Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

"Thank you for your concern, Fifth Prince." Shen Chuning said indifferently.

After hearing Shen Chuning's words of thanks, Xiao Yuanyi's fair face instantly flushed with a faint blush. He scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said softly, "Sister An Ning, what are you talking about? When did you become so distant from me? Shen Xiang has given me a new life. It is only right and proper that I do my best to rescue Shen Xiang."

The situation is now complicated and changeable. Xiao Yuanlang has a number of capable generals such as Zuo Jiange and Jin Jimin working for him outside the palace; and Concubine Qin is secretly helping him inside the palace, not to mention Empress Su, who has fallen out of favor but still retains her status.

No matter from which angle you look at it, Xiao Yuanlang's chances of winning are obviously greater.

At this moment, Shen Chuning suddenly asked, "I wonder if anything special happened in the court today?"

Xiao Yuanyi quickly replied, "The court was incredibly lively today, with many ministers pleading for Prime Minister Shen, but there were also some who took advantage of the situation to further his cause. Interestingly, however, those who took advantage of the situation were all impeached without exception. The censors were clearly well prepared, and with the hard evidence laid out before them, the Emperor was furious and dismissed numerous officials."

Shen Chuning frowned slightly, nodded thoughtfully, then stared straight at Xiao Yuanyi and said slowly, "So, the Fifth Prince came to look for me today, probably not just to tell me that he knelt outside all night yesterday."

When Xiao Yuanyi heard this, a trace of embarrassment suddenly appeared on his face. He lowered his head and hesitated for a moment before he mustered up the courage to look up at Shen Chuning and said cautiously, "To be honest with Sister Aning, Yuanyi came here today to ask for a favor..."

As expected, Shen Chuning thought to herself, she sighed softly, and slowly put down her hand that was originally holding the dish. Even her appetite seemed to disappear without a trace at this moment.

However, since the other party had already said this, she couldn't refuse directly, so she said calmly: "Tell me what's going on first."

"The ministers of Prime Minister Shen's faction only follow the orders of the Shen family and completely ignore my orders! Now the only person of the Shen family left in the capital is you, Sister Aning, so I hope that Sister Aning can come forward to help persuade them to support me. I believe that Sister Aning certainly does not want to see the third brother Xiao Yuanlang successfully ascend to the throne." Xiao Yuanyi cautiously tested.

It was indeed as Xiao Yuanyi said. Although Shen Chuning also did not appreciate his usual style and methods of doing things, compared with Xiao Yuanyi, her hatred for Xiao Yuanlang in her heart was even greater.

If you have to choose between these two people to support, it feels like being forced to choose between two piles of feces to eat.

Bah! Why would she do such a disgusting thing?

"It's not completely impossible for me to help you, but what benefits can I get after I help you ascend the throne?" Shen Chuning asked calmly.

Hearing this, a hint of hurt flashed across Xiao Yuanyi's eyes, "Sister Aning, do you also want to settle accounts with me so clearly?"

However, Shen Chuning laughed nonchalantly: "Haha, didn't you take the initiative to come to me and ask for help? As the saying goes, you have to show some sincerity when asking someone to do something for you."

These words made Xiao Yuanyi stunned on the spot. After all, in his original imagination, when the Shen family encountered such a major change and fell into trouble, Shen Chuning should have been as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw when she saw him, and begged for mercy with tears streaming down her face.

However, the reality is completely different from what he imagined!

"After I ascend the throne, I will appoint Prime Minister Shen as the regent, and Sister Aning as the princess." Xiao Yuanlang vowed.

He paused and continued, "If Sister Aning doesn't dislike Yuan Yi, you can be Yuan Yi's queen."

However, Shen Chuning gently shook her head, refusing: "I am not too interested in these so-called false reputations. I just hope that you can ensure the safety of the Shen family and avoid any disasters."

Seeing Shen Chuning like this, Xiao Yuanlang quickly raised three fingers and solemnly swore: "I, Xiao Yuanyi, will definitely protect the Shen family!"

At this moment, Shen Chuning pulled out another object carefully wrapped in oil paper from the secret compartment of the cabinet and handed it to Xiao Yuanyi, gently instructing him, "Contained within this are the crimes committed by the Third Prince and his followers. As for how to handle this evidence, whether to use it to blackmail them and force them to serve you, or to present it directly to His Majesty and have him eliminate these traitors, it's all up to you to decide. Also, I will do my best to persuade the connections my grandfather left behind to support you, but ultimately, whether they are willing to follow you is beyond my control."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuanlang's joy was simply uncontrollable, and a brilliant smile unconsciously bloomed on his face: "As long as Sister An Ning is willing to help, no matter what the result is, I will be grateful."

After careful consideration, Xiao Yuanyi finally decided to adopt the strategy of threatening those people.

Relying on the strong evidence in his hands, he successfully forced the other party to reveal many unknown crimes of Xiao Yuanlang in front of Emperor Jing.

When Emperor Jing learned about these things, he was extremely disappointed with Xiao Yuanlang.

Xiao Yuanlang went to great lengths to put the entire Shen family into jail.

But even when things got to this point, Emperor Jing still seemed to have no intention of severely punishing the Shen family.