r and dress up for my sake alone every day in the future, I would likely laugh myself awake each night," Rong Jing said with a smile."Alright, just wait and see. Even if you don't wake up from a smile...Volume 1: Smiling at the Splendor Chapter 5

Upon seeing that the Empress no longer stared at her and instead shifted her attention to the Crown Prince, Li Yun felt a slight relief. She was used to being in a position of authority where she criticized subordinates; now, she wasn’t accustomed to being on the receiving end of such criticism. Regardless of why the Fourth Prince helped her, she would remember this favor. The name "Wang Chun Lou" implied that it wasn't a reputable place—probably an ancient brothel. For the illustrious Crown Prince of a nation to visit a brothel was not only scandalous but also severely compromised his character and integrity.

However, looking at the Crown Prince's dignified demeanor, one wouldn’t suspect him of being seduced by women. Struggles under imperial authority were bloodless battles where it was either your demise or survival. It wasn't out of the question that he had been maliciously framed by the Fourth Prince. After all, there were certainly many who coveted his position. Yet, beneath their splendid facades, many harbored corrupt intentions. He might not be one of them. Such matters couldn’t be easily determined.

Li Yun rarely got a chance to catch her breath and think through everything thoroughly. She was eager to see how the Crown Prince would handle this situation.

"Mother, please calm down. Yesterday, I did indeed go to Wang Chun Lou, but it was at Father's imperial command to investigate something; I didn't linger there long. When Mu'er went, I had already been gone for a considerable time. As someone raised by Mother and taught the importance of virtue from an early age, how could I be that sort of person who disregards morality If Mother doesn’t believe me, just ask Father."

The Fourth Prince’s thin lips tightened upon hearing this; his hand clenched tighter inside his sleeve as veins faintly protruded—clearly not anticipating the Crown Prince's visit to Wang Chun Lou was under imperial orders. He remained silent.

Upon hearing this, the Empress’s expression softened slightly, and her tone became more placid, "I always knew you weren't that sort of person who lacked self-restraint. It seems it was by His Majesty's command then. That makes sense. Such places should be avoided; they are full of deceitful schemes."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this son remembers the mother empress's teachings!" The Crown Prince humbly lowered his head in agreement.

The Empress finally let go of the Crown Prince and turned to Li Yun. Her tone changed from gentle to stern, "Moon, you have been too reckless! Although such places are filthy, you can't just burn them down and prevent people inside from coming out. No matter what, those are living lives!"

Li Yun didn't expect the Crown Prince to dodge her accusations so easily. She was at a loss for words in facing the Empress's reproach. If she confessed, she had just arrived and hadn't committed the act herself; if she denied it, the body indeed bore witness against her, seemingly solidifying her guilt. For a moment, she felt frustrated and could only remain silent.

The Fourth Prince didn’t speak up to help Li Yun this time and even stopped looking at her—clearly he hadn't been moved to continue defending her after seeing the Crown Prince's response of self-preservation.

Li Yun understood his reasoning, feeling more sympathetic towards him. It seemed that dragging her here today was aimed at undermining the Crown Prince’s reputation, hoping to pin a charge of moral turpitude on him. She sighed inwardly; it appeared that all the troubles were due to the most prestigious seat in the palace. This Fourth Prince really wasn't content with just being an idle prince for life.

After the Empress finished speaking, there was dead silence around them. Dozens of eyes focused on Li Yun, with various expressions ranging from schadenfreude to disdain and cold indifference. Yet no one spoke up in her defense.

Li Yun thought that the owner of this body really had terrible character! Even a close friend wasn't there for her!

"Moon兒! Did you hear what I said" The Empress no longer addressed Li Yun as aunt; the phrase "this palace" signified her lofty position, conveying stern authority—truly worthy of her title.

Li Yun lowered her head and whispered, "I heard!" Her voice still carried an indescribable sense of grievance. As she responded, tears began to fall rapidly. She choked out, "Auntie promised to stand up for me if I was bullied, but now she's scolding me instead. That filthy place, I wanted to burn it down ages ago."

The last sentence dripped with resentment, as though burning it wouldn't be enough to satisfy her.

The Empress had been puzzled until Li Yun’s tone in the final statement eased her mind—apparently Moon兒 hadn’t changed much from before. Perhaps realizing she’d caused a major commotion, and having recently endured harsh bullying, she was temporarily silent. This seemed normal enough. The Empress stiffened her face, her words stern: "Do you still think you have reason on your side You don't attempt to remedy the situation after causing such trouble, instead stirring up trouble within the palace. It seems I've been overly indulgent in the past and thus raised a lawless personality in you."

Li Yun’s tears flowed freely as if they were pouring out, not uttering another word, stubbornly standing her ground. If the Empress favored her, spoiling her so much that she became lawless—she was determined to see whether it was genuine favor or a facade.

"Servant! Arrest this incorrigible rascal who hasn't learned from their mistake and bring them to the imperial prison for punishment. Wait for His Majesty's decision!" The Empress seemed livid, her expression showing disappointment in Li Yun’s behavior, she bellowed.

As soon as the Empress spoke, Li Yun distinctly felt the air within the pavilion instantly lighten. It appeared that many wished her harm; several women displayed pleased expressions—undoubtedly glad that with her out of the way, it would be easier to vie for the Crown Prince’s favor.

Before long, several guards rushed towards the pavilion, each of them armed with a cold expression, aiming to seize Li Yun.

