Chapter 4: A Clash of Explosive Moments

Mo Liuli watched Huanlan Haoyang close in, her small mouth curling into an even more enchanting smile. With a swift splash, she doused him with the tea in her hand, instantly wilting his arrogance.

That tea was the brew Green Bud had prepared for Mo Zichuan that morning; it had long since gone icy cold. In this early chill of the season, it struck him with a penetrating, biting frost.

"You! You shameless little harlot, how dare you splash me with dregs of tea! By the heavens, I’ll have you today if it’s the last thing I do!" Stung by the splash and consumed by rage, Huanlan Haoyang spat out his vicious threats.

He had originally intended to start with some kisses and embraces to whet his appetite, not wanting to ruin his future Crown Princess too quickly. But since she was being so uncooperative, he saw no reason to be gentle. He would ravage her roughly until her spirit was broken, then have his way with her. She would be his woman sooner or later; the timing mattered little. When the wedding night came, he could easily fake the evidence—a bit of blood on a white cloth would be more than enough to pass the test.

Wiping the tea stains from his face, Huanlan Haoyang lunged at Mo Liuli like a ravenous wolf, his hands tearing ruthlessly at her clothes.

Disgusted to her core by his assault, Mo Liuli raised her leg and delivered a fierce, calculated kick directly into the Crown Prince’s crotch. She was determined to crush his filth; let’s see him try to harass decent women ever again.

"Aaaah!"

A shrill, piercing scream erupted from Mo Liuli’s chamber, followed immediately by the sound of the tea table crashing to the floor. Huanlan Haoyang curled into a ball, clutching his groin and writhing on the ground, his face turning a sickly, mottled purple from the agony.

He had locked the door himself upon entering, intending to commit his misdeeds in private, but now that locked door had become his own prison.

The attendants guarding the courtyard heard the muffled scream and rushed in, tense. Seeing the door bolted shut, they hesitated, unsure if the cry had truly come from their Crown Prince. They dared not interrupt.

In the past, the Crown Prince had often made women scream for his own twisted pleasure. His men had once been scolded and punished for daring to inquire, so even now, despite their suspicions, they kept their distance. A few of the more depraved even felt a flicker of perverse excitement, their eyes glowing with a sinister light, itching to burst in and join the fray.

Mo Yuan, who had arrived with Mo Zichuan and Doctor He upon hearing of the Crown Prince’s visit, froze when he saw the attendants scattered about, staring strangely at his daughter’s locked door.

Recognizing two of the men as the Crown Prince’s personal guard, Mo Yuan’s heart skipped a beat when he saw them but not their master.

He glanced at the tightly shut door, heard the strange, chaotic sounds echoing from within, and felt a chill run down his spine. Something was terribly wrong! He stepped forward, anxiety mounting, and demanded of the attendants, "Where is the Crown Prince?"

Seeing the flickering uncertainty in the guards' eyes, Mo Yuan abandoned all decorum and burst into Mo Liuli’s room. The guards considered stopping him, but remembering the earlier scream, they stood aside.

"Liuli! You—what has happened to you?" As soon as he entered, Mo Yuan saw Mo Liuli standing barefoot, her snow-white undergarments stained with splotches of blood. He gasped in horror.

Following his cry, Mo Zichuan and Doctor He rushed in as well. The Crown Prince’s attendants, assuming the future Crown Princess had been so brutally tortured by their master that things had gone horribly wrong, awkwardly looked away, pretending to study the sky or the floor, feigning complete ignorance.

"Oh! The pain! It hurts! Someone, quickly... save... save this Crown Prince..." The Prince was in such agony he could barely form a coherent sentence. He hunched over, clutching his knees and begging for help, his entire body trembling in distress.

Mo Yuan finally spotted the Crown Prince. Seeing his wretched state, his heart leaped into his throat. Trembling, he shoved Doctor He toward the Prince to examine him.

As he looked closely at the Crown Prince’s purple, contorted face, Mo Yuan’s eyelid twitched violently.

Doctor He, a long-time friend of Mo Yuan who had traveled the world, shook his head as he assessed the scene. He sighed inwardly at the sheer ruthlessness of the blow, and with a heavy heart, began to tend to the Crown Prince.