Translator: Flying Lines
The empress rushed hurriedly, aware that her son would face incredible consequences after he had sex with his father’s concubine! It would be good luck if he was only grounded. He was also likely to be suspected of disloyalty, or even be sentenced to death.

The more the empress thought, the more nervous she got.

She ducked into the deserted palace.

The emperor, Long Jingsong, had his face clouded. He frowned, and beads of sweat rolled on the end of his nose. His eyebrows raised, seemingly a wave of fierce wrath rolling up in him, while his mouth twitched with a terrible look.

Obviously, he lost temper!

The empress was daunted. “Yichen will be doomed!” she thought.

Deathly afraid, she broke out in a cold sweat. She knelt down to Long Jingsong and interceded for her son, “Your Majesty. Don’t get angry! Sorry, I spoilt him and he made such a big mistake!”

Long Jingsong, instead of replying anything, remained silent, staring straight.

The empress continued, “Your Majesty, Yichen knew he was wrong! Someone must have framed him up! I’m sure he was drugged! Your Majesty, I don’t expect you forgive him. But please! Please don’t kill him, Your Majesty.”

Long Jingsong frowned, staring fiercely at his empress, and asked, “Someone framed him up? Drugged him? Who dared to drug a prince? And look at him! How proud he looks! He has been expecting my concubine, I guess. If I don’t punish him, he’ll never know what he can do and what he can’t!”

The more he said, the angrier he got. He thumped on the table heavily!

The empress was quite taken aback, wished to explain, but swallowed back the words. 

Long Yichen, right at this moment, began to sober up. Sure, it had taken him quite a long time to be sane.

He looked at the messy clothes on himself, then at the concubine, who was in bed with unkempt dress, too. Again, he looked at his mother, who was kneeling in front of his father and begging for him, he immediately realized what had happened. Without the least hesitation, he knelt before his father!

“Why do I feel so familiar?” thought he, as he knelt, “Isn’t it the way I framed Mu Xiyue up? She must be doing the same trick to me! Maybe she knew what I did last time and now she’s taking revenge! Or why is there such a coincidence?”

But this was serious! Long Yichen might be killed. He hated Mu Xiyue even more, swearing to take revenge someday!

He regained consciousness and explained to his father hurriedly, “Father, I didn’t mean that! I was framed up! Please forgive me!”

“Forgive you? How?” replied Long Jingsong angrily, “Look what you’ve done! How dare you even beg for pardon!”

“Father, Mu Xiyue framed me up! I was drugged! Or I wouldn’t have hooked up with your concubine, however rash I could be!” begged Long Yichen again.

“Mu Xiyue? You always complain about her. I don’t even know how she has offended you. Last time, you told you Mu Xiyue was cheating on your brother. I went there with you, but nothing happened. You were grounded. I didn’t know you still didn’t change.” replied Long Jingsong, “And this time, you had sex with my concubine and still told me Mu Xiyue framed you up! Well, I don’t understand. She’s a mere girl. How could she carry you here, drug you and made you have sex with my concubine? And you stubbornly refuse to admit it! You really are incurable!”

Long Yichen was more sacred! Instead of explaining again, he had to keep kowtowing and begging, “Father, I didn’t mean that. Father!”

Upon seeing that, the empress also knelt over and begged, “Your Majesty, Yichen didn’t mean that. He isn’t that audacious. Something must be hidden behind that! Your Majesty, why don’t you let him off and punish him after we figure everything out?”

“How dare you still intercede for him? You failed to instruct him well.” replied Long Jingsong, “He had sex with my concubine. Isn’t that obvious? You said someone framed him up. Well, show me the evidence? And why was he framed up alone? Because he wasn’t behaving properly! Yichen, you used to be my favorite son, but I didn’t know you were so disappointing! You really let me down!”

Long Jingsong was extremely angry as he spoke. Before the empress or Long Yichen managed to reply, he announced, “My son Long Yichen betrayed me and he should be executed. Considering he made contributions in his work, I’ll just ground him for now. He mustn’t leave his mansion without my permission. Meanwhile, all his privileges will be abolished. Hope he’ll introspect his fault and regret.”

Long Yichen collapsed on the ground, failing to say anything. “It’s all Mu Xiyue’s fault!” thought he, “I’ll make her pay blood price!”

The empress no longer dared to plead. She knew it was the best result for the moment. The emperor was in a fit of anger, and she only had to plead when appropriate. Anyway, her own son was too disappointing!

The concubine sobbed up, too. Hearing the punishment on Long Yichen, she knelt down in front of Long Jingsong and bagged piteously, “Your Majesty, please spare me! I didn’t mean that, Your Majesty.”

A look of disgust came over Long Jingsong’s face. He kicked the concubine away and said balefully, “Bitch! How dare you beg me! What you did really humiliates me! I’ll never spare you! Considering you took care of me for years loyally, I won’t kill you.”

“Somebody!” he ordered, “Take her way and degrade her. She’ll be an ordinary woman from now on. All men of her family shall be banished to the frontier. All women of her family shall be slaved. No one of them shall ever come back to the capital. Now, throw her out of my palace!”

The concubine was too sacred to react when dragged out of the room. She implored, “Your Majesty, please forgive me and my families. I’m begging you, Your Majesty...”

Mu Xiyue and Long Yinfeng, who was pulled over by her, hid in a corner and watched what happened. That was, beyond doubt, great fun. Mu Xiyue laughed happily and proudly, and Long Yinfeng realized it was Mu Xiyue who set the trap.