Li Yun frowned, pondering whether she should resist and what the consequences would be if she did. If she didn’t resist and simply entered the Ministry of Justice’s prison, it was uncertain whether there’d ever be an opportunity for her release. She hesitated at this moment.

Two guards swiftly seized her arms as she wavered, holding her firmly to lead her away.

Li Yun thought that this Aunt Empress must not have favored her genuinely; otherwise, she wouldn’t now resort to such measures involving weapons to take her into custody. Even if someone were sent for her arrest, they certainly wouldn't directly send her to the Ministry of Justice prison. It was hard to predict what would happen once inside. She regretted having no memory of this body and could only make judgments based on conjecture, which frustrated her.

"Mother Empress, you can’t just take Moon Sister like this; she…" The Fourth Prince was alarmed when he saw Li Yun about to be taken away.

“Yug, how dare she commit such a serious offense and not repent! You mustn't speak up for her. Today, I will definitely deal with this audacious, stubborn girl who has no sense of propriety or discipline. Otherwise, how can I, as the daughter of Cloud Prince’s Manor, claim to be her aunt and lead the harem How could I command respect from all officials and the people across the land” The Empress sternly stopped the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince fell silent at once and gave Li Yun a complex glance before finally averting his eyes without another word.

This is quite a lofty statement! Li Yun was momentarily unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and couldn't tell whether the Empress had privately dealt with her in order to provide an explanation for the court officials and the people of the country regarding this incident, or if she was using this as an excuse to distance herself from her being her aunt so that she wouldn't be implicated by association. She found it headache-inducing and was momentarily at a loss about how to proceed.

"Mother is quite right! In my humble opinion, Yue'er should have received her lesson long ago. How can this continue" Princess Qingwan echoed the Empress: "This matter has become so big; if Mother doesn't punish her, how will she give an account to the ghosts of Wanchun Tower who died unjustly"

"Empress, your wisdom is impeccable! That's exactly right!" The pale-clad woman and green-clad woman, with hidden smiles on their faces, also echoed in agreement.

Li Yun feigned anger as she looked at Princess Qingwan and the two women who had agreed with her. She then glanced at the Crown Prince; seeing that he remained unmoved and let her be taken away without showing any emotion, her face was filled once more with委屈不甘 (grievance and unwillingness), which quickly transformed into an overwhelming rage as she shouted angrily at the Crown Prince: "I only burned down Wanchun Tower because of you! Can't you bear to save me from being sent to jail in the Ministry of Justice You truly have a heart of a wolf!"

Li Yun's voice was loud and this time it was genuine anger. She pitied that dead woman; not only did she pour her heart out for nothing, but the man she believed was kind turned out to be cold-blooded and indifferent in the face of death—truly hateful and infuriating. Furthermore, the owner of this body was truly blind to have chosen such a man. Even if he were the Crown Prince, what use was it A heartless man is better off not loving! Moreover, his status wasn't something secure or desirable; who knew when it might be lost!

The Crown Prince seemed unprepared for Li Yun's accusation and her intense expression and words. He froze momentarily.

It appeared that the Empress also hadn't expected that her niece, who had always been a well-behaved little rabbit in front of the Crown Prince, would be so fiercely rebuking him today; she was momentarily stunned as well.

The Fourth Prince, however, was not at all surprised. Upon hearing this, a thread of cold ridicule appeared in his eyes. He had long noticed that the Cloud Qianyue of today was different from her usual self; it seemed she had indeed learned her lesson from yesterday's incident and had now turned against the man she once yearned for with such passion, hence her fiery display of anger. This reaction was not unjustified.

Indeed, he even wished that she would be more intense, curse him a few more times. After all, since she would inevitably be taken to the Ministry of Punishment and put in prison today, it would be difficult for her to come out alive. Even if she did survive, she was likely to emerge half-dead, as there were too many people in this capital city who wished for her demise. Considering that she now held the most prestigious position a woman could attain...

In the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, since its very inception by Emperor Founding Ancestor, it had been decreed that "each generation's Empress must be from the Cloud王府". Therefore, the Cloud王府had the tradition of regarding females as highly esteemed. As the sole legitimate daughter of the Cloud家族now, Cloud Qianyue was naturally the top candidate for the position of Empress. However, since she failed to uphold this status, others were more than willing to find ways to force her out of it. Some even wished to bring down the Cloud王府and prevent them from participating in the political stage of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty forevermore. Yet, as a prominent family with a hundred-year history, it was impossible for the Cloud王府to be easily overthrown. Therefore, this promised to be an interesting spectacle!

The Fourth Prince had various thoughts running through his mind as he observed from the sidelines in a detached manner.

He wanted to see if his dear elder brother, the Crown Prince, would protect Cloud Qianyue and whether he still valued the support of the Cloud王府. If he did value it, naturally, he could not let Cloud Qianyue go to the Ministry of Punishment to meet her end. But if the Crown Prince chose not to protect her and abandoned the backing of the Cloud王府, then it would be tantamount to openly antagonizing the Cloud王府. When Old Master Yun learned that the Crown Prince had stood idly by without offering help, what could he do This made things even more intriguing...

Today's weather is getting colder and colder; everyone should dress warmly when going out to take care of your health! Fortunately for me, my home has central heating, otherwise I truly wouldn't be able to type anymore... Amitabha... O（∩＿∩）O~id to be made by a master brewer. This wine is very famous in Northern Border and isn’t stronger than orchid wine, but tastes sweet when entering one’s mouth and has a rich fragrance."“So that's why y...