It wasn't long before Dan'er returned.
She leaned over and whispered a few words in Mo Qinghuan's ear.
Mo Qinghuan nodded. "Jinghua, go. Take her to the main palace."
Jinghua looked embarrassed. "But Princess, His Highness the Regent said that unless he gives the order himself, this subordinate must not leave the Minglan Hall for even half a step."
Mo Qinghuan frowned. She knew that Mu Yanming was just trying to protect her safety.
But now the entire palace was under his surveillance. There should be no problem. So she insisted that Jinghua take Gu Qinglan to the main palace.
But unexpectedly, as soon as she turned back into the room, a cold dagger was pressed against her neck.
"Don't move! Or my dagger won't show any mercy!"
It was Gu Qing!
So they were working together!
"Okay, I won't move."
Gu Qing had no intention of hurting anyone. With the dagger still pressed against Mo Qinghuan's neck, he said in a low voice, "Tell your maid to go and find the Regent. I have something to discuss with him. Hurry up!"
Mo Qinghuan gently called for Dan'er. When Dan'er came in, her legs almost gave way from fear.
"Let's talk this out. Please let go of our princess first." Her hands hovered in mid - air, and her whole body was tense.
"You mustn't hurt our princess. Otherwise, you won't be able to leave here unscathed."
Gu Qing let out a cold laugh. "We came here today knowing we might not leave. Stop talking nonsense. Go and inform Mu Yanming quickly. If you're late, he'll have to collect the bodies of his princess and their child!"
Mo Qinghuan coughed lightly and gave Dan'er a look. "Dan'er, go and invite His Highness the Regent."
Dan'er was hesitant. She didn't dare to leave. She was afraid that a desperate man like Gu Qing might hurt their princess.
"Go quickly!" Mo Qinghuan scolded in a low voice.
She gently placed her hand on her lower abdomen, thinking about activating the medical and poison space to knock him out.
But once he woke up, it might be difficult to get any information from him.
On the contrary, if he went to negotiate with Mu Yanming, he would surely state his demands. Once they knew their goal, it would be easier to deal with them.
Just as she was thinking, a figure in moon - white robes strode in.
When Mu Yanming saw Mo Qinghuan's slender neck exposed under Gu Qing's dagger, he froze on the spot. The cold aura around him instantly enveloped the whole room.
It was as cold as the depths of winter.
Gu Qing was obviously intimidated by this powerful cold aura. His hand slipped, and a thin line of blood appeared on Mo Qinghuan's neck.
The bright red, hot blood flowed down into her collar, and the smell of blood filled the room.
"I know you came into the palace to rescue the queen. Let her go first. I'll let you take the queen away. But if you hurt a single hair on her head, not only will you not be able to leave, but no one in the Gu family will escape!"
A sneer played on Gu Qing's lips. Seeing how nervous Mu Yanming was, he knew he had found the right bargaining chip today.
"Bring my mother here!" He increased the pressure on the dagger, and the wound on Mo Qinghuan's neck deepened.
Mu Yanming closed his eyes and took a sharp breath. But he had no choice but to give the order to the people behind him. "Go! Bring the queen here!"
Mo Qinghuan thought the time was right. With a thought, a bottle of super - strong sleeping pills appeared in her hand. But it was a bottled pill, and she couldn't unscrew the cap at the moment.
So she slowly exerted force, trying to open the cap.
Suddenly, she heard a low voice in her ear. "Princess, please rest assured. I won't hurt you. But I need you to cooperate with me to rescue my mother. After that, I'll leave immediately."
Mo Qinghuan was confused. "The queen is your mother?"
Gu Qing gave a soft hum.
Later, Mo Qinghuan found out that the queen had gone to the temple to pray for the country and the emperor. In fact, she had gone there to give birth. Gu Qing was that child, the son of the queen and a guard in the palace.
Not long after, Jinghua brought the queen.
In just a few days, she had gone from the dignified and noble mother of the nation to a prisoner.
All of this was for her two sons. But the one who came to rescue her was this illegitimate son whose identity had never been recognized.
But Mo Qinghuan had to admit that she admired the queen. At least she hadn't chosen to take an abortifacient to get rid of this child.
She must have had some maternal love for him.
"Qing'er, don't do anything stupid. Let go of the princess!" The queen stood there with her back straight, always maintaining the dignity of the mother of the nation.
But Gu Qing's eyes instantly turned red. He had never known the identity of his biological parents before. Later, when he found out, he rarely got the chance to meet them.
He never thought that their first meeting would be in such a situation.
"Mother, I can't let her go yet. I have to make sure I can safely get you out of the palace before I release her."
Mu Yanming's patience was running out, but he still didn't dare to act rashly.
He had finally seen the light after all the hardships. He absolutely couldn't lose Huan'er!
She was his light, the most precious thing in his life now.
"Let her go first! Otherwise, none of you will be able to leave!"
Gu Qing smiled faintly. "Regent, don't be so hasty. If my mother and I can't leave, it'll be worth it to take the Regent's princess with us!"
The dagger in his hand moved closer to Mo Qinghuan's neck.
"Don't!"
Mu Yanming raised his hand to try to stop him. Even from six or seven steps away, Mo Qinghuan could see the veins popping out on his forehead and the back of his hand.
Everyone in the room held their breath. The Regent was a powerful figure. When had he ever been threatened like this!
They were afraid that he might sacrifice the princess today rather than endure such humiliation.
But they were all wrong. How could Mu Yanming ever abandon his Huan'er and their unborn child!
"Jinghua, go and prepare a carriage and dry rations!"
"Also, bring ten thousand taels of silver notes!" Gu Qing quickly added.
Jinghua hesitated, waiting for Mu Yanming's decision.
Mu Yanming waved his sleeve. "Hurry up and go!"
Just as Jinghua was about to leave, there was a sudden thud. Looking back, it was the sound of Gu Qing falling to the ground.
And behind Gu Qing was Lu Zixiu.
Mo Qinghuan had been standing for a long time, and her whole body was numb. Suddenly, she lost her strength, and her vision went black as she fainted.
When she woke up again, it was already dark.
"You're finally awake." Mu Yanming's hands were shaking as he held her in his arms.
Mo Qinghuan was just about to say something when she realized her throat was extremely dry.
"Water."
Mu Yanming turned to pour her a glass of warm water. Only then did she notice Lu Zixiu sitting in front of the table.
"Mr. Lu, why are you in the palace?"
A faint smile played on Lu Zixiu's face, just as it always did.
"When Jinghua came to report, we were all in the imperial study. So we came together. I didn't expect that after waiting and looking for an opportunity for so long, it was you who finally knocked him out."
Mo Qinghuan lowered her head and smiled. By that time, she could hardly stand anymore. If she hadn't acted, she was afraid she would have slumped from Gu Qing's grasp.
She didn't want anything to happen to the child in her belly!