When Yun Mu Jing spoke these words, Mo Han Zhao was once again taken aback.
Although Yun Mu Jing had not grown up in the General’s Mansion, she was still the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yun family. How could she be living in this most remote courtyard, with only one maidservant to attend to her?
“Your Highness?” Yun Mu Jing noticed Mo Han Zhao lost in thought and couldn’t help but ask.
Mo Han Zhao snapped back to reality, forcibly taking the dagger from her hand with his other hand. Narrowing his eyes, he said, “You did save me, so I won’t take your life. But remember this: keep today’s events buried in your heart.”
“If I find out you reveal even the slightest detail, I will personally kill you.”
Regardless of why this woman said what she did, he hoped Yun Mu Jing would truly behave and keep this matter hidden forever.
Si Yu was innocent. He had already made a mistake and absolutely could not let Si Yu suffer any harm.
Later, he would find a way to slowly make it up to Si Yu.
Upon hearing this, Yun Mu Jing suddenly looked at Mo Han Zhao, seemingly surprised that he was willing to spare her life. Her innocent, wide eyes instantly widened in disbelief.
“This humble girl… thanks Your Highness for sparing my life!” Yun Mu Jing’s eyes reddened slightly as she quickly replied, “Your Highness need not worry. Everything that happened with Your Highness tonight is like a fleeting romance, gone with the wind.”
“Your Highness is kind-hearted to spare my life. I swear on my life that I will not reveal a single word.”
Mo Han Zhao did not respond. Instead, his slender fingers picked up the sheath that had fallen beside the pillow, slowly sheathing the dagger. An aura of cold detachment emanated from him.
His gaze swept over Yun Mu Jing. Due to their earlier struggle, the blanket wrapped around her had slipped slightly, revealing her delicate shoulders and neck, adorned with faint red marks left from their intimate encounter—an indescribable allure.
Yun Mu Jing possessed a stunningly beautiful face and a slender, graceful figure, yet her chest and hips were full, her waist slender, creating a perfectly proportioned silhouette. Her skin, in particular, was a lovely pinkish-white, delicate and flawless.
Even though Mo Han Zhao had been in a drugged, delirious state during their encounter, the sensations seemed etched into his memory, impossible to forget.
Yun Mu Jing was indeed the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Just looking at her stirred a surge of desire within Mo Han Zhao, but at the same time, his gaze darkened slightly.
Since childhood, too many women had gone to great lengths to get close to him. Yun Mu Jing, with her offering of herself, her display of vulnerability, and these subtle, intentional seductions, clearly harbored the same intentions.
Mo Han Zhao’s cold eyes swept over Yun Mu Jing’s stubborn, determined face, noting the flawless purity deep within her gaze. He inwardly scoffed.
“You’d better mean it. If I find out you’re deceiving me, you know what I’m capable of.”
With that, he turned and left.
Yun Mu Jing sat on the bed, watching Mo Han Zhao’s retreating figure.
Only after Mo Han Zhao had completely disappeared from sight did the innocence in her eyes vanish without a trace, replaced by a smile of complete control.
Yun Mu Jing had been framed and separated from her parents in her childhood. Reborn from the modern era with memories of her past life, she had been too young and weak at the time to return and find her biological parents.
She could only flee while desperately waiting for her parents to come looking for her, but what she encountered time and again was disappointment.
She had endured hardships, narrowly escaping death multiple times before finally surviving.
All her experiences taught Yun Mu Jing that if a person remained at the bottom, without the slightest bit of power, they would forever be at the mercy of others.
Thus, after making preparations, Yun Mu Jing found a way to return to the Yun family.
But when she sought out her biological parents, she discovered that everything she had was already taken by Yun Si Yu.
Yun Si Yu had shamelessly usurped her identity, spending ten years as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yun family, enjoying the affection of her biological parents and fiancé for an entire decade.
“Father, Mother, now that sister has returned, will you no longer want me?”
Yun Si Yu was treasured beyond measure by Yun Mu Jing’s parents. With just these tearful words from Yun Si Yu, they feared she might feel slighted and arranged for their own biological daughter to live in the most remote courtyard.
It was rather ironic, to say the least.
But… there were still many days ahead. Now that she had returned, she would rely on herself to gradually reclaim everything that belonged to her.
What Yun Si Yu took the most pride in was the Crown Prince’s unwavering devotion to her. Yun Mu Jing would make sure Yun Si Yu tasted the bitterness of misplaced affection.
Moreover, Mo Han Zhao wielded immense power in the court. Although the Yun family held substantial authority, compared to the Crown Prince, they still did not stand high enough.
Returning to the Yun family and fulfilling her original marriage agreement with Mo Han Zhao was also one of Yun Mu Jing’s goals.
Thinking of this, Yun Mu Jing called her personal maid, Yu Ning, and took a piece of broken silver from beside her pillow, pressing it into her hand. “Go to the pharmacy and ask Physician Liu to prepare a dose of anti-conception decoction for me. Give him this silver as hush money.”
“Young Miss! You want to avoid conception?” Yu Ning said urgently. “Why would you think like that? That is the Crown Prince. If you were to become pregnant, you would surely enter the Eastern Palace.”
“Although you are the true legitimate daughter, after all, the master and mistress have raised Miss Si Yu for ten years. Even though you have returned now, their hearts still lean toward Miss Si Yu.”
As she spoke, Yu Ning looked at Yun Mu Jing with a pained expression. “They even fear Miss Si Yu might mind and have placed you, their own biological daughter, in the most remote courtyard.”
“As long as you can secure a connection with the Crown Prince, who in this mansion would dare to bully you!”
Yun Mu Jing smiled leisurely. “Be obedient and do as I say.”
From the moment she planned to return to the Yun family, she had done everything in her power to find the most precious skin-nourishing herbs, gradually restoring her body.
Tonight, she believed she must have left a deep impression on Mo Han Zhao.
That was enough.
Mo Han Zhao’s mother had died early, and no one looked after him. To survive in the treacherous environment of the court and the imperial harem, his mind was inevitably profound.
With someone like Mo Han Zhao, the more eager one was for quick success, the more likely it was to backfire.
What needed to be done was to earn his trust step by step.
Seeing Yun Mu Jing’s resolute expression, Yu Ning couldn’t help but sigh softly before turning and leaving the room.
At that moment, in the night, not far from the doorway by the wall, Mo Han Zhao had not left. With his hands clasped behind his back, his handsome, picturesque face carried a trace of coldness.
He watched as Yun Mu Jing called her maid inside, and soon the maid emerged furtively, his expression filled with chill. “As expected, I knew she wouldn’t be so obedient.”
“Zhu Ye, follow her and see what scheme she is plotting!”