A rather charming voice from the side joined in, "Imperial Father, cease your anger and mind your health, as your heavenly body and mind cannot be damaged." She could hear him shift the direction of his feet to Yu Jian, and then he scolded lightly, "Little Seven, do not anger Imperial Father anymore. But this prince is happy to see you return home after so many years."

Yu Jian bowed with respect, "First Older Brother, thank you for your teachings. Yu Jian apologizes for making Older Brother worried."

The First Prince strode towards the two. He ruffled Yu Jian's hair, turning it into a bird's nest, and laughed at the sight. Yu Jian pressed his lips into a line and fixed the poking strands. He then pivoted on his foot, faced the emperor, and pleaded for his seventh brother, "Imperial Father, please forgive Little Seven. Let us listen to his story first, before deciding the punishment."

"Crowned Prince, you are too benevolent. This fool only knows how to wander around the world." The Emperor harrumphed while shaking his head, making the beads hanging from his crown rattle.

The Crowned Prince smiled softly and answered, "We are still family."

The Empress, with her constricted pupils and tight lips, glared a warning at her son. The Crown Prince lowered his head and pretended that he didn't see it.

With her lack of vision, Rui could only depend on her hearing and sixth sense to paint the picture. Her knees were starting to hurt from kneeling, while her back ached to be free from the confining position. Rui deduced two truths just now: the first and crowned prince have a good relationship with Yu Jian, and the Empress is not Yu Jian's birth mother. She's also guessing that he is not favored by his Imperial Father.

The silence in the air was unbearable. Each second felt like an hour. Abruptly, the emperor threw a cylindrical carrier for transporting letters at Yu Jian. He did not evade the attack, even though he could have dodged it easily. The message carrier clattered on the floor, before rolling to Rui's elbow.

The Emperor inquired with a low voice, "What is the meaning of this?"

The First Prince snuck a glance at his younger brother and then returned his gaze to his feet. Yujian did not stutter as he answered without urgency, "A Nangong man kidnapped and even attempted to assault my WangFei, so Yujian killed him."

"WangFei?" the dragon ridiculed, "When have Zhen ever granted you a WangFei?"

"Then Yujian request Imperial Father's blessings." He cupped his hands and bowed at a forty-five degree angle. The Emperor's eye twitched in annoyance while his face grew darker.

"WangFei? My, Little Seven, where is she? Let Chen meet her." The Empress thrilled with excitement, but her scorn did not escape the listening ears. Rui swallowed the glass shards down her throat again.

"Empress." With one word from the Emperor, she backed down and sealed her lips. He slowly returned his gaze to the couple below his feet, "And why should Zhen grant you blessings?"

"That man is Cai Zhi, a distant relative of the Prime Minister of Nangong." Yu Jian answered dully, but Rui could spot the underlying threat in his words. Her hidden lips curled, and her cheeks glowed with pride.

The Emperor's visage immediately blackened to a new shade of coal-black while his lips pressed together firmly into a contrasting white line. His voice reeked of death, "Despicable child."

"Imperial Father, Yujian cannot call himself a husband⎯ much less, a man of the Imperial family⎯ if he cannot protect his loved ones. Hoping that Imperial Father shares this same feeling with Yujian." He defended himself in a paced and spread out speed. His gray expression was did not falter.

If Wu Jin does not clarify the reasoning behind the death of Cai Zhi, there is no doubt that Nangong would consider this as an act of war. Knowing YuJian's intelligence, he would not return home empty-handed. He must've informed Nangong of his identity as a prince and as the culprit. The Emperor's eyes darted back between his Seventh Son and the woman bowing on the floor. He acknowledges that her endurance and tolerance for pain is quite admirable. She has yet to utter a single peep or whine.

"Rise." He said.

Rui bit her inner cheeks and maintained her poker face as she steadied herself up. Her bruised knees almost buckled from exhaustion, but she forced them to straighten. Under her sleeves, her nails dug into her folded hands to redirect the pain.

