Mu Yunjin glanced at the wailing person beside her, who was the same Qingzhou commoner who had given her directions earlier. She raised an eyebrow slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of mischievous playfulness.
The woman also noticed Mu Yunjin and gave her a strange look before turning back to the boy trapped by the floodwaters and continuing her cry.
Mu Yunjin folded her arms and raised her eyebrows, speaking with a cool tone, “Ma’am, when I asked you earlier about Lord Yang’s residence, did you point me in the wrong direction?”
The woman briefly stopped crying. Hearing Mu Yunjin’s voice, she glared at her. “I don’t have time to deal with you now. If you want to settle accounts, wait until my son is safe.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Yunjin chuckled lightly and pointed at the small boy, feigning horror as she spoke, “Oh my, look! The flood is rising again!”
“You…” the woman was furious. Not knowing where Mu Yunjin had come from, she cursed, “I could tell at a glance you weren’t a good person.”
“Oh, my poor son!” Turning her head back, the woman continued to wail, completely helpless against the fierce floodwaters.
Mu Yunjin tilted her head, sighed, and shook her head. “I was actually going to help, but since the mother says I don’t look like a good person, forget it then.”
With that, Mu Yunjin turned to leave.
…
…
The moment she turned, the person she had been looking for half the day was standing right behind her, his eyes dark and brooding as he stared at her.
Mu Yunjin was startled, her mouth twitching. It seemed like a long time since Chu Li had given her such a cold look, and she was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Chu Li glanced at Mu Yunjin, then looked at the boy trapped by the floodwaters, and said to Ding Xian beside him, “Save him.”
Ding Xian understood and flew to the big tree, grabbing the boy and landing steadily on solid ground.
The woman immediately took the child and ran over, repeatedly thanking Chu Li. “Thank you so much, Prince Ning! With you here, our Qingzhou will surely overcome this crisis.”
Chu Li nodded faintly. “The disasters here are severe lately. Watch your child carefully.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” The woman hurriedly nodded. Catching sight of Mu Yunjin to the side, she showed contempt and complained to Chu Li, “Prince Ning, this woman is from who knows where, acting suspiciously since morning. Just now she was even saying spiteful things here. Please have someone question her thoroughly.”
“She is this Prince’s wife,” Chu Li said coldly but calmly.
Hearing this, the woman was frightened, suddenly remembering that Mu Yunjin had asked for directions to Lord Yang’s residence that morning. Her eyes revealed terror as she realized she was in deep trouble.
“You may leave now,” Chu Li spoke coldly, not waiting for the woman’s reaction.
The woman could hardly believe it. She looked at Chu Li, then at Mu Yunjin, before hurriedly taking her child and rushing home.
Mu Yunjin had been standing in place the whole time. Seeing that Chu Li still maintained his icy demeanor after the woman left, she felt oddly guilty. “What’s wrong?”
“If you treat this disaster area as a playground, you can return to the Imperial City.” Chu Li gave Mu Yunjin a cold glance before turning around and walking away.
Mu Yunjin frowned, pondering. She guessed that Chu Li was upset about her teasing the child earlier, so she hurried after him.
“What’s the big deal? I was actually going to save him, but that woman kept saying I wasn’t a good person, so I just wanted to tease her a bit.” After speaking, Mu Yunjin felt her explanation was unnecessary.
She and Chu Li had been together for quite some time now. He should know her character, so why was he reprimanding her for this?
With these thoughts, Mu Yunjin felt uncomfortable. When they reached an intersection, she didn’t follow Chu Li but walked in the opposite direction.
Partly out of defiance, Mu Yunjin felt increasingly stifled. Did Chu Li think she was making trouble by being here?
If that’s what he thought, she might as well go back. What was the point of staying?
Angered, Mu Yunjin turned around, thinking she would return to the residence, pack her things, and head back to the Imperial City.
Just as she turned back, she saw Chu Li still standing at the intersection, alone with his hands behind his back, silently standing there with his gaze fixed on her, his emotions unreadable.
Mu Yunjin’s steps faltered, and she bit her lip, unable to release her anger. She continued forward and, when passing by Chu Li, snorted, “I’m going back to pack my things and return to Diehua City, so I won’t be in your way.”
“All right,” Chu Li readily agreed, his tone casual and his eyes no longer as cold as before.
Seeing that Chu Li agreed so easily, Mu Yunjin laughed coldly. “Chu Li, I’ve finally seen through you completely!”
With that, she walked past Chu Li. After just a few steps, she didn’t notice a puddle of mud beneath her feet and slipped toward a muddy pit to one side before she could react.
After rolling around in the mud pit, when Mu Yunjin got up, she felt almost disoriented.
Looking at the edge of the muddy path, a certain someone was staring at her blankly, seemingly still processing what had just happened. After a moment, his lips curved into an unprecedented, intense smile, and he burst into joyful laughter.
Mu Yunjin swore this was the first time she had seen Chu Li laugh so hard he could barely stand straight.
…
“Have you laughed enough yet?”
On the way back, Mu Yunjin, riding on Chu Li’s back, felt his slightly trembling body and angrily smeared the remaining mud on her hand across his handsome face.
