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

Inside the Jiaofang Palace, the atmosphere was more somber than usual.

Wulan Yun sat on the phoenix throne, listening to the newly arrived palace maid whisper the news that His Majesty had conferred the title of Consort Zhao upon Shen Qingruo.

Her hand holding the teacup paused for a moment.

It has been a month, and His Majesty has not set foot in the Jiaofang Palace again. There is no sign of the ban on Princess Ayan's residence being lifted. Now, he is impatient to appoint that slut as a concubine, and she is immediately given the title of Imperial Concubine.

Looking at the palace servants in the hall, who had been completely transformed but were no longer as caring as before, Wulan Yun's eyes flashed with a cold mockery.

Her trusted confidants have all been killed, so how can she be trusted to confide in anyone?

Wulan Yun dismissed the palace maid who had come to report, leaving only a seemingly insignificant maidservant.

This palace maid was secretly planted by Yi Nian.

She lowered her voice considerably: "Find a way to send a message to Yi Nian. Tell him that he didn't want to get involved in this court struggle before, and that's fine."

"But this time, for his mother and for his sister who is still under house arrest, he must fight for it."

The palace maid's expression hardened, and she lowered her head deeply: "This servant understands."

Inside Qingyi Palace, Shen Qingruo sat before her dressing table, Xiao Jiu's urgent voice echoing in her mind:

"Aruo! There's some movement from Ulan Yun's side!"

"She just summoned a seemingly ordinary palace maid and asked her to pass on a message to Shen Yinian, forcing him to participate in the court struggle."

Shen Qingruo was slightly taken aback. Shen Yinian? She had never known much about this brother.

Xiao Jiu's light sphere flickered anxiously: "This is troublesome! Shen Yinian is much more difficult to deal with than his arrogant and domineering sister."

"According to later records, after Shen Jingyan took power, she became extremely licentious and in just a few years, she made the country teetering on the brink of collapse. In the end, Shen Yinian was forced to come out of seclusion and managed to preserve the Great Zhou Dynasty for more than a decade despite internal and external troubles."

"Shen Yinian may not have ambitions for the court, but he is no less shrewd and intelligent."

Looking at her delicate features in the mirror, Shen Qingruo slowly furrowed her brows.

She had been focusing her main energy on dealing with Shen Wangxi, Wulan Yun, and Shen Jingyan, and had indeed neglected the carefree Prince who was indifferent to worldly affairs and only loved to travel and enjoy life.

Unexpectedly, the most difficult one to deal with was actually the most inconspicuous Shen Yinian.

-

That morning, Shen Wangxi personally accompanied Shen Qingruo to move palaces.

Yilan Palace is much more spacious and magnificent than Qingyi Palace. The courtyard has running water and is planted with precious orchids. All the furnishings and utensils are exquisite and are arranged according to the regulations for the Imperial Noble Consort.

"Aruo, do you like this place?" He took her wrist and led her to look at the furnishings of the palace. "If there's anything you don't like, I'll have it changed immediately."

Shen Qingruo wore a light blue belted long dress. Her gaze slowly swept over the exquisite carved window frame and the priceless jade ornaments, finally settling on the high palace wall outside the window.

She gently withdrew her hand, walked to the window, and gazed at the expanse of sky without saying a word.

Shen Wangxi walked up behind her, looking at her slender back, her heart softening. "What's wrong? Don't you like it here?"

Shen Qingruo slowly shook her head, her voice light and airy: "This place is very nice, thank you for your trouble, Your Majesty."

But her tone remained flat, without a trace of joy.

Shen Wangxi frowned slightly and reached out to put his arm around her shoulder, but she turned slightly to the side and avoided him.

His hand missed its target, and his heart sank. "Aruo, how long are you going to stay angry with me?"

"Does this mean I really have to kill Ah-Yan with my own hands?"

Shen Qingruo turned around, raising her watery yet empty eyes to look at him: "Does Your Majesty think I'm angry?"

She gently tugged at the corners of her mouth: "I'm not angry. It's just that the palace walls seem even higher now, and I can hardly breathe."

Seeing her like this, Shen Wangxi softened her voice and coaxed her:

"If you find it boring, I'll have someone set up a swing in the courtyard tomorrow, and also find some entertainers who can perform acrobatics to keep you entertained, how about that?"

Shen Qingruo continued to gaze out the window. After a long while, she replied very softly, "Let His Majesty arrange it."

Shen Wangxi watched her leaning against the window, looking aloof and melancholy, as if she would be blown away by the wind at any moment. He felt both heartache and helplessness, as well as some annoyance.

His imperial pride ultimately prevented him from staying any longer and enduring her cold demeanor.

After Shen Wangxi left, Xiao Jiu's light sphere flickered in Shen Qingruo's sea of ​​consciousness, carrying a hint of unease:

"Aruo, aren't we going a bit too far with this?"

"Shen Wangxi is, after all, the emperor. No matter how much trouble Wulan Yun and Shen Jingyan caused in the past, they were generally following his wishes."

"Aren't you afraid that your lukewarm attitude will actually alienate him from you?"

Shen Qingruo slightly curled the corners of her lips. "Men are all about novelty."

"After pretending to be compliant for so long, it's time to let him see a different side of me. It will have unimaginable effects."

She paused, then added, "Xiao Jiu, this is what those seniors in your online store said in their tips on how to handle men."

Xiao Jiu's ball of light paused, her tone a little hesitant: "Huh? Really? Then... then that's probably right."

It hadn't really read the detailed insights of those predecessors; it only knew the general outline.

Xiao Jiu changed the subject, "So what's our next step?"

"The contraceptive soup he used before successfully aroused his endless longing for a child. Now that the child is gone, he naturally despises Wulan Yun and Shen Jingyan."

"But Wulan Yun has been kind and affectionate to Shen Wangxi, and Shen Jingyan is his biological daughter, so he can't be moved for the time being."

"And as for Shen Yinian, we still don't know what he's thinking."

Shen Qingruo placed her hand on her lower abdomen; the pain from that kneeling still made her shudder.

Her gaze was calm; she had already made up her mind: "There's no point in keeping an eye on them now."

"I'll make Shen Jingyan pay with her life for that kneel."

"So, the most important thing right now is to take advantage of Shen Wangxi's guilt and make it stick even deeper in his heart."

"After all, the Imperial Concubine cannot kill the Eldest Princess, but His Majesty can."