"Anning was raised on Heavenly God Mountain from a young age, unfamiliar with the rules of life in the city. She acts recklessly, with no regard for status or hierarchy. As a Goddess, she takes whatever she wants without restraint or limits. Helian, you are different—you are not a Goddess. You are a strategist in my manor. Leaving the city with her in secret and staying out for several days, even missing such an important occasion as New Year's Eve—you tell me, how should I punish you?"
Xie Jue knelt on the ground, kowtowing and taking full responsibility without shifting blame onto Lan Ningzhen. While the Second Prince was brash yet straightforward, he admired this quality in Xie Jue. Xie Jue had always been someone who dared to act and dared to take responsibility. This trait earned the Second Prince's grudging appreciation. He ordered Xie Jue to kneel in the snow beneath the corridor, punishing him with an hour of kneeling.
