Chapter 18 Your Highness, please spare this servant!
So, was it the Crown Prince who rescued her?
The faint candlelight flickered within the curtains, outlining the man's sharply defined features: a high nose, thin lips, and a hard jaw, like a sword gleaming coldly in the dark night. Even lying there quietly, his aura still carried a strong sense of oppression, making people subconsciously hold their breath.
Yun Kui thought of the Crown Prince being pierced by a thousand arrows in her dream. Even amidst the flashing swords and flying blood, she remained an observer. She knew it was someone else's dream, but she didn't know who it was, that even in her dream, the Crown Prince was dying on the battlefield.
Could it be the Crown Prince's own dream?
Admittedly, she had no affection for the Crown Prince, and she was even afraid of him, fearing that she would be executed if she did not serve him well. But when such a living person died in such a tragic and bloody way in front of her, no one could remain unmoved.
She didn't know how long she had been watching, but by the time she came to her senses, the man had already silently opened his eyes.
He sensed the dream from Yun Kui's inner voice.
But that dream wasn't his.
All I can say is that there are too many people in this world who want him dead; they dream of killing him.
Under the girl's terrified gaze, the Crown Prince stared into her eyes and said in a deep voice, "You have shared a bed with me for the third night. You have more opportunity than anyone else to take my life. Why don't you do it?"
Another question about death.
Yun Kui subconsciously bit her lip: "This servant wouldn't dare."
Has he already discovered the medicine and money in her room?
Then why save her?
Or perhaps he never trusted anyone from the beginning and thought everyone had ill intentions?
Yun Kui didn't know how to defend herself, after all, she couldn't refuse the Empress's secret medicine, and those medicines and silver notes were indeed in her bedroom.
If she had been determined, she should have immediately called for the capture of the traitors instead of letting those benefits slip into her hands.
She didn't know whether to kneel down and beg for forgiveness, but her body seemed to be frozen by his cold gaze, trembling uncontrollably, and she was unable to get up.
"Dare not?" The Crown Prince sneered. "Weren't you quite bold when you fed me the medicine?"
"It was because Her Majesty the Empress gave me so many rewards that I took the risk, okay?"
Moreover...
"Although I am bold, I served Your Highness medicine because I wanted to save you. I never thought of harming you!" she assured.
The Crown Prince stared at her, his dark phoenix eyes scrutinizing her: "If assassinating me were easy for you, and the offer from others were tempting enough, would you rather live in constant fear in this Eastern Palace, or kill me and live a life of ease and wealth?"
Yun Kui was captivated by his deep, cold voice. She timidly raised her head, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the taut gauze covering his chest beneath his clothes, then upwards to his sharp, full Adam's apple, his smooth, clear jawline, and his thin, moist lips... She couldn't help but swallow hard.
Images flashed through her mind inappropriately: those from the Crown Prince's dream, those from picture books, those from the hot spring palace bath, and those she imagined as slowly applying medicinal oil...
Two rosy clouds spread across Yun Kui's cheeks.
The crown prince coldly retorted, "I'm asking you a question."
Yun Kui felt dizzy, whether from nervousness or something else.
By the way, the Crown Prince just said a long string of words, but she was so focused on his constantly moving lips that she didn't notice what he said at all!
Ahhhhh, I'm dead!
Crown Prince: ...
Yun Kui wanted to cry but had no tears. She slammed her forehead on the bed and knelt down on her knees. "Your Highness, I am just an unknown palace maid. I only want to live my life peacefully in my little corner of the world. I never thought of harming anyone. Please see the truth, Your Highness!"
The crown prince chuckled coldly, a dagger appearing in his hand without his knowledge. The icy blade lifted her chin. "Either you kill me, or I kill you. What do you say?"
Yun Kui trembled violently, barely able to speak, "Your...Your Highness, spare me..."
The crown prince said, "Since you don't want to die, then kill me. If you kill me, someone will guarantee you wealth and honor."
He even kindly slipped the dagger into her hand.
Yun Kui's hand gripping the dagger trembled even more violently.
"Waaaaah, did I run into a lunatic...?"
"Although I have worked in the Imperial Kitchen, I have never even killed a chicken, let alone a human. Your Highness, please spare me..."
The prince, however, persisted: "The knife is in your hand. I am alone, severely injured, and powerless. You can do whatever you want."
"You think you're so weak you can't even kill a chicken? You're kidding me! How about you show me your muscles?"
Yun Kui scoffed inwardly, but outwardly maintained a timid demeanor. "This servant dares not. If Your Highness insists on having someone kill you, please find someone else. This servant does not have the ability..."
