Huh? Zhu Ye’s mouth twitched violently twice. “Your Highness, what about the bandit suppression…”
“I will oversee it personally,” Mo Han Zhao said coldly.
“…Yes.”
Inside Qingshan Temple, once Mo Han Zhao left, Madam Yun’s enthusiasm for Yun Mu Jing naturally couldn’t last long.
Soon, Madam Yun abandoned Yun Mu Jing and took Yun Si Yu to rest in the guest rooms arranged by the temple.
Yun Mu Jing’s old wounds had not yet healed, and new injuries had been added. At this moment, every part of her body ached, and she could hardly bear it.
She had no choice but to find the abbot of Qingshan Temple herself and ask him to arrange another room for her.
Yun Mu Jing found a wooden basin, fetched clean water, and brought it to her room. She began carefully tending to the dense array of wounds covering her body.
First, she wiped away the bloodstains, then took out two jars of ointment she carried with her. Opening one of them, she applied it bit by bit to her injuries.
These were specially made ointments of hers, with remarkably potent effects.
One of them not only allowed wounds to heal quickly but also ensured no scars would remain.
The other… had skin-nourishing properties. She applied it to her entire body at fixed times every day.
After finishing everything, Yun Mu Jing sat by the window in a snow-white inner robe, her slender, delicate fingertips propping up her chin.
She let the breeze blowing in sweep through the cascade of black hair behind her head, a meaningful smile flickering in her eyes. “No one is truly born with flawless beauty.”
“This skin-nourishing ointment is quite complex to make,” Yun Mu Jing murmured, a faint curve lifting the corner of her lips.
It was only through countless applications of such ointments that Yun Mu Jing could maintain skin as smooth as jade, fair and translucent.
Once someone had tasted such perfection, they would crave it endlessly.
Thus, even the Crown Prince Mo Han Zhao was easily stirred by desire for her.
After these recent encounters with Mo Han Zhao, Yun Mu Jing was now certain that he absolutely dared not ignore her existence anymore.
Naturally… he wouldn’t stand by and watch her die either.
Yun Mu Jing had deliberately pretended to be hiding something from him, arousing Mo Han Zhao’s suspicions and leading him to accompany her to Qingshan Temple.
Originally, Yun Mu Jing had intended to guide her mother and Yun Si Yu into mentioning Prince Yu, letting Mo Han Zhao investigate on his own.
Unexpectedly, her mother’s loose tongue had led her to secretly discuss Prince Yu with Yun Si Yu at Qingshan Temple.
This turned out even better, making Yun Mu Jing’s plan more convenient.
“Yun Si Yu, oh Yun Si Yu…” Yun Mu Jing sighed with feigned melancholy. “What a fool.”
Yun Si Yu had gone to great lengths to push her toward Prince Yu, all to sever any possibility between her and Mo Han Zhao.
Little did she know that this very engagement would become Yun Mu Jing’s greatest advantage.
Previously, everything Yun Mu Jing had arranged was meant to make Mo Han Zhao accumulate guilt and reluctance to let her die.
Now that Mo Han Zhao knew she was forced into an engagement with Mo Yu, he would definitely not stand idly by.
And if Mo Han Zhao wanted to protect Yun Mu Jing, there was only one path: to tell everyone what had happened between them and then marry her into the Eastern Palace.
Mo Yu’s existence was the perfect catalyst for her entry into the Eastern Palace.
Now, Yun Mu Jing could peacefully wait for Mo Han Zhao to come looking for her on his own.
Thinking of this, Yun Mu Jing suddenly remembered something. A playful smile filled her lips as she reached for the outer robe beside her, draped it back on, and left the room.
It seemed the storm could grow even more violent.
In the adjacent room, Yun Si Yu lay on the couch, warming herself by the charcoal fire.
Madam Yun, meanwhile, held fruits brought from the Yun residence, carefully peeling them before feeding them to Yun Si Yu.
“My precious daughter, try this late-season tangerine and see if it’s sweet,” Madam Yun said softly.
As she ate the tangerine, Yun Si Yu stared at the bed frame and gritted her teeth. “Mother, what kind of luck does Yun Mu Jing have? Even when encountering bandits, she managed to run into Brother Jun Ze!”
“It’s a good thing she survived,” Madam Yun said leisurely. “At least we can give an account to Prince Yu.”
“Besides, didn’t the Crown Prince save Jing’er for your sake?” Madam Yun added with a smile. “In my opinion, the Crown Prince has no interest in Jing’er at all—his heart is entirely set on you.”
“That may be so…” Yun Si Yu pouted.
The key point was that Yun Mu Jing had been in danger yesterday and only returned today, meaning she had spent an entire night with Brother Jun Ze.
With Yun Mu Jing’s face looking like that of a seductive fox spirit, having her linger around Brother Jun Ze for so long made Yun Si Yu uneasy.
What if Brother Jun Ze developed feelings for Yun Mu Jing and later prevented her from marrying Prince Yu? That would ruin all her plans!
Since Prince Yu wouldn’t dare do anything to the Yun family anyway, why couldn’t Yun Mu Jing just die outside? That would settle everything once and for all!
At this thought, Yun Si Yu grew increasingly agitated and even pushed away the tangerine Madam Yun offered.
“You, child…”
“Mother, I don’t want to eat. I’m going out for a walk first,” Yun Si Yu said, rising from the couch and leaving the room.
In a foul mood, Yun Si Yu wandered aimlessly around Qingshan Temple and, without realizing it, found herself in a bamboo grove at the back.
As she walked, she suddenly spotted a masked figure in black fighting a monk. Before long, the figure’s sword was pressed against the monk’s neck.
“My apologies, but someone bought your life from Guanyu Tower. I’m just doing my job.”
A Guanyu Tower assassin? Yun Si Yu’s heart stirred, and a flicker of delight surfaced in her eyes.
Just what she needed! Guanyu Tower was an extremely secretive organization of assassins in the martial world, and their missions were almost always successful.
If she could hire them to kill Yun Mu Jing…
As Yun Si Yu was lost in thought, the black-clad figure in the distance suddenly raised his sword and, without hesitation, slashed the monk’s neck.
Blood splattered, instantly staining several nearby bamboo stalks.
“Ah!” Yun Si Yu had been raised in the inner chambers since childhood, pampered and sheltered—she had never witnessed such a scene before.
Instantly terrified, she let out a scream.
“Hmm?”
The black-clad figure noticed Yun Si Yu, flashed over to her in an instant, and pressed his sword against her neck, coldly asking, “You saw everything?”
Yun Si Yu’s face turned deathly pale. Faced with the assassin’s questioning, she dared not move a muscle.
“Assassins detest having their tracks exposed. Blame your own bad luck,” the assassin said, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.
“Join that monk in hell!”
“W-wait!” Yun Si Yu cried out immediately. “Don’t kill me! I came to do business with you!”
At these words, the assassin’s breath hitched, though he didn’t lower his sword. However, a glimmer of interest appeared in his exposed eyes.
“Speak. What business?”
Yun Si Yu urgently said, “The eldest daughter of the General’s Mansion, Yun Mu Jing—kill her, and you will be richly rewarded afterward!”