Farewell Flower Festival

After court the next day, Mu Tianqi came to Prince Ling's mansion.

Eunuch Wu led him to the hall, had him served a cup of tea, asked him to wait, and then went to report.

Chao Yan came over to apologize, saying that Mu Tianling hadn't come back yet, maybe he had some temporary official business to attend to, the subtext was to let him go back first and not wait any longer. But Mu Tianqi said it was okay, there was nothing to do today, it would be okay to wait a little longer.

Here, Mu Tianling was tripped up by a theft case.

This morning, the housekeeper of Minister Liu's mansion came to report that the mansion had been robbed. The door of the storeroom was pried open and a lot of valuables were stolen.

Mu Tianling took people to Minister Liu's residence, checked the crime scene, and asked what was missing. The housekeeper made a list for Mu Tianling to review.

When Mu Tianling was about to leave, the housekeeper said that Minister Liu would be back from court soon and he had something to discuss with him alone. Mu Tianling stayed and waited for a while. After Minister Liu returned home, he invited him to the study to discuss something.

Minister Liu asked Mu Tianling to keep the theft secret, as the saying goes, family disgrace should not be made public, and he did not want to make it public and let others laugh at him. Mu Tianling agreed and said that the other party could easily break into the house and steal, so he must not be an ordinary person. He asked Minister Liu if he had offended anyone recently.

Minister Liu thought for a while, but couldn't figure out who he had offended recently. Although the theft did not cause any loss of life, Minister Liu began to worry about his personal safety, so Mu Tianling left two people to protect him.

When Mu Tianling came back, Chao Yan arranged for someone to take Mu Tianqi to visit the garden.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time, Second Brother."

Mu Tianling came over to apologize and invited Mu Tianqi to the study for tea.

......

Chaoyan was embroidering something in the room. When she saw Mu Tianling come in, she immediately put away the embroidery frame and asked him why he came back late today.

Mu Tianling said that something was lost in Minister Liu's house, so he took people to take a look.

Chaoyan asked what was lost. Mu Tianling said that the storehouse in the mansion was pried open and some calligraphy and antiques were stolen. He came over and sat beside her, hugged her in his arms, and asked her what she was embroidering. Chaoyan said she was just embroidering casually and asked him not to peek.

Mu Tianling whispered in her ear, "I like mandarin ducks." Chao Yan blushed and changed the subject, asking him what he and Mu Tianqi talked about. Mu Tianling said they didn't talk about anything, and suddenly asked, "Do you regret marrying me?"

Chao Yan was a little puzzled. Why did he suddenly ask such a question? Did he get upset outside? She sighed and said, "Your Highness, are you regretting it? They say that men get tired of the old and love the new. Sure enough, you don't know how to cherish it once you get it."

Mu Tianling lowered his head and pecked her lips lightly, then looked into her eyes lovingly, with an expression that was extremely serious and tender. He asked again, "Yanyan, do you regret marrying me?" Chao Yan looked into his eyes seriously and attentively and shook her head.

The two looked into each other's eyes, searching for that firm sense of security, and at the same time they found the answers in each other's eyes.

In the evening, Chaoyan nestled in Mu Tianling's arms and read a book with him. She talked about the theft case in Minister Liu's mansion and felt it was a bit strange. Mu Tianling said that someone might want to divert his attention.

Chao Yan thought for a moment and asked, "Did Zhao Zhong know that you were investigating weapons?" Mu Tianling said, "There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. If he knew, he would definitely not sit still and wait for death. He would reveal his true colors by then."

Chaoyan saw that Mu Tianling seemed confident and should be well prepared. All she could do now was to trust him, and more importantly, trust her own vision in choosing a husband.

The next morning, someone came to the Jiuxingsi to report a case that Lord Wang's house in the Hanlin Garden had also been robbed. The storeroom in his house was pried open and some valuable calligraphy and antiques were stolen. The modus operandi was exactly the same as that of Shangshu Liu's house.

