"And you, since you don’t want to have anything to do with me, why did you actively approach me?"

"Use and discard? What, in your eyes, am I someone so casual? Someone you can flirt with and then run away without any responsibility?"

Yun Wanyao: "..."

His voice was warm and calm, yet filled with an undeniable accusation and resentment, making Yun Wanyao extremely awkward.

[Use and discard? Flirt and then run???]

[What’s going on?]

[The way he says it, it sounds like sister is some kind of heartless player?]

[Sister, although I believe you, I still want to ask, when you entered the palace that day, besides seducing the Emperor, you didn’t do anything indescribable to him, right?]

[Otherwise, why would he be so desperate as to ignore his face as the Emperor and come knocking in the middle of the night asking for responsibility.]

[...]

Yun Wanyao: "..."

It’s not like that, I’m being wronged!!!

Listening to Yun Wanqing’s increasingly outrageous thoughts, Yun Wanyao couldn’t help but blush, her toes curling awkwardly, wishing she could disappear on the spot.

Luckily, the room was so dark that she wasn’t too embarrassed.

"I didn’t..."

She gritted her teeth, very embarrassed to defend herself, but before she could say much, she was interrupted by a cold laugh.

"Didn’t? Didn’t actively approach me? Or didn’t use and discard?"

Yun Wanyao: "..."

Well, but...

If using the Emperor to break off the engagement and then distancing herself counts as using and discarding, fine, she had no defense.

This matter seemed inexplicable.

"What? Nothing more to say? Weren’t you so confident?"

He continued to laugh coldly, his voice haunting in the darkness.

[Yes, sister, why aren’t you explaining? I still want to know if the Emperor is slandering you.]

[Could it be that you really used him and discarded him, just as the Emperor said???]

[No way, my invincibly beautiful sister, are you really switching tracks to play the heartbreaker?]

[Uh, it’s not that it can’t be done, but the problem is, the target is someone we can’t mess with, sister, maybe you should just sincerely apologize...]

Yun Wanyao: "..."

No, what did she do?

How did she become a heartbreaker?

Also, she really didn’t use and discard the Emperor, don’t slander her.

"I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong..."

At this point, it seemed that whatever she said would only make things worse. Yun Wanyao bowed her head and apologized very resignedly, hoping to calm this matter and move on completely.

She planned well, but alas, the man wasn’t buying it.

"Don’t you get it? I didn’t come to hear your apology, Yun Wanyao. In the world under heaven, no one can retreat unscathed after provoking me, and you’re no exception."

"Since you first approached me in the palace, whether you like it or not, you have to take responsibility for me, unless..."

He paused here, and Yun Wanyao eagerly asked.

"Unless what?"

"Heh, unless I don’t need it..."

Yun Wanyao: "..."

If he didn’t need it, then why would he show up in her room in the middle of the night?

Indeed, she was too naive to think she still had a chance to resist.

Before her thoughts could settle, his low voice continued.

"But I won’t not need it, so Yun Wanyao, you’re definitely responsible for this. Don’t try to shake me off and ignore me, got it?"

[Wow, so shameless, I kind of like it...]

[He could have summoned you to the palace with an edict, yet he chose to climb over the wall in the middle of the night, which shows he does respect your wishes somewhat.]

[Sister, in my view, why don’t you just go along with the Emperor?]

[He’s handsome, has a great figure, looks that could beat 99.9% of men, plus he has wealth and power, and seems to be somewhat sincere with you, not a bad deal to give it a try with him.]

[Being at an age to explore relationships, a romance is nice, and instead of dating someone else, why not date the Emperor, who’s an exceptionally handsome man?]

[Seeing such a handsome guy every day is a great gain.]

[And you know, if he changes his heart in the future, hmm hmm, sister, don’t be too sad...]

[In the storyline, he’s a short-lived ghost, even though the plot has changed now, fixing this bug seems not at all difficult.]

[Just have sister coax him into eating something special, or I use a little trick, and we can make him die suddenly or fall into a deep sleep.]

[By then, whether sister wants to become the Empress, or adopt a child to rule as Empress Dowager, it’s no problem at all.]

[Of course, if sister could birth a Prince herself, even better, keep the child and be the master of the world, a definite super life winner, incredibly fantastic.]

[Ow, can’t think about it anymore, if I think further, I can’t help but want to do something...]

This inner monologue left Yun Wanyao’s heart pounding wildly, her scalp tingling, her hands unconsciously clenching, and she almost stopped breathing.

How could the little sister have such audacious, outrageous thoughts?

Even thinking about offing the Emperor...

Though the little sister was just thinking, she still thought the idea was too crazy!!!

"Yun Wanyao, why don’t you answer?"

