"The Third Prince is gentle and has the appearance of a wise ruler. I have had several encounters with him. He does have some of the demeanor of an emperor and he is quite respectful to me."

As he said this, Shen Yunting couldn't help but chuckle.

"Unlike that Fifth Prince, hmph."

Upon hearing this, Qu Jingyun immediately became interested.

She suddenly thought of something.

He hurriedly asked, "I heard that the Fifth Prince was harassed in court a while ago and was even beaten up in an alleyway with a sack over his head. Did you do that?"

“Naturally, it’s me.” Shen Yunting sneered repeatedly.

“I have investigated everything that has happened in the capital over the past few years, and I know about the disgusting things that the Fifth Prince has done.”

"Who does he think he is? How dare he bully my daughter like this? When I first found out about this, I wanted nothing more than to grab my spear and charge right up to the Fifth Prince."

Shen Yunting grew angrier the more he thought about it, and images of Shen Yue as a child kept flashing through his mind.

That tiny clump of pink grew slowly in a corner he never saw.

He already felt he owed them a great deal.

But how could Shen Yunting possibly accept that the Fifth Prince dared to humiliate her like this?

Seeing Shen Yunting's appearance, Qu Jingyun covered her mouth and chuckled.

She reached out and hugged him to comfort him.

"If Yue'er knew how much you care about her, she would be very happy."

"She probably doesn't want to see me right now," Shen Yunting sighed silently.

A helpless expression fell on Qu Jingyun, and he lightly flicked her nose.

"It's all because of you. She probably thinks I'm a heartless man now and doesn't want to talk to her father at all."

At this point, a bitter smile crept onto Shen Yunting's lips.

He silently hugged the person in his arms tighter.

He then said, "I wonder when you will be able to clear my name, so that everyone around me won't look at me so badly."

"We really feel bad for Yunting." Qu Jingyun rubbed Shen Yunting's cheeks, smiling even more happily.

"Don't worry, that day will come. Don't rush. For now, I can only ask you to make do for a while."

Qu Jingyun slowly curved her lips into a smile, then explained, "There are some things that Madam Shen cannot do, but Miss Qu can."

“If we don’t divorce, just hearing about Zhixuan’s situation might make the Emperor wary. This is the only way we can do now.”

The thought of the Emperor brought a chill to Qu Jingyun's eyes.

They have known each other for over twenty years and have fought side by side.

Although the Emperor's current throne cannot be said to have been obtained solely through the efforts of Shen Yunting and Qu Jingyun, it is absolutely inseparable from their generous assistance.

But who would have thought that after only a few years on the throne, he would begin to fear the couple.

Who knows what will happen next?

"Because he is the emperor now. Emperors have always been suspicious. How can anyone else be allowed to sleep soundly in front of the emperor's bed?"

Shen Yunting gave a bitter smile and couldn't help but sigh, "This is also my fault. I have never taken this matter to heart. Even after the Emperor ascended the throne, I continued to do as I pleased. This is probably why the Emperor cannot tolerate me."

Upon hearing this, Qu Jingyun quickly said, "You don't need to push all the responsibility onto yourself. It's the Emperor's fault, not yours."

Shen Yunting chuckled softly, saying nothing more, but simply rested his head on Qu Jingyun's shoulder, a smile slowly curving his lips.

Perhaps only when he is by Qu Jingyun's side can he find a brief moment of peace.

The Fifth Prince has been incredibly unlucky lately!

He was hit by a carriage as soon as he went out, then he was beaten up by someone who put a sack over his head, and then he was inexplicably mistaken for an adulterer and verbally abused.

As such incidents occurred more frequently, he inevitably began to dwell on them.

Not to mention that even people in the imperial court distanced themselves from him.

Is someone dissatisfied with him?

After much thought, the Fifth Prince still couldn't come up with a solution, so he could only turn his attention to Shen Yue.

Shen Yue is different now than before. He can see that Qu Jingyun is exceptionally capable and, on the surface, highly regarded by the Emperor and Empress.

Not to mention that Shen Yunting has returned. Although the emperor is wary of him, he holds military power and could be a suitable ally.

If he could really marry Shen Yue, he would have gained a foothold in the court.

Although Qu Jingyun and Shen Yue had explained things to him, the Fifth Prince didn't take their words to heart at all.

He even thought that Shen Yue was just throwing a tantrum, and that as long as he was willing to give her a way out, Shen Yue would definitely obediently return to his side.

To his utter surprise, many of the letters he sent to Shen Yue were rejected, and he never even managed to deliver them to her.

As time went on, he grew somewhat impatient.

After much difficulty, I finally caught a glimpse of Shen Yue near the Qu residence.

"Moon, I'm so glad to finally see you. You have no idea how much I've wanted to see you lately. Let's go to a nearby restaurant and have a chat. I have so much to tell you."

The Fifth Prince reached out to pull Chen Yue, but she easily dodged him.

He hurriedly looked up and met the other person's disgusted expression.

Does she hate herself?

But how is that possible?

The Fifth Prince was filled with disbelief.

He didn't think Shen Yue would dislike him!

After all, the other party had been following him closely for the past five years.

"I've already made myself clear. It was because Qi Mingyue told me that you were pitiful and no one paid attention to you that I thought of helping you. To be frank, I only felt sorry for you and had no romantic feelings for you. I hope that you will not bother me with such reasons again in the future, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Shen Yue's tone grew increasingly cold.

He directly rebuked, "The Fifth Prince is a smart man; can't he even understand what I'm saying?"

The more Shen Yue looks at the Fifth Prince, the more she dislikes him.

The other person's expression seemed to be soaked in oil, making one feel nauseous.

“You… Shen Yue, I’m telling you, don’t push your luck. This is your last chance. If you continue like this, I’ll really get angry.”

The Fifth Prince took a deep breath and forced a gentle smile onto his face.

He spoke again, "Can't you see my true feelings?"

"What do you mean by 'sincere'? Ignoring my feelings and watching me make a fool of myself, making me the laughingstock of the entire capital?" Shen Yue snorted coldly, retorting without any politeness.

The Fifth Prince's expression froze, and he quickly tried to cover it up: "You've misunderstood me. I've actually had feelings for you for a long time. The reason I treated you that way before was because I was worried that you were only following me because of my status as a prince."

"But now I know that you are genuinely good to me."

"Therefore, I am also willing to return your sincerity."

The Fifth Prince's brows were furrowed with deep affection, as if he had truly loved Chen Yue for a long time.