yanming frowned slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant.
"What's wrong?"
Mo Qinghuan was just about to say something when suddenly her nose itched. "Achoo!"
—Oh no! She had caught a cold...
The illness came on strongly. Four or five days passed, but Mo Qinghuan still couldn't go out or be exposed to the wind. Moreover, she felt drowsy all day long.
There was nothing she could do, so she had to confine herself to the room and get an IV drip.
On the 22nd day of the 11th lunar month, an unexpected guest suddenly came to the prince's mansion.
"Your Highness the Princess, the wife of General Ningyuan requests an audience."
She had been on the IV drip for three days. Just then, she had taken her medicine and her head was still groggy.
"Okay, let her in."
Dan'er then went to bring Zhao Yiyi in.
As soon as she entered the door, she rushed straight to the bedside. "How could you be so seriously ill? Your complexion looks so bad."
Mo Qinghuan was sitting up in bed. Looking at Zhao Yiyi's anxious face, she couldn't help but feel touched.
When exactly did their relationship start to get better...
She thought about it. From the time they first met until now, most of what she had done to Zhao Yiyi was either related to money or just using her.
She didn't know when, but Zhao Yiyi had already regarded her as a good friend.
"Qinghuan? Qinghuan?" Seeing her in a daze, Zhao Yiyi waved her hand in front of her and felt her forehead. "Could it be that you've become stupid from the illness?"
Coming back to her senses, Mo Qinghuan couldn't help but roll her eyes at this.
"You're the one who's become stupid from the illness. By the way, what did you come to see me for?"
Zhao Yiyi also rolled her eyes at her and said in annoyance, "Oh, can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?"
Mo Qinghuan thought that Zhao Yiyi wouldn't come if there was really nothing wrong, so she said straightforwardly, "Since there's nothing wrong, Dan'er, see the guest out."
Zhao Yiyi wasn't angry either. She got up, walked to the table, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Mo Qinghuan.
"Yes, yes, yes. There is something, and it's about you."
Mo Qinghuan blinked in confusion.
"I haven't been out for a few days. What could be related to me?"
Zhao Yiyi was so angry that she slammed the teacup on the table. "Speaking of this, I get angry. It's all that Gu Qinglan. She held some kind of tea party."
"You went too."
Zhao Yiyi nodded. "I didn't want to go at first, but she also invited Mo Yao. I thought it wouldn't be good to let the concubine steal the show, so I went. But this trip was really something. It almost made me mad."
Mo Qinghuan just smiled and said nothing, listening to her continue.
"As a result, she actually brought up the matter of your disappearance before. She said something about you not returning all night and then showing up at the city gate in disheveled clothes. The most infuriating thing was that Mo Yao was singing along with her. So now the whole capital is spreading rumors about where you went that day and whether something bad happened to you."
After she finished speaking, she sat back down on the edge of the bed. "Tell me, did something... happen to you that day?"
Mo Qinghuan reached out and tapped her on the forehead. "What are you talking about? If something really bad had happened to me, do you think Mu Yanming would still stay in my mansion?"
Zhao Yiyi let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I'm relieved that you're okay. A few days ago when I came, the gatekeeper said that you were seriously ill and not seeing guests. I almost thought that you were tortured by the regent and couldn't show your face."
Just then, Mu Yanming walked in with a gloomy face, looking as if he was in a bad mood.
Seeing this, Zhao Yiyi tugged at Mo Qinghuan's sleeve.
She whispered, "I'll leave first."
She walked up to Mu Yanming, curtsied, and then backed out.
"What's wrong?"
Mu Yanming looked up at her and shook his head.
"Nothing."
Mo Qinghuan knew that there must be something, but he just didn't want to tell her. So she wisely shut her mouth.
Just when she thought Mu Yanming wouldn't say anything, Mu Yanming suddenly held her hand and said, "The New Year is approaching, but the emperor has sent this king to Nan County to investigate the matter of illegal salt transportation."
"You don't want to go?" she asked tentatively.
Mu Yanming shook his head. "No. It's just that Nan County is near the sea. Since you're not feeling well, I'm afraid it won't be convenient to take you with me."
"I can stay behind."
Hearing this, he frowned imperceptibly. "Alright. If you don't want to go, just stay in the mansion."
She nodded. Just then, the gatekeeper suddenly ran over.
"Your Highness the Prince and Your Highness the Princess, someone from the residence of the eldest prince has come to invite the Princess. They said that the Grand Princess is not feeling well, but she only wants the Princess to see her. So they've come to invite the Princess to go to the mansion."
"Go back and tell them that the Princess is not feeling well either. If she doesn't want anyone to see her, then let her be ill."
The gatekeeper bowed. "Yes, Your Highness the Prince. I'll go back and report right away."
"Be more sensible in the future. Don't come and report every time someone comes to invite the Princess."
Hearing this, the gatekeeper broke out in a cold sweat and quickly ran off.
"Why are you picking on the gatekeeper? Anyway, they don't dare to offend the people from the eldest prince's mansion, right?"
Hearing this, Mu Yanming snorted. "Do the people in this king's mansion still need to be afraid of offending the people of Mu Shengze?"
Hearing this, Mo Qinghuan forced a smile and got up to walk towards the writing desk.
—
After lunch.
Mu Yanming locked himself in the study. No one knew what he was doing.
Mo Qinghuan had taken her cold medicine and was about to take a nap when Dan'er rushed in. "Your Highness the Princess, something's wrong. The Grand Princess has had a miscarriage."
Mo Qinghuan got out of bed and headed towards the Jingting Courtyard.
Although Mu Yanming had given orders not to let anyone disturb him, ever since the incident with A Si last time, everyone had noticed that the prince cared a great deal about his own princess. So they all understood tacitly. Therefore, the people in the Jingting Courtyard didn't dare to stop Mo Qinghuan.
When she got there, she directly pushed the door open. Unexpectedly, Mu Yanming was standing there bare-chested, with his back to her.
All she saw was his solid back and two shocking scars.
Hearing the sound, Mu Yanming turned around. Just as he was about to get angry, when he saw it was Mo Qinghuan, he took a deep breath, turned back around, put on his clothes, and then asked, "Why are you rushing in like this?"
Mo Qinghuan turned to look at the things on the table. He leaned over to block her view.
She turned again, and he blocked her sight once more.
She got a bit impatient and reached out to push him, but heard him let out a muffled groan.
"You're injured?"
She quickly helped him sit down. "What happened?"
He let her untie the clothes on his chest. When Mo Qinghuan saw the wound, her brows knitted tightly together, and her heart felt a bit stuffy.
The wound wasn't very deep, but because it hadn't been properly treated, it looked shocking.
"I'll go back and get something to bandage it for you."
She turned around to leave, but was grabbed by Mu Yanming. "No need. It's just a minor injury. I've already applied medicine. But what happened to make you rush over to find me like this?"
"It's Min Feiyan. She's had a miscarriage."
After she said this, she lowered her head and didn't look into Mu Yanming's eyes.
Mu Yanming thought she was blaming herself. He reached out and stroked her head. "It's not your fault."