The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

Inside the Jiaofang Palace, Wulan Yun carefully rolled up Shen Jingyan's sleeve, her brows furrowing with heartache as she looked at the large, obvious bruise on her elbow.

"Mother, be gentle..." Shen Jingyan gasped for breath, her eyes still red.

"That Shen Qingruo is really going too far!" Wu Lanyun suppressed her anger and was about to discuss countermeasures with her daughter when a eunuch's shrill voice suddenly came from outside the hall, saying that Chief Steward Wu of Taiji Hall had come to convey His Majesty's oral decree.

The mother and daughter exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.

Wu Tian bowed as he entered, a smile on his face: "Your Majesty, Princess. His Majesty has decreed that the Princess's manners were lacking, which is truly inappropriate."

"Upon the Princess's return to the palace, she shall immediately move into a side hall of Yilan Palace, where Consort Zhao shall personally instruct her in palace etiquette until she is proficient in the rules. So be it—"

"What?" Shen Jingyan jumped up from her chair, her voice shrill.

"I'm not going! Why should I go to her place!"

Wu Lanyun's face instantly turned extremely ugly, but she managed to remain calm and waved to Wu Tian, ​​saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Steward Wu. I understand."

Wu Tian didn't say anything more, bowed and withdrew.

As soon as the palace doors closed, Shen Jingyan immediately grabbed Wu Lanyun's arm, unable to believe it:

"Mother, did you hear that? Father Emperor ordered me to go to that vile woman's palace and face her every day."

"She just humiliated me this morning, forced me to kneel, and shoved me! Not only does Father not care, but he condones her actions?"

"Is he trying to make me go to her and let her torment me?"

She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, tears streaming down her face: "I am the eldest princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty! How could my father treat me like this!"

Looking at her daughter who was on the verge of collapse, Wu Lanyun felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

She reached out and pulled Shen Jingyan into a tight embrace, her voice low and strained:

"Ayan, the imperial decree has been issued; you have no choice but to go."

"Why? Mother, why?" Shen Jingyan cried out in her arms.

Wu Lanyun patted her daughter's back and revealed the cruel reality: "Because you killed Shen Qingruo's child, which was His Majesty's heir."

"His Majesty has vented his anger, but Shen Qingruo has not let go of it." "So now she is acting recklessly, relying on His Majesty's favor, and is certain that His Majesty will indulge her."

Shen Jingyan sobbed, trying to suppress her sobs.

"Ayan, listen to what your mother has to say." Wulan Yun cupped her daughter's tear-stained face, her eyes sharp and resolute.

"You must endure it, endure it until the day your elder brother is made crown prince!"

"She's just teaching you manners. She wouldn't dare to really hurt you. It's just some minor squabbles to humiliate you."

"Just pretend... just pretend you accidentally fell while practicing martial arts."

She wiped away her daughter's tears, her tone both coaxing and commanding: "Moreover, in Yilan Palace, you can see your father often."

"Ayan, control your temper and find a way to let him see your grievances and your forbearance, so that he will feel sorry for you."

"This is what you should be doing now, understand?"

Shen Jingyan stared blankly at her mother, the anger in her eyes gradually subsiding.

She nodded slowly, her voice hoarse: "Your subject understands."

Seeing that her daughter had finally calmed down, Wulan Yun breathed a sigh of relief, hugged her again, and said softly, "Your mother knows you've been wronged."

"Your mother will try to persuade you again, but given your father's attitude, he most likely won't agree. But at least it will make him feel a little guilty."

Shen Jingyan leaned against her mother's chest, no longer crying, but biting her lower lip tightly, her hatred growing stronger.