Chapter 88
Don't worry, this is a rare opportunity, and she certainly won't waste it, Mu Yulu thought to herself.
Despite her excitement, she didn't neglect her business and continued to play the pitiful card: "I have no other requests, only this one wish."
After speaking, she thought for a moment, then shook Mu Qinhan's arm and asked cautiously, "Can it be just the two of us? Can we not bring anyone else?"
Before Mu Qinhan could speak, she quickly held up a finger and said, "Just this once, you'll keep me company by yourself."
After mustering the courage to make the request, she bit her lower lip and remained silent, blinking her eyes expectantly as she awaited his response.
Mu Qinhan was initially hesitant. He and Liu Wenshuang had only been married for a short time, and it would be unfair to him not be able to spend their first Lantern Festival together.
But seeing Mu Yulu's expectant eyes, he wavered a little. Then he remembered that he and Mu Yulu hadn't been married for long, and this was the first Lantern Festival they had spent together.
Besides, she's been falling into the lake or catching a cold lately, and she's still not fully recovered. He really should spend more time with her.
Thinking of this, he sighed helplessly, steadily holding the medicine bowl in one hand, and using the other hand to scoop out the medicine with a spoon, bringing the liquid to her lips, "Okay, I promise you, can you drink your medicine now?"
Mu Yulu nodded excitedly, then leaned forward slightly, frowned, opened her mouth, and took the spoonful of bitter medicine into her mouth.
Mu Qinhan fed her two more sips, but she frowned and refused to drink anymore, and started acting like a brat again: "I've already taken my medicine, you didn't say I had to finish this bowl."
Mu Qinhan handed the medicine bowl to Tanxiang, who was standing guard to the side, and told Mu Yulu to lie down obediently. He personally covered her with a blanket and said, "Alright, if you don't want to drink it, then don't. After taking this medicine, you need to cover yourself with a blanket and sleep to sweat it out. Get some rest, so you'll have the energy to go to the lantern festival when you're fully recovered."
Mu Yulu lay on the bed and nodded obediently. Then she watched him turn and leave. After the footsteps outside the door completely disappeared, she lifted the quilt and sat up wearily, waving to Tanxiang.
Tanxiang immediately brought over the medicine bowl and handed it to her. She took the bowl, frowned, and drank the medicine in one gulp. After finishing, she clicked her tongue and said, "This medicine is really bitter."
As she spoke, she recalled the tone of her voice when she had been pouting at Mu Qinhan about how bitter the medicine was, and a wave of nausea surged up from her stomach, almost causing her to vomit up the medicine she had just drunk.
Tanxiang quickly stepped forward and patted her back to help her catch her breath. "You have to drink this medicine no matter how bitter it is. Only by drinking it can you get better. If you don't get better by the Lantern Festival, your plan will be impossible to carry out."
Mu Yulu coughed twice, nodded, and then instructed Tanxiang: "There will be no curfew on the night of the Lantern Festival. There will be many merchants going in and out of the city gates. I will send you out to buy things. Once you leave the city gates, meet up with Mohe. She told you the route, right?"
Sandalwood nodded. "She gave me a map, and I know how to get there, but I'm worried about you. What if..."
Mu Yulu sighed, lay down on the bed and closed her eyes: "We have done our best, let's leave the rest to fate."
Although her voice was weak, it was full of strength in Tanxiang's ears: "I'm willing to risk my life to take this gamble, I refuse to believe that God is so unfair."
Before they knew it, the Lantern Festival arrived. As expected, Mu Qinhan kept his promise and took Mu Yulu out alone on that day.
The streets were brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful lights. Almost every shop had a simple lantern hanging in front of it, and several giant lantern canopies spanned the street, illuminating the night as brightly as day.
People performing dragon and lion dances were mixed in with the crowd. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of sugar figurines, mixed with the faint smell of gunpowder after firecrackers had burned out. It smelled like the everyday life of ordinary people.
Today, Mu Qinhan was dressed in a low-key casual outfit, less cold and dignified than usual, and more refined and elegant. He took Mu Yulu's hand very naturally, completely enveloping her slightly cool fingers, as if afraid that she would be separated by the surging crowd.
The two moved slowly with the flow of people. The dazzling lights reflected in his deep eyes, creating a play of light that softened his usually cold and hard features.
He would occasionally turn his head to point out a particularly exquisite lantern to her, or whisper to her the intricacies of a juggling act.
Mu Yulu nestled beside him, looking up at the dazzling lights and shadows, occasionally exclaiming in amazement. When Mu Qinhan explained the meanings of these lanterns to her, her eyes would reveal just the right amount of admiration, and her face would always be adorned with a smile that was infected by the festive atmosphere.
