He waited in the alley outside the Regent's Mansion until nearly midnight when he heard the sound of the mansion's main gate closing.
Only then did he peek out and head towards the alley beside the west wall of the Regent's Mansion.
He climbed onto the wall and observed for a while. The Regent's Mansion was very large, with a compound of seven courtyards in and out. Most importantly, he had never been to the Regent's Mansion before and was unfamiliar with its layout. If he rushed in, not only would it be a waste of time to search room by room, but it was also hard to say whether he could avoid the patrolling guards safely.
He didn't want to end up not finding the person and getting himself exposed instead. Moreover, if someone from Lord Gu's family was found snooping around the Regent's Mansion at night, his adoptive father wouldn't be able to explain the situation even if he had a dozen mouths.
Thinking of this, he silently jumped down from the wall and turned to walk towards Lord Gu's Mansion.
He decided to wait until tomorrow to get a map of the mansion and figure out the situation before investigating further. If Qing Lan was really here, she shouldn't leave.
With this thought in mind, he left.
After he left, Bai Ke looked in the direction he had gone and sighed with an unfathomable expression.
Jing Hua saw Bai Ke standing there in a daze and quietly crept up, looking very confused. "Brother, what are you looking at?"
Bai Ke was startled by Jing Hua's sudden appearance. He turned to look at him and nudged him with his elbow. "Didn't the eldest daughter of Lord Gu's family come to our mansion before? The prince told me to send her away, but she pleaded with me not to send her back to the minister's mansion. I took pity on her and sent her to the teahouse. But now her family is looking for her and suspecting that she's in our mansion."
Jing Hua laughed and patted Bai Ke on the shoulder. "Brother, what can I say about you? Why do you always do such things?"
Bai Ke frowned. "What did I do?"
Jing Hua gave a mysterious smile and turned to walk into the house.
Bai Ke chased after him. "If you don't tell me, I'll tell the prince about the gambling game you secretly held on duty."
Jing Hua turned around and put his arm around Bai Ke's neck. "Brother, you can't do that! I gave you a share of the money. You can't be so heartless!"
Bai Ke gave a mischievous smile and hooked his arm around Jing Hua's neck in return. "Then tell me, what did I do?"
Jing Hua obediently said, "Look, when Princess A Tahuan was here, didn't she always come to you for everything?"
"Well, so what?"
Jing Hua covered his mouth and snickered. "So what! Don't you realize you're just like the old maid in the palace?"
After saying that, Jing Hua ran away at full speed. Bai Ke chased after him, wanting to beat him.
Jing Hua ran to the entrance of the Yangyang Hall and was caught up by Bai Ke.
"Shh, brother, keep your voice down. If you startle the princess, the prince will punish us to clean the horses in the military camp."
The two brothers left arm in arm, and the little episode was quickly forgotten.
Early the next morning, Mo Qinghuan felt nauseous in her stomach and got up. Fortunately, Dan Er had placed a spittoon in the room before she went to bed.
She picked up the spittoon and ran to the door to vomit.
Mu Yanming was just coming back from practicing swordsmanship and saw this scene. He walked over and rubbed her back.
"You've been vomiting so many times. Is there any way to relieve it?"
She shook her head. "Morning sickness has a lot to do with the pregnant woman's constitution and the baby's activity. But don't worry. Once the first trimester is over, all the uncomfortable symptoms will disappear."
She turned and walked into the room. Mu Yanming poured her a glass of water.
"I heard that pregnant women shouldn't drink tea, so I've ordered them to remove the tea."
She took the water, rinsed her mouth twice, and placed the glass on the table.
"I have something to do today and can't accompany you. If you feel bored, you can ask Dan Er to invite Miss Yang to keep you company. But it's best not to go out. Even if you really want to go out, you must be accompanied by Jing Hua and his men or Bai Ke and his men. Otherwise, I won't be at ease. Do you understand?"
She nodded and obediently watched him leave.
As soon as he left, Dan Er came in. "Princess, the prince said that from now on, before each meal, the kitchen staff will come to ask what you'd like to eat, and then they'll cook according to your preferences."
"No need. Later, I'll write down the things that are not suitable for pregnant women. You can take it to them. As for the rest, they can cook whatever they want."
Dan Er nodded. Not long after, the kitchen staff finished preparing breakfast.
Dan Er helped her walk towards the dining hall.
"By the way, princess, when Shuang Er went shopping in the market this morning, she heard people on the street talking about the affairs of the Qi Prince's Mansion."
She looked up at Dan Er. "What did they say?"
"Seems to be about the miscarriage of the Princess of Qi!"
The crystal dumpling that Mo Qinghuan was holding dropped onto the table.
Only after saying that did Dan Er remember that the princess had just become pregnant, and hearing such things was really inauspicious.
She quickly knelt on the ground. "Princess, please forgive me. It was my slip of the tongue."
She put down her chopsticks, got up, and walked up to Dan Er. "It's okay. Have you forgotten what I said? Don't kneel at every turn."
"However, when I saw the Princess of Qi a few days ago, she seemed fine."
Dan Er lowered her voice. "It seems that ever since she heard that the Prince of Qi was seriously injured, she's been very worried. Moreover, last night, the prince's condition worsened, and he almost stopped breathing several times. Her emotions fluctuated too much, and she fainted in the middle of the night. The imperial physicians worked until dawn but couldn't save the baby."
After hearing Dan Er's words, she fell into deep thought.
The reason the Prince of Qi was taken into the palace for treatment was to avoid the Princess of Qi. So who on earth had revealed the news of the prince's serious injury to the princess?
Was the purpose of that person to stimulate her into having a miscarriage?
Seeing Mo Qinghuan in a daze, Dan Er softly called out, "Princess, are you okay?"
She shook her head. "I'm okay. I'm full. Take all these away. By the way, tell the kitchen staff that from now on, breakfast doesn't need to be so elaborate. Two dishes and one soup or one porridge will do."
Dan Er saw that she looked preoccupied. She instructed the maid standing beside her and then followed Mo Qinghuan.
Bai Ke came back from outside and happened to see Mo Qinghuan standing alone by the pond in a daze. He was afraid of startling her and didn't dare to make a sound. Just then, Dan Er caught up. Bai Ke grabbed her and asked, "What's wrong with the princess?"
Dan Er sighed. "Alas, it's all my fault for being too talkative. The princess is unhappy after hearing about the miscarriage of the Princess of Qi."
"Now I'm not on your side either. The princess is pregnant. It's such a happy event. Why did you tell her such inauspicious things?"
Dan Er lowered her head and didn't say a word. She walked towards Mo Qinghuan.
Only then did Bai Ke remember that he had come back to look for Mo Qinghuan. He followed Dan Er towards her.