Her mind was often clouded with impure thoughts, and she frequently spoke in ambiguous terms. The Crown Prince had long grown accustomed to it. He turned away, steadying his breath before speaking in a low, controlled voice, "Apply the ointment and come up."
Yun Kui nodded in acknowledgment, dipping her fingertips into the medicinal paste and spreading only a thin layer. Fortunately, the scent wasn't overpowering—something the Crown Prince could tolerate.
The lesson from last time still haunted her. Just thinking about it made her burn with shame, to the point where she wished she could vanish into the ground every time the memory resurfaced.
What a sin! She had her reasons too. If she hadn’t believed she was about to die, she would never have dared to act so boldly or utter such audacious words…
Luckily, neither of them brought up the awkwardness of that night. It was brushed aside like a wisp of smoke, dissolving into nothingness.
Rather than being the Crown Prince’s favored concubine, she much preferred to be one of his capable and extraordinary subordinates.
Yun Kui made a silent vow: she would abstain from any improper thoughts for a while, just long enough for the Crown Prince to forget all about her transgressions that night.
"What nonsense about wanting to take advantage of him, counting his abs, or sneaking a peek at 'Little Highness'—none of that ever happened!"
She would use her unique dream-walking ability to help the Crown Prince root out the hidden spies and bring down the masterminds plotting against him. She’d earn her place through merit, claim a hefty reward, and secure a thousand taels of silver!
A cold smirk curled at the Crown Prince’s lips as he abruptly pulled her soft, pliant body into his arms, his dark, fathomless eyes boring into hers.
His devastatingly handsome face suddenly loomed before her, magnified in proximity. Yun Kui’s heart pounded wildly, and she immediately squeezed her eyes shut.
"Abstain, abstain, abstain…"
"Little Sunflower, you must resist!"
She tried her best to ignore the warmth of his body and the searing heat of his palm against her waist, keeping her eyes tightly closed until she finally calmed down and drifted into slumber.
In a dazed haze, she slipped into someone’s dream.
Except… this person wasn’t the shadowy conspirator she had expected.
Instead, she found herself dreaming of… the Sixth Prince.
The Sixth Prince had arranged to meet her at a secluded corner gate of the Eastern Palace. He gazed at her with tender affection, clasping her hands as he whispered, "Yun Kui, I can’t bear to see you suffer in the Eastern Palace any longer. Don’t worry—tomorrow, I’ll beg His Highness the Crown Prince to send you to me. I’ll treat you well."
And "she" in the dream was moved to tears, her face alight with trust and anticipation as she cooed in response, "I’ll wait for you, Your Highness."
But the Sixth Prince’s plan didn’t go smoothly.
The scene shifted abruptly—dark clouds loomed over the city, the thunder of hooves filled the air, and an oppressive, murderous tension hung thick.
Deep in the wilderness, a band of black-clad riders surged through the overgrown brush, chasing a fleeing couple who stumbled toward the edge of a sheer cliff, trapped with nowhere left to run.
Yun Kui tensed, and upon closer inspection, the desperate pair at the precipice was none other than… herself and the Sixth Prince!
The pursuers closed in, their leader seated atop a towering steed, his icy black eyes radiating killing intent.
The Sixth Prince, panting and disheveled, still stood defiantly in front of her. "Elder Brother Crown Prince, the world’s beauties are yours for the taking! You have everything—why can’t you spare just one Yun Kui for me? Let us go!"
The Crown Prince nocked an arrow, his expression merciless. With a sharp whoosh, the silver-tipped projectile sliced through the wind, hurtling straight toward them!
With no retreat left, the Sixth Prince and "she" exchanged a tearful glance.
"In the heavens, we’ll be two lovebirds flying wing to wing," he vowed.
"On earth, two branches intertwined on a single tree," "she" echoed between sobs.
And Yun Kui could only watch helplessly as the doomed lovers plunged hand-in-hand into the abyss.
But the story didn’t end there.
