Report to the Empress and the Eldest Princess: They're using the system to poach your men.

"Who are you?"

"If you don't want to sit, I won't force you."

“The original princess died at the bottom of the cliff. I am just a remnant soul from another world who happened to borrow the princess’s body.”

"Upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that falling from such a high cliff, even with vines to cushion the fall, would be impossible without any damage."

Mo Yun was about to draw his longsword when Shen Sangwan stopped him, saying, "Think carefully before you act. Since I can live by using the body of the princess, I must have extraordinary abilities. I chose to be honest with you only to give you a chance to live."

Upon hearing Shen Sangwan's words, Mo Yun's cold eyes flashed, as if a cold light was shooting out, and he stared directly at the person in front of him with a clear and sharp gaze.

“You are the Princess’s close confidante. I don’t want to have to play along with you in the future. I don’t have the time for that. If you accept my living as the Princess and help me fulfill her long-cherished wish, we will all live in peace. If you are not willing, today, I’m afraid you will have to walk out of this palace gate sideways.”

Her phoenix eyes narrowed her dark pupils, and she hesitated for a moment before bowing down and kneeling on the ground, touching her forehead to the ground. "This humble general, Mo Yun, greets Your Highness, the Eldest Princess."

Instead of calling her "Lord," they addressed her as "Your Highness the Eldest Princess," suggesting that they intended to serve her as their master.

It's hard to know how much genuine emotion and how much scheming were mixed in.

The hand holding the muscle relaxant loosened slightly. In front of Mo Yun, he conjured a medicine from the system and handed it to the person on the ground, saying, "Two years is the limit. If you have no ulterior motives, I will definitely cure you."

With terror in his eyes, Mo Yun took the exquisite porcelain bottle with trembling hands. Under Shen Sangwan's gaze, he uncorked it and swallowed the pills inside.

“There is no conflict of interest between us. You are loyal to me, and I will do what she did not finish. In other words, you will continue to work for her. I have many secrets. If you want to find out, you can ask me directly. There is no need to beat around the bush.”

"The general will not dare."

"The thousands of itching powders that Mo Ran and I transported to the abandoned kiln that day were not collected by Miss Cen in the past. Instead, they were produced out of thin air by me, just like just now. Your surprise is limited to this moment. Once you leave this door, keep it to yourself."

Mo Yun, who had followed the former princess, was someone who had seen many storms, but the two absurd things that happened in a row today left her somewhat bewildered.

Her lord died at the bottom of the cliff.

Her new master has the power to create things out of thin air.

Mo Yun initially thought it was just a hallucination caused by lack of rest, but the excruciating pain in his body told him that what he was seeing was not a dream.

"Well--"

"Bear with it for a while. The effects of the medicine will slowly seep into your bone marrow. It will only hurt once. You can take the antidote two years later and you will be fine. If you fail to take the antidote, the pain in your body will be ten times greater than it is now, until you die."

"This humble general... has noted it down."

The former princess was not a kind person, and Shen Sangwan could not have any pity for her.

After all, for Cen Yan's sake, and for her own, she wanted to live.

"It's getting late. Go to Fuyu Pavilion and rest well. It's the same place as before. I'll have someone call you if I need anything."

"This humble general thanks Your Highness."

Mo Yun was soaked in sweat, his face covered with large beads of sweat. When he got up, his legs were a little unsteady, and he looked like he had been tortured. He staggered out of the inner hall and headed towards Fuyu Pavilion.

At this moment, Shuyi was directing the palace servants to fold blankets and make the bed for Cen Yan in Xuyang Palace.

Shen Sangwan strolled over. Cen Yan was sitting on the soft couch, flipping through something. When she saw Shen Sangwan, she put down the book in her hand.

"Your Highness."

The busy palace servants stopped what they were doing and curtsied when they saw Shen Sangwan.

"What was Luo Xing looking at just now?"

"Your Highness is back. I asked Shuyi to find me a few miscellaneous books to pass the time when I'm bored."

"Your Highness, the bedding has been made."

