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

Inside Yilan Palace, Shen Qingruo dismissed the palace servants and leaned alone on the soft couch by the window.

She wore a long, soft gauze dress, without any hairpins or jewelry, revealing her slender and delicate neck.

Within her mind, Xiao Jiu conjured up the heartwarming scene of the mother and daughter embracing in the Jiaofang Palace.

Shen Qingruo watched quietly, her face expressionless, only her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

"This mother and daughter are so affectionate, it makes me look like a villain who tears people apart and bullies them." She said softly, with a hint of unspeakable bitterness, to Xiao Jiu in her mind.

Xiao Jiu's sphere of light immediately lit up, and her childlike voice carried an unprecedented seriousness: "Aruo, everyone has a stance."

"To Wulan Yun, Shen Jingyan may be a good daughter who has suffered injustice. But Aruo, she has never had a single kind thought for you."

It paused, then reminded her in a serious tone, "Have you forgotten what happened at Qingyi Palace? That kneeling she did with all her might was aimed at killing you."

"If I hadn't protected you in time, that blow would not only have caused you to miscarry immediately, but it would have also damaged your uterus, making it impossible for you to have children for the rest of your life."

Shen Qingruo's hands, which were resting on her knees, twitched slightly, as if the intense pain and fear from that time were resurfacing again.

She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, a smile playing on her lips, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Don't worry, Xiao Jiu." Her voice was still soft and sweet, but very firm.

"I didn't soften my heart. It would be foolish to be soft-hearted towards someone who wants my life and wants to cut off my escape route."

She tilted her head slightly, looking at the vast sky outside the window, her gaze somewhat unfocused: "I was just looking at them, and suddenly I thought of my mother."

"If she were still alive, would she have protected me like this?"

But she quickly shook her head, her voice lowering: "But there's no use thinking about it now."

"Besides, I'm all grown up now. Even without my parents' care, I can survive on my own, and I'll live better than them."

Then, as if she had thought of something, her eyebrows curved into a smile, and her voice became soft and sweet: "Besides, I'm not alone now."

"I still have you with me, Xiao Jiu."

Within her sea of ​​consciousness, Xiao Jiu's sphere of light emitted a bright yet gentle glow, bouncing happily up and down: "Yes, Aruo and I are here too!"

"I will always be with Aruo, help you complete your missions, help you get everything you want, and no one will be able to bully you again."

Hearing Xiao Jiu's cheerful baby voice, Shen Qingruo leaned back lazily into the cushion, her fingertips gently twirling a strand of hair that had fallen down, her expression charming and innocent, as if the sadness she had just felt was just an illusion.

"Mmm," she responded softly, closing her eyes. "It's so good to have you here."

The sunlight streaming through the window cast dappled shadows on her fair face, making her appear even more adorable and delicate, inviting tenderness and care.

When Shen Yinian stepped into the courtyard of Yilan Palace, he could see Shen Qingruo looking serene and content behind the window.

He paused in his steps.

He wasn't surprised that his father favored her.

After all, no man could resist such a delicate, boneless, and pitiful appearance.

But whenever he thought about how this woman had used all her scheming to climb into the emperor's bed, causing their once harmonious family to drift apart, father and son to become estranged, and husband and wife to fall out of harmony, all he felt in his heart was disgust.

In particular, the fact that she was once nominally his sister and had called him "brother" for sixteen years, but now she had become his father's bedmate, made him feel even more disgusted and nauseous.

He signaled to the palace servants to announce his arrival.

After receiving permission, Shen Yinian concealed his emotions and stepped into the inner hall.

Shen Qingruo sat up straight, her watery eyes looking at him with a hint of doubt: "Your Highness, what brings you here today?"

Shen Yinian sat down opposite her, and without beating around the bush, went straight to the point:

"The Empress Dowager intends to ask the Emperor for permission during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet to grant Ayan and Xiao Yu a marriage."

He stared at her, his tone pressuring: "It won't do you any harm by leaving the palace to marry, and it will even eliminate one of your eyesores."

"I hope that Your Highness will be lenient and refrain from interfering when the time comes."

Shen Qingruo blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering, her face still showing that innocent and harmless look:

"What makes you say that, Your Highness? The Princess's marriage is a matter for His Majesty and the Empress to decide; how could I possibly interfere?"

Seeing her feign ignorance, Shen Yinian sneered and threw out what he thought was a threat:

"Let's not beat around the bush. I've already found out that your biological father is Wei Zheng, a remnant of the previous dynasty."

He leaned forward slightly, trying to find panic on her face:

"If this matter is made public, even if Father Emperor dotes on you, those trusted old ministers who followed him to conquer the country will surely join together to petition for Father Emperor’s safety and for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty, urging Father Emperor to punish you."

"By then, do you think Father Emperor would still stand against the entire court for your sake?"

After he finished speaking, he confidently awaited her reaction.

However, Shen Qingruo merely tilted her head slightly. Her fair face showed no fear whatsoever, but instead revealed a faint smile. "Your Highness, His Majesty already knows about my background."

"Besides, he's not Emperor Liang, but an emperor who holds the reins of power. As long as he's on my side and believes I'm harmless, what do the voices of those ministers matter?"

Shen Yinian's Adam's apple bobbed, and his face darkened: "Are you really that confident?"

"Shen Qingruo, people's hearts are fickle. Your father could abandon your mother, who has been by your side for many years, and instead dote on you. One day, he can naturally abandon you and fall in love with someone else!"

Shen Qingruo chuckled softly, as if she had heard something amusing. "Abandon?"

"Your Highness, do you think His Majesty truly loves your mother?"

She stood up and gracefully walked to him, her clear, watery eyes reflecting his somewhat disheveled expression.

Do you think Shen Wangxi is the kind of person who falls in love with every girl he meets?

She leaned slightly closer to him, her breath sweet as orchids, but her words were hurtful:

"The reason your mother has been favored by His Majesty for so many years is not because His Majesty loves her so much."

"It just so happens that every time, she appears just in time when His Majesty needs his family the most."

"In addition, her and the entire Ulan family's efforts moved His Majesty, making him willing to give her respect and dignity."

"Being moved is not love." Every word she said struck Shen Yinian's heart.

Looking at the beautiful face in front of him, Shen Yinian suddenly felt a little dizzy.

He was unwilling to admit that what she said might be true.

At least until this moment, he always believed that he and Ayan were children born from the love and mutual affection of their parents, and that their family had been truly happy and fulfilling.

But a voice deep inside was screaming wildly:

If the Emperor truly loved the Empress Dowager deeply, why was he so ruthless towards her and Ayan when the new love and the old love clashed?

Could a man who once deeply loved his wife really have done such favoritism?

He looked into Shen Qingruo's clear, bright eyes, his throat dry.

Shen Qingruo turned around and sat down, straightening her sleeves. Her voice was soft, yet carried a hint of dismissal: "Your Highness, Prince Xiaoyao, please leave."

Instead of threatening me here, you should think about how to get a favor for your sister at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

Shen Yinian opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't say anything.

He came full of confidence, thinking he could get leverage over her, but she defeated him with just a few words, even shaking his deepest understanding of his parents' relationship.

He turned away dejectedly and hurriedly left Yilan Palace.

Watching his hasty departure, Shen Qingruo slowly sat back on the soft couch, picked up the tea beside her, and took a small sip.

Xiao Jiu's voice echoed in her mind: "Aruo, you were so amazing just now, you completely stunned him."

Shen Qingruo lowered her eyes and silently replied in her heart, "Shen Yinian isn't unable to figure it out, he's just unwilling to face reality. Then I'll help him out."