The unwashed parts of her body felt sticky and uncomfortable. She bit her lip, not daring to move, afraid of reopening his wound or dirtying his expensive robes—though they were already soiled.
He carried her for a long time. Her cheek pressed against his firm chest, where she could feel the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat. It reminded her of the moment he shielded her from the flashing blades near Magpie Bridge—warm, safe, and strong. Gradually, her tense body relaxed.
"Your Highness, it's been so long since you last saw me. Why did you summon me today?"
The Crown Prince felt her soft, delicate voice against his chest, as light and unsettling as her touch, stirring something restless in his core.
"What, you don’t wish to see me?"
Yun Kui pursed her lips. "I feared Your Highness might think I’ve grown presumptuous from favor. I could only wait obediently in the side hall for your summons. If you didn’t call for me, I’d have to reflect on whether I’d done something wrong."
Then she glanced up at him, testing the waters carefully. "You took me out of the palace to see the lanterns, bought me storybooks, and now you’re taking them away. Does this mean… you want me to stay and serve in Chengguang Palace forever?"
The Crown Prince replied sternly, "I’m only worried those frivolous tales will lead you astray. With me here, you’ll at least exercise some restraint."
Yun Kui lowered her lashes. "I see."
If reading storybooks is straying from the path, then the wrong path is my homeland.
As he walked, the Crown Prince added, "Discipline in the Eastern Palace is strict. If those forbidden books are discovered in your quarters, even I won’t be able to protect you."
Yun Kui: "..."
Yes, yes, of course. You could shield me from assassins’ blades, but a few storybooks? Impossible.
You accuse me of growing spoiled, yet carry me back in full view of everyone. By tomorrow, the whole Eastern Palace will be buzzing.
I’d love to keep a low profile, but how is that possible now?
The Crown Prince listened silently to her inner monologue but said nothing.
Ever since he’d kept her by his side, none of the guards or stewards—those with even a shred of discernment—dared mistreat her.
As for the imaginary Crown Princess in her mind? That was pure fantasy.
Titles and status were beyond her understanding. Even if he wanted to grant her one, she wouldn’t dare accept. It could wait until the court’s affairs settled.
Back in Chengguang Palace, he set her down on the bed and noticed the faint stains on her lilac gown, even smudged along her neck.
No wonder she’d been so aggrieved earlier.
He wiped her neck with a handkerchief, his knuckles brushing the snow-white skin and the delicate pink of her earlobe. His gaze darkened. "Shall I have someone help you clean up?"
Yun Kui shook her head hurriedly. "No need for others..."
Only then did she realize the wound at his waist had bled through, dampening the bandages, and a sheen of sweat glistened at his temples.
Panic seized her. "Your Highness, let me call the military physician—"
She tried to rise, but he held her down.
The Crown Prince’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "A minor injury. Can’t you bandage it yourself?"
Yun Kui nodded quickly. "I’ll tend to it."
Ignoring her own disheveled state, she washed her hands, fetched the wound salve, and carefully helped him out of his outer robe.
The sight of the blood-soaked bandages made her throat tighten. Her fingers trembled as she unwound the gauze.
"Your Highness knew you were injured. Why did you insist on—"
"Hiss."
A sharp inhale from him cut her off.
She froze. "Did I hurt you?"
The Crown Prince sat on the bed, his dark robes parted to reveal a sculpted chest and lean waist. With each breath, the defined muscles of his abdomen tensed.
This is… too tempting.
How can someone look this good even while injured?!
Her worry was genuine, but she couldn’t help admiring the taut, flawless lines of his body.
Blood seeped from the wound, stark against his chiseled torso. Fighting her trembling hands, she dabbed it clean with a cloth and applied the salve.
Once done, she swallowed hard and blew gently on the treated injury—only for the warm breath to stir an unintended reaction lower down.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the "little prince" rising beneath his robes. Remembering the exhaustion from the carriage, she didn’t dare look up, scrambling to her feet. "I—I need to change!"
His smoldering gaze followed her, dark with unspoken desire.
He exhaled deeply, forcing himself under control.
After scrubbing her soiled dress and cleaning herself, Yun Kui returned to find Deshun had already bathed the Crown Prince.
Hesitating at the doorway, she asked, "Does Your Highness wish for me to stay tonight?"
The Crown Prince arched a brow. "What do you think?"
"But your injury shouldn’t be strained further..."
And I haven’t even read my treasured book yet!
A cool glance from him made her shrink back. She obediently climbed into the sandalwood bed.
The night had been overwhelming—lantern festival, the collapsing tower, the assassination attempt, and then a grueling half-hour in the carriage!
At least the Crown Prince seemed too spent to bother her.
Probably doesn’t have the energy left anyway.
The Crown Prince: "..."
If not for her exhaustion, he’d gladly prove just how much energy he had.
Yun Kui closed her eyes, drifting into sleep.
The assassination attempt haunted her dreams. In them, the Crown Prince failed to block the killing strike—the sword plunged straight into his heart.
