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

As the auspicious hour approached, Shen Jingyan, dressed in her wedding gown and surrounded by palace maids, arrived at the main hall of Jiaofang Palace to pay her respects to the Empress.

Looking at her mother's slightly red eyes, and recalling the dowry procession she had just seen, which was significantly smaller than expected, she understood what was going on.

She took a deep breath and said to the palace servants around her, "You may all step back now. I need to have a few private words with the Empress Dowager."

The palace maids obeyed and withdrew.

Only the mother and daughter remained inside the hall.

Shen Jingyan stepped forward, took Wulan Yun's cold hand, and said calmly, "Mother, don't cry."

Seeing her like this, Wulan Yun's tears fell again: "Ayan, it's all my fault for making you suffer..."

Shen Jingyan shook her head and raised her hand to wipe away her mother's tears, just like her mother comforted her when she was a child.

Her tone was clear: "Mother, I'm used to it. Why can't you let it go?"

"We need to face reality; Father's heart is no longer with us."

Ulan Yun nodded, her voice choked with emotion: "Mother knows, but she was overcome with emotion when she thought of the past and couldn't control herself."

"No matter how good things were before, we can't go back." Shen Jingyan gripped her hand tightly, her eyes sharpening.

"Mother, we should not be concerned with momentary anger or immediate gains and losses; we should look to the future."

She lowered her voice: "For Mother, it may not be a bad thing that your daughter is getting married and leaving the palace today. From now on, you will have no weakness in this palace."

"Mother, you can now do whatever you want."

Wu Lanyun was taken aback, and looked up at her daughter: "You mean Liu Rusi?"

"It's her." Shen Jingyan's gaze was deep.

"During the time my daughter has been in Yilan Palace, Mother Empress has been hesitant to act decisively and has not dared to do many things, all because she is worried about my daughter."

"Now that my daughter is getting married, she is marrying into a high-ranking family like the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

"Even without the grand wedding procession, as long as I, Shen Jingyan, am still the eldest princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and as long as my brother is still the only prince of Father Emperor, no one in this capital city will dare to truly disrespect me."

She said with certainty, "And the Empress Dowager only has two things to do in the palace."

"First, we must find ways to share the favor of Princess Yilan; we absolutely cannot allow Shen Qingruo to dominate alone."

"Secondly, and most importantly, we must absolutely not let her give birth to a prince!"

As Wulan Yun listened to her daughter's clear and logical analysis and saw the cold light flashing in her eyes, the sadness in her heart was gradually replaced by a new ruthlessness.

Yes, why is she crying?

Her son, Yi Nian, is His Majesty's only prince.

Her children are His Majesty's only imperial heirs.

She was his empress, and their affection for each other was far beyond what others could match.

Wu Lanyun composed herself, grasped her daughter's hand tightly, and nodded emphatically: "You're right, it was your mother who was confused for a moment."

Seeing her mother regain her composure, Shen Jingyan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's good that Mother has come to her senses."

Wulan Yun patted the back of her hand: "The time is almost up. Go to the Taiji Hall and bid farewell to your father."

She paused, not forgetting to remind him, "Last night, Yilan Palace served you in bed."

"If you encounter Shen Qingruo, no matter what she says or does, you must hold back and never act impulsively."

"After today, you will be the Heir Apparent of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, free to roam the world, and you will no longer have to suffer under her."

Shen Jingyan nodded, straightened her wedding dress, straightened her back, and turned to walk out of the hall.