The cliff dropped into a deep pool, and they miraculously survived. By the emerald waters, veiled in mist, their soaked but feverish bodies entwined…
Yun Kui: "……"
Just how many romance novels has the Sixth Prince devoured to conjure up a dream like this?!
The scene was too scandalizing to endure. Yun Kui forced herself awake.
Who would’ve thought that the Sixth Prince, who had only met her for the first time today—looking so proper and possibly even younger than her—would harbor such thoughts about her?!
She glanced at the Crown Prince, only to find him already awake, his obsidian eyes simmering with a cold fury identical to the one in the dream where he’d driven them off the cliff.
Yun Kui: "……"
"What’s with the murderous glare? Who pissed him off now?"
The Crown Prince was a light sleeper, and her noisy internal monologue had roused him, stirring an unshakable irritation.
"What did you see?"
His tone was deceptively calm, but a chill crept up Yun Kui’s spine. She was about to brush it off with a lie when he cut in sharply, "I want the truth."
The icy command startled her.
"Truth or lie? I haven’t even said whose dream it was!"
"But this dream is too absurd. If I tell him, would it endanger the Sixth Prince? After all, he hasn’t actually done anything—it’s just a dream. I can’t exaggerate it into some grand offense and tattle to the Crown Prince."
"Then again… maybe he wouldn’t care. A lowly bedchamber maid is nothing—it’s common for nobles to gift us among themselves. If the Sixth Prince really asked for me, would he hand me over?"
"The Sixth Prince seemed kind enough today. He even defended me in front of the Ninth Prince—he doesn’t seem like the type to mistreat servants. But he’s the Empress’s son. Even if the Crown Prince agreed, Her Majesty would never allow it."
"And if the Empress finds out I never administered that secret drug to the Crown Prince—that I even surrendered it—what will she do to me…?"
The thoughts tangled into a suffocating knot.
Was she upset over her lowly status, subject to the whims of her masters? Or was she dreading the Empress’s wrath? And now, even a trivial dream was being interrogated under the Crown Prince’s frigid scrutiny…
Yun Kui turned away silently, her nose stinging.
Hearing her inner turmoil, the Crown Prince’s stern expression gradually softened.
"Yun Kui."
She kept her back to him, biting her lip. "It really wasn’t a good dream. Please don’t ask, Your Highness."
A long silence stretched before the Crown Prince finally murmured, staring at the canopy, "Go back to sleep."
Yun Kui exhaled quietly and shut her eyes.
But the dream lingered in her mind. The Empress was shrewd and ruthless, and the Sixth Prince’s father, Prince Chen, seemed dignified and steady—so how did their son end up like…?
Before she could puzzle it out, the Crown Prince’s detached voice cut through the dark.
"If it wasn’t a good dream, why keep dwelling on it?"
Yun Kui: "……"
"Your Highness, you’re micromanaging my thoughts now?!"
"It’s like he has a sixth sense—how does he always know when I’m overthinking?"
Grumbling internally, she eventually succumbed to drowsiness. Just when she thought the night would yield nothing useful, another bizarre vision unfolded.
In a resplendent hall adorned in gold and jade, the young Ninth Prince sat upon a dragon-carved throne, his feet dangling far above the ground.
Ministers knelt below, chanting "Long live the Emperor!" The five-year-old Ninth Prince lifted his chin imperiously and piped in a childish voice, "Rise, my subjects."
Yun Kui watched in stunned silence.
She knew little of court affairs, but even she understood—the Crown Prince was the rightful heir. Even if he didn’t ascend, the Ninth Prince had several elder brothers ahead of him. And as a non-imperial consort’s son, how could the throne possibly fall to him?
Could this be The Ninth Prince's dream? He's still so young—does he already aspire to be emperor?
In the vision, The Ninth Prince rushed straight to Cining Palace after court. Awaiting him was the radiant, jewel-adorned Concubine Yu, and beside her stood… none other than the Heir of Ningde Marquis!
The Ninth Prince darted between them, tilting his chubby face upward as he cheerfully called them "Father" and "Mother," eagerly recounting the day’s court affairs.
Yun Kui stared in shock.
