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

Xiao Yuanyi personally welcomed Shen Chuning into the palace, with the purpose of having her serve as a waiter for the empress dowager.

However, he did not arrange for Shen Chuning to live in Shoukang Palace where the Queen Mother lived, but instead placed her in a side hall of his own bedroom.

"Your Majesty, my Shen family has done its utmost to help you ascend the throne. Now, should you fulfill the promise you made?" Shen Chuning asked with a stern face.

Xiao Yuanyi nodded slightly and said slowly, "I have already canonized Sister Aning as Princess Jianing, but for now, she is still the daughter of a traitor. But we only need to wait for two more years. Once the affairs of the Shen family have gradually faded from people's minds, I will definitely make her my empress."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chuning frowned and said sternly, "I have no interest in either the throne or the so-called title of Princess! You once said that once you ascended the throne, you would protect the entire Shen family. Yet, to this day, the entire Shen family remains imprisoned in the Dali Temple. May I ask, Your Majesty, when do you intend to release them?"

Facing Shen Chuning's questioning, Xiao Yuanyi actually reached out and pinched her chin, asking, "Sister An Ning, are you disgusted with the position of empress, or are you dissatisfied with me?"

Shen Chuning was not afraid at all. She violently shook off Xiao Yuanyi's hand and quickly retreated several steps. She glared at him and said, "All I care about is when will His Majesty fulfill his promise to release my grandfather and others!"

"The punishment of the Shen family was ordered by the late emperor himself. I have just ascended the throne, how can I easily overturn the order made by the late emperor? If I act like this, won't all the civil and military officials in the court point fingers at me!" Xiao Yuanyi frowned, his eyes flickering.

He knew very well that Shen Huaizhong had a high prestige in the court, far exceeding that of himself, the new emperor.

If all the members of the Shen family were released from prison, they would be difficult to control in the future, and might even threaten his throne.

Over the years, Xiao Yuanyi has been living under the shadow of the late emperor and his ministers, living a life of watching other people's faces and being cautious.

Now that he had finally climbed onto the supreme throne after all the hard work, the extreme inferiority complex that had been pent up in his heart for a long time suddenly erupted like a volcano and was infinitely magnified to the extreme.

Although the late emperor once said that the Shen family was loyal and could be completely trusted, Xiao Yuanyi scoffed at this.

In his opinion, the late emperor had always been bad at judging people and had even misjudged himself.

The late emperor always thought that he was a kind-hearted and good-natured person, but he didn't know that all this was just an illusion he carefully disguised.

Shen Chuning stood silently by the side, quietly observing the changes in Xiao Yuanyi's expression.

She is very smart and can see through the other person's thoughts at a glance.

Obviously, Xiao Yuanyi has made up his mind and will never keep his original promise.

Now that things have come to this, the most urgent task is to find a way to get my grandfather, father and others to leave the capital as soon as possible.

However, the only way to achieve this goal seems to be through exile.

At the same time, the situation in the court was changing.

Since Zuo Jiange and Jin Jimin both belonged to Xiao Yuanlang's party, Xiao Yuanyi ordered the dismissal of both of them and investigated them as soon as he ascended the throne to prevent future troubles.

For a time, everyone in the court was in danger, fearing that if they were not careful they would follow in his footsteps and become victims of this power struggle.

Now, two prime minister positions are suddenly vacant in the court!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Those who hope to become prime ministers will do their best to show themselves in order to gain the favor and reuse of the new emperor.

But there are always some discordant voices in the court.

Every day, someone would present a memorial earnestly stating, "Prime Minister Shen's crimes cannot be proven. We implore Your Majesty to show mercy and release him from prison."

At first, Xiao Yuanyi could still patiently read these memorials, but day after day, there were more and more such memorials, which finally made him feel extremely bored.

Finally, Xiao Yuanlang, who could no longer bear it, took out an imperial edict left by the previous emperor.

The edict clearly stated: The crimes of Shen Huaizhong and his followers have been thoroughly verified, and the entire Shen family will be exiled to Lingnan.

When Xiao Yuanlang showed this edict to Shen Chuning, tears welled up in his eyes.

He said to Shen Chuning in a slightly choked voice, "Sister Aning, although I tried my best, I could only save the women of the Shen family. As for Lord Shen and the others... I really can't do anything."

Shen Chuning silently took the imperial edict and slowly scanned every word on it.

Suddenly, a barely perceptible sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.

She kept saying that she had saved the women of the Shen family, but now, she was the only one left in the entire Shen family.

Obviously, this was just a trick used by Xiao Yuanlang to keep her and prevent her from leaving the capital.

Xiao Yuanlang's calligraphy was taught by her personally. How could she not recognize his handwriting?

Thinking of this, Shen Chuning tightly grasped the imperial edict in her hand and asked in a cold tone, "Why exile to Lingnan? There are snakes, insects, rats and ants rampant there, and there are also deadly miasma and lingering fog. With my grandfather's old age and frail body, it is still uncertain whether he can arrive safely!"