You cause trouble and I collect your body, the little emperor’s aunt abuses the scumbag again

Shangguan Yun'er stood by the bed, motionless.

The bedchamber was quiet, with only the man's breathing on the bed and the lingering smell of alcohol.

This is her husband, the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

But he doesn't look like a crown prince at all now; he's just a good-for-nothing who gets drunk over other women.

Shangguan Yun'er's fingers tightened inside her sleeve.

She doesn't understand.

In terms of family background, her Shangguan family was a prestigious clan with a history of over a hundred years and wielded immense power in the court.

In terms of looks, she believed she was no less beautiful than any noblewoman in the capital.

In terms of talent, she is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

But why is it that the man she went to such lengths to marry into, has his heart set on a countrywoman whose name is not even worthy of being mentioned in public?

A woman who is already dead!

"Yaya..."

On the bed, Ji Yongyan turned over in his sleep, frowned, and uttered two words.

The voice was soft, yet it pierced Shangguan Yun'er's heart.

It's that name again!

Yaya! Yaya!

She was so jealous she was going crazy.

How can a dead person still occupy her husband's heart?

Just then, the palace door was pushed open, and a person walked in silently.

She was her confidante, Rong Momo.

Granny Rong was carrying a bowl of hangover soup. When she saw the scene in the hall, she paused for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and lowered her voice.

"Your Majesty, why are you still standing here?"

She glanced at Ji Yongyan on the bed, then at her master's unpleasant expression, and understood immediately.

She dismissed the palace servants waiting outside the hall and whispered in Shangguan Yun'er's ear.

"Your Majesty, this is a golden opportunity!"

Shangguan Yun'er didn't speak, she just stared at her coldly.

Undeterred, Rong Momo continued in a whisper, "Your Highness is so drunk; this is the perfect time to act. You've been in the palace for so long and there's still no sign of pregnancy. Those people outside may not say it, but who knows what they're saying about you!"

"Furthermore, the master has also sent word, urging you to give birth to a grandson of the emperor as soon as possible to consolidate your position."

"If this continues, how can you maintain your position as Crown Princess?"

Rong Momo's words hit Shangguan Yun'er's sore spot.

Yes, her father, and the entire Shangguan family, were all waiting for her to give birth to a legitimate son.

But Ji Yongyan never touched her!

That was the case on their wedding night, and in the two months that followed, he used the excuse of being busy with official business to spend far more time in his study than at her place.

She, the Crown Princess, has become a joke.

Looking at Ji Yongyan's haggard face, Shangguan Yun'er recalled her father's urging and the contemptuous attitude of those people in the palace, and her hesitation disappeared.

What does shame matter?

In this palace, only power is real.

"Granny is right, we can't wait any longer." She gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

Rong Momo thought to herself, "The Empress is a smart person."

"This old servant has already prepared everything for Your Highness."

Rong Momo immediately took out a black sachet from her sleeve, which emitted a sweet fragrance.

"This is acacia incense, a tribute from the Western Regions. Just a little bit is enough to stir one's emotions."

She walked to the incense burner by the bed, opened the lid, and dropped the incense balls inside.

After she finished, she stepped aside, bowed, and stood with her hands at her sides.

"Your Majesty, this old servant will keep watch outside, please rest assured."

After saying this, she left and closed the palace door.

Inside the hall, wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner, and the sweet fragrance quickly filled the entire sleeping quarters.

Shangguan Yun'er's heart was pounding, and her cheeks flushed with nervousness and shame.

She walked to the bedside and looked at the sleeping man.

"Ji Yongyan..."

She called his name softly.

"Don't you still remember her?"

"I'd like to see whether I, a living, breathing person, am more powerful, or the dead ghost in your heart is more powerful."

With trembling hands, she untied her sash.

Under the same night sky, the small courtyard in the south of the city was very peaceful.

My mute cousin is back.

He exuded a chill and went straight to Meng Siya's room as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Meng Siya was sitting under the lamp, sewing a bellyband for Sui Sui.

Hearing the noise, she looked up.

"came back?"

The mute cousin nodded, took out a cloth-wrapped box and an envelope from his pocket, and placed them on the table.

Meng Siya put down her needle and thread and opened the box first.

Inside were several silver notes, a considerable amount.

She picked up the envelope again and opened it.

The letter contained only a few lines of text, written in a vigorous and powerful hand.

“You are the daughter of an old friend, and I will treat you as my uncle. The Brocade and Silk Shop has gone bankrupt, but the land deeds are still valid. This is what I got from selling the remaining stock, just enough to make ends meet. If you need anything, you can come to me anytime.”

Signed: Wang Fu.

Meng Siya looked at the letter, her face expressionless.

"Did he believe it?" she asked.

The mute cousin nodded and took out a charcoal pencil to write a few words on a scrap of paper.

"The token is correct, and the details have been asked; everything matches up."

What Meng Siya handed over was a private seal left to her by her father years ago, which no outsider recognized except for a few trusted confidants.

The fact that Manager Wang recognized him means that he is still the same person he was back then.

"Did you tell me everything I asked you to bring?" Meng Siya asked again.

The mute cousin continued writing: "He said it. He said he understood."

Meng Siya's request for him to bring it was simple.

“My father left behind more than just Jinxiu Manor. I don’t want the shops, I just want him. If he’s willing to help me, he will be the one who makes the greatest contribution when the Meng family makes a comeback.”

Wang Fu understood.

This daughter of an old friend has quite the ambition.

She didn't come here to beg for food; she came to win back her old followers.

Meng Siya held the letter up to the candle flame and watched it burn to ashes.

"very good."

She pushed the silver notes on the table in front of her mute cousin.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll go for a stroll in the west of the city."

"Let's find a suitable shop, not too big, but in a good location. Let's take it over and open a rouge shop."

The mute cousin paused for a moment, then wrote on the paper: "Rouge shop? Rouge shops are everywhere in the capital, it's not easy to run one."

“They’re not good.” Meng Siya stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

The moonlight shone on her face, and her voice was cold.

"What I want to do is unique."

Lin Daxiong once gave Guo a book containing many cosmetic formulas that didn't exist in this era.

Lipstick, foundation, eyebrow pencil, even face masks...

Any one of these items would be enough to cause a sensation in the capital.

What she wanted was this sensation.

She wanted the name "Meng Shi" to spread to every woman in the capital as quickly as possible.

Including the Crown Princess in the Eastern Palace.

The Eastern Palace's sleeping quarters.

The sweet aroma grew stronger and stronger.

Shangguan Yun'er had already taken off her outer robe, and was only wearing a nightgown.

She climbed onto the bed, leaned down, and looked at Ji Yongyan's sleeping face.

His eyelashes are very long.

Even in his sleep, his brows were furrowed, as if he were enduring immense pain.

"Your Highness..."

Shangguan Yun'er reached out her hand, her icy fingertips touching his burning cheek.

The man sensed something and shifted uneasily.

His lips moved, and he murmured that name once again.

"Ya Ya...don't go..."

Shangguan Yun'er's hand froze.

Jealousy and humiliation overwhelmed reason.

She leaned down, brought her ear close, and spoke slowly and deliberately, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Your Highness, please look carefully."

"Your Ya Ya is dead."

"The one who's with you now is me, Shangguan Yun-er!"

After saying that, she no longer hesitated and reached out to unbutton his shirt.