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Long Sangyu watched the man walk out of the study. Zhang Yunlei was obviously in a much better mood.

There was a soft arc on the prince's face.

"I could have brought those offerings." Xiao Bao's tone was filled with questions.

"A'Bao, you know the things happening in our palace. Like my elder imperial sister, I need to see who are my people and who aren't."

Junwang arranged the bronze statuettes on his desk and light suddenly refracted to Xiao Bao's eyes. The young man flinched but he didn't know if it was because of the blinding light or if it was because of the gentle smile on the prince's face.

His Highness was learning how to bare his fangs properly.

On the way to the ancestral hall, Zhang Yunlei's steps were light. There was an unsaid promise in Junwang's words. He expected his Highness to visit him tonight.

It was worth celebrating.

---

Long Tang looked at her Highness in apprehension.

Wan Li Wang was currently standing inside her room inspecting the books on her shelves.

"Don't read this. The Shi Li dynasty is nothing but a myth invented by idealistic scholars of old. Those people had never set foot in court, nor have they seen the real people's plight. The things they say in this book will only muddle the mind." Wangye glanced at the young girl who instantly stiffened.

"A better reading material would be the Memoirs of the Lowly Warrior. Yes, the author is not a General but you will see a glimpse of the effects of real war on the common people's lives."

Long Tang bowed, her voice a little shaky. "Thanking wangye for these pointers."

Long Xu Le directly sat on the luohan couch after taking a thorough look at the books. "Then have you read everything on these shelves?"

"Answering her Highness, yes. This subject has read them but has done in-depth annotations only on Mencius and Doctrines of the Mean."

The King's brow raised at this as she uttered. "The perfect virtue."

Her Highness was indicating the contents of the Doctrines of the Mean that was known to teach values. There were no traces of mocking in her voice but Long Tang felt her sins were being judged by Wan Li Wang's unadulterated onyx eyes.

They continued discussing these books as though King Wan Li was testing her knowledge on them. The young lady would hem and haw on some topics, showing her inexperience but the King wasn't condescending in the slightest.

She would correct her misinterpretations and expand on some concepts.

Long Tang found this to be just like when wangye used to visit her courtyard to review her studies. She lowered her head to hide the tears threatening to spill over.

In fact, coming to Yue Ju was called her punishment and confinement but the room she received here wasn't too inferior to the one in Tianmi. The decorations were simple but the quality was the same.

Her servants were all changed but the eunuchs attending to her now didn't mistreat her one bit.

No doubt that the way people would treat her outside this palace would change as soon as news leaked out. But here, there was no mistaking everything was the same.

She wanted to ask why but didn't have the courage.

"As long as you follow these, you can move on to more advanced readings."

Ever since Long Tang could remember, wangye's voice had been steady and mellow like deep rivers flowing out into the sea. When she was a child, her biological father would speak of his deep respect for the young king. But other children would say that her Highness was a monster that ate still beating hearts with huge pointy teeth.

That was why when this unreachable King first spoke to her, the young her was baffled but soon became hopeful. This beautiful woman would be her new mother.

She wanted her recognition, her smiles.

But through the years, she saw how unattainable her Highness was. She gave up on this idea. Her thoughts were then swallowed by the infatuation for Junwang. Her violent tendencies exploded on her maids.

Long Xu Le found the young lady dazed. "Long Tang."

The latter was pulled from her thoughts. "Wangye... this subject has never apologized."

King Wan Li grew still, studying the young lady. All the documents received from the kid were trash in Long Xu Le's eyes. It was obvious she hadn't discovered the depth of the things she did. That's why these words were unexpected.

"Long Tang has disappointed your Highness. I failed to meet the expectations of being a Junzhu. This past few weeks, wangye may not believe but Tang'er reflected on those mistakes well."

The monk residing in the ancestral hall played a huge part in this.

Yue Ju was closest to the ancestral hall. Everyday, the monk would preach about life and Long Tang was his constant listener, along with some older servants of the palace.

After the preaching, she would help the monk in his chores. Perhaps, he had unknowingly become her mentor.

