“Second Miss Jun, Second Miss Jun, please wait!”
Jun Ning had only just left the Taihe Hall when a eunuch in blue called out from behind.
The eunuch looked familiar. Jun Ning thought carefully and finally remembered where she had seen him before.
“Are you Eunuch Li, attendant to Consort Yan Zhuang?”
Eunuch Li was astonished that Jun Ning remembered him. Feeling flattered, he spoke with extra respect.
“I never expected Second Miss Jun to recall a nobody like me. My lady, Consort Yan Zhuang, thinks of you often and wishes to invite you to her palace. Might you honor her with your presence?”
Jun Ning pressed her lips together. She knew Consort Yan Zhuang’s intentions were far from simple, yet she could not refuse.
“Then I must trouble you to lead the way.”
“Please, Second Miss.” Eunuch Li waved his whisk, clearing a path.
Jun Ning walked ahead. Her maid Yu Zhu tried to follow, but Eunuch Li blocked her with the whisk.
“This young lady must stay behind.”
“Miss…” Yu Zhu was confused, wanting to go with her mistress, but Eunuch Li barred her firmly.
Jun Ning turned back, her gaze unreadable as she looked at Eunuch Li standing between them. “Eunuch, what is the meaning of this?”
Startled by her piercing look, Eunuch Li nearly faltered. But with the Consort’s orders, he dared not disobey. He forced a smile. “Our lady specifically commanded that you come alone. I am only following orders.”
To summon her alone, without her maid—clearly, Consort Yan Zhuang was truly angry this time.
Jun Ning knew her temperament well. What Consort Yan Zhuang hated most was betrayal, and Jun Ning’s actions today were nothing less than that.
After a brief standoff, Jun Ning gestured to Yu Zhu. “Wait for me outside the palace.”
Yuxiu Palace, Wulan Hall.
On a sweltering summer day, even standing outside for a short while was enough to leave one drenched in sweat and restless.
Jun Ning had already been waiting before Wulan Hall for quite some time.
Eunuch Li had gone inside to report, and when he returned, he said that Consort Yan Zhuang was occupied with important matters and asked her to wait a little longer.
An entire stick of incense burned down before Jun Ning was summoned. She understood well—Consort Yan Zhuang was deliberately making her wait as a warning.
The matter was already settled. Unless Consort Yan Zhuang could persuade the Emperor to revoke his decree, no matter how capable she was, she could not change what had been decided.
“Second Miss Jun, Her Ladyship asks you to enter.”
Jun Ning came back to herself, seeing Eunuch Li’s faintly cold smile before her.
Inside Wulan Hall, sandalwood beams were carved with auspicious clouds and golden phoenixes. At the center stood a square, double‑layered incense burner adorned with peonies and jade leaves. Thin smoke drifted upward, filling the air with a subtle fragrance of clove.
Jun Ning knelt, hands folded before her brow, and offered a formal salute.
“This minister’s daughter greets Consort Yan Zhuang.”
Consort Yan Zhuang sat upright upon a lacquered phoenix chair carved with auspicious beasts. Unlike in the past, she did not immediately bid Jun Ning rise.
So Jun Ning remained kneeling, waiting for her to speak.
After a long silence, Consort Yan Zhuang sighed heavily. “Rise and sit.”
“Thank you, Your Ladyship.”
“Everyone else, leave us.” Consort Yan Zhuang waved her attendants away.
For a moment, the vast palace hall held only the two of them.
Consort Yan Zhuang’s brows furrowed slightly, her gaze drifting unconsciously toward the curtain behind her.
“Jun Ning, there is no one else here. I ask you sincerely—has Prince Jing done something wrong to you?”
“Prince Jing is noble and distinguished. I am but an ordinary woman, unable to uphold the *Admonitions for Women* or the *Rules for Women*, nor skilled in cooking or household duties. How could I dare to reach so high as to marry a prince?”
Consort Yan Zhuang was stunned by her words, instinctively assuming Xiao Yunjie must have angered her, leading to such bitter remarks. Thinking this, her tone softened.
“Ning’er, though I am Prince Jing’s mother, I have always treated you like my own daughter. With no outsiders here, speak honestly with me. If it truly is Prince Jing’s fault, I will stand up for you and scold him.”
The words sounded deeply ironic—*scolding*, only scolding. If mere scolding could repay the blood debt of her past life, Xiao Yunjie would have drowned long ago in a sea of spit.
“Your Ladyship, His Majesty will soon issue the marriage decree. Prince Jing will win his beauty, and the past can be left behind. That is the best outcome for everyone.”
“Jun Ning, you…”
“What best outcome!” An angry voice erupted from the inner chamber. Xiao Yunjie forcefully flung aside the curtain and, ignoring Consort Yan Zhuang’s attempt to stop him, strode forward in fury to confront Jun Ning.
Jun Ning had never seen him so out of control before and found it strangely amusing.
“Jun Ning, you can still smile?!” Xiao Yunjie’s rage only grew hotter at the sight of her calm, serene smile.
Jun Ning was beautiful by nature, and today she was breathtakingly so.
Xiao Yunjie loved her smile, but now he found it unbearably mocking.
What was she smiling at? At his devotion, or at his foolishness—being played so easily in her hands?
“Jun Ning, everyone in the capital knows you are to be my princess. Why? Why must you treat me this way!”
He roared like a mad dog, wild and unrestrained. But the more frenzied he became, the more delighted Jun Ning was.
After his shouting subsided, Xiao Yunjie suddenly dropped to one knee beside her, reaching for her hand—only for her to pull away.
“Please, Prince, conduct yourself with dignity.”
“Dignity? Fine. Ah Ning, Ah Ning, I was wrong. I know you’re angry with me. I shouldn’t have spoken up for Jun Qingnian that day. You didn’t like it—so I’ll never do it again. No, I’ll never even see her again, all right?”
Xiao Yunjie forced down his fury, his submissive, pleading manner utterly different from moments before.
“Ah Ning, no one in this world understands you better than I do. You’re sharp‑tongued but soft‑hearted.”
“Ah Ning, Xiao Moyuan already has someone he loves. If you marry him, you won’t be happy.”
“The only one who can give you happiness is me.”
Like a man possessed, Xiao Yunjie kept whispering nonsense into Jun Ning’s ear.
Jun Ning remained unmoved, wishing only to leave this place of turmoil. Had she known Xiao Yunjie was here, she would never have come—even if it meant disobeying Consort Yan Zhuang.
Consort Yan Zhuang, proud all her life, now saw her son so abased. Though not her own by blood, he had been raised at her knee for years, and her heart twisted painfully.
“Prince Jing, rise at once. What kind of conduct is this?”
Xiao Yunjie sprang up, his eyes pleading as he turned to Consort Yan Zhuang.
“Mother Consort, you must have a way. Father Emperor hasn’t issued the decree yet. If you speak to him, there’s still room to change things, isn’t there?” His eyes reddened, and seeing her remain silent, his words grew more reckless.
“It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. Even if Ah Ning marries Xiao Moyuan, she can still be with me.”
“After only a short absence, Fifth Brother has grown even more disgraceful.” A voice, gentle yet edged with coldness, rang out from beyond the doorway.