After returning to the Regent's Mansion, Mo Qinghuan sat in a daze on the swing in the yard.
The words Bai Ke had said to her echoed over and over again in her mind.
She didn't know what was wrong with herself. Her heart was troubled, and she always found herself stealing glances at Mu Yanming to see what he was doing.
On what seemed like the umpteenth time she peeked at Mu Yanming, he suddenly looked back at her.
When their eyes met, the atmosphere seemed even more awkward.
She quickly averted her gaze.
Bai Ke stood by the window, observing the two of them and couldn't help suppressing a laugh.
— What on earth are these two up to!
The more Mo Qinghuan thought about it, the more she felt something was amiss.
She suddenly stood up and, unsteady on her feet, almost fell off the swing.
"Your Ladyship, what's wrong with you?" Shuang'er blinked her big eyes and looked at Mo Qinghuan.
She just shook her head helplessly because even she herself didn't know what was going on with her.
All she knew was that she didn't want to stay in the Regent's Mansion at this moment.
Because she suddenly felt that she couldn't face Mu Yanming calmly anymore.
Just then, the butler suddenly came. He bowed at the bottom of the steps and said, "Greetings, Princess. Someone from the palace has come, saying that His Majesty has sent an oral edict, asking His Highness the Regent and the Princess to enter the palace."
She looked back through the window at Mu Yanming, who was sitting in front of the desk.
"Oh, I see. Go and prepare the carriage."
She sighed quietly and walked towards the room.
Mu Yanming, as if he had heard what the butler said, walked out of the room.
"Let's go." He naturally took Mo Qinghuan's hand, and Mo Qinghuan stared blankly at his action.
It wasn't until they reached the carriage that she came to her senses and quickly withdrew her hand.
The situation seemed a bit awkward. Mo Qinghuan tried to find something to say. "Do you think His Majesty has summoned us to the palace for?"
Mu Yanming closed his eyes and leaned lazily against the cushion.
"His Majesty should be summoning me to discuss the matter of the envoys coming to pay tribute. As for you... you should be going to check on Concubine Li."
Mo Qinghuan didn't expect Mu Yanming to really know. She forced a couple of laughs and fell silent.
When the carriage arrived at the palace gate, Mu Yanming helped her out. Unexpectedly, Leng Nier came running and crying from afar.
"Brother Regent," she rushed over and grabbed Mu Yanming's sleeve.
Mo Qinghuan saw Mu Yanming frown deeply.
"Brother Regent, I beg you. Let me see His Highness."
Mu Yanming looked down at her hand, and she immediately understood and let go of his sleeve.
She stood rather nervously in front of the two of them.
"What happened?"
She wiped away her tears. "Sister-in-law, you may not know. I wanted to go in and see His Highness and bring him some warm clothes, but when I got to the prison, those people wouldn't let me in. I couldn't see His Highness!"
Mo Qinghuan didn't expect that the usually cold Leng Nier could look so pitiful when she cried.
She looked up at Mu Yanming beside her, but unexpectedly, he still showed no emotion.
He didn't even lift his eyelids after listening to Leng Nier's emotional plea.
"Normally, they wouldn't stop you from seeing him. Since they did, it means His Majesty has given the order. It's no use coming to me."
Leng Nier knelt on the ground with a thud.
"Brother Regent, I beg you. I know you must have a way."
Bai Ke shook his head helplessly and stepped forward to remind her in a low voice. "Your Highness, if you want our Regent to help you, you can't just wait here at the palace gate."
Leng Nier suddenly came to her senses. She wiped away her tears. "Okay, I'll go back to the mansion and wait for Brother Regent's news."
After watching Leng Nier leave, Mo Qinghuan couldn't help but sigh.
Then she followed Mu Yanming into the palace. They hadn't walked far when someone came to greet Mo Qinghuan.
"Princess, please follow this servant."
Mu Yanming seemed rather reluctant to let go of Mo Qinghuan's hand, and then she followed the maid away.
Mu Yanming went to the Imperial Study. When he arrived, Prime Minister Gu and the Minister of Rites were already there.
"Nephew, how's the investigation into the case of the extermination of the Left Prime Minister's family going?" The emperor put on a kind look, but in fact, he was extremely jealous of this nephew.
— If it weren't necessary, he didn't want to see him at all. But unfortunately, none of his sons was up to the mark, and none of them could match Mu Yanming.
"Your Majesty, I already have the main clues regarding the case of the extermination of the Left Prime Minister's family. However, to confirm the culprit, I still need a few more days. By then, I will surely submit a memorial to Your Majesty with the investigation results."
He just nodded slightly and didn't bow. This action further irritated the emperor, who already didn't have a good impression of him.
The emperor took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He smiled and said, "Good. You truly are my good nephew. I don't have to worry about anything I entrust to you."
He cleared his throat. "By the way, nephew, how's your health?"
Mu Yanming cooperatively placed his hand on his chest. "Your Majesty, don't worry. I can still hold on."
The emperor glanced at Prime Minister Gu, and Prime Minister Gu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this official has a suggestion. How about posting an imperial edict to invite famous doctors from all over the world to treat His Highness the Regent's heart disease? I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"
Mu Yanming gave Prime Minister Gu a sidelong glance. "Thank you for your concern, Prime Minister Gu, but I know my own body well. If one day I suddenly die of a heart attack, then so be it."
Hearing this, the emperor's mouth twitched.
— If that were really the case, it would truly be a blessing from heaven. It's just a pity that he didn't know if Mu Yanming was really a god or a fake ghost.
"By the way, in five days, it will be the day when the envoys come to the country. In previous years, it was you who received the envoys. This year, since you're not feeling well, how about entrusting this task to Sheng Ze?"
Mu Yanming nodded. "I'll follow Your Majesty's orders."
"Good. Then I hereby confer the title of Prince Rui on the eldest prince, Mu Sheng Ze. This year's task of receiving the envoys will be entirely entrusted to Prince Rui."
Only then did Mu Yanming raise his head. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
He covered his chest and frowned slightly, looking uncomfortable.
The emperor waved his hand, and Mu Yanming withdrew.
...
Yilan Palace.
"How do you feel?" After Mo Qinghuan finished feeling Concubine Li's pulse, she took the tea the maid had brought for Concubine Li and handed it to her.
She took the teacup and smiled faintly. "I've been fine for a long time. It's just that His Majesty insisted on having you come and take a look to be at ease."
The maid guarding the door walked in. "Your Ladyship, Concubine Yi has come and said she's here to visit you."
Concubine Li sighed. "Let her in."
The maid withdrew, and not long after, a woman walked in.
The woman had a beautiful face and looked elegant and refined. Different from Concubine Li's charm, she exuded an air of coldness.
"Greetings, Your Ladyship," the woman stopped three steps away from the bed and bowed respectfully to Concubine Li.
Concubine Li just gave a faint "hmm".
Then she looked at Mo Qinghuan. "Why don't you pay your respects to the Princess of the Regent?"
Hearing this, the woman looked a bit panicked. "I've never had the chance to meet the Princess of the Regent since I entered the palace. It's my rudeness. I hope the Princess will forgive me."
"It's okay." She stood up. "I'll take my leave. You should rest well."
She gave Concubine Li a faint smile and got up to walk out.
Unexpectedly, when she passed by Concubine Yi, she suddenly smelled a familiar fragrance.
She seemed to have smelled this scent on the day Concubine Li had a miscarriage.