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

Qian Mingyuan raised his head, smiling obsequiously:

"Your Highness, although Shen Yin is from the second wife's family, she is still a daughter of the Shen family. If Your Highness were to take her as a concubine, wouldn't that be equivalent to establishing a connection with the Shen family? Then, while General Shen is fighting on the front lines, Your Highness can take care of his daughter in the backyard—wouldn't that be... much more convenient?"

The crown prince narrowed his eyes.

"General Shen commands a large army. If Your Highness could win him over..." Qian Mingyuan didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already clear.

The prince leaned back on the couch, tapping the armrest with his fingers.

"Trying to win over the Shen family?" He sneered. "How many times have I tried to win over that stubborn old man? He won't even come to my banquets."

"That was before." Qian Mingyuan took half a step forward and lowered his voice. "It's different now. Shen Yin is His Highness's woman. The Shen family can't just marry their daughter to His Highness and then disown the marriage, can they?"

The crown prince thought about it and felt it made sense.

"Besides," Qian Mingyuan's voice lowered, "Shen Nannan is Shen Yin's cousin. If Your Highness takes Shen Yin as a concubine, wouldn't it be a simple matter of saying a word if you wanted her in the future? The two sisters serving one husband would be a beautiful story if word got out."

Shen Nannan. That woman with a waist so thin you could pinch it with one hand, walking like a cat. He licked his lips.

"You mean...?"

"Your Highness is wise." Qian Mingyuan's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile. "Let's take Shen Yin as a concubine first to stabilize the Shen family. When the time is right, then..."

The crown prince thought for a moment, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.

"You're right." He nodded. "That Shen Nannan, I'll get my hands on her sooner or later. First, I'll take the younger one... then the older one..."

He laughed, a lewd glint in his eyes, "I can do whatever I want with you."

Qian Mingyuan immediately kowtowed: "Your Highness is wise."

"Alright, get up."

The crown prince waved his hand.

"Take care of Shen Yin's matter. Take her as a concubine first, but the proper etiquette must be observed, after all, she is a daughter of the Shen family. Also—" He paused, "keep a close eye on Shen Nannan. I want her."

"Yes." Qian Mingyuan stood up, his hands hanging down.

Just then, a deep voice came from the shadows.

"Your Highness."

The Crown Prince and Qian Mingyuan were both taken aback. A man in black stepped out from behind the screen.

"Doesn't Your Highness think all of this is too much of a coincidence?"

The crown prince frowned: "What do you mean?"

The man in black took a step forward, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

"That night in Peach Blossom Valley, His Highness's tent caught fire, and He Jinzhi arrived just in time. Fu Tailong was investigated, and his account books, secret letters, and forbidden drugs were all found. One step after another, one link after another."

He paused, then continued, "Your Highness, don't you feel that this seems like a setup?"

The crown prince's face darkened.

"You mean someone deliberately set this up?"

"It wasn't intentional; it was carefully planned."

The crown prince's expression changed.

"Your Highness, please consider this."

The man in black continued,

"Who will benefit from this? With Futailong gone, His Highness's purse strings are empty; Shen Yin has slept with His Highness, forcing him to become entangled with the Shen family; and the Shen family..." He paused.

"What is the Shen family's current attitude towards His Highness?"

The prince gripped the armrest tightly with his fingers.

"Someone is playing a very big game."

After speaking, the man in black took a step back and disappeared back into the shadows.

The crown prince sat on the couch, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

Qian Mingyuan knelt on the ground, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Investigate," the Crown Prince finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice. "Investigate for me. Whoever is behind this, I will tear them to pieces."

"yes!"

Qian Mingyuan scrambled out of the room.

He always felt that the person the man in black was talking about seemed to be... right beside him.

He remembered that day, that flashy young man.

Holding the silver needle, she asked him with a smile, "Lord Qian, do you want grain or your life?"

He shivered.

I can't say, I can't say, my life is still in their hands.

The Crown Prince then looked at the man in black: "You go and investigate too. I don't care what methods you use, find the person."

The man in black nodded slightly, took a step back, and disappeared into the shadows.

The prince leaned back on the couch, downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, and a sinister light surged in his eyes.

"Shen Nannan." He uttered the name, his tongue tracing each syllable. "You wait. There's no one I can't have whoever I want."

---

As night deepened, the courtyard of the sycamore tree fell silent.

Shen Nannan sat at the table, with the account book that Shen Nian had sent spread out in front of her.

A thick stack of documents contained records of the properties that the Tong family had moved from the Shen family over the years—farms, shops, and houses—spanning dozens of pages.

"That Tong family member," she said, biting the pen handle, her brows furrowed, "she really knows how to hide things. She's scattered all over the place, like a mouse moving house."

She flipped through it, and the more she looked, the more overwhelmed she felt.

These things are too scattered; she couldn't possibly collect them all by herself, even if she ran herself ragged.

My brother has to handle it; he's good at running errands, collecting money, and acting as a henchman.

She folded the few pages of paper and placed them under the inkstone, intending to give them to Shen Run the next day.

The door was gently pushed open.

Ah Chao walked in carrying a tray.

"Miss, have some soup. You must be tired today, drink it and get some rest."

"What kind of soup is this?" She leaned closer to smell it. "Chicken soup again? You didn't put ginseng slices in it again, did you? It's bitter, I'm not drinking it." With that, she pushed the soup in front of her forward.

Ah Chao chuckled, "Knowing that Miss is afraid of bitterness, I didn't serve it today."

Shen Nannan picked up the bowl, took a sip, and hissed as it was scalding hot.

He reached out and took the bowl from her, blew on it, and handed it back to her.

"Drink slowly."

She held the bowl, sipping her drink slowly, her eyes looking at him from above the rim. He stood there, eyes downcast, his face expressionless, yet she found him handsome.

"Ah Chao," she called him.

"Um."

"Why did you catch that stick with your hands today?" She put down her bowl. "With your skills, you could have kicked that stick away with one kick."

He didn't speak.

"Are you afraid of hurting Shen Nian?" She tilted her head. "Afraid the stick will fly out and hit her?"

"……Um."

Shen Nannan looked at him, this person...

It's definitely different from my previous life.

In his past life, Xiao Yunzhao would never have cared about others. He was already showing great mercy by killing people with a single blow instead of torturing them.

"Ah Chao".

"Um."

Do you like children?

He looked up at her; his eyes were dark and unreadable.

"I don't like it," he said.

"Then why are you so nice to Shen Nian?"

"She's going to get hurt, and Miss will be heartbroken," he paused.

"If that servant is injured, will Miss... be sad?"

He stared intently at her, as if he would come closer the moment she spoke.

She lowered her head, picked up the chicken soup, pretended not to hear, and took a sip.

It's hot.

"Hiss—" She gasped as she was burned, and her hand trembled, almost knocking the bowl over.