The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

Back at Qingyi Palace, Shen Qingruo sat alone by the window.

She raised her hand, looking at her snow-white fingers—the hands that she had diligently copied his handwriting every day, longing for his approval.

But all these efforts were utterly ineffective in the face of Shen Jingyan's innate pampering.

"Xiao Jiu," she whispered in her heart.

"Aruo, I'm here." The light sphere immediately lit up, and the voice was soothing, "Don't be sad. Shen Wangxi has always doted on Shen Jingyan, and now he's paving the way for her as his heir. We'll take it slow."

"I'm not sad," Shen Qingruo interrupted.

"I just understood it."

"Those trivial feelings of heartache and guilt are like sand slipping through his fingers, easily blown away by the wind, and cannot shake the position of Shen Jingyan in his heart."

Xiao Jiu didn't know how to comfort her, so Shen Qingruo slowly said, "Open the store and look at those things you said were the most effective."

The screen popped up instantly, and those options that had once made her blush reappeared.

This time, she didn't look away immediately, but looked at them carefully, one by one.

She asked softly, with a hint of confusion, "Are these things really that useful?"

With just a pair of eyes, a voice, and a body, could she really win over that noble man's heart? Make him look at her more than he looked at Shen Jingyan?

Xiao Jiu's ball of light drew closer, her childlike voice confident: "It works! It's extremely useful!"

"Aruo, you have to understand, especially with a man like Shen Wangxi who is in a high position and has everything, he's already used to being simply flattering and understanding, and he won't take it to heart at all."

"Then what should we do?" Shen Qingruo looked up.

"You have to make him fall in love, make him lose control, and let him experience feelings he's never had before." Xiao Jiu's tone was seductive. "Many experienced women have concluded that the path to a man's heart is sometimes... well... just one shortcut."

"First, attract him with your body, make him obsessed, and make him feel that you are unique. Once he gets used to your presence and the pleasure your body brings him, then give him a little bit of sincerity and a little bit of dependence at the right time, so that he will feel sorry for you and cherish you."

"With this combination of punches, there's basically no way to escape."

Shen Qingruo listened quietly, her long eyelashes lowered. She remembered the warmth and strength of Shen Wangxi's arm when he held hers, and the cool, pleasant scent of him when he approached.

If it were him, it wouldn't seem so hard to accept.

"But..." she still had doubts, "If I only use my body, how am I any different from an ordinary concubine? How can I surpass Empress Ulan's position in his heart?"

"Of course it's different," Xiao Jiu hurriedly said. "Aruo, you have an advantage. You're beautiful, you have a top-notch figure, and you admire and yearn for him. That's genuine."

"All we need to do is show him your charm as a woman in a more effective way, and amplify it for him to see."

"enlarge?"

"Yes! Let him clearly see your grievances and your dependence, so that he can't help but soften his heart for you and make an exception for you."

Xiao Jiu became more and more excited as she spoke, "Aruo, think about it, he knows he shouldn't, but he can't help falling for you, and then he tramples Shen Jingyan down, so that the little prince you gave birth to can inherit the throne. He can save the world and let you live a happy and unrestrained life."

Shen Qingruo recalled Shen Jingyan's smug back as she left arm in arm with Shen Wangxi, and then she thought of herself standing alone in the Imperial Garden, like a superfluous decoration.

She stood up, walked to the dressing table, and sat down. Her delicate face was reflected in the bronze mirror. She said slowly, "Xiao Jiu, you're right. I was being stubborn and made the wrong choice."

"It's not your fault!" Xiao Jiu hurriedly said, "After all, you didn't know the truth for the first sixteen years, so it's normal that it's hard for you to change your mind."

"But Aruo, you need to understand that what you're fighting for now is no longer family ties."