“Daddy, how did you get here?” Yuelan asked as her father set her down on her feet. “Long He said I had to be the one to bring you and I know I didn’t do that!”

Long Ansheng smiled and rubbed Yuelan’s cheek with his thumb. “The Azure Dragon and Long He worked together to bring me here. How could I stay still when I heard that someone tried to kill my precious daughter?” The prime minister of Kilin turned his attention to Xiong Lijun, Emperor of Longuo, and bowed. “Your Majesty. This prime minister apologizes for coming unannounced and uninvited. I was worried for my daughter after receiving word of what happened and could not rest until I had seen her for myself.”

Xiong Lijun waved a hand. “We have heard of you before, Prime Minister Long. The priestess speaks fondly of you. It is natural to worry about your children.” He turned to a eunuch nearby. “Prepare a seat on the dais for Prime Minister Long of Kilin. Place his chair beside that of the priestess.”

The eunuchs worked quickly to prepare the seat while Yuelan turned to Long He and the azure-haired man beside him. She saluted the second. “Great-grandfather. It is my pleasure to see you again. Thank you for bringing my father to me.”

The azure dragon smiled and reached out a hand to gently touch Yuelan’s face. “Of course. I cannot keep him here for long, but it should be long enough for him to stay through the court proceedings.”

Yuelan nodded, took her father’s hand, and dragged him up to the dais. His chair had been prepared, so he sat on it and Yuelan sat on her own.

The emperor looked out at the court. “Begin.”

For the next several hours, every piece of evidence and testimony that Yun Cai had gathered was presented to the imperial court. The emperor and Long Ansheng both paid close attention, but Yuelan started to feel drowsy after the first hour and struggled to stay awake. She was only seventeen! And politics wasn’t something she’d ever been interested in!

Noticing his daughter’s drowsiness, Ansheng leaned over to whisper to his daughter. “Do not show others that you are bored. Sit tall and keep a strong expression.”

Yuelan nodded and shifted in her chair to follow his instructions.

Finally, the presentation of crimes reached the point where Yuelan had been the victim. The first kidnapping attempt where they had thought it was only Lanzhou involved turned out to have been the empress’ doing as well. Yuelan’s abduction and imprisonment where she had been starved, tied up, and kept in a dark room was brought to light as both the doing of the empress and her son the first prince. As each item was brought forward, each injustice done to Yuelan, her father’s hands tightened on the arms of his chair and his expression darkened.

Finally, the incident with the fire in the palace was revealed: the empress had attempted to murder the dragon priestess, the crown prince, and the emperor. She had drugged them and left them to die in the flames.

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The court officials were outraged and started shouting for the death of the Lin family’s nine generations. At that moment, Yuelan stood and the hall fell silent.

“Your Majesty, officials of Longuo’s imperial court, I have something to say.” Her voice was calm and steady as she made her way off the dais to stand in the middle of the room. Her white and silver robes almost seemed to glow as she moved and her green eyes were filled with determination.

“Killing nine generations for the actions of a few is no better than slaughtering hundreds of innocents. Only those who participated in the crimes or had knowledge of them but did nothing should be held accountable. Children should not be held responsible for the actions of their parents.” She looked around at the officials, her back straight. “Can a child tell a parent not to do something and expect the parent to listen? No. Children are taught to respect their elders, to obey and not to disagree. Those who have been taught falsely should be given an opportunity to learn proper behavior rather than ending their lives before they have the chance to learn. The titles of their parents should, of course, be removed, which would turn the children into commoners, but that is still better than having them lose their lives for something they had no involvement in beyond sharing blood with someone who committed a crime.”

Yuelan’s green eyes scanned the room. “Those who are responsible for what happened have been listed in the reports. Have mercy on the innocent.”

The throne room was silent as Yuelan returned to her seat. Her father reached over and patted her hand as he gave her a tense smile. Anger seethed in his eyes, but it wasn’t directed at her. “Well spoken, Yuelan,” he said quietly. “Your mother would have been very proud.”

The emperor looked over at Yuelan and her father, then out at the gathered officials. “Out of respect for the dragon priestess, We will follow her words. Only those who have committed the crimes will be punished for them. The innocents will be left to themselves to learn from the mistakes of their family members. Carry out the punishment and spread word. Court dismissed.”

He stood and nodded to Long Ansheng. “Prime Minister Long, We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the union between our children.”

The prime minister of Kilin stood. “I think there are other things to be discussing, Your Majesty.” His tone is firm and his expression hardened. “My precious daughter has not been treated well. Long He assured me that she would be cared for and respected while living here and I did not need to worry, but it seems that was not the truth. Unless things change, there will be no wedding between my daughter and your son.”

The officials had not yet left and every one of them stiffened and turned toward the dais at Long Ansheng’s words.

The emperor sighed. “You are correct. It was my intention to keep the priestess happy and well cared for and my former empress went against such intentions and caused your daughter great harm. You have my promise that it will not happen again.”

Yuelan stood up and hugged her father’s arm. She smiled up at him. “Daddy, I like Guangfeng and he didn’t do anything wrong. He’s been trying to help me and keep me safe from the very beginning. Besides, you met him before and didn’t say you had a problem with him.”

Ansheng looked at his daughter with a doting expression and put a hand on her head. “I know. But I cannot stand for the treatment you have received. You were never treated this terribly while you were at home. If it weren’t because you have to stay here for your own health I would never allow you to remain.”