It was a dark night.

Gu Yunxi's face was as pale as paper under the moon, and her body shuddered… The tassel made from pearls and jade of her golden hairpin on her bun swung and beat her face, which caused pain. "What on earth do you want?" She turned to avoid Sakata Aki's gaze.

There was a hint of interest in his sharp eyes, which made her feel very uneasy.

Sakata Aki narrowed his eyes and took a step closer. He fixed his eyes on Gu Yunxi's angry face and said in a serious voice, "I know two secrets, one about Huanan Xian and the other about you and the Ninth Prince. Well, I’d like to exchange these two secrets for two things with you. One, give me The Exquisite Collection of Delicacies in your hand. Two, in the final three days later, you can only lose."

"You are simply a despicable villain, and I was wrong about you." Gu Yunxi glared at him angrily, "What's the point of winning by tricks?"

Sakata Aki curled his lips evilly, and his sharp eyes turned calm, "I'm just trying to get what I want. It doesn’t matter whether it's right or wrong. You made a mistake yourself, so I could have something on you."

Gu Yunxi was dumbfounded. Was there anything more wrong than this in the world? She and the Ninth Prince were clearly a real couple. Because they were forcibly separated by the evil Emperor, their normal meeting was regarded as an affair, and a very reasonable thing ended up being unreasonable.

Biting her lip fiercely, Gu Yunxi shook her head decisively, "I will not give you, a despicable and shameless man, the book that my mother left me. I will do my best for the competition in three days!"

"Good!" Watching her turn around angrily, Sakata Aki clasped his hands unhurriedly, "Well, Your Grace, if you really aren't afraid of death, I might as well sell those two secrets to the Emperor of Da Yi. I think he will definitely be very interested."

Gu Yunxi stopped abruptly. She was at a loss and didn’t know what to do.

"I’m surprised that in your heart, the book and the winning of the competition are more important than your reputation."

Sakata Aki approached her step by step with a smile on his face. He raised his hand to touch the shining and shaking tassel of her hairpin, which attracted him so much. However, he immediately stopped under her sharp gaze.

"How dare you? What do you want to do?"

"Don't be so nervous." Sakata Aki laughed. His voice was soft when he whispered ambiguously in her ear, "Since you refuse to give up the book and the competition, there is another way. How about staying with me for a night? I’ll keep my mouth shut..."

"Shameless!" Gu Yunxi scolded and raised her palm.

Sakata Aki raised his hand head-on to catch her hand, forcibly pulled her soft hand under his nose, and greedily sniffed the light fragrance on the back of her hand.

"Let go of me!" Gu Yunxi shouted and withdrew her hand.

"Your Grace, be quiet. I don't want your maids to disturb you and me..." Sakata Aki grasped the jade fence with both hands and held Gu Yunxi's body between his strong arms, admiring her from a very close distance as she was panting like a defeated beast, "For you, I was slapped by the General in the morning. If you slap me again, I'm afraid I really can't bear it..."

Gu Yunxi turned her head in disgust and softened her tone, "Sir, please let go of me first, and we will discuss the conditions later!"

Sakata Aki stood up straight and put away his wicked smile. His obsessed eyes wandered on her frightened and angry face. There seemed a touch of tenderness in his words, which was subtle, "In Ying State, women are the underdogs with no status. They are gentle, kind, submissive, favored by men, but not respected. But those smart and beautiful women with some stubbornness in their bones are even more appreciated by men, making them crazy. You are such a wonderful woman, tempting every man who sees you. They fall for you and are eager to taste your fragrance by any means possible..."

"Shut up!" Gu Yunxi stopped him and lowered her eyes, ready to make a temporary concession.

It was a matter of urgency. This greedy and shameless man from Ying State bumped into her date with her husband. If his wish was not fulfilled, he would definitely tell Huanan Xin what he had seen. Now that the blood bond between her and her husband had been broken off, as long as Huanan Xin was provoked, they could be easily killed, but more importantly, all their previous plans would be in vain.

The more she was forced into a desperate situation, the more Gu Yunxi would show complete calm. After quickly weighing the pros and cons, she decided to hand over the book to him first. She believed that no matter how Sakata Aki learned about the book in her hand, a conceited chef like him who was willing to ask for it from her by any means certainly coveted the cooking methods of the twenty-eight dishes recorded in the book.

The Exquisite Collection of Delicacies was a work of hard work left by her mother. Although it was precious, Gu Yunxi would never do anything that would affect the whole plan.

In the Eastern Depot, she had seen her husband keep a low profile, learned his forbearance, and become wiser and calmer. As for the dishes mentioned in the book, the ingredients, the amount, the cooking method, the heating, and every other detail had been kept in her mind. She decided to temporarily put it in his hands for a few days and then think of a method.

