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Young Master Yun was extraordinarily handsome, but in my residence…
Yun Chu remained kneeling for a long time, from bewilderment to confusion.
His knees hurt, but it was nothing compared to the dull ache in his chest.
She… truly could not accept it.
He stared blankly in the direction where Li Yunli had left, feeling as if a gust of wind had pierced straight through his chest.
This time, he had burned his bridges—he had staked his life on it.
Yet, he still did not know whether he had won or lost this gamble.
The moment Li Yunli returned to her quarters, all her strength drained from her body.
Leaning against the table, her head throbbed painfully.
She had thought she was playing a predictable, clichéd role—one where, though the path was treacherous, she could still carve her own way to success.
She loved the sense of achievement that came from building something from nothing, from overcoming challenges through sheer perseverance.
She had her own pride and courage and relished the process of systematically tackling obstacles.
But ever since she had arrived here, unexpected events had been happening one after another.
When the carefully built order in her heart was disrupted, if she couldn’t quickly regain control, she would become irritable.
And right now, she was very much at that point.
Rubbing her temples, she felt dizzy and exhausted.
Zhi Hui entered the room with a steaming cup of tea. Seeing her mistress propping her head up without speaking, she asked worriedly,
“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?”
Li Yunli lifted her gaze but said nothing. Still, the perceptive girl noticed something was off and boldly pressed the back of her hand against Li Yunli’s forehead.
“Ah! Your Highness, you’re burning up!”
Li Yunli let out a faint sound of acknowledgment.
Zhi Hui hurriedly set down the tea, helped her onto the bed, and rushed out to fetch a doctor.
Feeling chilled, Li Yunli pulled the blankets tighter around herself.
A fever wasn’t a big deal in her time—a simple pill would have solved it. But in this era, things were far less certain.
Watching Zhi Hui’s anxious figure disappear, Li Yunli sighed and shook her head. The movement only made her headache worse.
She curled her fingers into the blankets.
At times like this, all she could hope for was that sleep would cure everything.
She was tired.
As her eyes closed, she let go of all her worries.
Her dreams were long and hazy.
She felt herself sinking, her body fluctuating between hot and cold.
When she groggily opened her eyes, all she could see was swirling dust. The uneven terrain was covered in patches of grass, and beneath her—she realized she was astride a horse—was an official road.
Another dream?
She clenched her fingers, only to feel the rough texture of reins in her grasp.
This time, she was not just observing the original host’s experiences—she could control this body.
“Your Highness!”
A soldier in military attire bowed to her from atop his horse.
“You personally volunteered to intercept Wei’s reinforcements. But will the Third Prince really appear here?”
At those words, Li Yunli took another look at her surroundings and immediately understood where she was.
Two years ago, the state of Wei had fallen, conquered by the armies of her father, the King of Jin. Yun Chu had been captured in battle, resisting until the very end.
And right now, she was on the path where they had ambushed him.
She reached for the longsword at her waist, feeling the familiar weight of her bow and arrows on her back.
“He will come,” she said with certainty.
Because this was the original story.
From the distance, the sound of galloping hooves approached.
Wearing silver armor and leading Wei’s reinforcements under the White Tiger Order, the Third Prince of Wei rode ahead.
His forces were not large. The war had reached its final stage—Jin’s army had already struck the capital, and Wei was doomed.
The men he brought with him were prepared for a last stand.
Here, on this narrow pass, they would be intercepted and annihilated.
Watching the oncoming troops, Li Yunli heard the signal arrow release, marking the attack.
In that moment, she saw the unwavering resolve on the prince’s bloodstained face.
The Wei royal family was known for their fierce determination—loyal unto death.
For them, defeat meant extinction.
“Attack!!”
Her soldiers charged forward, clashing with the enemy.
Despite being outnumbered, the Wei warriors fought ferociously.
But an outmatched battle could only end one way.
Li Yunli’s sharp gaze locked onto Yun Chu, his silver armor soaked in blood as he fought recklessly, disregarding his life.
He must not die.
The thought struck her like an urgent military report, setting her on edge.
He absolutely could not die!
Taking a deep breath, she drew her bowstring to full tension.
This was her best weapon, aimed at the man who now held an unexpected importance to her.
“Yun Chu, your life…”
Her arrow sliced through the air, shattering the dust-laden battlefield.
With a muffled thud, the horse beneath him collapsed.
“Do not kill him!”
Li Yunli shouted to her soldiers, gripping her bow with trembling hands.
The battle ended quickly. Most of Wei’s reinforcements lay dead, and the survivors, including Yun Chu, were captured.
Vice General Ji Chunhui pressed Yun Chu to the ground, disarming him.
Li Yunli rode forward, but before she could dismount, Yun Chu thrashed against his captors, his voice hoarse with rage.
“Li Yunli!!”
She swung down from her horse.
“A man can die, but not be humiliated! Kill me! Kill me now!!”
Blood stained his face, but his eyes burned with hatred.
She gritted her teeth and kicked him to the ground.
Without hesitation, Yun Chu snatched Ji Chunhui’s blade, pressing it against his own throat.
“Clang—”
Li Yunli reacted swiftly, knocking the weapon from his hands.
Ji Chunhui shoved him back down, forcing his arms behind him.
“Coward!”
Li Yunli snapped.
“Let me die!”
“You wish!”
She planted a foot on his shoulder, leaning in close to meet his fury-filled gaze.
“Death is easy. You Wei royals boast of your pride, but I see nothing but cowards! If you have any spine, endure and seek vengeance!”
“Li Yunli!”
He struggled violently, shouting her name.
But she turned away.
“Take him back. Do not let him die.”
As she stepped forward, the world around her faded into darkness.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in a dimly lit prison.
“Your Highness, this way please.”
A red-robed official bowed and gestured forward.
It seemed she was here to visit someone in captivity.
Stopping in front of the deepest cell, she saw him.
Yun Chu lay motionless on a straw bed, his white prison robes stained with blood. His hands were shackled, his face pale yet peaceful in sleep.
Later, standing in court, surrounded by ministers, Li Yunli smirked at their outrage.
“You snatched a state prisoner from the imperial dungeons!”
She laughed lightly.
“He is no mere prisoner—he is my personal property now.”
Shocked gasps filled the hall.
“Young Master Yun is exceedingly handsome,” she continued lazily. “My residence lacks a proper companion. If I cannot seize him, then can I not take him as my concubine?”
Utter chaos ensued.
Yet, she knew—this was her best move.
For in exchange for Yun Chu, she was relinquishing her military command.
And with that, she would no longer be a threat to the court.
Only a powerless princess with an infamous obsession for beauty.