The Emperor was holding his teacup, but before he could even take a sip, he saw his son storm over and stride behind the screen.

He looked as if he was afraid Shen Ningning would suffer the slightest harm.

Behind the screen, the embroideresses and nannies were kneeling all over the floor.

A dark light glinted in Mo Lingwei’s cold eyes. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He turned to look at Shen Ningning. The little one was clutching her tummy, one small hand gripping the edge of a cabinet, her big, jet-black eyes flashing with defiance.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, striding over. He grabbed a nearby outer robe and draped it over her shoulders.

A Chief Maid explained in a fluster, "Your Highness, please forgive us. We were about to change the Village Chief’s undergarments, but she won’t let anyone touch her things."

Mo Lingwei glanced down.

Her Ruyi was still tied around Shen Ningning’s waist.

And not just that, but also the Dragon Pendant he had given her.

The little one turned and hugged Mo Lingwei’s arm. "Brother, I don’t want to take them off."

Mo Lingwei’s brow relaxed. "Then don’t take them off."

He looked at the nannies. "Just take her measurements like this."

The embroideresses exchanged a surprised look.

’With so many things tied around her waist, how can the measurements possibly be accurate?’

However, since the Crown Prince had spoken, no one dared to disobey. They did as they were told.

Finally, Shen Ningning was changed into a brand-new, hastily prepared palace dress and led before the Emperor.

The little one was dressed in a bright, goose-yellow brocade from Shu.

The palace nannies were skillful. They had braided her soft hair into two small buns, with a few wisps framing her face, revealing a smooth, fair forehead.

It made the little girl’s eyes seem even bigger and brighter, and her features look delicate, vibrant, and lovely.

The Emperor was delighted the moment he saw her. He thought she looked somewhat familiar, as if she resembled someone, but he couldn’t quite place who.

He said with a smile, "Ningning, Uncle Emperor has ordered the Weaving Bureau to prepare clothes for you for all four seasons. Are you happy?"

At the prospect of having pretty little dresses to wear, a smile instantly bloomed on Shen Ningning’s chubby face.

"I am!" she said, nodding. "Thank you, Uncle Emperor."

"I heard that you and your grandmother live in the mountains. Conditions must be harsh. Is the fifty dan of grain I bestowed upon you enough to eat?" the Emperor asked.

Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes. "It’s not harsh in the mountains at all. We have everything we need."

"We’ve been using the grain Uncle Emperor gave us to build a tea shelter recently, and we still have plenty left over!"

The Emperor was taken aback and looked up at Mo Lingwei.

"A tea shelter?"

Mo Lingwei, who was sitting nearby, briefly explained what had happened.

The Emperor was usually inscrutable, but a fleeting look of surprise and admiration flashed in his eyes.

"Ningning, you shared this food with the refugees. They’re no kith or kin to you, so why did you bother with them?"

"Why?" The little one scratched her cheek, pondering for a moment in confusion. "I’ve never really thought about why!"

"It’s just that I had extra, so I wanted to help so people wouldn’t have to go hungry. When my aunt used to refuse to feed me, my tummy would hurt so much from hunger!"

So, it was simply because she had experienced such suffering herself that she wanted to help others through the same hardship now that she could.

The Emperor was inevitably moved. He then asked, "I’ve heard about your aunt’s crimes. Her abuse of you went so far as to starve you? What else did she do?"

Shen Ningning’s long lashes drooped, her eyes dimming like extinguished stars.

"She would hit me... and she’d make me smile while she did. If I didn’t, she’d hit me even harder."

As she mumbled those words, the Emperor slammed his hand on the table. "Outrageous!"

The sudden commotion made Shen Ningning’s small body tremble in fright.

Mo Lingwei immediately reached out and pulled her to him, glaring at the Emperor with displeasure.

The Emperor quickly softened his expression for the little one. "Don’t be afraid. You have Uncle Emperor now. No one will ever dare to bully you again."

The hour was growing late. Mo Lingwei rose and said coolly to the Emperor, "We’re leaving."

Shen Ningning innocently tried to mimic the palace maids, dipping into a small curtsy.