As for the next competition, as long as there was enough time, she could try to create other dishes. After making up her mind, Gu Yunxi pursed her lips coldly and smiled lightly, "Sir, you’re a distinguished guest. I’m so glad you like the book. How could I not want to give it to you as a gift? Well, there are still two days away from the Blossom Garden Party. The next time you enter the Palace, I will bring the book and give it to you in person."

"Humph, do you think I'm a three-year-old child?" Sakata Aki sneered. He immediately saw through Gu Yunxi's thoughts with his sharp eyes, "You’re telling me to return empty-handed because you want to use delaying tactics to reveal the news to the Ninth Prince, right? I won't be fooled. Go back to your palace to fetch it immediately, and I will be waiting for you at Book Hall."

Book Hall? These three sensitive words made Gu Yunxi's heart tremble. She silently stared at Sakata Aki’s expression and looked somehow nervous.

Sakata Aki smiled coldly, and the restlessness in his eyes was obvious, "Your Grace, what are you afraid of? If you are willing to hand over that book, we can discuss the competition. But I’m warning you. Don't play tricks. My ninjas will hide in the dark anytime and anywhere. Once I have an accident, they will tell His Majesty what they know."

"Wait at Book Hall!" Gu Yunxi gritted her teeth with hatred. She pulled away from his approach and walked out of the maple forest quickly.

When she met Zhiqi at the winding path, the latter looked very anxious, "Your Grace, why did you come out so late? What did you and Mr. Sakata talk about?"

She followed closely by Gu Yunxi's side, looked at the forest with red eyes, and then hurriedly turned to peek at Gu Yunxi’s cold face.

The thoughtful girl had already noticed something wrong. Gu Yunxi suddenly stopped and held her hand, "Zhiqi, no matter what method you use, go out of the Palace to find the Ninth Prince and tell him not to enter the Palace tonight. Also, tell him and Brother Xian to pay attention to the surroundings of their mansions."

Zhiqi's heart skipped a beat when she heard it, and her face changed greatly, "Your Grace, where are you going?"

"Don't ask. Just go." Gu Yunxi pushed her with a solemn expression.

Zhiqi didn't dare to delay and ran out of the Imperial Garden.

Gu Yunxi narrowed her eyes and rushed to Jingyang Palace.

...

Sakata Aki walked all the way to the second floor of Book Hall and gently pushed open the door of the secret cabin.

Under the moonlight, he walked to a long table with just the right height and slowly touched the thin layer of soil on the table with his fingers. That tempting beautiful woman was probably here to have sex with her lover...

Sakata Aki was so excited by his imagination that he couldn't help but let out wicked laughter. No matter how smart a woman was, she would always be weak in front of a man. How could he easily let her go after getting that magical food book? She was so tempting and charming.

At this moment, he couldn't wait to taste the woman that the Emperor of a country and his uncle fell in love with. There was a slight movement behind him. Sakata Aki turned around, only to see two shadows standing in the moonlight, one on the left and the other on the right...

―

Gu Yunxi hurriedly returned to Jingyang Palace, found the book in the locker of the warm pavilion, wrapped it in a piece of red silk, and held it to her chest. The chief eunuch, Lei, was watching by her side. She looked unhappy and ignored him when he asked her a few questions, so he didn't dare to ask anymore.

Before going out, Gu Yunxi only explained to him that if Zhiqi came back, he would tell her to stay in Jingyang Palace and not to go out again. If anyone asked them about Gu Yunxi, they should simply say that they didn't know.

―

The surroundings of Book Hall were still eerily silent. With the book in her arms, Gu Yunxi looked around under the flower gallery on the first floor, turned her head, and shouted in a low voice, "Mr. Sakata."

No one answered her.

Gu Yunxi took a deep breath and looked at the stairs leading to the second floor with angry eyes. It seemed that he was a wicked man, after all. He was probably hiding in that room... Gu Yunxi climbed the stairs and thought to herself, "If he dares to do something to me after he gets the book later, I will pull out the longest gold hairpin in my hair and stab him hard with it!"

"Mr. Sakata, I’ve brought the book you asked for!" Entering the room with the door half-open, Gu Yunxi called out again.

Still, no one answered her.

Gu Yunxi's confused eyes wandered casually. Looking around under the moonlight, she finally found the man lying down under the long table.

Under the moonlight, the paleness of his face contrasted sharply with the scarlet blood beneath him.

"Sakata Aki!" Gu Yunxi ran over in surprise and immediately smelled blood.

He wasn’t breathing! Was he dead? Who killed him?

Boom!

The book in her arms fell to the ground. Her knees felt soft, and she sat down.

She felt extremely dizzy, and the sight of her vision went dark, and then she lost consciousness.