Keep your voice down. Are you trying to look glamorous dressed as a forced lover?

After Song Qinian finished speaking, Cunyi nodded.

"Please give your orders, young master."

He hurriedly echoed Shen Lue's words, for he had long been fed up with him.

But he remained deeply worried.

"Young Master, wouldn't this... anger His Highness? What if His Highness continues to prevent you from leaving the palace?"

He wasn't blind, so he could see that the young master had fallen in love, which made him even more worried, fearing that His Highness would win the young master over with just a few words.

The young master is naturally the most outstanding and the best, but human nature is inherently fickle, and he is truly worried that the young master will waste his time in the harem.

If there's no chance to leave the palace, that's fine, but if there is and the young master misses it, he's afraid the young master will regret it later.

Xingzhi didn't voice his worries, but Song Qinian understood.

"I know what you're worried about, but I won't. I'm not blinded by reason; in fact, I'm only now regaining my senses."

He knew that if he only had romantic love, he would not be content to stay in the harem. So he was waiting for the right time to make his mark.

Now is the time when His Highness needs help. He has left the palace now, and no matter whether the Wise Prince wins or she succeeds, there will be no place for him.

That shouldn't be done.

So he hasn't lost his mind; he's just regaining his senses.

He was caught up in love before, which is why he did such irrational things. Now is the time for him to exert his strength.

His actions today are not merely a loss of emotional control, but also a long-term plan.

That's right, it's for the long term.

A man's best and most capable years are only so many, and he wants to choose to create beautiful memories with His Highness during his prime.

When the time is right, His Highness will naturally let him leave the palace, and it will certainly not be the scene of him leaving the palace in such a sorry state.

Instead, it was a case of mutual respect and appreciation between ruler and subject, working together towards a bright future.

"I need to see Shen Lue tomorrow."

"Yes."

Shen Lue was not asleep at this time.

His mind was filled with the strange things he saw when he returned to the palace after receiving His Highness.

His Highness's slightly disheveled and wrinkled dress, and his noticeably swollen lips, kept replaying in his mind. He tightened his grip and took a deep breath.

He restrained himself again and again before he finally refrained from going to the tea room to see who it was.

Or you don't need to look at it at all.

His Highness took the seal he had brought back, but did not use it. Instead, he handed it back to Sui Shi and said, "Send it back to Ninghui Palace."

Shen Lue knew that Consort Song would not leave the palace.

Since Consort Song has not left the palace, what will become of his future...?

Shen Lue gave a wry smile. It hadn't been long, but he had unknowingly taken it to heart.

Indeed, one shouldn't encounter someone who is too amazing.

Having met someone like Her Highness, in the years to come, no matter how good others are, they will always feel that they cannot compare to her.

"No, that's not right!"

Shen Lue suddenly stood up. Now was not the time to think about these things; the important thing was to take revenge.

He must take revenge before His Highness abandons him.

He barely slept all night. Before dawn, he made a revenge plan. He washed up and was about to go ahead to wait for His Highness when he opened the door and saw Xingzhi smiling.

"Shu Shen, my lord has feelings for you."

Shen Lue tightened his grip, but could only smile and agree.

Upon arriving at Ninghui Palace, he was ushered into his sleeping quarters.

That Consort Song was dressed in simple, plain clothes, with an elegant posture, and his features were those of a refined gentleman. His voice was also calm and gentle.

"Leave the palace, and I will help you take revenge."

He spoke as if it were perfectly natural.

Shen Lue suddenly looked up, trying his best to straighten his back, but in the instant he deliberately compared himself to Song Cejun, he knew that he had lost the battle.

"It was Your Highness who brought me back; Your Highness will decide whether I stay or leave."

His Highness also promised to help him take revenge, so he doesn't need him!

Song Qinian wasn't angry, and said calmly, "That was true yesterday, but things are different now."

"Your Highness brought you back, but it was I who rejected her."

He even smiled, without much boasting, but it deeply stung Shen Lue.

"I never intended to be a substitute, so please don't make things difficult for me, Consort Song."

