Chapter Nine

parently no one took him seriously as a prince anymore."Your Highness, Sister Cai Lian spoke the truth," said a young maidservant who had been promoted by Yun Qianyue. She was still quite nervous and...Volume 1: Smiling at Prosperity Chapter 9

The thick and oppressive atmosphere emanating from the Secret Guards permeated throughout the Observation Garden, plunging it into an eerie silence.

The young ladies were all pale with fright; they had never encountered such a serious situation before. While they admired and revered the Crown Prince, their hearts also filled with fear and unease as they involuntarily stepped back.

Since Ye Qingran appeared on the scene, the Empress had remained silent, now merely observing from the sidelines.

"Heh heh, I didn't expect that after seven years, Crown Prince Brother has become even more formidable. These Secret Guards are all top-notch warriors! It's been a while since I've had a fight—I'm itching to test out your Secret Guard’s strength." After a moment, Ye Qingran lifted his head and smiled lightly.

Night Tianqiong's expression darkened as he warned: "This isn't something to joke about. Think it over carefully; not everything can be played with."

"Sigh, how disappointing. Initially, I thought seeing Moon Sister suffering so much would allow me to emulate a hero and come to her rescue. This way, she could transfer her heart from your Crown Prince Brother to me, letting me experience being loved intensely. But it seems the Crown Prince Brother isn't giving me that chance—it's truly disheartening." Ye Qingran’s usual cynical expression gave way to disappointment as he shot a resentful glance at Night Tianqiong.

Night Tianqiong's expression softened slightly but paid no mind. He gestured towards the Secret Guards, who escorted Li Yun out of the Observation Garden.

"Muhan, your own younger sister has been put in jail, but you, as her brother, seem indifferent. You sit there so calmly that one might think I am the real elder brother!" Ye Qingran looked at the young man who was still calmly sitting by the jade table, contemplating the chess pieces scattered on it and the chessboard, and said with a smile.

Li Yun was taken aback and followed Ye Qingran's gaze to look at that man. That person was her elder brother

The Crown Prince glanced in the direction where Ye Qingran was looking upon hearing his words, with a slight change of expression.

"Yes, we are struggling here to protect Mu'er from any harm, but you, as her elder brother, sit there so calmly," said the Fourth Young Prince, also glancing at that young man.

The young man lifted his head slowly upon hearing this and glanced in their direction, only for a moment before looking away again. His voice was emotionless: "With Imperial Uncle here and Empress Dowager as our aunt, even though Grandpa is bedridden, he’s still clear-headed enough to know that Mu'er's offense is merely trivial. How could it warrant such drastic measures Even mobilizing the Crown Prince's secret guards against her seems like overkill. I am not neglecting my duty; I just don’t think it necessary. She’s merely a weak woman who has done nothing more than others here. If everyone else has killed people, wouldn't they be guilty too"

Li Yun secretly praised him upon hearing this. Ah, so the truly powerful person was right here.

Ye Qingran was momentarily taken aback but then burst into laughter again, his voice once more brimming with arrogance as if he were extremely pleased: "You are absolutely right; you are indeed correct! Brother Muhan, this small prince underestimated your abilities. Hahaha..."

The whole scenic garden echoed with his laughter as he looked at Yun Muhuan with unrestrained joy: "Absolutely true. Everyone here has killed more than she did; what happened to her is just a minor matter. Mobilizing the Crown Prince's secret guards was indeed an overreaction. Moreover, with Imperial Uncle and Empress Dowager as our guardians, and Cloud Old King still alive, who could actually bully Mu'er Hahaha..."

Daji watched Yun Muh寒 and Ye Qiyang, who were acting so seriously that their faces darkened even more.

Ye Qiyang seemed to be getting happier as he spoke, ignoring Daji's black face. He waved at Li Yun, saying, "Sister Moon, you can go live in the prison now! Don’t worry about it; the Ministry of Justice’s prison is a great place. Not everyone can get into it. Prince Daji is doing this for your own good, so that he can shut the mouths of all those who gossip about you. After playing around for a while, you’ll still be yourself when you come out. As long as Emperor Uncle doesn’t fall and Empress Auntie doesn’t fall, and Cloud Duke’s Mansion doesn’t fall, who would really kill you"

After he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up, "If you think living in the prison alone is boring, I can join you. We’ll keep each other company. Oh, that’s right, do you know how to play dice for mahjong Do you know how to play fighting crickets and building walls with bricks…"

"Ye Qiyang!" Daji's ominous voice interrupted Ye Qiyang.

"Come on, let’s go live in the Ministry of Justice prison together. The more I think about it, the more fun it sounds. Don’t worry; as long as I’m here, you’ll definitely have a good time and won’t miss home at all." Ye Qiyang ignored Ye Tianqiong and turned around to walk briskly towards Li Yun. He waved away Daji’s secret guards and dragged Li Yun along with him. He didn’t forget to wave back at Daji as he left, saying, "Prince Daji doesn’t need to send people to escort us. I know the Ministry of Justice prison very well and naturally know how to get there. Oh… it has been seven years since I’ve last been here; I wonder if the warden has changed Does he still remember me Maybe we can have a drink together…"

Li Yun inwardly laughed, thinking that this person was indeed a little devil who didn’t fear anyone!

Daji’s secret guards looked at each other uneasily and turned to look at Daji for instructions.

