Chapter Seventeen

n's brows furrowed slightly as he looked inside. Through the gap between window curtains, he saw Yun Qianyue sitting beside the bed with her pale hand grabbing Rong Feng’s sleeve while Rong Feng stood...Volume 1: Smiling at the Splendor Chapter 17

Upon thinking of this, Li Yun was delighted in her heart, but she did not show any happiness on her face. She turned around and asked Cai Lian quietly, "Really You said that Grandpa would be happy to see how I've changed"

"It's true! Although the old prince often scolds Miss as a foolish girl, he really dotes on you! These years, you might not know it, but every time you got into trouble, it was actually the old prince who privately resolved them for you. Otherwise, how could you have gotten through all these years without any problems" Cai Lian nodded immediately. If this were the Miss of earlier times, she wouldn't say such things at all. Now, she couldn’t help but blurt out everything because of Miss's warm and open nature.

"Is that so Then Grandpa has indeed worried about me these years." Li Yun nodded. She thought that the owner of this body was quite fortunate. In her previous life, she had been an orphan with no family ties to rely on.

"That's right! The old prince dotes on Miss most. Among all the ladies in the mansion, none compares to you in his heart. Even the Crown Prince is not as favored as you before him. Since your mother passed away, the old prince has been exceptionally kind to you. If he ever found out someone was bullying you within the mansion, regardless of who's right or wrong, he would deal with that person accordingly. Miss, there’s no need for me to say more; these years, you have felt how much the old prince cares about you."

"Mm-hmm, Grandpa's kindness towards me, I naturally remember." Li Yun finally gained some confidence in her heart. If what Cai Lian said was true, it seemed that Old Prince Yun really doted on this body, thus allowing her to become who she is now.

Cai Lian saw Li Yun looking down in thought and didn't speak anymore.

Li Yun roughly understood the situation of this body in the Cloud Prince's王府 (Yun Wang Fu). It seemed that as long as she convinced Old Prince Yun, everything else would be easier to handle. With a firm decision in mind, her mood lightened.

As soon as her mood relaxed, she noticed that people on both sides of the street had stopped shouting or walking and were all looking at her direction. From time to time,議論聲 (discussions) reached her ears. Although the discussions were noisy, she could still catch the gist of them.

They were no different from "Look, this is Prince Jing's carriage!" "That's right, it's Prince Jing's carriage." "Prince Jing hasn't left his residence for ten years; now that he finally came out, we have hope again." "I heard that Prince Jing played chess with the emperor all afternoon today and the emperor still couldn't win from Prince Jing!" "Too bad we can't see Prince Jing's face."

Li Yun looked at the steady carriage in front of her, which was tightly sealed. However, this didn't stop the people's discussions. Moreover, most of the voices were filled with崇敬 (admiration and respect),欽羨 (envy), and worship. She couldn't help but感歎 (sigh) at the名人效應 (star effect).

Just as she was in the middle of her感慨 (reflection), suddenly, her name also reached her ears.

"Miss Qin Yue seems more beautiful today. She looks even prettier than Miss Yu Ning from the Chancellor’s Mansion!" "Actually, Miss Qin Yue was always very pretty; you just didn’t notice." "Who says we didn't notice I noticed long ago." "Yesterday, when Miss Qin Yue burned down the Spring Welcoming Tower, it really satisfied us!" "Yes! It felt so satisfying!" "I heard that Crown Prince Jing saved Miss Qin Yue today." "Now that they are seen together, they look like a newlywed bride returning to her maiden home…"

Li Yun was listening intently at first but upon hearing the last sentence, her mood darkened. She nearly fell off her horse.

"Miss!" Cai Lian cried out and immediately held Li Yun tightly.

Sweat broke out on Li Yun’s forehead; could there be a night visit of a newlywed bride She glanced at the person who said that, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was still talking with someone next to him. Li Yun turned her head forward and saw no movement from the carriage ahead. She sighed in relief, hoping that the people around them hadn't heard what had been said.

Amidst the gossiping voices, they finally arrived at Cloudy Prince’s Mansion.