It was unusual for a palace to have a monk but she seemed to recall he was saved by her Highness' army in the mountains before. The incident led him to be crippled. In gratitude, he decided to go back to the secular world and dedicate his life to the wangfu.

"You shouldn't apologize to ben dian."

Silence reigned inside the room and it soon became oppressive as the King stared at the table filled with parchments. And as though a spell was lifted, Long Xu Le changed the subject.

"Then, you deserve to know what will become of the Jin."

Long Tang's eyes widened.

"At this moment, the Governer-General presiding over Juangxian is rallying his men to arrest the fleeing male members of Jin clan. Their charges range from swindling the people of their lands, pirating the mines of Juangxian and monopolizing the trade of ores."

"T-then, my mother..."

Long Xu Le's expression hardened. "Whatever properties and possessions the Jin family amassed all these years will be confiscated. Their females, elderly and children will become slaves. The men will be incarcerated for life."

The young girl lost strength to her legs and slid on the floor.

King Wan Li looked down on her from above. "If it was the usual, ben dian wouldn't be this merciful."

The quietness of her voice promised something more dreadful.

Jin Tang felt a jolt in her heart.

"Give an inch and they would ask for a mile. It seems Deputy General Jin was the only good seed in that family."

The more wangye talked, the more arrows seemed to nail the young girl's body on the floor. She remembered all the times her biological mother visited her and asked unusual questions like King Wan Li's schedule, her favorite food, hobbies and where she usually stayed outside of Zhongqing courtyard. Not knowing if that was connected to the crimes pinned on their heads, she refused to think anymore.

What her Highness said was right. Her father was the only good karma of the Jin family. He must have been worrying about her ending up in the wrong hands so he made wangye adopt her.

But Long Tang still ended up like the Jin family despite the change of names.

She exhaled slowly. "W-when will Tang'er be taken away?"

Long Xu Le stared at her in incredulity. Time stopped inside the chamber. And the former princess could barely withstand the pressure.

When the velvet voice sounded out again, she couldn't understand what was said at first.

"You're the adopted daughter of Wan Li palace. Who will dare?"

Long Tang felt electrocuted as his head snapped at wangye's direction.

There wasn't a hint of a smile on the King's face. Even if there was, she knew that her Highness was serious. It meant Wan Li Wang wouldn't give her back to the Jin family.

Long Xu Le raised a brow. This kid thought she would be jailed along with the Jin family. What a headache. The moment she promised Deputy General Jin that his daughter would be taken care of, she was set on it.

A monarch never went back on their words.

King Wan Li's thin petal-like lips parted once again. "Now, I have questions about that night."

A ghost of an arc curved on the King's lips.

Long Tang thought her adoptive mother would never ask about these things. It seemed like her Highness didn't need it anymore even after that night passed. Then why only now?

The girl was puzzled but decided to cooperate to the fullest. After a month of no luxury, being unable to spend how much she wanted, and unable to vent, Long Tang was more or less tempered. Now, she wanted to be of use even if it meant just having a little bit of freedom in the courtyard or a little bit more meat during her meal times.

The chef's vegetable dishes were delicious but meat was still different.

"Who did you meet during the days leading to that night?"

That night they were talking about was none other than the time Long Tang whipped Feng Yanyan. Of course, Long Xu Le had the former Junzhu investigated even before she came here. But confirmation from the girl would make things easier.

Long Tang had no desire to lie. She recalled the days before the incident, even the useless things. She shivered as wangye's gaze felt ominous.

After the concise conversation, her Highness didn't dally and left.

Wan Li Wang had to grasp the situation more now that Feng Haotian decided to reform their contact. To show respect, she must take care of that Old Master Feng's grandson. This was the opposite of that time when it was Feng Ting taking care of her regardless of the Feng patriarch's words.

After wangye left, Long Tang couldn't utter a single word.

Beating the surname Long was an amulet no one could take away.

Now, she understood her father's wishes. But why only now when Imperial Mother was completely disappointed in her?

Edited: Feb. 16, 2023