Chu Li, carrying the mud-soaked Mu Yunjin, slightly suppressed his laughter and sighed. “I never realized this Prince could be so accepting of someone.”
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin’s eyes revealed contempt, her teeth nearly grinding together. “Say that one more time, and see if I don’t challenge you to a duel after dark.”
“Why wait until dark?” Chu Li asked leisurely, his face still holding a smile.
“No reason,” Mu Yunjin rolled her eyes. After dark, she could ambush him when he couldn’t see well—during the day, she couldn’t beat him.
Back at the residence, Xiaoju saw the two of them and immediately came forward, speaking in alarm, “Prince, Princess, what happened to you?”
“Prepare hot water,” Chu Li said calmly.
Xiaoju nodded and immediately ran off.
Mu Yunjin got down from Chu Li’s back and saw that the back of his fine clothes was covered in mud. She pressed her lips together in a smile, her gaze falling on the side room.
“Didn’t that Yang Wanshan say he would send people to repair it today? Why is it still like this?” Mu Yunjin thought of the small bed and felt her waist aching.
“Floods have broken out in the west. There’s no manpower available,” Chu Li said softly.
Mu Yunjin understood and snorted, walking into the small bathing room. She changed out of her mud-covered dirty clothes and immersed herself in the warm bath.
After bathing, Mu Yunjin returned to the small room. Chu Li was now bathing, and Mu Yunjin lay alone on the small bed, spread out like a starfish, feeling utterly comfortable.
Outside the window, the rain continued. Mu Yunjin pulled the blanket tighter, resting her head on her hand, thinking that if the rain kept falling like this, the flooding here would probably never be resolved.
With that thought, she turned over, feeling a bit annoyed. Chu Ye was now the Crown Prince, installed in the Eastern Palace, while Chu Li had to suffer here. Why was that fair?
At that moment, the door opened.
Mu Yunjin looked back at the person entering and sat up on the bed, one hand resting on her knee. “Chu Li, do you think someone might be controlling the rain here?”
Why else would the flood emerge at such a critical moment, and why specifically in Qingzhou, so far from the Imperial City?
“Been listening to too many stories?” Chu Li looked at her and shook his head slightly. “I used to think you were quite clever, but you’re getting more foolish.”
Mu Yunjin glared at Chu Li. Seeing him standing at the edge of the bed, she deliberately lay back down, occupying the small bed alone, with no intention of making room for him.
Chu Li narrowed his eyes, stroking his chin, and said softly, “Is my beloved consort suggesting that this Prince…”
“Sleep on top of you?”
Mu Yunjin’s body stiffened on the bed, but then she figured Chu Li wouldn’t dare do such a thing. She was still upset about the unpleasantness with that woman earlier!
So she said dismissively, “Just try it!”
After she spoke, the person standing by the bed didn’t move. Mu Yunjin thought she had intimidated Chu Li and felt smug. She covered herself with the blanket and closed her eyes to sleep.
Beside her, Chu Li’s lips curved upward as he looked down at Mu Yunjin, his smile spreading further. He suddenly turned and pressed her down beneath the blanket. The previously pretending sleeper instantly opened her eyes.
Mu Yunjin looked up at Chu Li with a frown. “You’re serious?”
“Do you want me to be?” Chu Li lowered his head to Mu Yunjin’s neck, gently stroking her brow, his movements tender.
Mu Yunjin pushed at Chu Li, realizing she truly couldn’t outplay this cunning man. She sighed, “Let me go. I’ll make room for you to sleep.”
Chu Li didn’t move. His gaze fell on her rosy lips, inexplicably reminded of those exceptionally sweet kisses at the Liquan Pavilion not long ago. A hot sensation rose from his abdomen as he slowly lowered his head and kissed Mu Yunjin’s lips.
Mu Yunjin’s body felt as if an electric current was flowing through it. She instinctively wanted to push Chu Li away, but today his kiss was especially gentle, mysteriously softening Mu Yunjin’s heart. Her hand, which was about to push Chu Li away, froze in mid-air before falling powerlessly.
She thought, she probably did like Chu Li…
Her heart still raced as an indescribable emotion gradually welled up in Mu Yunjin’s heart, and she unconsciously began to respond dreamily to Chu Li’s kiss.
Feeling Mu Yunjin’s response, Chu Li’s smile deepened, and he intensified the passionate kiss.
When the kiss ended, just as Chu Li was about to reach for the sash of Mu Yunjin’s clothes, he stopped and smiled gently. “You seem quite entranced?”
Mu Yunjin snapped back to reality!
Using all her strength, she pushed away the Chu Li who was pressing on her, then patted her flushed face and clutched the front of her clothes, feeling embarrassed. What had she just been doing? Had she been seduced by his beauty? How undignified!
Chu Li chuckled softly, placing his hand on her shoulder and stroking a strand of her hair, his handsome face showing a trace of solemnity.
“Mu Yunjin, what do you think of this Prince?”
Unable to fathom the meaning behind Chu Li’s words, Mu Yunjin glanced sideways at him before quickly looking away, answering awkwardly, “Not bad!”
“Not bad, then let’s be together.”