"Yes, Lady Yan personally announced it. Everyone knows, and you wouldn’t believe how those little bitches are grinding their teeth in anger—it’s so satisfying. They even dared to dream about Young Master Yan, but they should take a look at themselves, they’re not even worth a pinky of our young lady." Mingyue’s lips curved slightly: "It’s wonderful when lovers finally become family." "Indeed, the young lady likes Young Master Yan so much, she’s finally become his legitimate fiancée, and more importantly, Lady Yan treats her very well. I’ve never seen such a kind mother-in-law. The young lady had a bitter life growing up, but now she’s going to be completely happy." Heaven is always fair. For the first half of her life, it gave her bitterness, and for the second half, it gave her a warm and happy family. "Have you seen the young lady’s brother?" Mingyue suddenly asked. Ah Yun was taken aback: "The young lady’s twin brother? I’ve heard of him but never seen him. Since I came to the Ji Family, I haven’t seen the young master. But I heard from Aunt Li that the young master is gifted, and though he is deaf and mute, he’s actually quite clever." Ah Yun turned her head to look at Mingyue, the moonlight falling on her face, her skin so pale it was almost reflective, and her eyes held a complexity and depth she couldn’t comprehend. "What’s the matter? Why are you asking about the young master?" "Let me tell you a story." Mingyue changed her sitting position, wrapped her arms around her folded leg, and rested her chin on her knee, as if reminiscing something, her expression somewhat wistful. "Sure, I love stories." "Once upon a time, on a vast continent, there was a powerful country. The Emperor of this country was in his prime, with three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines. He had many sons and daughters, but there was only one throne. To fight for it, these princes openly battled and secretly schemed, killing each other without a shred of sibling affection. In just three years, many princes met death or injury, or were banished, leaving only five of the original twenty-two." "Oh... how terrifying." Ah Yun covered her mouth, feeling profoundly the ruthless and merciless nature of imperial power struggles from just a few words. "The saying that emperors are always unkind is indeed true. Among the five surviving princes, some had genuine talent, some had strong maternal families, and some were adept at enduring and lurking, checking and balancing each other. There was just one prince who had nothing, born of low status, weak and sickly, congenitally deaf and mute. From the moment he was born, the heavens abandoned him. The imperial doctors predicted he wouldn’t live past fifteen. Everyone mocked his lowly stature, his disabilities, and he lived like an ant in the Imperial Palace, lower than a dog. Because the Emperor considered his existence a stain, he was shackled like a dog and locked in a room, never to see the light of day, imprisoned from that point on...." Mingyue’s tone was very calm, but beneath the calmness, something was clearly being suppressed. Ah Yun was almost in tears from listening: "So pitiful..., what about his mother? Wouldn’t she protect him?" Mingyue’s lips curled into a sneering, cold smile, her eyes icy cold: "That woman, she would do anything to survive, and perhaps it was because of this, that he survived those cruel struggles. After all, no one would believe that a lowly, deaf, and mute prince could ever ascend the throne. But everyone forgets, it’s the silent dog that bites the hardest... A few years later, after the final palace coup, the person who ascended the throne was someone nobody expected, and the whole world was shocked...." "Did he ascend the throne?" Ah Yun’s eyes lit up immediately: "He had been enduring and lurking all along, hadn’t he?" "Yes, he had great talent and vision, the skills to rule, and since he was very young, there was a wish in his heart. One day, no one could bully him, insult him, or trample him anymore. For this wish, he endured and lurked for so many years, and finally... he finally ascended to the highest position on this continent. All those who once humiliated and beat him were now prostrating at his feet, trembling and begging for his forgiveness...." Ah Yun laughed: "That’s so satisfying, if it were me, I would have killed all of them." "He was a ruler praised by all. Under his reign, the country thrived, he expanded territories, enforced strict discipline, implemented new policies domestically, the people lived in peace and worked happily, everything was proceeding in order. But later, the woman who was revered as the Empress Dowager, his biological mother who had never once embraced him since birth, personally handed him a cup of poisoned wine...."