When Chu Jiuyue returned to the rear garden, she saw the Yu Emperor sitting in a pavilion, sampling pastries.
The Yu Emperor sensed that the people outside had already left and glanced at Chu Jiuyue as she approached. This one was growing more eloquent by the day.
"Xian'er came too. She urged her brothers to plead for that child."
The Yu Emperor sighed softly. "Ever since Li Junye died, she has resented me, her father. Yet for this child, she has made exceptions time and again."
Chu Jiuyue said quietly, "It shows that the little princess has grown up too. She knows Your Majesty cannot be blamed for what happened to Li Junye."
The Yu Emperor's gaze grew distant for a moment before he smiled faintly, seemingly in better spirits:
"That child may have a freewheeling disposition, but he has quite the network. Even the Xia Family risked pleading for him, willing to offend the Buddhist Sect. The other three Divine General Residences held their composure and said nothing."
Chu Jiuyue smiled bitterly inwardly. Had the other three Divine General Residences come to plead as well, it would likely have backfired.
After all, if the Five Divine General Residences pleaded for one person, whose realm would this be?
Never mind the Yu Emperor-any ruler would have felt fear and wariness.
"The Xia Family owes that child a debt of gratitude. It was only natural for them to come," Chu Jiuyue said quietly. Had they stayed away, it would have seemed as though they were deliberately avoiding suspicion-His Majesty's suspicion, of course-which would have made them seem less open and honest.
"That ancestor of the Li Family certainly knows how to keep his composure. As expected of a veteran who campaigned alongside the Late Emperor. He knows that whether by sentiment