"Why are you back so early?"
She had just finished airing the chess pieces when she saw Mu Yanming walking in from outside, carrying a small box in his hand.
Mu Yanming walked up to Mo Qinghuan, a faint smile curving his lips. He raised his hand and said softly, "Your favorite date - paste cake."
Mo Qinghuan took the date - paste cake from Mu Yanming with a beaming smile, her hands trembling with excitement.
She never expected that Mu Yanming would buy something for her and bring it back.
Seeing her in a daze, Mu Yanming ruffled her hair. "Come on, eat it while it's hot. I still have something to attend to and need to go out."
She stood there in a daze for a while. Could it be that this man came back just to bring her the date - paste cake?
She looked down at the date - paste cake in her hand, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
Dan'er saw Mo Qinghuan staring at Mu Yanming's back and grinning stupidly with her head tilted. She couldn't help but smile too.
"Your Highness, stop looking. The Prince has gone far away."
Mo Qinghuan turned around and glared at Dan'er, then walked towards the room. The smile on her face hadn't faded yet, and her steps showed a hint of smugness.
...
Back in the room, she lay prone on the table. The date - paste cake that Mu Yanming had just brought was placed on it.
Dan'er and Shuang'er were covering their mouths and snickering at the door.
Suddenly, she sat up straight, and the two girls quickly retracted their heads in fright.
When they realized she wasn't looking at them, they peeked out again.
"Your Highness, if you don't eat this date - paste cake soon, it will get cold," Dan'er said, clinging to the door frame with her eyes crinkled into slits.
Shuang'er chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness. I heard that this date - paste cake is soft, glutinous, and sweet, but it won't taste good when it's cold."
She looked at the two of them, folding her arms across her chest and pretending to be angry.
"Alright, you two. You dare to make fun of me now."
She walked out of the room. Seeing this, the two girls ran away laughing.
"Your Highness, we won't dare to do it again."
They ran while laughing.
"I'll never believe you two again!" She stood there, rolling her eyes at them.
...
On the bustling streets of the capital, people were coming and going.
The envoy was walking in front, and Mu Shengze was following behind. A look of impatience gradually crept onto his face.
He watched the envoy showing no sign of getting tired from the stroll. He quickened his pace and walked forward.
Unexpectedly, a person wearing a veil hat bumped into him as they passed by and secretly slipped a note into his hand.
He looked back at the person with a knowing look on his face. The person just glanced at him and then quickly walked away.
"Go and check," he whispered to the guard beside him.
"Yes," the guard replied and then followed the person.
When they reached a corner, the person suddenly disappeared.
"Damn it, it's a diversion!" The guard quickly realized something was wrong and immediately ran back.
He chased back to the place where they had left and then continued for half a street, but he still couldn't see Mu Shengze or the envoy.
...
In an old dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of the capital, heart - rending roars could be heard from time to time.
One of the mansion's gates had fallen off, and the other was swaying precariously.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds that were almost as tall as a person.
In front of the main hall, a man in a ginger - yellow robe was leaning against a pillar, frowning as he listened to the commotion inside.
There was a three - inch - long scar on the man's face, twisted and hideous, with a red tinge.
At this moment, he had a blade of grass in his mouth and was looking up at the sky. The sky was a dull gray, and occasionally a few birds flew by, chirping noisily.
At this moment, Mu Shengze was lying on the ground with a sack over his head. It was pitch - black in front of his eyes, and he couldn't see anything.
"Who are you villains? How dare you kidnap me!"
"If I find out who you are, I'll surely cut off your heads and feed them to the dogs."
"Damn it, let me go."
He shouted at the top of his lungs for about a quarter of an hour, but no one paid him any heed.
After another cup of tea's time, he was starting to doze off when he suddenly heard people whispering outside.
He immediately pricked up his ears and listened intently.
"The person has been captured! But he keeps shouting. My eardrums are about to burst."
- So there were people outside! It seemed that they knew his identity. But who was so bold as to kidnap him knowing who he was?
Could it be Mu Yanming?!
Was he not willing to be replaced by him and thus taking action?
Just as he was thinking, the door was pushed open.
He could vaguely see a bit of light now, but he still couldn't make out the kidnapper's face.
"Let me out quickly. I'm magnanimous and can spare your lives. Otherwise, I'll wipe out your whole family, uh..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was kicked hard in the chest.
"Can you just shut up!" the scar - faced man roared angrily at Mu Shengze.
He fell straight backward and rolled a few times before hitting something like a pillar with his back and finally stopping.
The pain made sweat break out on his forehead.
"Who! Who on earth are you? If you have the guts to kidnap me, then speak up!"
He roared in a fit of rage.
The man on the other side sneered and curled his lips.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Rui, stop shouting. Even if you shout your throat raw, no one will come to save you."
Hearing this, Mu Shengze became even angrier.
"Tell me, was it Mu Yanming who sent you?"
The scar - faced man burst out laughing loudly, as if he had heard the funniest joke.
"So His Highness, the Prince of Rui, thought it was the Regent who sent people to kidnap you. Hahaha, that's really funny."
Hearing what the scar - faced man said, Mu Shengze couldn't help but feel suspicious. If it wasn't Mu Yanming, then who could it be!
"Don't worry, Your Highness. We won't do anything to you. As long as tonight passes, we'll let you go safely."
Mu Shengze snorted. "Humph, what do you mean?"
The scar - faced man laughed again, throwing his head back. "Your Highness is so smart. You surely know what it means, don't you?"
He already had a suspicion in his heart. Now, after hearing what the scar - faced man said, he was even more certain.
"What are you going to do! Let me tell you, assassinating the envoy won't do you any good. If the two countries go to war, it will be the common people who will suffer."
Only then did the scar - faced man look at Mu Shengze directly. "I didn't expect His Highness, the Prince of Rui, to care about the common people. But you guessed wrong. The person we're going to deal with is not the envoy."
After saying that, he spat out the grass in his mouth and walked outside.
At this moment, the man at the door hadn't left yet.
He was dressed in a black tight - fitting suit, holding a sword in his arms.
Seeing the scar - faced man come out, he glanced into the room.
"Keep an eye on him. Just make sure he doesn't return to the capital tonight."
The scar - faced man nodded obediently. "Young Master, are you really going alone for tonight's operation? Otherwise, let me go with you."
The black - clothed man sighed. "No, you have to stay here and guard Mu Shengze. I'll go alone." He started walking towards the gate.
The scar - faced man watched him leave with a look of worry in his eyes.
"Young Master, you must come back safely!"