"Y-Your Majesty, what Miss Xiang said is true... The Crown Prince did indeed say those things." Mr. Li dared not conceal the truth.

Fury ignited in the Beili Emperor’s heart. ’For a Crown Prince, he speaks with such a lack of discretion! Bragging everywhere about such a trivial matter—how can he ever achieve anything great in the future?’

"The Crown Prince has erred in word and deed. He is sentenced to kneel in the ancestral hall. The Eighth Prince has disregarded palace regulations; he is confined for one month. The Seventh Prince..." The Beili Emperor looked at this son whom he had not seen in over a month, and his resolve wavered slightly.

"Imperial Father." Sang Rui shuffled forward a few times on his knees. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Guards, return him to the Cold Palace. If he escapes again, have all the guards on watch dragged away and beheaded." The Beili Emperor averted his gaze.

Sang Rui collapsed to the ground, his heart turning to ash as the guards dragged him away.

"Imperial Father, I..."

"Silence," the Beili Emperor snapped.

Sang Qi pouted, clearly indignant.

The Beili Emperor’s gaze fell upon Ye Qianning. ’This child must be punished severely.’

Consort Yuan suddenly stepped forward and knelt, her previously grim face now streaked with tears. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince was at fault, and his punishment is deserved. But what wrong did Shu’er and Zhen’er commit to be beaten so badly by Miss Xiang?"

Consort Dong gave Sang Zhen and Sang Shu a subtle push.

"Imperial Father, you must deliver justice for me!"

"Imperial Father, look at my injuries..."

Sang Zhen rolled up her sleeve, revealing an arm covered in red and purple bruises, and even a bite mark.

"Imperial Father, my head... I can never show my face in public again!" Sang Shu lowered her hands, revealing a bald patch on the crown of her head.

The moment the Crown Prince saw it, he instinctively reached up to touch his own scalp. Thankfully, his hair was still there.

The Beili Emperor looked at how his own son and daughters had been beaten into such a state by a single person. ’If I don’t mete out a harsh punishment, what will become of the imperial family’s honor?’

The few court officials standing in the back stared, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads. If any family were saddled with such children, it would be a miracle not to be scared into a heart attack.

And yet, General Xiang remained so composed. His daughter had just assaulted the princesses over a matter concerning the Crown Prince!

Old Man Gu hadn’t expected the little girl to actually pull a princess’s hair out until she was bald. ’This isn’t going to be easy to resolve,’ he thought.

"Ye Qianning, you have some nerve!" the Beili Emperor’s voice thundered.

The concubines in the back trembled with fear, all secretly thinking that Miss Xiang’s days were numbered.

"WAH WAH..." Ye Qianning opened her mouth and burst into tears.

"Guards! Seize this insubordinate..."

"Your Majesty, a moment," Dean Chen stepped forward.

The Beili Emperor shot him a sharp look. "Dean Chen, do not try to shield her. Even if she is your student, she cannot be allowed to act so wantonly."

"Your Majesty, I do not intend to shield her. But if Your Majesty intends to mete out punishment, shouldn’t you first ask what caused this? If my young student was truly the one being arrogant and unreasonable, then I will leave her to be punished as Your Majesty sees fit."

"Indeed, Your Majesty. It takes two to start a fight," Old Man Gu added sullenly.

"Your Majesty, I know my own daughter," Xiang Minghou said coldly, bowing. "She is not the type to start trouble."

"Are you implying that *My* princesses are the ones who cause trouble?"

"A father knows his daughter best."

The entire court knew the Sixth Princess’s disposition. How could the Emperor himself be unaware?

"I implore Your Majesty to investigate the cause of this matter," Mrs. Zhan said, kneeling and kowtowing.

Noble Princess Consort Zhan also stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I suggest you determine who was right and who was wrong before making a decision."

The Beili Emperor considered this for a moment, then turned to the Sixth Princess. "Why did you fight to this extent?"

"She was being arrogant and unreasonable! She was insolent, and... and she hit me!" the Sixth Princess cried.

"That’s not right! Imperial Uncle, she’s lying!" Nanxiang rushed forward.

"Xiang’er, you tell me."

