She walked into the room, followed by Bai Ke. A Tahuan was still in a coma.
"Your Royal Highness, I wonder when A Tahuan will wake up?"
"You seem quite worried about her?" She put down the stethoscope in her hand and looked at Bai Ke.
Bai Ke forced a bitter smile. "Your Royal Highness, what are you saying? Why would I be worried about her? I just think that the New Year's banquet is tomorrow. If she doesn't wake up, how can we carry out our plan?"
Mo Qinghuan snorted. "You always talk about this plan. What on earth is the plan between your prince and A Tahuan?"
Bai Ke blinked his eyes twice, trying to change the subject.
"Your Royal Highness, may I ask you a question?"
Mo Qinghuan looked at Bai Ke. "Sure, go ahead."
Bai Ke grinned slyly. "Your Royal Highness, what do you like about the prince?"
Mo Qinghuan burst out laughing.
"What do I like about him?"
She propped her chin up and thought seriously. Yeah, what did she like about Mu Yanming?
After thinking for a while, she still couldn't come up with an answer. "Bai Ke, I think what you really want to ask is what qualities a woman looks for in a husband, right?"
Bai Ke scratched his head and thought for a moment. "It seems so."
She packed up her things and walked out. Then she sat down on the steps in front of the door with Bai Ke and started chatting.
"Actually, this is different for everyone. Each person has different conditions and requirements."
Bai Ke asked again, "Your Royal Highness, if you had the right to choose freely, would you choose the prince?"
Mo Qinghuan recalled the time when Mu Yanming asked the emperor for the imperial edict to betroth them.
Suddenly she laughed. "I don't know. If we talk about your prince's conditions, well... it's fair to say that he is top - notch."
Bai Ke rested his chin on his hand and listened attentively.
She counted on her fingers. "Look, he is good - looking, rich, has a house, has means of transportation when going out, and doesn't mess around with women. Generally speaking, he is perfect. But I always feel that something is missing..."
He opened his mouth in surprise. "Your Royal Highness, may I say something disrespectful? The prince has been so good to you, and you're still not satisfied?"
Mo Qinghuan sighed and shook her finger. "Bai Ke, you don't understand. This is what I just said. Each person has different conditions and requirements. Although he is good enough, what he gives is not what I want. Do you understand?"
Bai Ke scratched his head. Seeing that he looked half - understanding, Mo Qinghuan patted his shoulder and stood up.
"Alright, it's getting late. Stay here and guard. I'll go back and rest."
She got up and walked out. When Jing Hua saw her leaving, he quietly moved in front of Bai Ke.
"Brother, what did the princess say to you?"
Bai Ke put his arm around Jing Hua's shoulder. "What the princess said is really too profound. I need to digest it well."
He patted Jing Hua's shoulder and imitated Mo Qinghuan. "It's getting late. Stay here and guard. Brother is going to think about life."
As soon as Mo Qinghuan returned to the Yangyang Palace, the gatekeeper came.
"Your Royal Highness, General Qing Heng of the General's Mansion requests an audience."
Mo Qinghuan winked at Dan Er. Dan Er said to the gatekeeper, "Thank you. Please invite General Qing Heng in."
A moment later, Qing Heng walked in.
He bowed with his hands clasped and stood below the steps. "Please punish me, Your Royal Highness."
Mo Qinghuan hated it when people only said half of what they wanted to say. She put down her teacup and looked at Qing Heng. "General Qing Heng wants me to punish you, but you have to let me know what exactly happened, right?"
Qing Heng lowered his head even more. "Your Royal Highness, it's my dereliction of duty. I let Lady Lan escape."
Mo Qinghuan slapped the table and stood up. "What?"
Then she calmed down. She walked out of the door and stood on the steps. "When did this happen?"
"This morning."
"If it happened this morning, why are you just reporting it now when it's almost dark?"
Shuang Er stepped forward to support Mo Qinghuan. "Your Highness, don't be angry. Let this servant go and check the situation. I'll come back and report to you."
Mo Qinghuan turned around and waved her hand at Shuang Er.
Shuang Er quickly pulled Qing Heng out of the prince's mansion.
"Thank you, Miss Shuang Er, for saving me from this awkward situation."
Shuang Er smiled. "General Qing Heng, you're being too polite. I'm just telling the truth. Let's hurry. Let's go and see what's going on."
She followed Qing Heng to the General's Mansion.
When they arrived at the General's Mansion, Qing Heng took her to the dungeon.
"Did someone open the prison door and let her out?" Shuang Er touched the opened lock and looked at Qing Heng.
Qing Heng nodded, looking a bit embarrassed. "We actually don't know exactly when she disappeared. But when we delivered breakfast this morning, she was still there. We didn't give her lunch. When we remembered to deliver dinner, we found that she was gone."
Shuang Er carefully inspected along the prison doors. Finally, she found a little bloodstain on the steps at the dungeon entrance.
"Why is there bloodstain here?"
Qing Heng quickly walked up to Shuang Er and looked in the direction she was pointing.
Sure enough, he saw a little bloodstain.
"That's strange. According to what you said, General Qing Heng, when the person came to rescue her, they weren't discovered by the people in the General's Mansion. So there couldn't have been a fight. Then where did this bloodstain come from?"
The two of them carefully checked other places. But there was only this little bloodstain. Shuang Er looked at Qing Heng. "General Qing Heng, Shuang Er has a question to ask you."
Qing Heng nodded. "Please ask, miss."
"What did you do to Lady Lan..." She looked at Qing Heng rather embarrassed.
Qing Heng immediately understood what she meant and quickly waved his hand. "No, no. Without the princess's order, we never go to the dungeon except to deliver food. We would never use torture on her."
Shuang Er nodded. "Alright, I understand. I'll go back and report to the princess."
Qing Heng looked at the sky. "It's already dark. Let me see you back."
Shuang Er smiled with her eyes bent. "No need, General Qing Heng. You'd better investigate this matter carefully. I can go back by myself."
Qing Heng nodded and watched Shuang Er's back as she left the General's Mansion.
Shuang Er skipped all the way back to the Regent's Mansion.
When passing by the alley next to Hualing Pavilion, she suddenly heard a whimpering sound.
She was startled and quickened her pace towards the Regent's Mansion.
But the sound in her ears became clearer and clearer. She clenched her fists tightly and ran forward.
After running only a dozen steps, a figure suddenly dropped from the wall.
The person was dressed in black and was carrying a human head in his hand. When the black - clothed man saw Shuang Er, he was also stunned for a moment.
"Why is it you?" They both asked at the same time.
Shuang Er stared with wide eyes at the man just two or three steps away from her. Suddenly, she saw the human head in the black - clothed man's hand, a head that was still dripping blood and staring with wide eyes. She let out a shrill scream, felt a pang in her heart, and fainted.
"Shuang Er... Shuang Er." The black - clothed man quickly walked up to Shuang Er, squatted down, and shook her.
"I'm sorry, Shuang Er. It's just your bad luck that you saw something you shouldn't have."
He closed his eyes and struck Shuang Er with his palm.