She had always heard people say she was approaching coming-of-age, but no one had given her an exact day for it."I believe Miss Moon’s Coming of Age Ceremony and Prince Rong Jing's Coming of Age Cere...Volume 1: Laughing at the Splendor Chapter Fourteen

They had barely walked when another round of hoofbeats sounded from the end of the long street. In no time, they arrived at the main gate of Cloud王府 (Cloud王府 should remain untranslated as it is a proper noun). The rider immediately pulled on the reins and shouted towards Night Qingran's back, "Young Noble Prince!"

Upon hearing this, Night Qingran stopped in his tracks and turned around. Li Yun also turned to look at the entrance.

Sitting upright on horseback was a small page boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old. Seeing that Night Qingran had turned back to face him, he panted out, "Young Noble Prince, the Old Noble Prince has ordered you to return home quickly."

Hearing this did not please Night Qingran; instead, his brows furrowed as he asked, "What could that old man possibly want with me"

The page boy immediately felt ashamed and hurriedly said, "The Old Noble Prince just rushed back from Benevolent Cloud Temple upon hearing that the Young Noble Prince had returned to the capital. He instructed your servant to find you quickly and bring you home but did not say what it was about. But considering that the Old Noble Prince hasn't seen the Young Noble Prince for seven years, he must be eager to see you right away."

Night Qingran rolled his eyes and said, "It's probably because of the time he kicked me out."

The page boy remained silent, thinking that even if it was the one who had expelled him, it was still their beloved grandfather!

"You go back first and tell him I'll return after I've visited Grandpa Cloud." Night Qingran waved dismissively and turned to walk inside.

"Young Noble Prince, you should really come back now! The Old Noble Prince would likely stamp his feet in anger if he found out that the Young Noble Prince came to visit Cloud Old Noble Prince first before coming to see him. Your servant can't bear the Old Noble Prince's wrath..." The page boy immediately pleaded anxiously: "You could always visit Cloud Old Noble Prince tomorrow.

Night Qingran stopped walking again, her brows furrowed even tighter as if she was hesitating.

"Young Prince, your old servant thinks you should go back to the manor first and visit His Excellency Duke De. You haven't returned to the capital for seven years; it's only natural that he misses you dearly. It'll be just the same if you come to Cloud王府 tomorrow."

Night Qingran snorted, "I see that you're more than happy to get rid of me!" But she still turned and walked towards the door. After a few steps, she looked back at Li Yun and said, "Sister Moon, I'll be back here tomorrow."

"Alright!" Li Yun nodded.

Night Qingran wasted no time. Though she had verbally expressed her disregard for Duke De, she didn't take the short walk to the door but instead lightly tapped her foot and leaped out onto a horse waiting outside. With her legs pressing against the horse's belly, it galloped off towards Duke De's manor.

Li Yun thought that this was blood-related kinship, something one couldn't bear to part with no matter what. As an orphan since childhood, she could only feel envious.

"Miss, let’s go! The old duke is still awake at this hour," Cloud Meng said as he turned towards Li Yun.

Li Yun nodded and followed Cloud Meng forward. She had been so excited earlier that she forgot about Cai Lian, who was left behind at the palace gate; she didn’t know how the little girl returned. Now that Night Qingran had left and Cai Lian wasn't around, Li Yun suddenly felt uncertain.

"The old duke knew Miss would have a benefactor today to help her through any danger safely, hence he allowed you to enter the palace. Although Miss was startled, yesterday's fire at Wàngchūn Tower is now over and done with. There’s no need to worry about His Majesty being angry anymore," Cloud Meng said as they walked.

Li Yun was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Grandpa… How did he know I had a benefactor"

“The Old Prince Regent must have anticipated that since Little Prince Night and Prince Jing are both in the palace today, they wouldn't stand idly by."