No longer able to sit still, Ye Tianqiong suddenly stood up and angrily said to Ye Qiyang, "Ye Qiyang, you’ve had enough. Don’t think that because I have repeatedly tolerated you, you can become more brazen and disregard me even further. Do you dare to cause trouble now"

Yè Qīng Rǎn stopped his steps, and a sharp look flashed across his eyes for an instant. However, he leisurely turned around to face Yè Tiān Qīng’s furious expression and said with a grin: "How could I dare not recognize the Crown Prince Today, I clearly saw that you were wearing the crown prince's ceremonial robe. The bright yellow color is truly eye-catching; apart from Uncle Emperor, only you would dare to wear it in the entire Heavenly Saint Empire. Even if someone gave me ten pairs of guts, I still wouldn’t dare not to recognize you."

Upon hearing this, Yè Tiān Qīng’s face remained dark and furious as he stared intently at Yè Qīng Rǎn. A moment later, he slowly walked towards Yè Qīng Rǎn and Lǐ Yún, with each step heavy and steady, exuding a thick aura of killing intent.

Lǐ Yún diverted her gaze to look at the scenery; she had no intention of looking at this man anymore.

Yè Qīng Rǎn watched as Yè Tiān Qīng approached and his eyes flickered slightly. Underneath the wide sleeves, he tightened his grip on Lǐ Yún’s hand before releasing it and smiling indifferently at Yè Tiān Qīng.

When Yè Tiān Qīng reached in front of Yè Qīng Rǎn and Lǐ Yún, he fixed his somber gaze upon Yè Qīng Rǎn for a moment before saying coolly: "I’m truly curious how Little Moon managed to win over the Prince of Disorder, Prince Rǎn, from our Heavenly Saint Empire Why would you go to such lengths to protect her"

"What do you mean by going to such lengths to protect her" Yè Qīng Rǎn rolled his eyes dramatically. "I never really tried in the first place! If I had put in effort, how could she still be here She would have long been fast asleep in the ladies’ quarters of Cloud王府."

"Then why don’t you give it your all and try" Yè Tiān Qīng narrowed his eyes.

Yè Qīng Rǎn also narrowed his eyes, seemingly roused by Yè Tiān Qīng’s persistent pursuit of him. He replied slowly: "If the Crown Prince insists so earnestly, I’ll give it a try. But if all these bodyguards are lost in the process, don’t come crying to Uncle Emperor and say that I bullied you."

Ye Tianqiong narrowed his eyes with a stern expression, pursing his lips as he watched Ye Qingran without uttering a word.

Suddenly, Ye Qingran's fingers twitched, indicating that he was about to take action. Li Yun, who had been silent for a long time, abruptly pulled her hand away from Ye Qingran and said indifferently, "Forget it, it’s just the Ministry of Punishment’s prison; I’ll go myself."

She didn’t believe that an ancient prison could hold her!

Ye Qingran was taken aback for a moment before turning to look at Li Yun. Ye Tianqiong also turned his gaze towards Li Yun.

Ignoring the two of them, Li Yun started walking away. She wasn’t stupid; on the contrary, she was extremely intelligent. Although she had just arrived, through this series of events, she had managed to gather most of the information she needed. If rescuing her today caused these two cousins to become estranged, then a small matter like setting fire to someone would turn into a huge issue. At that time, it would be difficult for her to survive. Even if she managed to escape from the Ministry of Punishment’s prison with her abilities, she was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to evade the relentless pursuit and assassination attempts by members of the royal family who would hunt her down relentlessly across vast distances. It simply wasn't worth it.

"Why aren’t you following Take Yun Qianyue to the Ministry of Punishment’s prison!" Ye Tianqiong tightly gripped his sleeve, readying himself for action. He seemed prepared to act if Ye Qingran made a move.

Watching Li Yun leave, instead of anger, Ye Qingran smiled faintly. This little girl was much more interesting than she had been seven years ago.

The Imperial Crown Prince’s guards immediately stepped forward and restrained Li Yun upon receiving orders.

The Empress turned away, seemingly sighing inwardly. A sorrow and worry she couldn't hide gathered in her brows and eyes. Even the elegant and solemn imperial consort attire seemed to lose some of its luster due to her change.

Those women who had been frightened pale grew excited once more. If Yun Qianyue can’t even protect you this time when even Yan Xiao, the Young Noble Prince, is implicated, let’s see who else can protect you. Once you enter the Ministry of Justice's prison, forget about coming out alive.

The Fourth Crown Prince looked at Ye Tianqiong as if he had thought of something and his expression changed repeatedly.

Guanying Garden fell silent again; one could only hear Li Yun being led away with not a single disturbance.

At this moment, an old eunuch hurried over from the distance. He was about fifty years old, in excellent condition, wearing court grand steward attire and holding a whisk. As he ran, he gasped for breath; although it seemed slow at first, he quickly arrived and blocked the steps of Li Yun being led away by the Crown Prince's Imperial Guards.

Ye Tianqiong frowned upon seeing the old eunuch.

Night Qingran suddenly chuckled, "Imperial Attendant Lu, it’s been a long time since we last met. Have you missed me"

"Oh my, Young Noble Prince Ran, this old servant naturally misses you! These seven years without your return have made the old servant miss you day and night, yearning for you to come back sooner." The old eunuch looked at Night Qingran, his eyes turning into flowers as he smiled from ear to ear. He then bowed deeply to the Empress, Crown Prince, Young Noble Prince Ran, and Fourth Crown Prince: "This old servant greets Empress Dowager, His Highness the Crown Prince, Young Noble Prince Ran, His Highness the Fourth Prince..." stern with an unyielding tone, "Get out and stop bothering me!"Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes and couldn't help but speak up, "You're hurt yet still soaking in water. Do you think that’s justified"Rong...