Yun Mu Jing secretly observed Mo Han Zhao, noticing the conflict in his eyes, and knew her words had struck a chord with him.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corners of her lips. Before long, drowsiness overcame her. She leaned back, resting her head against Mo Han Zhao’s chest, and let her eyelids fall shut.
One of Yun Mu Jing’s delicate, slender hands rested casually on the man’s thigh.
“Hiss…” Mo Han Zhao’s wandering thoughts abruptly snapped back. A flicker of displeasure crossed his handsome features.
He had kindly offered Yun Mu Jing warmth, not for her to take liberties with him.
Just as Mo Han Zhao was about to remind her, he glanced down and realized Yun Mu Jing was already fast asleep—her hand placed there unconsciously.
Mo Han Zhao: “…” Indeed, with Yun Mu Jing’s innocent nature, she would never harbor such improper thoughts.
Why did he always instinctively assume Yun Mu Jing was like those other women who approached him?
At this thought, a trace of tenderness surfaced in Mo Han Zhao’s dark eyes. He silently allowed Yun Mu Jing to rest against him.
Logically, as the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, women should be subservient to him, never daring to be so presumptuous.
Yet Mo Han Zhao couldn’t understand why he was always so lenient with Yun Mu Jing.
Perhaps it was because her purity and kindness were truly rare among the women of the capital.
That must be why, whenever he saw Yun Mu Jing, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of protectiveness.
Mo Han Zhao gazed at Yun Mu Jing’s sleeping face—beautiful and serene—his eyes deepening.
Yun Mu Jing’s skin was naturally fair and delicate, glowing with a soft pink hue under the firelight, unconsciously exuding an innocent allure.
Moreover, though she wore no perfume, a faint, elegant fragrance seemed to linger around her—reminiscent of gardenias, neither cloying nor overpowering, as if beckoning one to linger and lose themselves.
Pressed against her, Mo Han Zhao felt a rising heat pooling in his dantian, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
This woman… was like a poison, seeping into one’s heart through every pore.
Even if he could control his heart from being swayed by her, some instincts seemed impossible to ignore.
Mo Han Zhao took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the desire, resisting the urge to touch Yun Mu Jing.
Yet this sensation lingered, haunting him for a full hour, leaving him unable to sleep.
“Father… Mother…” Yun Mu Jing seemed trapped in a nightmare, trembling uncontrollably, the corners of her eyes reddening and appearing slightly damp in the candlelight.
“Could you… love Jing’er too? Jing’er is so cold.”
“This isn’t because I wanted to hold you,” Mo Han Zhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke in a low, husky voice. “You said you were cold. I’m only trying to warm you.”
With that, he pressed his lips together and wrapped his arms tightly around Yun Mu Jing, pulling her close as if to extinguish the fire raging within him.
His broad palm rested against her waist, radiating scorching heat.
Yun Mu Jing’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she inwardly scoffed.
Having seized such an opportunity for intimate contact with the Crown Prince, it would be a shame not to tempt him a little.
Men, after all, were seldom able to resist the allure of beauty.
Whether Mo Han Zhao was pure-hearted or promiscuous mattered little to Yun Mu Jing.
As the Crown Prince and future ruler of Dongliang, the idea of him remaining faithful to one woman was nothing short of a joke.
All she wanted was to get close to him, marry him, and after Mo Han Zhao ascended the throne, use him to become the most esteemed woman in Dongliang.
As for everything else, Yun Mu Jing didn’t care.
After all, she didn’t love him, right?
Thinking this, Yun Mu Jing felt a sense of triumph and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Perhaps because holding Yun Mu Jing had eased the restlessness in his body, Mo Han Zhao also slept relatively soundly through the latter half of the night.
The night passed in a flash.
When Yun Mu Jing opened her eyes, she found herself propped against a tree, covered with a thick, ink-black cloak embroidered with golden osmanthus patterns.
It was the transition between late autumn and early winter, and the late-blooming osmanthus was still fragrant. The tree she leaned against happened to be a large osmanthus tree.
Golden osmanthus blossoms were blown down by the wind, falling one by one onto the cloak, imbuing it with the same sweet scent.
“Awake?” A clear, gentle voice reached her ears.
Yun Mu Jing looked up just in time to see Mo Han Zhao standing beside her, his hands clasped behind his back.
His figure was tall and elegant, his features deep and handsome. His long, dark hair cascaded past his slender waist, and his sleeves fluttered in the wind—truly a pleasing sight.
In court, Mo Han Zhao was known for his swift and decisive methods, excelling in both martial arts and strategy.
When he was just fifteen, he followed her father, General Yun, to the battlefield, already demonstrating the ability to plan strategies from a thousand miles away.
He achieved success at a young age and possessed the bearing of an emperor. Yet, even more famous than his talents was his face.
He was known as the most handsome man in Dongliang, having inherited seven-tenths of the late Empress’s beauty.
Looking at Mo Han Zhao, Yun Mu Jing’s misty eyes couldn’t help but shimmer with a faint glow. With a mix of longing and uncertainty, she asked, “Your Highness… have you been watching over me all this time?”
“Yes,” Mo Han Zhao replied, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious?”
He had long cultivated the habit of rising early and had indeed woken up before Yun Mu Jing.
However, Mo Han Zhao felt inexplicably guilty about having held Yun Mu Jing while sleeping all night and didn’t want her to know.
So, the first thing he did upon waking was to release her, place her by the tree, and pretend nothing had happened…
“I just… wasn’t sure,” Yun Mu Jing said self-reproachfully. “I only have Yu Ning as my maid, but because of my situation, she often gets bullied by the other servants in the mansion.”
“Yu Ning always has to do a lot of extra work for them, so she doesn’t have much time to spend by my side.”
“In the past, whenever I fell ill in the side courtyard, I had to take care of myself. No one ever watched over me.”
Mo Han Zhao was slightly taken aback. He could hardly imagine what kind of life Yun Mu Jing had been living in the Yun residence.
He had previously been shocked to learn that Yun Mu Jing, the legitimate daughter of the Zhenguo General’s Mansion, had only one maid.
Little did he know that even this one maid couldn’t properly attend to her.
If that were the case, wouldn’t it mean that if Yun Mu Jing ever fell seriously ill and couldn’t get out of bed, she would simply be left in her room to die?
Mo Han Zhao clenched his fist inside his sleeve, his handsome face shifting with emotion, a flicker of anger dancing in his eyes.
If Yun Mu Jing stayed in the General’s Mansion any longer, it wouldn’t just be a matter of living poorly—she might even lose her life.
It seemed he needed to seriously consider the idea he had yesterday.
But for now… Mo Han Zhao looked at Yun Mu Jing and said with slight hesitation, “I came to Moqian Mountain this time to carry out the bandit-suppression mission assigned by His Majesty. Since the bandits have yet to be eliminated, I cannot afford to delay for too long.”
“Since Madam Yun and Si Yu are at Qingshan Temple, I shall escort you there.”
“I…” Yun Mu Jing bit her lower lip lightly upon hearing this, then forced a slight smile and said, “It was my fault for forgetting Your Highness is still on official duty, and I have already delayed Your Highness for so long.”
“Your Highness need not trouble yourself with me. Qingshan Temple is not far from here. You may leave me here, and I can walk on my own.”