"Grandpa truly is clairvoyant," Li Yun praised without much enthusiasm. She couldn't fathom how Cloud Old Prince Regent was so sure that Rong Jing and Ye Qingran would come to her rescue. Was it because of the Cloud王府？Or was it due to the current political climate Regardless, it had nothing to do with her.

Cloud Meng nodded in relief: "Fortunately, Prince Jing stepped forward to help; otherwise, Little Prince Night alone couldn't have rescued Miss. However, this time around, Miss can see through Crown Prince's intentions." With that, he cast a cautious glance at Li Yun.

"Hm!" Li Yun nodded with indifference. "I no longer have any connection with him."

Cloud Meng was taken aback and suddenly sighed, his expression a mix of joy and anxiety: “It’s best for Miss to let go.”

Li Yun didn’t know what he meant and remained silent.

Suddenly, a woman dressed as a maid came up from the front. Before she could speak, Cloud Meng asked her, "Jade Bracelet, since you’re not serving by Old Prince Regent's side now, did he send for you with any instructions"

"Reporting to Head Steward, Old Prince Regent just learned that Miss returned alone and sent me to convey his message: How could Miss return without waiting for Prince Jing He instructed Miss to go back to the palace immediately to fetch Prince Jing," Jade Bracelet bowed to Li Yun and reported back to Cloud Meng.

Li Yun was taken aback; send her to fetch Rong Jing Although this person had saved her, wasn't that a bit too cautious

"Since Old Prince Regent has given instructions, then Miss should make another trip to the palace," Cloud Meng immediately instructed Li Yun upon hearing.

Li Yun frowned; could she avoid this But then she thought that it wouldn't be a good idea to go blindfolded into the mansion to see Cloud Old王爺 without any preparation, or else her cover would be blown. If he found out that his granddaughter had suddenly become someone else, who knew how he might interrogate and deal with her! Thinking of this, she nodded in agreement, "Alright, I'll go right away!"

Even if she didn't meet Rong Jing, she still needed to see Cai Lian. She had to learn something from her that would help her bluff her way through.

Yun Meng nodded and instructed, "The Crown Prince Jingshi is different from others; Miss must not show any disrespect towards the Crown Prince."

"Understood," Li Yun turned around and walked out of the mansion.

Seeing her leave so calmly and smoothly, Yun Meng sighed with admiration. As he rode his horse towards the palace, he remarked, "Since going through this change, Miss seems to have become more open-minded and composed. This is a good thing."

Jade Bracelet smiled, "I hope that Old王爺 will stop worrying about Miss Shanyue; he's getting old, and can't afford to be anxious every day."

"How could he not worry Today’s incident isn’t over yet, I'm afraid it might just be the beginning. I hope that this time when Jingshi Crown Prince returns from seclusion and Xiao Wangzi comes back to the capital, there will be less attention on Cloud王府, which would mean Miss Shanyue can rest easier," Yun Meng said with a troubled expression.

"Don’t worry too much, Big Chief. Didn't Old王爺 often say that good people are blessed by heaven He always says that Miss is an auspicious person; heaven won't neglect her." Jade Bracelet smiled as she tried to console him.

“Right, you're right.” Seeing Yun Meng's frown disappear and a smile appear on his face, he waved at Jade Bracelet. "You go back first and tell Old王爺 that Miss followed his advice and went to the palace for Jingshi Crown Prince. I'll wait here until Miss and Jingshi Crown Prince return."

“Yes!” Jade Bracelet nodded and turned around, retracing her steps.

"Right, tell the kitchen to prepare a meal that Crown Prince Jing will enjoy. Today, Crown Prince Jing can finish his meal here before leaving." Yun Meng looked at the sky and instructed.

“Yes!” Jade Bracelet replied without turning around.

Yun Meng didn’t say anything more; he walked back to the main gate with his hands behind his back, hoping that Miss Li would quickly invite Crown Prince Jing back to the mansion without delay.