It was at this moment that she realized how difficult it was to play the role of a pampered and indulged young woman. In just a short while, her face was stiff from smiling.
Looking up at the sky, she really didn't want to continue the performance, so she tugged at Mu Qinhan's sleeve, pointed to a cluster of twinkling lights on the riverbank in the distance, and said excitedly, "Your Highness, look over there! Are people releasing river lanterns?"
Mu Qinhan looked in the direction she pointed and saw that there were indeed many men and women gathered by the river, putting lit lanterns into the water. The warm yellow light drifted with the water and formed a flowing ribbon of light, which was quite beautiful.
"Do you also want to release a river lantern? I heard that if you write your wishes on the lantern and let it float away on the water, your wishes will come true." Mu Qinhan turned her head and looked down at her.
It was hard to believe that Mu Qinhan would say such a thing; he would never normally say such a thing. Clearly, he was trying to coax her today.
Mu Yulu pretended to be very surprised and went with Mu Qinhan to buy two river lanterns. She wrote her wishes on the lanterns and then pulled him away from the crowded main street, walking along the riverbank towards the less crowded downstream area.
The noise gradually faded away, leaving only the gentle murmur of the flowing river in their ears. Mu Yulu pulled him along, heading towards a more secluded spot.
When she reached a bend in the river far from the lights, she finally stopped.
Mu Qinhan then asked her from behind, "Why do you want to avoid crowds?"
She swallowed nervously, then turned around with a smile, raising the river lantern in her hand. "Because I want to make a wish quietly with you, without being disturbed by others."
Mu Qinhan didn't suspect anything, seemingly trusting her completely. He raised his hand and gently brushed away the strands of hair that had been ruffled by the wind from her cheek. "It is indeed quiet here."
Then he asked, "What do you want to wish for?"
Mu Yulu turned her head slightly to avoid his gaze, bit her lower lip, and said in a coquettish tone, "I won't tell you."
Mu Qinhan smiled. He moved slightly, his fingertips sliding down the contours of her cheek, stopping at her chin, and then gently lifting it.
Mu Yulu was startled, not expecting him to make such a move at this moment. This sudden action froze her whole body, and she couldn't even hold the lantern steady.
As the small, plain white lotus lantern in her hand fell, she reached out to pick it up, but he grabbed her waist.
He leaned down, his tall figure completely enveloping her, his pupils clearly reflecting her face, which showed a hint of panic.
However, he interpreted the panic on her face as shyness, and he smiled and tentatively moved closer to her.
His breath brushed against her lips, and she leaned back in surprise, but did not push him away. So he held her tighter in his arms and kissed her lips.
This time, Mu Yulu did not resist. The moment his cool lips touched hers, she trembled and closed her eyes.
All right.
That's not impossible.
She sighed inwardly, her panic replaced by resolve, and the next second she pulled a dagger from her sleeve and plunged it into his chest without hesitation.
Mu Qinhan opened his eyes in pain and pushed her away.
She staggered back several steps before regaining her balance. Without wasting words with him, she said directly, "The dagger is poisoned. If you want to live, don't use your inner strength. Stay where you are and wait for them to come looking for you."
Mu Qinhan pulled out the dagger, covered the wound, and tentatively activated her internal energy. As soon as she activated it, she felt as if countless ants were crawling and gnawing at her meridians, and she knew that what she said was true.
She actually poisoned the dagger.
He stared intently at her, a look of heartache on his face.
She showed no mercy when she struck, almost plunging the entire dagger into his chest. Moreover, the stab landed precisely on a vital spot, leaving him powerless to retaliate even if the dagger wasn't poisoned.
"I no longer have any illusions about you. Rather than waiting for you to let me go, I'd rather do it myself." Under the moonlight, Mu Yulu's face was paler than usual, but her expression was resolute, no longer as weak as she had appeared in front of him before.
Mu Qinhan gradually lost her strength and collapsed heavily to her knees on the cold, damp riverbank pebbles.
He clutched the wound on his chest, from which warm blood was gushing, with one hand, while the other hand braced against the ground. His moon-white brocade robe was quickly stained red with blood, making him look more disheveled than ever before.
When he finally managed to lift his head, he only saw Mu Yulu's retreating figure.
She left the cold, damp river wind behind, lifted her skirt, and left, rejoining the crowd.
Although her heart was pounding like a drum, the long street was crowded with people, and she could not reveal anything unusual. If someone noticed something was wrong now, she would not even be able to leave the city gate and would be taken back to the palace.
With her head down, she moved forward with the flow of people, pretending to be nonchalant, but her eyes subtly observed her surroundings.
Based on her understanding of the guards around Mu Qinhan, it wouldn't be long before they realized something was wrong, and finding the injured Mu Qinhan would only take a moment.
She had to seize this moment to escape the capital.
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