General Yun was instantly rendered speechless by the Crown Prince’s words. “This minister was too hasty.”
Mo Han Zhao’s cold, penetrating gaze lingered on General Yun for a moment, only withdrawing when beads of sweat formed on the general’s forehead. He then turned his attention to Yun Mu Jing.
Mo Han Zhao thought of rising to personally help her up but feared his actions would be too conspicuous and upset Yun Si Yu.
He could only make a gesture of assistance. “Please rise, Miss Jing.”
Yun Si Yu, who had initially looked displeased at Mo Han Zhao’s defense of Yun Mu Jing, now breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Mo Han Zhao seemed indifferent toward her.
Thankfully, the Crown Prince had not been bewitched by Yun Mu Jing.
Yun Mu Jing cautiously glanced up at Mo Han Zhao twice, confirming that he truly wasn’t angry, before moving to take a seat nearby.
Yet, for some reason, an inexplicable chill seemed to emanate from Mo Han Zhao’s presence. From then on, most of his conversation with General Yun focused on pointing out the general’s mistakes in official matters.
Each sentence was veiled with hidden meanings, sharp and pointed.
The atmosphere in the entire main hall grew subtly tense.
With a simmering anger in his heart, Mo Han Zhao did not stay long. Using official duties as an excuse, he departed.
Yun Si Yu couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment when he left in a hurry without even bidding her farewell.
Mo Han Zhao never once glanced at Yun Mu Jing, which kept Yun Si Yu from overthinking.
She simply assumed her father’s mistakes had displeased His Highness.
However, recalling how Yun Mu Jing had flirtatiously glanced at the Crown Prince earlier, Yun Si Yu’s eyes darkened with malice.
She addressed Yun Mu Jing coldly, “Elder Sister, you are our parents’ daughter, and I have always held you in great respect.”
“But the Crown Prince is my future husband. I hope Elder Sister will not entertain any other ideas.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Yun Mu Jing replied softly, sitting with her head bowed. “How could I compare to Second Sister? The Crown Prince is noble beyond compare, the future ruler of Dongliang. I dare not harbor such presumptuous thoughts.”
That’s more like it. Yun Si Yu snorted coldly.
General Yun and Madam Yun were also dissatisfied with Yun Mu Jing’s behavior.
“Someone, take the eldest young lady back to the Ancestral Hall to continue copying scriptures,” Madam Yun said indifferently.
This was the perfect opportunity for her to visit Yuwang Mansion.
“Father, Mother,” Yun Mu Jing pleaded with reddened eyes, “could I have something to eat before returning?”
“After committing such a disgraceful act as secretly meeting an outsider, you still want food?” General Yun scoffed. “Didn’t Granny Li tell you that you’ll only get food if you reveal the identity of that outsider?”
Yun Mu Jing pressed her lips together, supporting herself on the low table beside her as she rose. Weakly, she followed the two maids who had approached her.
Tears welled in her eyes, her expression one of pitiful hunger and grievance.
Mo Han Zhao, hiding behind a nearby rockery, overheard General Yun’s words and couldn’t help but frown.
So, from yesterday until now, she hadn’t had a single bite to eat?
“This little liar,” Mo Han Zhao muttered under his breath, his fingers clenching tightly within the sleeves of his black robe embroidered with golden osmanthus patterns. “She told me yesterday that General Yun and Madam Yun couldn’t bear to confine her.”
To think it was all lies meant to deceive him! For a moment, frustration welled up in Mo Han Zhao’s heart.
She would rather endure hunger and thirst than reveal the secret, choosing instead to protect him…
“Zhu Ye, prepare some water and food,” Mo Han Zhao said, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Yes!”
When Yun Mu Jing was pushed into the ancestral hall once more, she had already collapsed on the ground, utterly drained of strength.
Through her tear-blurred vision, she could only vaguely make out the tiles above being lifted again, and a figure landing beside her, gently helping her up.
“Yun Mu Jing, wake up.” Mo Han Zhao’s usually calm heart unexpectedly surged with urgency.
He brought a water pouch to Yun Mu Jing’s lips, carefully giving her water.
Yun Mu Jing took a sip, then as if clutching a lifeline, grabbed the pouch with both hands and gulped down the water.
