"Hmph! In the dead of winter like this, snakes are all hiding in their burrows to hibernate. How could there be any snakes out and about?"
"This woman is playing such a low-level trick on them. It's hilarious."
Seeing that Yin Chen, hidden in the shadows, made no move, the woman immediately started crying loudly.
"Wuwuwu—Help! I've been bitten by a poisonous snake."
"Pfft! She's really going head-to-head with a snake! Yin Chen muttered to himself.
When the woman saw Yin Chen still not appearing, she promptly spat out loudly.
Yin Chen, fearing that this disgusting woman would disturb his master's rest, decided to come out and check on her.
Thus, he flashed out and appeared before the woman. With a dark expression, he rebuked her, "Didn't I warn you just now that the Prince's study is not a place for just anyone to approach? How dare you come here again?"
"My good sir, I really wanted to see the Prince, so I circled back. I didn't expect to hide in that flower bed and accidentally get bitten by a snake." the woman said pitifully.
Upon hearing this, Yin Chen's brow furrowed in suspicion. Could there really be snakes in that flower bed?
"My good sir, don't you believe me? Why don't you come and see?"
Seeing that Yin Chen wasn't falling for it, the woman lifted the hem of her trousers, revealing two small wounds made by a dagger on her calf for Yin Chen to see.
Yin Chen stood a short distance from the woman, glancing at the wounds on her leg. Full of doubt, he walked towards the flower bed the woman had mentioned, where the poisonous snake was supposedly located.
In an instant, a triumphant smile curved the woman's lips. Suddenly, she quickly got up, grabbed Yin Chen's wrist, and leaned her body against him, saying coyly, "Yin Wei Ge Ge, I'm afraid of snakes!"
As she spoke, her small hand gripping Yin Chen's wrist, she used her long fingernails to lightly scratch the skin on his hand. The powder on her fingertips immediately seeped into his skin. Within a minute, Yin Chen fainted.
Then, the woman dragged Yin Chen into the corridor, sat him on the ground with his back against a wooden pillar to feign sleep, and then headed to Jun Mohan's study.
At this moment, she couldn't help but mentally scoff, "Heh heh, the guards around Jun Mohan are so naive. Tonight's operation is going too smoothly."
However, the woman was unaware that countless other eyes were quietly watching her from the surroundings of the study.
Subsequently, the woman slowly pushed open the door to Jun Mohan's study and crept in quietly. Then, she took out a dagger from her sleeve and began searching the study for Jun Mohan.
Yet, after searching the study, she couldn't find Jun Mohan anywhere. This left her very confused. Was Jun Mohan not in the study at all?
She pondered for a few seconds and suddenly realized she had fallen into Jun Mohan's trap.
Therefore, she turned around, intending to flee the room.
Unexpectedly, her path was blocked by Jun Mohan, who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Sneaking into my study in the dead of night, what is your purpose?"
As Jun Mohan looked at the woman, his eyes narrowed, and an icy chill instantly covered his face, a murderous intent surging forth.
The woman immediately hid the dagger in her sleeve. In the dim light, she looked at Jun Mohan with adoring eyes.
He possessed a pair of long, beautiful purple eyes that could instantly captivate the woman's gaze. His face was sculpted with distinct features, handsome beyond compare. He exuded a kingly aura that shook the world, noble yet distant, making one afraid to approach.
"Your Highness, I am your new concubine! This humble concubine heard that Your Highness has not been feeling well these past few days, so I brewed a pot of soup to bring to you. However, Yin Wei Ge Ge would not let me deliver it, so this humble concubine had to sneak in." the woman said shyly.
"I don't care what your reason is, you are not allowed to trespass into my study."
As Jun Mohan spoke these words, his gaze was extremely cold, his eyes like sharp blades, his hair dishevelled, as dangerous as a hunting leopard.
Seeing that this tactic wouldn't work, the woman decided to try seducing Jun Mohan. Although she had often heard that the Cold King was notoriously averse to women, her recent observations of Jun Mohan suggested he wasn't as unapproachable to women as the rumors claimed. He spent every day with Leng Ruo Li, and wasn't Leng Ruo Li perfectly fine?
She slowly unbuckled her belt with her hands, but Jun Mohan struck her with his palm, sending her flying out of the study. The dagger hidden in her sleeve clanged as it fell to the side.
The hidden guards lurking in the shadows instantly appeared, their swords drawn and pointed at the woman.
Jun Mohan then strode out of the study and interrogated the woman from above, "Speak, who sent you here?"
"I will never say, even if I die. Stop asking," the woman stubbornly shook her head.
At this moment, Ye Ying crouched down and picked up the dagger the woman had dropped. Glancing at the crescent moon pattern carved on the dagger, he immediately knew the woman's identity.
"Your Highness, look!"
Ye Ying handed the dagger he picked up from the ground to Jun Mohan.
After taking the dagger, Jun Mohan also glanced at the crescent moon pattern on it. His brows immediately tightened, his expression instantly turning cold, sharp, and murderous. A fierce look appeared on his face, and he said menacingly, "It's the Dark Night Pavilion again."
"Your Highness, this woman's internal energy is not strong. She is not an important assassin from that organization. How should we handle her?" Ye Ying whispered into Jun Mohan's ear.
"Confine her to the dungeon first. We'll have the Consort deal with her tomorrow," Jun Mohan said after a moment of thought.
Upon hearing this, the woman immediately shrieked, "Cold King, I am a concubine sent to the Cold King's manor by the Empress. You cannot treat me like this!"
"The Empress can barely protect herself now. How can she protect you?" Jun Mohan said with a chilling tone. "Drag her away!"
"Yes!" several guards said respectfully to Jun Mohan and immediately dragged the woman to the dungeon.
At first, the woman kept screaming along the way, which annoyed the two guards carrying out the mission. One of the guards immediately delivered a chop to her back, knocking her unconscious instantly.
"Your Highness, what about Yin Chen?"
Ye Ying looked at Yin Chen, who had been drugged unconscious by the woman, and instantly broke into a cold sweat for him.
"Carry him into the lake to wake him up! When he's sober, he can come find me," Jun Mohan said coldly.
With that, he turned and walked back into the study.
Ye Ying watched Jun Mohan walk into the study, then raised his hand to touch his nose. After that, he glanced sideways at Yin Chen and quickly called Ye Yi and Ye Er, whispering in front of Yin Chen, "Brother, I apologize. Don't hold a grudge against me when you wake up. It's your fault for being so careless as to let a woman drug you unconscious. It's already a blessing that His Highness spared your life. I'm just following orders."
Then, Ye Ying helped Ye Yi and Ye Er, directly throwing Yin Chen into the lotus pond in the Cold King's manor garden. The icy cold lake water instantly shocked Yin Chen awake.
"Damn it, who threw me into the lake?" Yin Chen said angrily.