Her small figure had just begun to bend when Mo Lingwei gently straightened her up.

"Let’s go." He was practically half-carrying her as he led Shen Ningning out of Taiji Hall.

「After they left.」

The Emperor’s warm expression turned utterly grim.

He summoned his trusted eunuch. "After Shen Ningning’s aunt, Wang Guihong, died... does she have any living family members?"

The eunuch hesitated. "This... should I go and investigate?"

The Emperor rose, his voice cold. "Find them. Everyone within three generations of her family is to be put to death."

’This meant that even the children Wang Guihong had given birth to would not escape a death sentence.’

’The Emperor intended to leave that wicked woman with no heirs!’

The eunuch started in alarm and quickly said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

’It was all Wang Guihong’s fault for being so foolish as to bully Shen Ningning. And now, Shen Ningning had become someone the Crown Prince treasured.’

’If the Emperor wanted to mend his relationship with his son, what better way than to make an example of Wang Guihong’s children?’

「At that moment.」

Shen Ningning didn’t want to ride in the sedan chair, so she purposefully walked with Mo Lingwei, taking the path through the Imperial Garden back to Purple Cloud Palace.

The path was lined with flowers in full bloom, a dazzling riot of color.

There was never a shortage of water in the palace; the gardeners watered the plants three or four times a day.

When the sun grew too intense, the gardeners would even cover them with cool silk cloths.

Shen Ningning stood before a blooming peony, gazing at it for a long time.

Mo Lingwei watched her from the side, a smile on his face. "If you like it, I can have this pot sent to you. Want to take it home?"

The little one quickly shook her head. "The flower looks best blooming right here."

Just then, a woman’s smiling voice drifted over from nearby. "The Village Chief is so very sensible."

Shen Ningning turned her head to see a concubine, dressed in opulent robes and with her hair adorned with pearls and jade, approaching with a large retinue of Palace Attendants.

Consort Li beamed as she walked up to them, extending her fingertips, which were stained red with balsam.

The next moment, she pinched the flower’s stem and, with a gentle twist, snapped the peony’s head off.

"The Village Chief is so precious and lovely. What does a single peony matter?" Consort Li said, holding the flower out to Shen Ningning.

The little one looked up at the woman’s smiling, crinkled eyes and felt a sense of unease.

"Thank you, but... I don’t want it," Shen Ningning refused.

Consort Li persisted, feigning an attempt to please her.

She bent down and said, "If I had a daughter as lovely and pretty as you, I wouldn’t just give her a peony. I’d pluck the very stars from the sky for her."

"Village Chief, don’t be afraid. The palace has countless peonies like this. Here, take it."

Shen Ningning kept shaking her head, her small hands hidden behind her back, steadfastly refusing to accept it.

Faced with such firm refusal, Consort Li’s composure began to crack. She could barely maintain her smile.

It was only when Mo Lingwei spoke, his voice icy, that things changed. "Get it away from her."

Consort Li instinctively snatched her hand back, terrified that he would fly into one of his crazed fits of temper.

She laughed awkwardly. "Perhaps the Village Chief is just shy with strangers? It is her first time meeting me, after all."

Mo Lingwei took Shen Ningning’s small hand and said emotionlessly, "Remember what she looks like. From now on, whenever you’re in the palace and you see this person, stay far away from her. She’s not a good person."

"Do you understand?"

Shen Ningning nodded in bewilderment. Then, Mo Lingwei led her away without sparing Consort Li another glance.

Consort Li’s chest tightened with rage.

It was one thing for Mo Lingwei to publicly humiliate her; this was hardly the first time.

’But that Shen Ningning... after hearing something like that, she actually dared to nod?’

"What an ill-mannered little wench!" Consort Li spat, flinging the peony to the ground in a rage.

As if that wasn’t enough, she then ground it into the dirt under her shoe before storming off in a huff.

「After returning to Purple Cloud Palace.」

Shen Ningning was blissfully happy, holding a bowl of sweet iced dessert, nibbling on pastries, and swinging her little feet.

Seeing how happy she was, Mo Lingwei asked with a smile, "Aren’t you curious why I despise Consort Li so much?"