For a moment, an unusual fragrance filled the air, its aroma lingering without dissipating…
“Miss, this scent?”
Ye Yun looked at Lingzhi’s astonished expression and asked, “Does it smell pleasant?”
Lingzhi nodded blankly, but weren’t they currently surrounded by a group of assassins? Why was her young lady fiddling with fragrances? Although they were protected by Hidden Guards, her young lady’s relaxed demeanor seemed to indicate she didn’t take those assassins seriously at all.
While she was puzzling over her young lady’s actions, she suddenly heard faint voices from outside, “Not good… quickly, hold your breath! The fragrance is poisonous!”
Ye Yun curled her lips into a smile, glanced at Lingzhi, and said calmly, “Let’s go, let’s take a look outside.”
Lingzhi said nothing more and immediately helped her young lady descend from the carriage.
The Hidden Guards from the Protectorate Duke’s Residence remained cautiously protective around Ye Yun, while the coachman spoke up, “Miss, those people are…”
Ye Yun scanned the surroundings. The black-clad swordsmen who had been systematically surrounding them, ready to launch their attack, were now all weak and barely supporting themselves with their swords. In just a dozen breaths, their fierce demeanor had completely vanished.
She sneered mockingly at them, “Well, well, what’s this? Can’t even stand steadily anymore? Weren’t you all so confident earlier, saying I couldn’t escape? Now it looks like you’re the ones who can’t get away.”
As she spoke, she opened her hand to reveal the crushed elixir powder, which scattered completely with the passing breeze.
Whether it was the coachman or the Hidden Guards standing nearby, they all understood now—the cause of this situation was that unusual fragrance from earlier. This was also why their young lady had given them the antidote elixir beforehand. However, none of them had expected their young lady’s poison skills to be so extraordinarily refined.
Soon, the dozens of black-clad assassins were brought over, all kneeling on the ground.
The lead black-clad man looked up at Ye Yun in disbelief, “H-how… how is this possible? You managed to incapacitate us with just a scent? Moreover, our bodies are resistant to ordinary knockout incense…”
“Nothing is impossible. Fragrance can also be poisonous gas. Based on your understanding, only knockout incense is disseminated through scent, but who told you this was ordinary knockout incense? The moment you smelled that fragrance, the poison entered your bodies through your breath, instantly robbing you of your ability to move, leaving you like lambs for slaughter. Actually, I hadn’t tested this medicine before—seems its effects are maximized.” Ye Yun spoke unhurriedly.
“You… you’re actually an Elixirist, and a poison master too!”
Ye Yun couldn’t be bothered to respond, signaling to the Hidden Guards beside her, “Kill them all.”
The coachman asked accordingly, “Miss, shouldn’t we interrogate them first?”
A Hidden Guard nearby whispered, “Miss, someone is approaching—likely the imperial guards responsible for the capital’s security.”
“Just a bunch of vermin, no use keeping them alive. Why are you still hesitating? Do it.”
The Hidden Guards didn’t delay, and in an instant, all the black-clad assassins were slain with a single sword stroke to the throat.
Soon, a troop of soldiers arrived—indeed, the imperial guards.
The person at the forefront appeared particularly flustered. When Ye Yun saw who appeared before her, it was none other than Mo Qingchen.
“Yun’er, are you alright? Were you frightened? Are you injured anywhere?” Mo Qingchen asked Ye Yun with nervous concern.
Ye Yun offered Mo Qingchen a faint smile. “Wang Ye, you’re not at all like your usual composed and steady self. Are you really that afraid something might happen to me?”
Mo Qingchen responded in a deep voice, “Afraid. Very afraid.”
Ye Yun moved closer to Mo Qingchen, directly wrapping her arms around his neck. The earlier smile faded as she put on a pitiful expression, looking at him with feigned grievance. “It’s just… suddenly so many assassins appeared. It was terrifying! So scary! I need a hug!”
At these words, everyone—the coachman standing nearby, the Hidden Guards from the Protectorate Duke’s Residence, and even Lingzhi—was stunned. When their young lady had ordered the killing of those black-clad assassins, she hadn’t been like this at all.
Naturally, Mo Qingchen complied with Ye Yun’s words, sweeping her up into a horizontal carry.
The Imperial Guard Commander, Fu Zhaoyan, approached. “Wang Ye, all those assassins are dead.”
“Dead is dead. Do I need to teach you how to handle such matters?”
Fu Zhaoyan quickly replied, “No need, Wang Ye. Rest assured, this official will take care of it properly and make sure those who are plotting in the shadows see the consequences of causing trouble in the Imperial Capital.”
Subsequently, Mo Qingchen carried Ye Yun onto the Prince Chen’s Mansion carriage waiting behind.
Inside the carriage…
Ye Yun remained in Mo Qingchen’s embrace, seated directly on his lap.
“I’m sorry. These past two days, I…”
“It’s alright now.” Seeing the still-worried look in Mo Qingchen’s eyes, Ye Yun spoke in a soft voice. She had just been acting spoiled to get him to hold her—had her performance been that convincing?
“The Imperial Guards arrived so quickly. You must have given specific orders in advance, right? Actually, these people were bound to make their move sooner or later. I had a good idea of that.”
“A good idea?” Mo Qingchen gazed at the person in his arms. “So Yun’er ordered the Hidden Guards to kill them all.”
“Mhm. Keeping them around would have been useless anyway. Better to eliminate them cleanly.” Ye Yun nodded as she spoke.
Mo Qingchen casually asked, “Then, can you guess who would want to do this?”
Instead of hastily answering Mo Qingchen’s question, Ye Yun tightened her arms around his neck, using the leverage to shift her body upward slightly until she was pressed close to his ear. “You’ve already started calling me ‘Yun’er,’ so why are you back to using ‘you’ again? Can’t you just smoothly call me that from now on?”
Mo Qingchen was amused by what this little girl chose to focus on. Setting aside the recent assassination attempt for the moment, he seriously responded to the person in his arms. “Mhm, as you wish. Since that’s the case, shouldn’t Yun’er also change how she addresses me?”
“Of course, no problem.” Ye Yun remained close to Mo Qingchen’s ear. “Qing-gege? Or Chen-gege? Or perhaps… husband?”
Instantly, it felt like a string snapped in Mo Qingchen’s mind. These forms of address, coming from this girl’s mouth, were indescribably intimate and alluring—especially that “husband.” If he heard it a couple more times, he reckoned his bones would turn to jelly. It took him a long moment to regain his composure. Somewhat dazedly, he said, “You… as you like. Call me whatever you prefer, as long as… you’re happy with it.”
Having said this, Mo Qingchen quickly changed the subject. “Today, with those assassins eliminated, those scheming in the shadows won’t dare act rashly for a while. But we must remain cautious and not let our guard down in any aspect.”
“I know, they won’t let this go easily. But I’m your future Consort of the Prince of Imperial Order, and I understand. With you protecting me, I’m not afraid.”
“Indeed, with me protecting you, there’s nothing to fear.”