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

"Sun Hongwen!" Shen Jingyan interrupted him sharply, her face drained of color.

She knelt down in front of Shen Wangxi and Wulan Yun with a thud, speaking rapidly with a pleading tone:

"Father! Mother! Today is the flower-viewing banquet hosted by your daughter. There are many guests, including Prince Xiao and his mother..."

"I beg you, Father and Mother, to spare my dignity. Please, whatever the matter, we can question you thoroughly after the banquet, okay? I beg you!"

Ulan Yun was utterly shocked. She and His Majesty had come to support their daughter, but who would have thought they would witness such a farce?

Judging from this situation, could it be that Ah Yan and Yinian, these two siblings, are...?

Shen Wangxi looked at her kneeling daughter begging, then glanced at her son Shen Yinian, who was silent but had an equally unpleasant expression, and felt a chill in her heart.

What did Aruo do to offend them? Why would they go to such lengths, using such flawed yet effective methods, to humiliate her?

If he hadn't come today, and if this flower-viewing banquet had continued, and the matter had become true and spread, public opinion would have been devastating, destroying him completely. What would await Aruo then?

The best outcome for a fickle princess would probably be to be hastily betrothed to someone like Sun Hongwen, sent out of the palace, and left to fend for herself.

Although this plan is crude, if it is approved by those in power, or if it is glossed over to save face for the royal family, it will be a catastrophic disaster for Aruo.

Shen Wangxi felt a dull ache in his heart. She was so delicate, and he cherished her dearly, yet she was betrayed by his own children and outsiders.

He slowly stood up, looking at Shen Jingyan and Shen Yinian, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Face? You two siblings, have you spared me, or the royal family, even a shred of face today?"

Shen Wangxi opened her mouth, wanting to tear open that unbearable truth completely.

"Your Majesty!" Ulan Yun suddenly grabbed his arm.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with an unprecedented pleading, her voice low and trembling with sobs, "Your Majesty! I beg you..."

"Ayan has just gotten engaged, and people from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, along with all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, are here watching!"

"If this matter is revealed in public, how will Ah Yan face anyone afterward? How will she maintain her standing in the Xiao family?"

She gripped his arm tightly, her voice trembling violently: "Your Majesty, we are the family! Ayan and Yinian are our flesh and blood! Shen Qingruo, she's just an outsider!"

"Family?" Shen Wangxi practically spat out the words through clenched teeth.

He looked down at his wife, son, and daughter, their faces filled with fear and selfishness.

Is this how family is? It's different from what he remembers.

Shen Wangxi felt like he couldn't breathe. He knew that she must be watching him too, with her always dependent eyes, waiting for him to get justice for her.

Shen Wangxi's hand, hanging by his side, was clenched into a fist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. At this moment, he didn't even have the courage to look at Shen Qingruo.

Ulan Yun continued speaking, "Your Majesty, I only have these two children. Please don't hesitate any longer..."

Shen Wangxi closed her eyes, and in the end, she gave in.

He opened his eyes, forcibly suppressing all his emotions, and said coldly, "Wu Tian, ​​convey the imperial decree."

"Sun Hongwen, a criminal who deceived the emperor and slandered the princess, deserves to be punished. Immediately, have his tongue pulled out and be beaten to death."

"The Sun family failed to educate their children properly, resulting in the execution of nine generations of their relatives."

His gaze slowly swept over the silent crowd: "Not a single word of what happened today should be uttered by any one of you here."

He paused, and each word struck the hearts of everyone present: "Execute him immediately."

Everyone was terrified and knelt down again to receive the decree.

Shen Jingyan and Shen Yinian both breathed a sigh of relief, but their backs were already soaked with cold sweat.

Ulan Yun loosened her grip on Shen Wangxi's hand as if she had lost all strength, her face pale.

Shen Qingruo, sitting quietly in the corner, kept her head down, and no one could see her expression.

After Shen Wangxi finished speaking, she looked away from everyone and strode away.

He didn't turn around or even glance at her.

And, he dared not turn back.

-

On his way back to Taiji Hall, Shen Wangxi felt a dull pain in his chest and questioned himself: How could he be so cowardly and desert?

He then paused, turned around, and used his lightness skill to rush towards Qingyi Palace.

Wu Tian, ​​who was following behind, was taken aback at first, then sighed helplessly and could only follow, thinking to himself:

Well, it looks like there's going to be trouble again today. His Majesty's heart has long since turned away from the right path.

Inside Qingyi Palace, Shen Qingruo, supported by Granny Yan, stepped into the palace gate in a daze and immediately saw the man standing in the hall.

He arrived even faster than she did.

Eyes facing each other.

The tears that Shen Qingruo had been holding back burst forth the moment she saw him.

"Aruo..." Shen Wangxi felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart, causing her great pain.

He strode forward, stretched out his long arm, and scooped her up in his arms. He walked a few steps to the soft couch in the inner hall and carefully placed her on it.

Shen Wangxi's voice was low and hoarse, filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt, "Don't cry, it's my fault."

His apology only made Shen Qingruo feel worse.

"Why?" Her voice choked and broke, her small, white hands clenched into fists, weakly pounding against his chest. "Why did you do this to me... Waaah..."

As she cried, she intermittently accused, "If it were before, when I was still your nominal illegitimate princess, I would have tolerated your favoritism towards them and your neglect of me."

"But now, this is how our relationship is..."

"His Majesty dotes on me every night, showering me with sweet words, saying he cares for me and loves me."

"But why am I being treated so unfairly today when I'm facing off against the Princess?"

"They clearly framed me."

"So many people were watching, yet they used such filthy things to frame me."

"You know perfectly well, so why are you still protecting them? Why can't you give me justice? Waaah..."

Shen Wangxi let her fists fall on her body without dodging or flinching. She simply tightened her arms around her waist and hugged the crying girl even tighter.

He repeated his apology over and over, his voice heavy with sorrow, "It's my fault, I'm sorry, Aruo, I'm so sorry..."

"Today, the people from Ayan's husband's family, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, are also present. I..."

He struggled to find the right words, but found that any reason seemed weak and ineffective.

Shen Wangxi could only keep apologizing: "I've wronged you again, it's all my fault..."

Shen Qingruo cried until she was exhausted, her body limply nestled in his arms, only weak sobs remaining.

Shen Wangxi lowered his head and kissed away the tears on her face with his thin lips, his tenderness indescribable.

He whispered in her ear, "Aruo, I promise, this is the last time."