"Imperial Uncle, Pangtuan and I were on our way to play by the rockery when Sixth Sister and Ninth Sister came looking for trouble! Not only did they insult Pangtuan, they also insulted my father, the Prince, and General Xiang. And they were the ones who hit us first!" Nanxiang said, full of indignation.

The Beili Emperor’s temple throbbed. He was well aware of Sang Shu’s personality, but he found it hard to believe she would have the audacity to insult Prince Changyang and General Xiang.

Ye Qianning, who had been observing the scene quietly, suddenly burst out crying. "WAH WAH WAH... Your Majesty, I don’t want to marry the Crown Prince! Father, I don’t want to marry the Crown Prince!"

"What’s this now?" The Beili Emperor frowned.

"Your Majesty, the Sixth Princess and the Ninth Princess ganged up on me! They said I’m not worthy of the Crown Prince! Boo hoo... It’s not like I wanted to marry him, so why do they get to mock me and yell at me..."

Xiang Minghou’s heart ached for her.

Mrs. Zhan and many others had never been optimistic about this marriage. But an imperial decree could not be defied, so they could only swallow their bitterness and suffer in silence.

But while they had no outlet for their frustration, the imperial family themselves had been the first to start the taunts. How could that not be infuriating?

"You’re crude and vulgar! You were never worthy of the Crown Prince to begin with!" Sang Shu retorted angrily.

With that shout, it wasn’t just Xiang Minghou and his faction whose faces darkened—even the Beili Emperor’s expression grew grim.

Consort Yuan cursed her daughter’s foolishness internally. ’She hasn’t absorbed a single one of my lessons. It’s all my fault for being too indulgent with her.’

"WAH WAH! Father, I don’t want to get married! I don’t want to marry the Crown Prince! They all look down on me, and I still have to marry him! Why? Your Majesty, why?!" Ye Qianning cried even harder.

Why?

Yes, why was this marriage decreed in the first place?

Several officials lowered their gazes, inwardly perplexed. The Emperor’s decision to decree this marriage had indeed baffled the entire court from the very beginning.

Xiang Minghou’s expression was darker than ever. "Your Majesty, I implore you to dissolve the marriage contract."

The Beili Emperor took a long moment to suppress his anger. "The imperial edict has been issued. It cannot be altered."

"Everyone insults me and says I’m not worthy! Anyone who doesn’t know better would think our family is desperately clinging to the Crown Prince! I don’t want to be a social climber or marry up! I don’t want to! I just don’t want to marry the Crown Prince! If I have to be insulted like this for the rest of my life, I’d rather be dead!" Ye Qianning plopped onto the floor, kicking her feet and wiping her eyes with her little hands as she sobbed her heart out.

"Your Majesty, the child is young and speaks without restraint. Please do not hold it against her," Dean Chen said with a sigh. "However, while a child’s words may be unfiltered, there is reason in them. The civil and military officials, the palace concubines, the various princes and princesses—they all feel this child is unworthy of the Crown Prince. Everyone she meets has a few scornful words for her. She is only six. To grow up amidst such ridicule is simply torture."

"Your Majesty, if everyone continues like this—mocking her countryside origins, scorning her for being unworthy of her station, and verbally abusing her for not being a suitable match—these words will take root in her heart. She will be consumed by low self-esteem and develop psychological trauma in the future," Qian Fu said, fingering his Buddha Beads as he bowed slightly.

"This is General Xiang’s only daughter. Surely Your Majesty cannot bear to see her destroyed by these words," Zhan Yi added.

Old Man Gu was actually crying, wiping his tears with his sleeve. "This child has had it too hard."

Xiang Minghou’s eyes were also bloodshot. "I beg Your Majesty to annul the engagement."

Consort Yuan, of course, hoped the Emperor would dissolve the engagement. ’A girl this savage...’ she thought. ’Who knows what trouble she’ll cause in the future.’

The Beili Emperor remained silent.

Seeing the Beili Emperor’s silence, Ye Qianning cried out again, "The countryside is better after all! They might not have money, but at least they’re reasonable! Everyone says noble families care most about rules and etiquette, but they came right up to me, cursed me, cursed my father, and even hit me! What kind of upbringing is that... WAH WAH WAH... It’s a bullshit upbringing! No matter how ill-mannered I am, I would never call someone a ’little bitch,’ and I’d never attack someone for no reason..."