Chapter 6: Deliberately Deceiving Me?

In the blink of an eye, the three-day period agreed upon with the Crown Prince had arrived.

Yet Ji Hua waited until nightfall and still did not see Ling Yuzhao.

It seemed he would not come.

Could it be that Ling Yuzhao no longer cared about this unparalleled secret?

She sat on the edge of the bed in her underclothes, reading a book by the dim candlelight.

A chilly breeze drifted in from outside the window.

In the next moment, a dark figure entered the room and leisurely took a seat.

Ling Yuzhao wore a black long robe embroidered with golden flowing clouds; his belt accentuated the sharp contours of his eyes.

His brows and eyes were deeply sculpted, as if carved from stone, and his ink-black eyes looked at Ji Hua with profound meaning.

Ji Hua’s expression shifted, a hint of annoyance in her tone: “Your Highness, your obsession with sneaking into a lady’s chamber at night is rather excessive!”

She wore only a lotus-pink undergarment; the pale color made her naturally beautiful face all the more exquisite.

Like a lotus blooming after rain, pure to the extreme yet dazzlingly radiant.

Though the garment was loose, the thin fabric still revealed her fine figure.

Ling Yuzhao’s Adam’s apple moved involuntarily, and his gaze averted.

Ji Hua quickly turned to grab her outer robe and draped it over herself, a flush of red coloring her fair cheeks.

Clenching her fists, she reproached him, “Your Highness, do you not know the meaning of ‘see no evil’?”

Ling Yuzhao pressed his thin lips together, playing with a porcelain cup in his hand. “I have come today to hear you speak of the unparalleled secret.”

Ji Hua had now adjusted her outer robe, ensuring she was properly covered before turning back to Ling Yuzhao.

“Very well. The answer Your Highness seeks lies beyond the city.”

She lifted her leg and left the Spring Breeze Pavilion, having already planned a path to avoid the guards at the door. Unexpectedly, Ling Yuzhao suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist.

Just like before, with a light step of his martial skill, he easily vaulted over the two-meter-high wall, landing steadily on his chestnut horse.

Ji Hua was startled once again.

She glanced sideways at Ling Yuzhao, a flicker of anger in her eyes.

“Your Highness, next time if you plan to climb the wall with me, could you please inform me beforehand?”

Ling Yuzhao held the reins, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

“To inform you in advance would be... boring, wouldn’t it?”

Ji Hua: “...”

Suddenly, Ling Yuzhao squeezed the horse’s flank hard.

The chestnut horse neighed sharply and galloped forward.

The sudden acceleration made Ji Hua instinctively lean into Ling Yuzhao’s embrace.

The familiar scent of sandalwood filled her nose once more; in the chill of the night, his embrace felt exceptionally warm.

Her bangs were tousled by the wind.

She took a deep breath to steady her thoughts.

“After leaving the west city gate, continue straight north.”

—

The further they went outside the city, the more desolate and cold it became, until finally reaching a place utterly deserted.

Ling Yuzhao dismounted, his sharp eyes fixed on Ji Hua, his voice colder than the night air.

“The secret you speak of is here?”

This was a graveyard, dotted with tombs of various sizes, some bearing nameplates.

Some graves had been recently visited; paper offerings still lay atop them.

Ji Hua met his gaze calmly, neither humble nor overbearing. “Yes.”

Ling Yuzhao’s narrow eyes slightly narrowed.

Ji Hua took a prepared firelighter from her sleeve, ignited it, and stepped forward into the depths.

The graveyard’s night was especially bleak and terrifying.

Yet the woman before him remained unflustered.

Ling Yuzhao’s deep gaze carried a hint of appraisal; perhaps, he had truly underestimated her.

The two stopped before a solitary grave without a nameplate.

The firelight flickered in the breeze, illuminating Ji Hua’s exquisite face as she turned toward the man, her jade-like finger pointing ahead.

“Your Highness, why not guess who lies in this grave?”

Ling Yuzhao’s narrowed eyes twisted into a faint, enigmatic smile. “You know well I dislike people who deal in mysteries and illusions.”

His voice was calm yet carried a chilling edge.

Ji Hua tugged her lips into a slight smile and whispered,

“This is the grave of Ling Moxuan’s birth mother, Madam Bai.”

A shadow of dark cruelty flashed in Ling Yuzhao’s eyes as he circled the grave twice.

Judging by the soil, the grave had been here for many years.

Though lacking a nameplate, no weeds grew nearby, indicating someone regularly came to pay respects.

Ling Yuzhao’s tone was icy and sarcastic.

“Madam Jing enjoyed great favor in the palace, yet you point to such a lonely grave and claim it to be hers?”

An aura of cold suffocation suddenly burst forth from Ling Yuzhao.

Ji Hua gripped the firelighter tightly, struggling against the oppressive presence.

“Madam Jing has long since perished! When one Madam Jing dies, there can be thousands more alive!”

Her voice was steady, yet it struck like thunder.

This was the truth she knew from her previous life.

Ling Moxuan would never allow the harem to be empty.

Before she passed, Ling Moxuan had already made a secret substitution.

Seeing the man’s lips tighten, Ji Hua leaned slightly forward, lifting her head to meet his starry, dazzling eyes.

“Is it not strange to Your Highness that Madam Jing, bedridden for years, suddenly improved?”

Ling Yuzhao’s gaze turned cold and sharp.

At that time, he had heard the consort had at most a month to live, but as the end approached, the imperial physician claimed she could recover in half a month.

He suspected something, but his agents found no flaws.

Seeing him remain silent, Ji Hua smiled faintly.

“I have a way to prove it.”

Ling Yuzhao’s eyes darkened; his voice dropped. “Speak.”

“Exhumation and bone examination.”

Ji Hua turned to face Ling Yuzhao, her tone resolute.

“It is said that Madam Jing once shielded the emperor, leaving her right leg and ribs severely injured; Your Highness can verify this at once.”

Ling Yuzhao remained silent, his sharp gaze fixed on her.

He knew what she spoke of.

Yet how could she know such a secret?

Ji Hua’s hand hidden in her sleeve clenched tightly.

Beneath her delicate voice was a deep well of hatred.

“As long as this can be proven, Ling Moxuan has committed treason against the emperor!”

This time, she would never allow him to ascend the throne!

Perhaps her bitterness was too intense, but the fleeting resentment in her tone caused Ling Yuzhao’s eyes to narrow slightly.

She was becoming more and more extraordinary.

Ling Yuzhao’s handsome face betrayed no emotion.

But when his piercing gaze swept over her, it was like a looming mountain, oppressive and overwhelming.

“How did you come by such confidential knowledge?”

Ji Hua instinctively drew a breath.

One false word, and this graveyard would become her final resting place.

But!

Nothing, no one,

would stop her revenge!

She had always known Ling Yuzhao was her ally!

She placed her hands before her, bowed lightly with grace, and smiled gently.

“Your Highness, why would you think I would reveal all my means of survival?”

Ling Yuzhao’s narrow eyes squinted dangerously.

“Oh? Are you attempting to deceive me intentionally?”

At that moment, Ji Hua felt a chill crawl up her spine.

Yet she remained composed.

“Your Highness, if you wish to know more, you should not dig into the source of secrets, but protect me.”

Ling Yuzhao took slow steps toward her.

A martial artist’s footsteps are usually light, but now Ji Hua felt each step pressed heavily upon her heart.

Cold sweat broke out across her body.

Suddenly, Ling Yuzhao raised his hand and gripped her throat fiercely!