Li Yun was thoroughly exhausted by all this and as soon as she reached Cloudy Prince's Manor, before the carriage in front even stopped, she jumped off her horse and rushed towards the mansion. She thought to herself that from now on, no matter what, she would never walk down the street with this person again. If it doesn't kill her, it will peel a layer of skin off her! As if fate were against her, she crashed into a wall in front of her. Her body was pushed back by one step and she heard Yun Meng cry out "Ouch!" She looked up to find the old man already sprawled on the ground, looking pained.

"You... Are you alright I walked too quickly!" Li Yun hurriedly quickened her pace and reached out to help him.

Cailian also rushed over to offer assistance.

"Ouch, my dear young lady, you said that the Crown Prince Jǐng hasn't disembarked yet; why did you walk so quickly Old servant's old bones can't withstand such a collision," Yun Meng complained while struggling to stand with Li Yun and Cailian's support. "Your uncle Shèn still wants to live for several more years!"

"That is, Uncle Meng, I'm sorry..." Li Yun felt extremely guilty.

"Ouch, never mind; you must have been so hungry from not eating all day that you disregarded the Crown Prince Jǐng being a guest and rushed in like this," Yun Meng saw the curtain of the carriage lifted, and Róngjǐng emerged. He immediately changed his tone.

"Yes, I was indeed very hungry..." Li Yun lowered her head; she seemed to hear Róngjǐng's soft chuckle, which made her face turn red.

"Knowing that the Crown Prince Ji is coming, the estate has already prepared a feast. This means we can eat now." Yun Meng pushed aside Li Yun and Cai Lian, hurriedly forcing a smile to greet Rong Jing, his sore back miraculously healed as if he hadn't been the one who was hit moments ago but someone else. Rong Jing is like a miraculous elixir to him. As he walked, he said with a grin, "Old servant pays respect to Crown Prince Ji. Old servant has longed for ten years to see the prince. Today, I finally managed to lure you out of the estate. The Cloud王府今日得見世子，蓬蓽生輝啊！"

"Uncle Meng is too kind! It's an honor that Uncle Meng remembers me." Rong Jing smiled lightly.

Seeing how courteous Rong Jing was, Yun Meng laughed even more broadly, his old eyes squinting into slits as he seemed to glow with renewed vigor. "The Old王爺已經等候世子多時了，世子快請進！"

"Please lead the way, Uncle Meng!" Rong Jing nodded with a smile.

Yun Meng immediately took the lead, striding confidently like a tiger.

Li Yun watched in disbelief, as the old man who had just been groaning about her was nowhere to be seen. She turned to look at Cai Lian.

Cai Lian covered her mouth and laughed. Upon seeing Lin Yun, she immediately whispered softly, "Miss, don’t you know Manager Meng used to be an invincible chess master. No one could defeat him back then. Later on, he was utterly defeated by the then seven-year-old Crown Prince Jing in three consecutive games. Since then, Manager Meng has been devoted to the Crown Prince Jing. Unfortunately, shortly after that, the Crown Prince fell gravely ill and hasn’t left his residence for a decade. Now that Manager Meng can finally see the Crown Prince again, how could he not be overjoyed"

"Indeed!" Li Yun didn’t expect Rong Jing to be so formidable. Seven years old He’s no ordinary human!

She watched as Rong Jing followed Yun Meng into the house. This time, although Rong Jing wasn’t holding an umbrella, his gait was still light and graceful. His slender figure resembled a bamboo shoot, complemented perfectly by a moonlight-colored brocade robe that suited him elegantly. As he walked slowly, it felt as if a poem or painting was unfolding before her eyes—truly unparalleled in charm. It was hard to imagine such an individual could be confined indoors for a decade due to illness.

Indeed, when God closes one door, He opens another.

"Miss, why are you still hesitating The Old King wants you to join him as well," Yun Meng called out after taking several brisk steps and noticing that Li Yun hadn’t followed.

"Oh!" Li Yun quickly snapped back to her senses and hurriedly followed, also gesturing for Cai Lian to keep up.'s because you don't understand his goodness." Yun Qianyue felt it would be difficult to change the thoughts of people like Cai Lian; not only Cai Lian, but who in this world was unaffected by Rong Ji...