He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

Jiang Bingning entered Jinse Courtyard.

Chun Tao and Chang Fu's words just now felt like a thorn stuck in her heart.

She sighed inwardly, realizing that the trajectory of this life had veered so far astray that it was unrecognizable.

She walked towards her bedroom.

She paused as soon as her hand touched the door.

The door was ajar.

Jiang Bingning's pupils suddenly contracted.

She remembered clearly that Chun Tao had closed all the doors and windows before going to the banquet.

Did Chun Tao come in to tidy up first and forget to close the door?

The thought only flashed through her mind for a moment; she knew that Chun Tao, with her meticulousness, would never make such a mistake.

There are people inside.

Jiang Bingning slowly withdrew her hand without making a sound.

Just then, a rustling sound of papers turning came from inside the room.

If it weren't for her heightened senses, she would have been almost completely unaware.

The fact that he could sneak into Prince Xin's mansion so quietly meant he was no ordinary thief.

Were they Ji Ling's men? Or assassins sent by Consort Lin?

Jiang Bing's mind raced.

She calmly raised her hand and slowly pulled a silver hairpin from her hair.

She turned to the side, hiding her entire body in the shadow of the colonnade.

After waiting a while longer, the sounds from inside the house stopped.

Jiang Bingning held her breath and pressed her ear close to the crack in the door.

It was deathly silent inside.

But she could sense that the person was still there.

Can't wait any longer.

She gently pushed open the door and darted inside like lightning!

The sound was coming from the study in the inner room!

Jiang Bingning tiptoed toward the study.

The door to the study was also ajar.

Through the crack in the door, she saw a tall, dark figure standing in front of the bookshelf with his back to her, seemingly looking through something.

Without further hesitation, she gripped the silver hairpin and charged forward, thrusting her wrist towards the shadowy figure's nape, a powerful stab!

"Whoosh!"

A whooshing sound rang out.

The shadowy figure reacted with astonishing speed.

Just as the silver hairpin was about to pierce his flesh, he suddenly turned to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow!

Jiang Bingning's hands didn't stop. With a swift movement, the silver hairpin changed from a stab to a slice, and was aimed horizontally at the man's throat!

Instead of retreating, the shadowy figure advanced, and a large hand precisely gripped her wrist holding the hairpin.

Jiang Bingning felt a sharp pain in her wrist. She gritted her teeth and kicked the other person hard in the abdomen!

The man grunted, clearly not expecting a woman to possess such skill and strength, and swayed slightly.

He didn't lessen his strength at all; instead, he pulled back with even more force!

Caught off guard, Jiang Bingning was pulled forward by a tremendous force.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The two rolled around in a heap and fell heavily to the ground.

In the midst of the dizzying spin, Jiang Bingning, relying on her instincts honed from countless life-or-death battles in her past life, reacted instantly.

With a twist of her waist, she took the initiative and pinned the dark figure down beneath her!

She straddled his waist, pressed down on his waving arm with her left hand, and raised the silver hairpin high with her right!

The dark figure beneath her seemed to be intimidated by her ruthless aura and stopped struggling.

He simply strained to lift his head and used both hands to firmly hold back her downward-pressing wrists.

"No...don't do it!"

A slightly breathless male voice rang out.

"It's me!"

"...Ji Chengyun!"

Upon hearing this name, Jiang Bingning froze.

She lowered her head in disbelief, and with the help of the cool moonlight streaming in from the window, she finally saw the face of the person beneath her.

With sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a high nose bridge, who else could it be but Ji Chengyun, the heir apparent of Prince Xin?

At this moment, an unnatural blush appeared on his usually icy handsome face, which even the cold moonlight could not suppress.

His breathing was a little rapid, and his deep eyes were staring at her without blinking, with a hint of embarrassment in them.

Jiang Bingning's mind went blank.

She pressed her entire body against him.

Even through several layers of clothing, she could clearly feel the temperature of his body and the strong heartbeat in his chest.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Jiang Bingning's cheeks also flushed instantly.

She quickly let go and scrambled off him in a disheveled state.

"Your Highness...please forgive me."

She lowered her head and curtsied to Ji Chengyun, her voice carrying a hint of panic that she herself was unaware of.

"I...I thought a thief had broken into the mansion."

Ji Chengyun also supported himself on the ground and slowly stood up.

He first reached out and touched the small wound on his neck, his fingertips stained with a little blood.

He stared at it blankly for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh.

"How could there be thieves in the Prince Xin's mansion?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Bingning felt a pang of regret.

She was just too nervous.

After thinking about it carefully, she realized that Ji Chengyun was the first to leave the banquet after it ended.

He didn't return to his own courtyard, but instead came to Jinse Courtyard. He... came to mourn his deceased mother.

Seeing that she had her head down and looked flustered, Ji Chengyun's tense expression eased a bit.

He waved his hand.

"I was also at fault in this matter."

"I always forget that this Jinse Courtyard... is already inhabited."

He paused, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice.

"If you're coming next time, I'll let you know in advance."

Jiang Bingning quickly replied, "I'll be more careful next time."

The moment the words left their mouths, both of them froze.

Ji Chengyun looked at her, then suddenly shook his head and smiled.

"No need."

He looked at Jiang Bingning's hand, which hadn't yet managed to hide behind her back, and said meaningfully.

"Although you are a woman, your strength just now was greater than mine."

"It really startled me."

Jiang Bingning did not want to dwell on this topic with him any longer.

She put the silver hairpin back into her hair and deliberately changed the subject.

"Your Highness has come here so late at night, is it... to mourn the Queen?"

The smile on Ji Chengyun's face slowly faded.

He turned to look at the cold, bright moon outside the window and remained silent for a moment.

When he spoke again, his tone became serious.

"Half and half."

"What?" Jiang Bingning asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I came here mainly because of the dance you performed at the dinner party."

Jiang Bingning's heart skipped a beat.

He continued, "I have indeed seen that 'Wolf Sacrifice Dance'."

"It was my mother... who skipped over it before she died."

"but……"

His tone suddenly shifted.

"Her dancing is nowhere near as good as yours."

"I once asked my mother, and she said that she had only obtained a fragment of the Wolf Sacrifice Dance. Many of the movements were no longer clearly recorded. Later, she even tried to complete the Wolf Sacrifice Dance through her own guesses, but unfortunately..."

Before Ji Chengyun could finish speaking, Jiang Bingning knew that with the sudden passing of the princess, there would probably be no chance to reproduce the wolf sacrificial dance.

Ji Chengyun took a step forward, getting closer to Jiang Bingning, his voice extremely low.

"Tell me, from which book did you find the 'Wolf Sacrifice Dance'?"

"And how did you learn it in such a short time and become so proficient?"