Li Yun pondered over how divine Rong Jing must be to entertain the emperor in a game of chess and receive such generous treatment from Old King Yun while also securing her release with just a few words. She was already curious about him before even meeting him.

As she thought, she followed the path back to the palace.

Passing through the bustling main street, an elegant carriage approached her from the opposite direction. The curtains were lifted, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face calling out softly to Li Yun who was passing by: "Sister Moon!"

Li Yun had always been called Sister Moon, but she finally heard something different today. She pulled on the reins and stopped the horse, looking at the woman peering from inside the carriage; her beauty took her breath away. She had never seen such a delicate and graceful woman before.

"Congratulations, Sister Moon, for avoiding that calamity today. Yu Ning was worried earlier but now I can finally relax," said the woman, her voice gentle and soothing.

Li Yun remembered that Cai Lian had mentioned this Yu Ning when she woke up; apparently, she was a lady of the Chancellor’s family. This morning, it was thanks to her saying that Crown Prince Jing and Little Prince Ran were at court that those girls bullying Li Yun left her alone. Seeing the sincerity in her beautiful eyes, Li Yun thought she genuinely cared for Li Yun’s well-being, so she smiled kindly back: "Thank you for your concern; I’m indeed glad that I didn’t have to go to the Ministry of Punishment."

Hearing this, the woman covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled lightly, "Sister Moon, what you said is quite accurate. With Crown Prince Jing and Little Prince Ran’s help, Sister Moon wouldn’t be able to stay in the Ministry of Punishment anyway. I was worried earlier, wanting to seek Grand Lady Qin for help; when she told me that nothing would happen to you, I didn’t believe it but now knowing that a noble patron has helped you out, I realize my worries were unnecessary."

"Thank you for your efforts, little sister." Li Yun didn't know what to say and could only express her gratitude. She thought that it was no wonder she hadn't seen this woman among the dozens of women in the Scenic Garden; she had gone to Empress Qin's palace instead. Who was Empress Dowager Qin How could she be so sure that Li Yun wouldn’t have any trouble

“Why do we sisters need to exchange such pleasantries” Jade Ning smiled reproachfully, then seeing Li Yun riding her horse in the direction of the imperial palace, asked curiously: "Is Lady Yue going back into the palace again"

"Yes, I'm there to pick up Prince Ji." Li Yun nodded.

Jade Ning was taken aback; a hint flashed across her beautiful eyes as she then smiled and said, "Just now when I heard that Prince Ji is going to the Cloudy王府 (note: 'Cloudy' can be left untranslated or translated based on context), I thought you were waiting for him at the palace gate. It turns out that when he came out of Empress Dowager's palace, she didn't see you and assumed that as a person with your nature, you wouldn’t be patient enough to wait and would have returned home already. But why are you going back into the imperial palace now"

"It was Grandpa who insisted I go pick him up! Even if I don’t want to, I still must!" Li Yun made a bitter face, thinking that although this woman seemed gentle, she asked questions revolving around what Li Yun wanted to know from her. She didn't seem simple.

"So it's like this! Then you should hurry back then, Lady Yue! Prince Ji is probably done playing chess with the Emperor by now. If he has to wait for you, that wouldn’t be good. I won't hold you up anymore; we can meet another day." Seeing Li Yun’s bitter face, Jade Ning understood and urged her.

"Then I'll take my leave then. Goodbye, little sister." Li Yun nodded, clenching her legs to urge the horse forward without looking back again as she galloped towards the imperial palace.

Behind her, Jade Ning’s smile faded as she watched Li Yun ride far away, deep in thought for a long while. When she could no longer see Li Yun, she slowly lowered the curtains and the carriage of the Chancellor's residence continued on its way.

———

For those who like it【Add to Bookshelf】and bookmark for easy access! O（∩_∩）O~d and hadn't come out in days. She couldn’t wait any longer; today being the first time she saw her leave, she wouldn’t let this opportunity go by without demanding a clear answer."Does Princess Six m...