The Crowned Prince discreetly glanced at her with pity. Her body is clearly in agony, but it was like her sense of pain detached itself from her beautiful face. Regardless of the excruciation, she pulled her body upright like she had done this a dozen times before.

The Emperor observed her. He inwardly scoffed. This Seventh Son of his surely knows how to pick his woman: willowed waist and pretty face. His authoritative voice bounced off the golden walls, "Name."

Rui froze in her spot for a split second before she bent her shaky knees in ceremony to report, "This lowly one is Xin Rui."

"Xin Rui. You have brought calamity and mishap to our great Wu Jin. How should Zhen punish you?" The dragon leaned forward in his seat.

Rui lowered her head in submission, "This lowly will accept any punishment."

"Even death?" he challenged with a bone-chilling tone.

Rui paused. She erected up and lifted her head. Her single word spoke louder than herself. It was clearer than day, and it brought a gust of strong wind with it. "Yes."

The Crowned Prince gaped at her response and boldness. Her devotion made his body tremble from an unforgettable ripple. She didn't fear death himself.

The emperor humphed and flicked his right hand. Without words, he told them to get out of his sight. The couple bowed once more before they were escorted to Yu Jian's courtyard in the palace.

A few hours later, an old eunuch arrived with an imperial message. As punishment, the Seventh Prince and his WangFei are not allowed to leave the palace until the Emperor quelled his anger. In addition, Rui is punished to do palace laundry chores for a month.

Yu Jian touched her cheek, his voice apologetic and regretful, "Rui-er, you shouldn't suffer like this. Your hands shouldn't do rough work."

Rui beamed a soft glow and encircled his waist with her arms, "As long as you are by my side."

His eyebrows pulled together again. These days, he wears the same expression of stress. She tiptoed to kiss him, but she was still an inch away from reaching his mouth. Her pinkish-red lips pouted, causing Yu Jian to chuckle and point his chin further away from her.

"Hey!" Rui cried, "That's not fair. . ."

He gave in to her cuteness, cupped her cheeks, and kissed her deeply.

"At least the problem in Nangong will be dealt with soon." She sighed as she rested her head on his chest.

Punishment wasn't the only thing that came for them from the Emperor. To avoid a possible nasty misundering, Wu Jin's Emperor sent a letter to Nangong's Emperor, explaining the situation. Cai Zhi kidnapped and tortured Xin Rui, the Seventh Prince's WangFei. Moreover, he gravely injured the Prince. As a result, Song Yu Jian rightfully killed him.

Later on, when Nangong received such letter, they refused to believe it. Much to everyone's surprise, Xin Dao stepped out with evidence. All citizens of Nangong knows that he despises his first daughter the most. So when the Third Ranked Official suddenly presented Cai Zhi's red letter of his daughter's "wedding," it shocked the nation. Xin Rui's face was posted around in every city, claiming that she went missing. Officials defended Cai Zhi, saying that the two were childhood lovers, so they eloped together.

However, servants and guards from both opposing sides were brought in for interrogation. In the end, Cai Zhi was convicted for kidnapping, assault, and attacking a foreign royalty. The Nangong's Emperor and citizens were not happy, but the evidence was staring right at them. They had no choice but to accept it.

The Cai family demanded justice for their heir, saying how the Rui falsified the truth while the Xin family helped her escape. The Li family's talented and honorable daughter, Li Qiuyue, stepped up to defend the case and serve as a witness. Finally, the Cai family backed down and put away their venomous fangs behind their masks. The Xin family was punished for a year's worth of money, while the Cai was punished for half a year's worth of money.

Rui did not understand why Xin Dao helped her. After all, she served all ties with him. For many years as his daughter, he had never acted as a father to her. The moment they became strangers, he finally carried out his role. Her heart torn itself in confusion. Nevertheless, she was thankful for Xin Dao and Li Qiuyue for standing for her.

The chaos of Cai Zhi's murder took its last breath after a month, but the catastrophe in Wu Jin have yet to take its first gulp of air.