With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

Shen Nian had only entered the palace yesterday, and today Cining Palace sent someone over.

An older palace maid arrived, followed by several young eunuchs carrying trays. On the trays were several bolts of brocade, several boxes, and two boxes of precious medicinal herbs that were said to be a special gift from the Empress Dowager to Shen Nannan to help with her pregnancy.

The palace maid smiled just right. "Miss Shen slept very well in Cining Palace last night. The Empress Dowager liked her very much. With Miss Shen's company, the Sixth Prince ate half a bowl more porridge than usual this morning."

"The Empress Dowager said that Princess Zhao is currently pregnant and it is inconvenient for her to come to the palace often, so the Princess can rest assured. Miss Shen will stay in Cining Palace and be personally looked after by the Empress Dowager, so she will not suffer any grievances."

After saying that, she took out a letter from her sleeve. "This is a letter from Miss Shen to the Princess."

Shen Nannan accepted the letter and thanked the Empress Dowager for the gift with a smile.

The palace maid's gaze swept over her subtly, then glanced at Xiao Yunzhao, who remained standing beside her.

"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager also said that Miss Shen and the Sixth Prince are of similar age and get along very well, so staying for a few days would be too short. If Miss Shen is willing, she can stay in Cining Palace to accompany the Sixth Prince in his studies, which would be a wonderful thing."

Shen Run's face immediately darkened.

Yesterday we said we'd stay for a few days. Today it's become "for the rest of the year."

Shen Nannan gently pressed the envelope with her fingers, but the smile on her face did not change. "It is Niannian's good fortune to be liked by the Empress Dowager. However, she is still young, and it is inevitable that she will miss her family after being away from home for so long. As for how long she will stay, it is not too late to decide after some time."

The palace maid did not press further. She had not come today to get an answer; the Empress Dowager's message had already been conveyed, and it was enough for the Shen family to understand.

After the palace servants left, Xiao Yunzhao didn't even glance at the rewards, but coldly ordered, "Put the medicinal herbs away separately, and don't let anyone touch them."

"Your Highness, rest assured, this old servant will have the royal physician examine you carefully first." The steward hurriedly had the items sent down.

Shen Run stared in the direction the palace servants had left, and sneered, "They just took her away yesterday, and today they can't wait to tell us that she can let Niannian live in the palace for the rest of her life."

"She wasn't telling us," Shen Nannan said, bending down to open the envelope. "She was reminding us."

The handwriting on the letter was still somewhat immature, but it was written very neatly.

Shen Nian only said that she slept very well last night, that the Empress Dowager treated her kindly, and that the Sixth Prince was also doing well. The osmanthus cake in the palace was very sweet, but unfortunately, Tuanzi never liked it, so she couldn't leave a piece to take back with her.

Upon seeing the last sentence, Shen Nannan's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.

Shen Run leaned over for a look, "Still thinking about rabbits? Looks like you're having a good time in the palace."

"At least nothing happened last night." Shen Nannan folded the letter, her fingertips resting on the paper, but there was little relief in her eyes.

The fact that the Empress Dowager allowed Shen Nian to send this letter means that she has no intention of harming the child now.

Just because someone doesn't intend to harm you doesn't mean they won't use you.

Xiao Yunzhao helped her sit down in the main hall and replaced the warm tea with her recently favorite sour plum drink.

Shen Nannan had only taken two sips when she noticed the man's gaze fixed on the letter in her hand. "Read it if you want."

She handed the letter over.

Xiao Yunzhao took it and read it from beginning to end. "The handwriting is better than Shen Run's."

Shen Run had just sat down when he heard this and nearly crushed his teacup. "You can read the letter if you want, but why drag me into this?"

"It's just stating the facts."

"I even taught her to write!"

"You taught her how to write badly, and she figured out the rest on her own."

Shen Run gritted his teeth, preparing to argue with him, when Shen Ce walked in from outside. "What time is it? Still arguing about this useless stuff."

His words were useless; his gaze first fell on the letter beside Shen Nannan's hand. "How is Niannian?"

"She wrote the letter herself, and she's safe for now."

Shen Nannan handed the letter to her father. Shen Cezai carefully read it twice, confirming that it was indeed Shen Nian's handwriting, before his expression softened slightly.

But when he saw that Cining Palace wanted to keep the people there for a long time, his face darkened again. "The Empress Dowager is keeping the Shen family's children in the palace."

"She's holding onto more than just the Shen family," Shen Nannan said, raising her eyes. "She's also holding onto the Sixth Prince."

The people in the room fell silent at the same time.

Xiao Yunzhao sat beside her without interrupting.

Shen Nannan tapped the letter on the table with her fingertip. "The Empress Dowager knows that there will inevitably be conflict between the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince in the future, yet she still allows Niannian to get close to the Sixth Prince. If she only wants to control the Shen family, there are many other ways in the palace. She doesn't necessarily have to tie the two children together."

"She was leaving a way out for the Sixth Prince."

Shen Ce quickly understood her meaning: "If something happens to the Crown Prince, she can push the Sixth Prince out. The Sixth Prince is close to Niannian, and the Shen family cannot ignore him for Niannian's sake."

"But the Sixth Prince will listen to Niannian because of her." Shen Nannan's voice was very soft. "One end of this rope is tied to the Shen family, and the other end is tied to the Sixth Prince. The Empress Dowager stands in the middle. No matter which side wants to leave, she only needs to give it a slight tug, and the other side will feel pain."

She didn't even need to actually harm Shen Nian. As long as that child lived in Cining Palace, the Shen family would have to consider her safety before doing anything.

The joking expression on Shen Run's face completely disappeared. "If the Empress Dowager is already planning to push the Sixth Prince forward, it means that she doesn't trust the Crown Prince either."

"She never trusted any particular prince." Xiao Yunzhao took the empty cup from Shen Nannan's hand and refilled it with plum juice. "She trusted the imperial power she held in her own hands."

The Crown Prince was trained by the Empress and has former officials from the Eastern Palace behind him, making him difficult to control.

The sixth prince, however, was raised in the Cining Palace from a young age. He was gentle and weak-willed, and his birth mother had already passed away. If the Empress Dowager had to choose, she would naturally prefer to support an obedient child.

Shen Nannan lowered her eyes to look at the gently swirling water in the glass.

"Therefore, she won't actually help the Crown Prince rebel."

"But she will be watching the Crown Prince and Achao Dou."

Once they are both severely weakened, the Sixth Prince will become the most suitable person.

The Empress Dowager could even use the guise of upholding imperial power to completely absolve herself of any responsibility.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Shen Ce's expression was solemn, clearly recalling the recent changes in the court. Just as he was about to speak, Shen Run took out a few crumpled pieces of paper from his pocket and placed them on the table. "I came here today to talk about this matter."

There were no secret reports from the imperial court on those papers; they were just some idle gossips overheard in teahouses and taverns.

Shen Nannan glanced down and her brows furrowed slightly.

Some say that Prince Zhao, relying on his regained military power, is delaying his northward journey and has already harbored other intentions.

The most offensive rumor was that Prince Zhao was so engrossed in the pleasures of his new marriage that he was held back by his pregnant wife and didn't even care about the lives of the people on the border.

Upon seeing the last sentence, Xiao Yunzhao's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Which teahouse came from?"