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To celebrate the story's first 100 votes, here's an early chapter! Thank you, everyone~

The night deepened and the moon showed itself but was still surrounded by reddish-gray clouds. Sometimes they covered it completely like a veil hiding the beauty of a lady.

Inside the receiving hall of Zhongqing courtyard, Wan Li Wang sat at the highest seat. Unperturbed, she was reading reports from Suliang's different districts.

Aside from her furrowed brows earlier, there was no other sign of getting upset. Wangye was never affected by anything. No matter what happened, she would remain unruffled. As she grew older year by year, there was an illusion that she was an immortal more and more.

Who among mortals could face death and violence with a calm expression?

Far and across from the King was Long Tang who couldn't stop fidgeting on her chair. She wasn't bold enough to make big movements but her eyes darted from her hand to the objects around the room.

Not knowing what to feel about her adoptive mother who looked like she didn't even care about the blunder Junzhu did.

A heavy gloomy air clung to her. She didn't know what awaited her.

There was a series of rhythmic footsteps and the official outside greeted someone. "Wangye is waiting for his Highness. Please come inside."

Sure enough, Long Sangyu appeared. It was obvious he rushed here. He hadn't taken off his state clothes.

Junzhu hung her head low and bit her lips. If one didn't know the atrocious things she did, she just looked like a normal teen.

Long Xu Le didn't raise her head from the memorials she was reading. "Sit."

Without a word, Ping Junwang obeyed and waited.

In the palace, everyone was lighthearted when they meet the prince. But once Wan Li Wang was present, even breathing seemed to be needing her orders.

They were perfectly aware that nothing could move wangye. Her presence always took the largest space in a room.

Long Sangyu learned the things that happened as he was on the way here. Even though the information was sensitive, he still listened attentively.

However, it was hard to suppress the bias in his heart. He didn't want to believe that his little niece was able to do that. Then, wouldn't it mean that Beauty Feng was behind all of this?

He tried looking at his da jie's expression to discern her thoughts. But if he was never able to do that before, there was no reason that he could do it now.

Wan Li Wang was finally done answering the urgent written requests. She raised her head and the two people tensed.

Her unsympathetic voice rang out. "The two mei ren in Tianmi courtyard are dead."

Long Tang hissed in pain as the cup of hot tea on her hand spilled when she shook.

"H-how can it be? I..." I didn't kill them!

That was what she wanted to say.

"What do you think happened?" Long Xu Le took in the appearance of her adoptive daughter. The young girl looked like she wanted to defend herself.

There was the faintest curve on the King's lips while asking that.

Fear gripped the Junzhu's heart. Being raised in the palace, she didn't lack education. She had literary, arithmetic, cultural, and physical education. Even if she went to Tanglin, her learning wouldn't lose to any of the young heirs there. And because she worked thrice as hard, it could be said that she was really smart.

Looking at her adoptive parent whom she couldn't even call 'mother', Long Tang finally knew why people called her a demon god. One look from her could restrict your movement as though she could take and possess your body without knowing.

"Suffering from your hands, those two can't be said to be alive or dead."

The unsaid words were 'So this King gave them mercy and ended their lives.'

Long Tang's teeth couldn't help but chatter as an unceasing cold crept into her soul. Although she inflicted all kinds of pain, she had never taken people's lives. 

It was then that the only source of warmth in the room spoke up.

"Da jie, Tang'er doesn't need to hear all these things. She's still young-"

"Then should I have just let her drive those two to death?!"

Long Sangyu was shell-shocked. This was the first time... he had never seen her eldest sister raise her voice. She was always calm, rational, unfeeling, and in hidden moments, brutal.

Junzhu couldn't help but yelp a little and she swallowed back a sob. King Wan Li's lashing out was more severe than a death sentence for her. If wangye got too upset with her... where would she end up?

The two juniors, one niece and one uncle, could only see Long Xu Le's eyes seething with anger. This was the strongest emotion Long Tang had seen from her.

"Long. Tang." Wan Li Wang put down the document in her hand with a loud thud.