Her eyes nearly popped out when The Ninth Prince uttered that word—"Father"!
The Ninth Prince had addressed the Heir of Ningde Marquis as his father!
Yun Kui jolted awake, her heart pounding.
She’d stumbled upon an earth-shattering secret!
But whose dream was this? If it belonged to The Ninth Prince, did he already know his true father wasn’t Emperor Chunming but the Heir of Ningde Marquis?
Or was this the Heir’s delusion? After all, in his dreams, he dared to covet the emperor’s concubine—so fantasizing about her son calling him "Father" seemed fitting, no?
Too agitated to sleep, Yun Kui rolled over and tugged at the man beside her. "Your Highness, are you awake?"
The Crown Prince had long been roused by her mental clamor.
They lay close, and her inner voice—so unlike her usual timid demeanor—pierced his ears with intermittent shrieks.
As she shook his arm, a throbbing ache spread across his temples. He opened his eyes, revealing bloodshot depths.
Yun Kui’s excitement withered under his fiery gaze. But having already disturbed him, she feared punishment and nuzzled submissively closer. "Your Highness, guess what I dreamed?"
The Crown Prince’s skull pounded; words were a chore.
Yun Kui, incapable of secrecy, whispered eagerly, "Remember when I told you about Concubine Yu’s affair with the Heir of Ningde Marquis in my dream? Just now, I saw The Ninth Prince—he’s not the emperor’s son, but the Heir’s!"
The Crown Prince had already heard her mental outburst.
This dream likely belonged to the Heir.
A five-year-old couldn’t hide such knowledge. If The Ninth Prince truly knew his parentage, chaos would’ve erupted.
Had Concubine Yu and the Heir indeed cuckolded the emperor, Emperor Chunming himself would ensure Ningde Marquis’s household faced execution—or worse—to salvage imperial dignity.
Noticing the faint smirk on the Crown Prince’s lips (though exhaustion lingered in his eyes), Yun Kui recalled Eunuch Cao’s warnings. "Has Your Highness’s headache returned?"
The Crown Prince shut his eyes, brow furrowed.
Yun Kui hesitated. "Should I fetch Military Doctor He… or summon Eunuch Cao?"
With a cold scoff, he taunted, "Weren’t you the picture of loyalty? Now you flee at the first sign of my pain?"
"Never!" she protested. "I only fear my clumsiness might worsen Your Highness’s discomfort."
The Crown Prince’s grin turned wolfish. "What if I insist on your service?"
Yun Kui’s cheeks puffed indignantly.
Does he not realize how terrifying he is?!
Fine, I’ll do it. He won’t kill me… probably. But if he gets violent and decides to ‘punish’ me, can I even survive—
The Crown Prince: "…"
Memories of that suffocating kiss resurfaced, making Yun Kui shiver.
Back then, it’d been her first kiss—with the empire’s most formidable, ill-tempered heir. Nerves had ruined her performance.
Given another chance, she’d definitely—
Her musings shattered as the Crown Prince’s glare speared her.
Instantly docile, she bowed her head. "How may this humble servant assist Your Highness?"
His gaze dropped to her slightly parted lips, recalling how beautifully she’d unraveled beneath him that night.
"If given another chance…" What would she do?
Voice rough, he commanded, "Come closer."
Yun Kui’s pulse spiked.
What’s his plan?!
A safe gap still separated them. Was he ensuring optimal neck-snapping range?
His tone darkened. "Reluctant?"
"N-No!"
Her neck prickled as she glimpsed his sharp Adam’s apple bobbing, then the pale expanse of collarbone and chest half-shadowed in candlelight…
How close is ‘closer’?
Inching forward, her knee brushed his—igniting memories of his grip behind her knees, that electric touch searing up her thighs.
Heat flooded her cheeks.
I was supposed to abstain!
But how dare I disobey?
Silence stretched as she crept nearer, until his scorching breath fanned her forehead. Trembling, she peeked up. "Your Highness, is this—"
His cool lips captured hers mid-sentence.
Little Sunflower’s vow of chastity: officially broken.