The Crown Prince said, "I am only willing to give you a chance."
Yun Kui: "..."
I wonder how happy those who wanted to poison the crown prince would be to hear this, while she could even raise the price on the spot...
She blinked, then boldly asked, "Does this servant truly have the right to do whatever she wants, and Your Highness truly won't fight back?"
The prince's lips curled slightly: "You can give it a try."
There was no escaping it anyway, so Yun Kui gripped the hilt of her sword. "Then... Your Highness, could you please close your eyes?"
The crown prince's eyes darkened slightly, a barely perceptible hint of danger flashing within them, before he responded with a half-smile: "Alright."
Her pronunciation was extremely light, with a slight upward inflection at the end, which sounded somewhat pleasant, as if she were always ready to pounce on her dagger.
Yun Kui was so nervous that her breathing quickened and her mind was buzzing. Naturally, she didn't notice that the veins on the arms of the Crown Prince Xuan Ling under his wide sleeves were bulging, like a beast staring intently at its prey. If the other party made any rash move, the beast would immediately pounce and tear its prey to shreds.
Yun Kui's hand trembled slightly. She dropped the dagger, jumped off the bed with lightning speed, and was about to run out of the hall.
If you don't run now, when will you?
But after taking only two steps, a deep, husky voice sounded behind him—
"Trying to run away again?"
The night she served the medicine, she received a reward of ten taels of gold and then quietly disappeared.
Yun Kui closed her eyes tightly, turned around tearfully, and cried, "Your Highness..."
With a "thud," the dagger was thrown in front of her.
Yun Kui's liver and gallbladder trembled.
A playful chuckle came from above, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hand with distinct knuckles casually pat the sheets. The man's deep, magnetic voice resonated in my ears, "Get in bed."
Yun Kui was pleasantly surprised, but she dared not be careless, so she lowered her head and said, "This servant wouldn't dare..."
The crown prince's expression darkened, and his tone turned somber: "I told you to come up."
Yun Kui trembled with fear, "Your Highness, please spare this servant..."
However, she received no response from the prince. She only felt a chilling wind on her neck and the air around her seemed to freeze.
I don't know where I got the courage from, but my feet moved faster than my brain, and I actually dared to trick the Crown Prince into closing his eyes and slipping out right under his nose!
Looking back now, she feels she really deserves to die.
But His Highness the Crown Prince asked her to sleep with him...
Yun Kui stopped thinking about it, threw the dagger on the ground far away, then immediately jumped up and climbed into the inner side of the rosewood bed with the fastest speed she had ever made, quickly clutching the corner of the quilt and lying down.
After calming her breath, she looked at the pillowside with a flattering expression, "Your Highness, this servant has come up."
The crown prince stared at her for a moment, then coldly ordered, "Turn around."
Not having to be forced to stab the prince, Yun Kui breathed a sigh of relief and obediently turned around.
After a long while, she heard a soft, deep breathing sound behind her. The man slowly approached, his warm body gently pressing against her back.
Yun Kui's heart was pounding. She was secretly glad that she was wearing a nightgown, so she wouldn't be too embarrassed. Wait... a nightgown?
Wasn't she unconscious at Tangquan Palace? Was this nightgown changed for her by order of the Crown Prince?
Yun Kui subconsciously touched her lower abdomen, which felt warm and comfortable; the pain she felt while standing under the corridor had already dissipated.
She pursed her lips and said softly, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life. You are a good person."
The crown prince sneered inwardly.
She's the only one in this world who would say he's a good person.
Yun Kui asked, "What exactly is wrong with me?"
She has always been in good health, able to eat and sleep well, run and jump, and even if she occasionally catches a cold, she recovers quickly and has never been in so much pain that she faints.
The Crown Prince was about to laugh at her for not being able to distinguish between good and evil, but then he thought that the Empress had been pretending for twenty years, deceiving the world with a hypocritical and kind face. How could a stupid little palace maid like her see through it?
He concealed the fierceness in his eyes and did not answer.
Yun Kui didn't dare to ask any more questions.
She was already grateful that the King of Hell was willing to treat her to the imperial physician; if she bothered him any further, she feared she wouldn't receive this treatment in the future.
The breath falling on her neck grew hotter and hotter, and Yun Kui couldn't help but reach out to scratch it. Unexpectedly, after only scratching it twice, the itch disappeared, and the place where she had been cut by the sword blade made her gasp in pain.
He wanted to touch it again, but his fingers were grabbed and he was told, "Don't move."
Yun Kui shrugged, her earlobes tingling and itching from his hot breath.
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