Shuyi bowed slightly, and the palace servants behind her were carrying several empty trays.

"You may all step back for now. I need to speak with Miss Cen."

"The slaves retire."

After everyone left, Cen Yan moved her limbs somewhat uncomfortably, and her tense nerves eased a little.

"Phew—, Sang Wan, it's so much better to live in the great China under the five-star red flag. There's no war, no constraints of these rules and regulations. I feel so suffocated in this palace, I'm constantly on edge, afraid that a single mistake could lead to my death."

"Cen Yan, I'm sorry!"

Her lowered eyelashes gleamed with a cold light, and the corners of her eyes were slightly moist.

“Sang Wan, although I don’t know what happened in the car accident, I still believe that this is not the situation you wanted.”

There's a saying, "Since you're here, make the best of it." Don't blame yourself. I was just expressing my feelings; don't take it to heart.

The other person's gentle gaze, like the warm winter sun, melted away the unease in her heart.

"Waaaah, my little Yan Yan is always so good."

Cen Yan didn't know if she was going crazy, but since arriving in this dynasty, her best friend had been whimpering in her arms several times.

She was still a little unaccustomed to it, and compared to that fearless person, she seemed very out of place, giving people a strange feeling.

"Alright, stop pretending to be a weak little rabbit and get down to business."

"I just looked at the historical records of this dynasty. Your younger brother, the crown prince, is still young, and the empress is a commoner woman, so she can't help you. Both Prince Ming and Prince Qi have powerful maternal families supporting them. Could it be that they..."

"Today the emperor summoned the left and right prime ministers, the Minister of Revenue, and General Liang. It seems that he is trying to distribute power and check and balance each other before his death."

“The Prince of Ming is the son of Consort Lan, backed by the Duke’s mansion. He also got engaged to the eldest daughter of the Minister of War before the new year, which is indeed a bit troublesome. However, they all value legitimacy. As long as the emperor summons all the officials before his death and issues an edict to pass the throne to the crown prince, even if he wants to rebel, he can only do so slowly.”

Just like how Duke Wen held the Third Prince, Prince Yi, hostage, he needed money, troops, and a coercive order to force Shen Yuchen to abdicate. Otherwise, it would be considered usurpation, and the censors in the court were not just for show.

But things like building an army take time.

"As for Prince Qi, the system told me that he is violent by nature and has committed many outrageous acts. There are plenty of dirt on him. If he dares to start a rebellion, I guarantee that the people of Zhongdu will drown Prince Qi's mansion with their spittle."

"That obscure Prince Heng is probably hiding in his own fiefdom and won't come out to cause trouble for himself."

As Shen Sangwan spoke, she pulled Cen Yan toward the bed.

"Little Yan Yan, shall we sleep together tonight? I haven't held you while we sleep in so long."

"I've heard that homosexuality is prevalent in this dynasty. You are the eldest princess, with immense power, and you're not afraid of what the world says. But I am the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family. If word gets out that I'm with you... do you think my father, whom I've never even met, will beat me to death with sticks?"

"Wait...wait a minute, what did you say? Homosexuality is prevalent? What, is this fictional dynasty so avant-garde?"

Shen Sangwan's lips parted slightly, a faint light appearing in her eyes, and she even felt a little anticipation in her heart.

Thinking about the lesbians in the real world, many of them are great beauties, so does that mean she can meet many, many beauties like Wen Yuening? Whoosh!

Tears were almost spilling from the corners of my mouth.

"When I was reading those historical accounts and miscellaneous notes, I was slightly taken aback at first, but after thinking about it, it wasn't anything to be surprised about. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period, the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties, male homosexuality was quite prevalent."

"Shen Sangwan, are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

Seeing the other person's eyes gleaming, looking like a lecherous old man, Cen Yan was furious and slapped him hard on the forehead.

But Shen Sangwan didn't feel any pain. She only knew that someone had hit her. Seeing that Cen Yan was angry, she quickly became subservient and smiled obsequiously, "I'm listening, I'm listening."

In Cen Yan's eyes, he looked like a sycophant who deserved a beating.