Suddenly, a slightly displeased male voice echoed in her ears, and Yun Wanyao’s whole body tensed as she quickly gathered her thoughts.

After a brief daze, she realized that she was so focused on listening to her sister’s inner voice that she forgot to respond to the Emperor.

What did the Emperor say just now?

Oh, she remembered; he seemed to have asked if she understood.

"To the Emperor, this humble servant knows. Apologies, this humble servant was just considering it seriously."

Mo Yuanlin: "..."

Instinctively, he found it hard to believe her words, but upon hearing this response, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with her too much.

Ignoring the latter part of her statement, he asked seriously, "Do you really know?"

"To the Emperor, this humble servant truly knows."

"Oh, then tell me, what do you know?"

He became interested, leaned slightly closer, and asked leisurely.

Yun Wanyao: "..."

She had already answered that she knew, so why ask again?

Thinking that Yun Wanqing’s spiritual power was still there, able to see everything happening here, she felt particularly ashamed, unable to speak certain words.

But regardless of the shame, she could not afford to ignore the Emperor’s question.

Therefore, she forced herself to suppress her shame and whispered, "The Emperor said that this humble servant should take responsibility and not attempt to get rid of the Emperor. This humble servant understands this point."

These words pleased him greatly, and he couldn’t help but laugh softly.

"So, does this mean you’ve decided to take responsibility for me?"

Did she have any other choice?

What capability did she have to repeatedly refuse the Emperor?

She should have understood long ago that from the moment she voluntarily entered the palace that night, she was entangled with him.

As he said, unless he no longer wanted her, she couldn’t escape.

Whether it was the gifts Yun Wanye brought, the letter under the pillow, or his disregard for imperial dignity, climbing over the wall to enter her room in the middle of the night, all these were investments and efforts.

Perhaps, long ago, he had already regarded her as his possession.

Before encountering a clear rejection, he could continue to make efforts and tolerate her. But once faced with clear rejection or if she chose another, he would inevitably be unwilling to accept it.

At that time, no one could guarantee what he would do.

What other choices did she have?

Besides, her sister and Yun Wanye’s words were not without reason.

The Emperor indeed had excellent qualities in all aspects, capable of overshadowing many men in any single regard, and he seemed to have a slight affection for her, which was indeed rare.

More importantly, as long as he was around, Mo Yuanhao couldn’t cause any trouble.

Perhaps she really could give it a try.

After all, she had no one else she fancied, and the Emperor was the person both her sister and Yun Wanye collectively chose.

Her sister and Yun Wanye would never harm her.

Though Yun Wanye was cold and emotionless, selfish and ruthless, he would never personally push her into a fire pit.

The fact that he vigorously facilitated her relationship with the Emperor indicated that, at present, in his eyes, the Emperor could definitely be considered a good match.

As for the future, who could say for certain?

However, some things still needed clarification.

"Emperor, may this humble servant ask you a question first?"

He almost answered without hesitation, "Hmm, ask."

"One night seven years ago, the Emperor appeared silently in this humble servant’s room, intending to kill her. Why was that?"

Every time she thought about that night, she couldn’t help but feel afraid.

It was terrifying!!!

Awakened from sleep due to suffocation, upon waking, the room was pitch black, only a vague shadow and hands on her neck.

She opened her mouth wide, gasping heavily, yet couldn’t catch her breath.

Wanting to call for help, not a sound could be made.

Pain, fear, panic...

She was engulfed in a strong sense of impending death, and no matter how much she struggled, it was futile.

Nearing death, she chaotically felt a pendant, which was the token belonging to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

She recognized the attacker’s identity, but felt no joy, only as if she had fallen into an icy abyss, shivering with coldness.

The Crown Prince wanted to kill her, but why?

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t figure out what she had done to offend him so badly that he would not hesitate to come at midnight to kill her.

Later, for some unknown reason, he released her, and later he fainted, a Hidden Guard appeared, took him away, and warned her not to tell her parents about the incident.

She was very obedient, keeping silent all these years, never mentioning it to anyone.

However, she never forgot it, and every time she recalled it in the midnight dreams, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of fear.

To this day, mentioning it to someone for the first time, her voice still trembled uncontrollably.

[Sister’s expression makes my heart ache; she must have been terrified back then, right?]

[Blame that bastard Emperor, getting into twisted habits at such a young age, insisting on acting like some kind of psychopathic yandere. Near death, he even wanted to drag his beloved down with him, how ridiculous.]

[Did he even ask if she wanted to die with him?]

[Sigh, sister, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have shipped you and the bastard Emperor in my heart.]

[So what if he’s handsome?]

[Being handsome doesn’t justify being a tyrant!]