She turned around and went back into the room. She changed into a purple undergarment and sat by the bed waiting for him.
She felt as if she had been sitting there for ages. Just when she was on the verge of falling asleep, Mu Yanming pushed open the door and walked in.
He seemed to have just taken a bath, and the flush on his face from the bath hadn't faded yet.
His skin was naturally fair, and in the dim yellow candlelight, Mu Yanming at this moment had a somewhat sickly and charming look.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
He sat down on the edge of the bed, with his back to her.
"I've been waiting for you."
His body jolted. He turned his head to look at Mo Qinghuan, with strange emotions swirling in his eyes.
"It's late. Go to sleep."
He reached out to lift the quilt, but Mo Qinghuan noticed a scratch on the back of his hand.
She immediately grabbed his hand, her voice full of concern. "You're hurt!"
She jumped off the bed and walked towards the medicine box.
As she walked, she muttered, "You don't know how to take care of yourself at all. I really wonder how you managed to live through the past twenty - two years."
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. Those years in his past must have been really tough for him.
She took a deep breath, fetched the necessary items, and walked back to him.
However, as soon as she grabbed Mu Yanming's hand, he pulled her down, pinning her beneath him.
"What... what are you doing?"
Countless images flashed through her mind. She even wondered if she should resist.
But Mu Yanming just gently kissed her on the forehead.
"This little injury doesn't need any special treatment. Go to sleep. It's really late."
He moved her to the inner side of the bed, pulled the quilt over her, and then lay down beside her.
She turned her face to look at him and found that he had already closed his eyes.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She had thought that the first birthday she spent with him would be unforgettable for him, but unexpectedly, some spoilsports had showed up.
...
In the Prince Rui's Mansion.
Min Feiyan was standing by the river, wearing only her undergarment.
She stared blankly at the sky. Her personal maid, Zhi'er, wrapped a cloak around her and stuffed a hot - water bottle into her hand.
"Your Highness, it's really late. Let this servant help you go back and rest."
She withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhi'er. "Zhi'er, what do you think is the most precious thing in a person's life?"
Zhi'er smiled. "Your Highness, this servant hasn't read many books, but this servant knows that everyone has different pursuits. For this servant, the most precious thing is to be able to stay by Your Highness's side."
— But this servant knows that for Your Highness, the most precious things might be the favor of Prince Rui and having a pair of lovely children.
For now, Your Highness hasn't achieved either of these, which is why, on this cold winter night, Your Highness is standing here in the cold wind.
"Your Highness, go back. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet."
She waved away Zhi'er's hand that was trying to help her. "Zhi'er, prepare the carriage. I want to go and see Ni'er."
Zhi'er looked rather embarrassed. "Your Highness, go tomorrow. It's really late today."
"Zhi'er, why aren't people born equal? Why do some people get to rule the whole country?"
She couldn't help but smile bitterly. The cold night made her slender figure look even more lonely. "If there were no struggle for the throne, would everything be different now?"
"But unfortunately, there is such a struggle! And it will never change!"
Mu Shengze suddenly appeared. He walked up to Min Feiyan, roughly grabbed her hand, and pulled her towards the room.
"Standing here on such a cold day. Are you trying to kill yourself?"
She looked at Mu Shengze with disappointment in her eyes. "Your Highness, stop this. Otherwise, one day, you will be devoured by the vain pursuit of power. You will reap what you sow."
He had just received the news that the assassination had failed. Hearing Min Feiyan say these words, he suddenly shook off her hand and raised his hand to slap her across the face.
She was stunned by the slap. In nearly three years of marriage, he had never laid a hand on her before.
She never thought that one day, he would do this to her.
She burst out laughing and looked at Mu Shengze.
"Your Highness, just because the Queen Mother is partial to your brother, you're going to harm your own younger brother. Hmph, what about the Regent? What did he do wrong? His parents were killed by your father when he was young. As an adult, he led the army to fight wars and stabilize the Li Kingdom. Then, he was feared by your father and was assassinated by your brothers!"
Mu Shengze took a deep breath. "Stop talking!"
"Your Highness, if you hadn't been so determined to fight for the throne, our child would have been born into this world, right?"
"Min Feiyan, I told you to stop talking!"
He raised his hand to slap her again, but when his hand was in mid - air, he met Min Feiyan's teary eyes.
"Your Highness, please forgive this concubine for being in poor health and unable to serve Your Highness anymore." After saying that, she raised her hand, and Zhi'er quickly stepped forward to support her.
"Your Highness, why do you have to do this?"
Min Feiyan sighed and let Zhi'er apply a cold compress to her face.
"Zhi'er, tomorrow, help me send a message to the Regent's Consort. Tell her that I'd like to meet her at the Gathering Gentlemen Tower."
Zhi'er was shocked and put down the ice cube in her hand.
"Your Highness, the relationship between His Highness and the Regent is very tense right now. If you meet the Regent's Consort in private and His Highness finds out, he will surely give you a hard time."
She shook her head and looked at Zhi'er. "Zhi'er, I was wrong before. I shouldn't have let His Highness do as he pleased. I shouldn't have let him scheme against the Second Prince. I shouldn't have let him plot against the Regent's Consort in the palace and make her fall into the water.
If I let His Highness continue like this, I'm afraid..." She took a deep breath and touched the half of her face that had been slapped. "He can't win against the Regent. I can't just sit back and watch him fall into the abyss step by step."
Zhi'er nodded, half - understanding.
...
Early the next morning, when Mo Qinghuan woke up, Mu Yanming was no longer by her side. She was already used to this.
Thinking about what had happened last night, she got out of bed and walked to the door. Before opening it, she took a deep breath.
When she opened the door, she didn't see anything...
The courtyard was as clean as ever. She looked back at the clothes she had taken off and left on the stool beside the bed.
Only then did she confirm that everything that had happened last night was not a hallucination but a real event.
When Dan'er saw her get up, she walked up to her, rubbing her head as she walked.
— I should have known better than to drink so much last night. My head hurts so much!
"Your Highness, the Prince has given instructions that when you wake up, I should tell you that he has gone to the palace to see the Emperor."
She went back into the room and sat down. "Is it about last night's assassination?"
Dan'er lowered her head. "The Prince didn't say."
"Dan'er, I can hardly tell which is the real me anymore. Sometimes I hope he won't be so cruel, and sometimes I hope he'll be more ruthless so that he can protect himself."
"Am I being too sentimental?"
Dan'er shook her head. "It's because Your Highness the Consort cares about the Prince now, so you've changed your principles."
Mo Qinghuan sighed. Dan'er was really right. It seemed that the saying "the onlooker sees most clearly" was indeed true.