“Slow down…” Mo Han Zhao sighed helplessly. He used his fingertips to wipe away the water trickling from the corner of her mouth, but she drank too hastily, and the droplets kept slipping down.
Then, they trailed along her snow-white, slender neck, continuing downward until… they reached a place he could no longer wipe.
Even Mo Han Zhao’s Adam’s apple involuntarily moved, his gaze deepening.
This woman was likely born too beautiful, so every move she made seemed to captivate the soul.
“Cough, cough, cough!” Yun Mu Jing choked on a mouthful of water and began coughing uncontrollably.
Mo Han Zhao raised his hand to pat her back, channeling a bit of Internal Energy to help soothe her breathing.
Only then did Yun Mu Jing finally recover. Her eyes, when she looked at Mo Han Zhao, first held a trace of confusion, then widened in surprise as she nervously and guiltily said, “Your Highness, didn’t you… leave?”
“Are you afraid that I’ve come back to this ancestral hall?” Mo Han Zhao scoffed. “Yun Mu Jing, worried that I’ll expose you?”
“Judging by General Yun and Madam Yun’s attitude toward you, I doubt they’d care even if you died in this ancestral hall. How could they possibly let you out? Why did you lie to me?”
Yun Mu Jing choked up, then a flicker of gloominess inevitably flashed in her eyes. She pursed her lips, tears shimmering once more.
“It’s my fault for not being good enough to earn my parents’ affection,” Yun Mu Jing said with a bitter smile. “Even if I’m locked in this ancestral hall, I can’t blame anyone.”
“I told you before not to intervene on my behalf, Your Highness. I don’t want anyone to know you’re involved with me. If they did, even you would be looked down upon.”
“If I were to affect the relationship between Your Highness and my second sister, I would be unforgivable.”
This foolish girl… Mo Han Zhao pressed his lips together, unsure how he could ever repay her deep affection and loyalty.
Yun Mu Jing had never been one to think of herself.
He truly didn’t know what this woman had experienced in the past to make her so heartbreakingly understanding.
Mo Han Zhao felt a pang of sorrow. He gazed at Yun Mu Jing for a long moment before sighing deeply in resignation. “Let me see your hand.”
Yun Mu Jing was taken aback. Meeting Mo Han Zhao’s gentle gaze, her eyes instantly reddened, and she subtly hid her hands further behind her back.
“My hands… aren’t very presentable right now.”
“Do I care about whether they’re presentable?”
Mo Han Zhao firmly grasped Yun Mu Jing’s wrist, gently holding her slender and delicate arm, then pushed back her thin sleeve.
At a glance, he saw the abnormal redness and swelling around her wrist.
Her originally fair and tender arm was also covered in dense, dark bruises, a sight that was shocking to behold.
The chill around Mo Han Zhao intensified sharply. “Who did this?”
Although he had already heard from Zhu Ye about Yun Mu Jing being mistreated, seeing it with his own eyes still ignited a surge of anger within him.
“So many, so many people.” Yun Mu Jing had been holding back tears, but at this question, she couldn’t hold back any longer and began to sob, saying, “Ever since I came to the General’s Mansion, the servants have never treated me like a young lady. They think that because I’ve been wandering among the common people for many years, I’m just a wild child.”
“Only someone as dignified and elegant as Second Sister should be considered a young lady. They only respect Second Sister.”
“My parents are the same. They believe I’m not worthy of being their daughter, afraid that my arrival will upset Second Sister, so they’ve never shown me any affection.”
“So the servants bullied you, hit you, and your parents arranged for you to live in the most remote courtyard, almost completely ignoring you?” Mo Han Zhao’s handsome face instantly darkened like an abyss.
No wonder Yun Mu Jing lived so pitifully in such a remote and dilapidated courtyard.
“Dignified and elegant? In my view, your temperament far surpasses that of ordinary noblewomen. Are the people in the General’s Mansion blind?” Mo Han Zhao sneered.
“Your Highness doesn’t need to comfort me.”
Yun Mu Jing pursed her lips, wiping the tears falling from the corners of her eyes with her hand while forcing a self-mocking smile. “I know, I’m just an extra person.”
“Ever since I came to the General’s Mansion, I’ve been an extra person. My parents don’t like me, the servants don’t like me, and also…”
At this point, Yun Mu Jing instinctively glanced up at Mo Han Zhao, then quickly lowered her head again. “It’s… it’s nothing.”