When she looked up, the assassin’s mask was gone, revealing a face scarred by fire, twisted and grotesque.
With the Crown Prince dead, the assassin received an imperial decree:
"General Feng Yu, valiant and wise, loyal unto death, has braved peril and achieved great merit. Henceforth, he is named Marquis of Zhongyong, granted three thousand households, and bestowed the Iron Certificate. So decreed."
Feng Yu knelt in gratitude, tears streaming.
Only then did Yun Kui notice his burns had healed, leaving him handsome and dignified, every inch the heroic general.
But she recognized those cold, pitch-black eyes.
This was the leader of the assassins who had attacked the Crown Prince!
She awoke with a start, face-to-face with the Crown Prince’s striking features—his sharp brows, noble nose, and aloof elegance.
Without thinking, she reached out, tracing the angles of his face, reassured by his warmth and steady pulse.
Your Highness, you’ve died hundreds of times in my dreams...
At least none of them came true.
She sighed in relief—only to meet his dark, watchful eyes. Her heart skipped. "You’re awake?"
Why does he always wake up right after my dreams?
The Crown Prince asked, "Who did you dream of this time?"
Yun Kui did not recognize the assassin, so she could only truthfully recount what she had seen in her dream. "I dreamed of the leader of today's assassins. He killed Your Highness, achieved great merit, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor, and even restored his original appearance..."
The Crown Prince repeated in a low voice, "Original appearance?"
Yun Kui still felt a lingering fear when recalling that terrifying face. She gestured with her hand to show him, "His right cheek was injured—it seemed like the entire side had been burned by fire... Oh, and the imperial decree mentioned his name was Feng Yu!"
The Crown Prince's gaze turned icy in an instant.
So it was him.
The truth, once shrouded in layers of mystery, now surfaced as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
Tonight's assassins.
Lu Qi, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, whose face had been disfigured by fire and who had worn a bronze mask for years.
And the Valiant General who had colluded with the enemy during the Battle of Wolf Mountain, trapping the army in a deadly encirclement—they were likely the same person!
Twenty years was too distant a past. The faint traces of the Battle of Wolf Mountain had long since vanished, and any evidence that could have been destroyed had already been erased.
It was only after three years of deep investigation in the northern frontier, painstakingly unraveling long-buried clues, that he had uncovered the truth: the Valiant General Feng Yu, under the late emperor's command, had secretly conspired with Northern Wei. Moreover, Feng Yu had not died on the battlefield but had disappeared.
The Crown Prince had been searching for this man since a year ago. Even after returning to the capital, he deliberately mentioned Feng Yu's name in front of Emperor Chunming. If the emperor had a guilty conscience, he would surely act, allowing the Crown Prince to trace Feng Yu's whereabouts through the resulting movements. Yet, until now, his spies had found nothing.
It turned out to be a case of hiding in plain sight—the most dangerous place was the safest. Lu Qi had served loyally before the emperor for over a decade under the guise of the Imperial Guards Commander, a name known to all. But due to his disfigured face and the changes in his physique over twenty years, not even his colleagues in court had recognized him.
Seeing his expression, Yun Kui faintly realized this man was no ordinary figure. Had she just helped him unravel another mystery?
Just like when she dreamed of the Heir of Ningde Marquis's affair with Concubine Yu—had she done him another great service?
The Crown Prince's eyes held a chilling sharpness, like the edge of a blade, but Yun Kui knew that cold gaze wasn’t directed at her.
She whispered, "Your Highness?"
The Crown Prince, having pieced things together, softened his gaze and instinctively ruffled her hair. "You truly are my lucky star."
Yun Kui’s heart swelled with joy. "Did I help Your Highness again?"
The Crown Prince: "Mm."
Yun Kui thought to herself, Does this mean I can ask for another reward?
The Crown Prince, a faint smile at the corner of his lips, asked, "What would you like?"
This time, Yun Kui considered carefully. "I have an idea—one that could help Your Highness while also protecting me."
The Crown Prince couldn’t hear her thoughts, but he sensed something amiss.
Sure enough, she continued, "If Your Highness truly wishes to reward me, how about appointing me as a palace official? Among the Six Bureaus and One Office, I could serve in the Bureau of Wardrobe, Bureau of Food, or Bureau of Bedchamber... Let’s say the Bureau of Bedchamber! From now on, I’ll be in charge of Your Highness’s nightly rest and... other intimate matters. If Your Highness misses me or needs me to enter someone’s dream, just summon me, and I’ll comply without fail."
As a palace official, my salary would far exceed what I earn now. And with an official rank, even the Crown Princess wouldn’t dare to punish me lightly.
Not only would I thrive in the palace, but even after leaving, I’d be a respected figure among noble families!
But as she spoke, she noticed the Crown Prince’s expression growing darker, sending a chill down her spine. She quickly backtracked, "I... I don’t expect to start as a Chief Palace Matron right away. I could begin as a seventh-rank Attendant of the Bedchamber. I’m still young, after all..."
So stingy!
Every time you promise a reward, you end up scowling. Your Highness, you’re truly hard to please!