But others don't think that way.

Song Qinian frowned slightly: "For you, seeking revenge against the Shi family is as difficult as climbing to heaven, but it's not for me. You should accept that."

Just as Shen Lue was about to speak, Song Qinian countered with a question:

"Or are you prepared to die?"

Shen Lue suddenly looked up. He actually... wasn't he a gentleman?

"If His Highness knew, he would surely despise you!"

Song Qinian paused, then gave Shen Lue a despairing answer: "But Your Highness has always known what kind of person I am."

Shen was stunned, followed by endless despair.

Song Qinian has the Song family and the Left Prime Minister behind him, and His Highness treats him differently, but he still has a grudge to settle.

It seemed like he had no choice but to agree.

Then I'll agree to it for now.

He remembered what happened today, but there's always tomorrow.

Young Master Song didn't want him to be a substitute, and he didn't want to stay in the name of a substitute. If he showed weakness, His Highness might take pity on him.

Once he has avenged his great grudge and reunited with His Highness in the imperial court, he will start anew as Shen Lue, as a court official, not as a substitute.

Song Qinian saw right through Shen Lue's thoughts.

He chuckled softly.

"Young Master Shen, I know what you're thinking. I'll just tell you this: Shi Junyan has always been my defeated opponent."

If Shi Junyan couldn't defeat him, then Shen Lue, who was behind Shi Junyan, naturally couldn't either.

They've faced each other before.

Shen pursed her lips tightly.

Song Qinian asked directly, "What is your plan?"

If Shen Lue's plan works, he won't need to make any special arrangements.

During their conversation, Cunyi met Li Qingyan.

"Your Highness, the Consort is willing to share your troubles and has taken over the task of advocating for Young Master Shen. Your Highness no longer needs to worry about these trivial matters."

"If Your Highness requires a scribe, the Consort may recommend one."

Li Qingyan rubbed her forehead.

I knew Song Qinian was intolerant of any wrongdoing, but I didn't expect him to act so quickly.

This cannot be tolerated for even a moment.

But since Song Qinian was taking action, she didn't need to worry, and it was actually to her advantage, so she didn't say anything.

Shi Junyan was unaware of the impending doom. When he heard that Li Qingyan had someone who looked just like Song Qinian by his side, he became uneasy. Just as he was making inquiries, his father suddenly died, and then he died too.

His father had already risen to the rank of Vice Censor-in-Chief, seemingly under the jurisdiction of the Grand Censor. However, the Grand Censor was an honorary title, while the real power belonged to the Vice Censor-in-Chief, who was the actual head of the Censorate, in charge of supervision and impeachment of all officials.

No one dares to disregard it.

Without warning, someone suddenly impeached him for abusing his oversight power to eliminate his opponents.

Any female official who disagrees with you on political views, has a different stance, or is simply of a different gender, whether guilty or innocent, can be impeached directly.

Even the smallest mistake is magnified to force the other party to resign or be transferred to a post elsewhere.

After the incident broke out, statistics showed that many female officials were eliminated by him in this way.

Li Qingyan was surprised by this unexpected turn of events. The Shi family sided with the Prince Xian and eliminated those who supported her, dismissing them from their posts without hesitation.

The more one delves into the history of historians, the more they offend many people and become targets of public criticism, which is quite common.

Shi Junyan was in love with Qiu Nanxing, and even broke off his engagement with his childhood sweetheart for her sake, which made him an enemy of his fiancée's family, but they had no choice but to accept it before.

Now that the opportunity has arisen, I will naturally contribute my efforts.

Shi Junyan's past actions were exposed, and people everywhere, especially scholars, despised such behavior from a gunman, completely ruining his reputation.

The Shi family fell into decline and was quickly divided up by the Song family and other prominent families, eventually declining further.

That's a story for later, but the downfall of the Shi family began within five days.

Shen Lue had learned about Song Qinian's terrifying decisiveness from his meticulously planned schemes over the past five days.

Most importantly, Consort Song has completely won over His Highness with his gentle charms!