After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

The chair was covered with a thick wool cushion, and steam rose from the cup.

Shen Lingyi recalled the old lady's changed expression just now and felt a little pleased. It was worth it for her to secretly take this while Pei Heng wasn't paying attention.

She stopped at the doorway. The man was drinking tea, his silhouette in the shadows resembling the subtle chill that emanates from warm jade left untouched for a long time.

Xu Yanqing raised her eyes, her gaze sharp and cold: "Aren't you coming over? What are you standing there for?"

"What business does Your Highness have with me?" Shen Lingyi sat down opposite him.

Xu Yanqing stroked the bottom of the cup, her long eyelashes fluttering, her expression unreadable: "Did you see... last night?"

"I didn't see anything last night."

Shen Lingyi spoke first, feigning ignorance: "Your Highness should know better than I that it was His Majesty who gave the order. Now, everyone can only play the fool."

Xu Yanqing frowned slightly.

He wasn't referring to that; there were rumors circulating in the palace that Consort Wan had poisoned Pei Heng.

No one knows who started the rumor, but many people undoubtedly want to verify it. Xu Yanqing also wanted to, otherwise he wouldn't have planted so many spies in the palace.

unfortunately,

It will be gone soon.

The thought of having his long-standing spy removed left Xu Yanqing expressionless: "Second Miss, help me. Name your price."

"Yeah?"

Shen Lingyi took a sip of tea. "What if I wanted to be the Empress?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yanqing hesitated.

The woman in front of him was dressed in a moon-white long robe, with a fluffy fox fur coat covering her body. Each breath she exhaled was warm, and over time her face turned red from the heat.

Her face alone is the most beautiful in the capital; no man could resist her.

But Xu Yanqing didn't want to let Shen Tingjiao down. Last night, he held her hand and promised that he would marry no one but her.

After a long silence, he hesitated slightly before asking, "If you'd be willing to be a concubine..."

Given Shen Lingyi's temperament, she might not be able to be a dignified Crown Princess, but she could be a concubine in his harem.

Xu Yanqing would never let his woman suffer. As long as she was willing to be accommodating and understanding, he would still be happy to pamper her.

Shen Lingyi gave him a look that said, "What are you talking about?": "I was talking about His Majesty's Empress."

"According to seniority, Your Highness should call her Mother."

What Crown Princess? Besides Shen Tingjiao, does anyone really care about this thing?

Xu Yanqing's face darkened: "His Majesty has no intention of establishing an empress."

"I'm just thinking about it, it's not illegal, is it?"

Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Xu Yanqing grew increasingly anxious, even though he didn't know what he was so anxious about.

He gripped the cup tightly, speaking with an unclear expression: "You're obsessed with Pei Heng, but how much do you really know about him? Putting aside the Wan family massacre, while the Great Wei values ​​filial piety, do you know that the current Emperor ascended the throne through patricide?"

This is no secret in the capital.

Many people know this, but no one dares to say it. The laws are harsh, but who would dare to say that the emperor is guilty?

Even though Pei Heng's methods of seizing power were ruthless, not to mention his direct descendants, even members of the imperial clan were almost wiped out.

This throne was forged in blood.

Shen Lingyi knew that he brought this up to tell her that Pei Heng was not a good person and that she couldn't handle him. Perhaps it was out of male jealousy, or perhaps it was revenge for not helping her.

But why should she be afraid?

"Your Highness, if someone blocks your way, what would you do? Push them aside, or kill them...?"

"This is different!"

Xu Yanqing's face turned cold. "Even if I'm heartless and insane, I would never kill my own family."

"You don't have that problem because you've had the love of Prince Su and Princess Su since you were little. Prince Su only has one son, and you were born as the heir apparent. They showered you with all their affection, and you grew up smoothly without ever encountering any setbacks." Shen Lingyi smiled disdainfully.

What Pei Heng was facing was the late emperor, who didn't care whether he lived or died, and the vicious Consort Wan.

Shen Lingyi paused for a moment before saying, "People only want to fight when they realize they can't go on living."

Like her, if she hadn't accidentally discovered that she was a character in a storybook, her tragic end would have been sealed from the moment she appeared on screen.

So she should still be happily living as a naive, slightly spoiled little girl who never intentionally harms others, instead of being like this now, constantly scheming and trying to win over these three men, each with their own agenda.

too difficult,

If Shen Lingyi's mentality were any weaker, she would have gone crazy the day she learned the truth.

How would the book portray her then? Probably that the villainous supporting character would meet a ridiculous end, and the audience outside the book, who were eagerly awaiting her death, would cheer and applaud.

Xu Yanqing was taken aback, and tried to speak several times but couldn't utter a word.

He left with his attendants, and Shen Lingyi returned to the courtyard, exhausted.

Peony held the ointment with heartache and squatted down in front of her. "The old lady is so heartless. How can Miss's delicate skin withstand kneeling like this?"

"It's not like I haven't knelt before; I'm a regular at the ancestral hall. But I won't do it anymore after today. The Ning Shou Hall should be more restrained."

Shen Lingyi deliberately dropped the jade in public, intending to intimidate the old lady. If the latter had any sense, she would stop bothering her.

Peony widened her eyes. "Is the old lady finally changing her ways and stopping making things difficult for us?"

Shen Lingyi flicked her forehead with her finger.

"Silly girl, that's because your young lady calculated it well."

"Yes, Miss..."

The assassination attempt in the palace took several days to subside. Just as Shen Lingyi had guessed, many people died, and several high-ranking officials were subsequently exposed. They were all remnants of the Wan family.

But none of that mattered to her; she was only concerned with going to the temple to offer incense after the storm had passed.

This trip was specifically to subdue that divine doctor beggar. Shen Lingyi was on high alert, knowing that the little beggar was not full, so she desperately stuffed food into the carriage.

Peony almost thought she was going to fail and was preparing to run away.

"You're not allowed to go!"

After she finished getting ready, Madam Jiang strongly opposed Shen Lingyi going out, saying, "Why are you going out at this crucial time?"

"Mother, it's alright. Weren't all the rebels arrested?" Shen Lingyi comforted her. The key was that they really couldn't not go, and they couldn't go too late either.

The thought that if she hesitated even a moment longer, the divine doctor would be taken in by Shen Tingjiao and become an ally on her side made Shen Lingyi feel as if she were being strangled by hundreds of snakes…

The snake's cold, menacing tongue was already brushing against her face.

She took a deep breath.

react.

I didn't die!

Her parents didn't die, everyone is still alive, and she wasn't thrown into that dark, snake-infested cave!

But doing nothing would inevitably lead to the same outcome. Shen Lingyi pestered Jiang Shi, trying her best to persuade her: "Mother, so many things have happened these days, and I feel uneasy. I want to ask for a peace charm for you and Father."

Her voice was hoarse as she spoke: "Especially Father, what if a war breaks out sometime?"