Two days in a row, the homes of two court ministers were robbed. Even though Minister Liu had asked Mu Tianling to keep it a secret before, the truth could not be hidden and the matter eventually reached the ears of Emperor Mu.

How dare they steal from the homes of ministers in the court? Where is the dignity of the court!

Emperor Mu summoned Mu Tianling and gave him three days to solve the case.

Mu Tianling sent all his men out to investigate, but they still found no clues after three days of investigation. Emperor Mu extended the deadline by two more days, but Mu Tianling still failed to catch the thief. In a rage, Emperor Mu confined Mu Tianling and handed the case over to the Tianwu Guard for investigation.

When Mu Tianyuan heard that Mu Tianling was under house arrest, he ran to share the good news with Liu Sui with a gloating look on his face and decided to hold a horse race to celebrate. However, Liu Sui dispelled the idea with just a few words.

The horse racing club is not going to be held anymore, but we still have to celebrate.

The next day after the court session, Mu Tianyuan invited Mu Tianqi and Mu Tianchen to drink together. Mu Tianchen said that he had to go to the military camp for inspection. Mu Tianyuan said dissatisfiedly, "Third brother, have you been bribed by the fourth brother? I just invited you to drink a few cups of tea, but you are in cahoots with him so quickly?"

Mu Tianchen didn't explain further and bowed and said goodbye.

Mu Tianyuan became more and more dissatisfied, and angrily called Mu Tianchen a blockhead. Mu Tianqi advised him to calm down. Mu Tianyuan asked him if he had also gone to Mu Tianling's house for tea a few days ago. Mu Tianqi said that he didn't know how long Mu Tianling would be under house arrest this time. Mu Tianyuan's attention also shifted to this topic, and he said it would be best to put him under house arrest for three to five years before releasing him.

On the way, Mu Tianyuan saw a figure and stopped involuntarily. Mu Tianqi also looked in that direction.

After Yin Lin's figure disappeared around the corner, Mu Tianyuan realized that Mu Tianqi was still beside him. He smiled awkwardly and found a random topic to chat with Mu Tianqi.

After coming back, Mu Tianyuan seemed a little guilty when he saw Liu Sui. Before Liu Sui noticed him, he quickly pulled Mu Tianqi to the study to drink.

After two glasses of wine, Mu Tianyuan and Mu Tianqi proudly talked about how Mu Tianling must be extremely depressed now that he was locked up in the mansion, unable to eat or sleep, and how miserable he was.

……

The breeze gently blows on the water surface, and koi fish swim leisurely and freely underwater.

Chaoyan leaned in Mu Tianling's arms and fished by the pond. She made a simple fishing rod with bamboo and cotton thread, without any hook or bait. She enjoyed the comfort and fun of fishing and didn't care whether she could catch any fish or not.

Mu Tianling held Chao Yan in his arms, looking relaxed and comfortable.

It was completely different from the miserable scene that Mu Tianyuan had imagined.

"Your Highness, father didn't deduct your salary, right?" Chao Yan asked casually.

Mu Tianling pecked her on the cheek and said, "If I have no money, will you divorce me?" Chao Yan turned her head and looked at the handsome face, and said, "For the sake of your face, I will support you." Mu Tianling smiled helplessly and hugged Chao Yan tighter, as if he was afraid that she would be kidnapped by a good-looking guy.

Eunuch Wu came over and reported that Han Lie had arrived.

The cotton thread on the bamboo pole swayed slightly. Chaoyan stole a glance at Mu Tianling's expression. When he looked over, she looked at the koi swimming in the water as if nothing had happened.

"I'll be back as soon as I go."

"Ah."

After Mu Tianling took Eunuch Wu away, Chao Yan could no longer concentrate on fishing. She picked up the book that Mu Tianling had read before, flipped through two pages, covered her face with the book, and closed her eyes to rest.