The little princess gave a soft cry and her back straightened but she had no guts to look at her so-called mother's eyes.

Her Highness, the King, called out again in the same cruel tone and Junzhu had no choice but to look up.

"Do you think anything can go past my sight? Do you think any of your little actions or thoughts won't be discovered? Do you think you can fool me forever?"

Long Sangyu couldn't stand it anymore. "Da jie..." He tried standing up and shielding his niece.

But his sister's frigid glare froze him on the spot. The volcano-like anger from a moment ago was gone. It congealed and slowly unfolded again in the form of an ice-covered world.

Everything was still, white and bitingly cold. Almost like he was walking in a cave filled with sharp icicles pointing at his neck. Even his blood was frozen into ice and if he took one wrong step, the thin sleet he was walking in would crumble.

Ping Junwang grew breathless and immobile.

"You were Suliang's most respected Junzhu."

It was like a bolt of lightning. As soon as Long Tang heard those words, her pupils shrank and she heaved large intakes of breath.

But wangye was true to her reputation, callous and heartless. After saying those, she listed the punishments Junzhu would receive.

"Move to west Yue Ju. Penitence of two years, cultivate your mind and you're not allowed to take one step outside your courtyard. All servants of Tianmi courtyard will be transferred to the heavy labor department.

Lastly, submit a document to me every day explaining what you did wrong. How it will affect everyone around you and how you will change your ways. As long as I'm not satisfied with the answer, you are not allowed to stop writing them. From now on, only old eunuchs will serve under you."

Long Sangyu's brows jumped. This kind of punishment... he thought da jie would only say copy Buddhist scriptures 100 times. But this was truly cruel for someone who grew up pampered in the boudoir.

Even an emperor wouldn't punish any prince this way. Write about what she did wrong. Wasn't that too humiliating?

Junwang could think like this as he still didn't know the whole story. He only thought his niece only whipped Beauty Feng and the other two mei ren.

"Someone, escort Junzhu to her new quarters."

Long Tang seemed to have thrown away the last of her sanity as she stood up and pointed her index finger at wangye with shaky hands.

"Take away everything! Take it! I don't want this anymore. For seven years, I live in fear that I'll be a commoner again if I make a mistake. But it was also seven years of me wanting my Imperial Mother to see me."

There were two streams of tears flowing down her cheeks and she choked out.

"Have your Highness even called me daughter even once?"

Long Sangyu looked at her niece and let out a surprised sound. He was only short of rushing to her and stopping her mouth with his palm. Couldn't she have some self-preservation? If she didn't stop now, she would really be left with nothing.

But a short contemptuous laugh stopped both of their movements.

Long Xu Le covered her face with her hand, leaving only her glowing dark peach blossom eyes. There was no mirth in them.

She thought she made things clear with this little kid. It turned out this girl was really greedy. Right now, whatever goodwill Long Xu Le felt for her was gone.

Mother? King Wan Li never planned to be like that.

It was clear-cut from the beginning. Deputy General Jin wanted someone to look after his daughter. Wan Li Wang promised him that the girl will never lack anything. She would have the surname Long.

When she met the little girl, Long Xu Le told her these and she nodded with gratefulness.

But as years passed, she wanted more. And what irked Long Xu Le more was this little brother of hers. It seemed he was blind to everything the girl did.

Really acted like an uncle to such a vicious little girl.

Needless to say, King Wan Li didn't fall for this righteous speech. She even nodded. "Alright. Take her away."

At this moment, both Long Sangyu and Long Tang stood there in horror. Their bodies were cold all over.

Just like that, Suliang lost its Junzhu from Wan Li wangfu.

Long Xu Le didn't hide from their eyes. She couldn't count how many times people looked at her with the same dread and revulsion.

Her posture was straight. She was standing not too far away. But she gave off the feeling that nobody could reach her. Nobody had the right to.

Only now did Long Sangyu truly feel this distance. And he felt suffocated as strong eunuchs took the Junzhu away. No, she's not a princess anymore.

Edited: Feb. 13, 2023