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

“Shen Yujing is not born to me and the late Emperor, nor is he a member of the Southern Jing royal family.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Sangwan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was screaming with rage.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, asking in a low voice, "Then what is his identity?"

“Naturally, she was born to that foreign princess from the Northern Witch. That woman was also audacious, having an affair with someone else and even trying to confuse the royal bloodline.”

When Consort Lan spoke of Shen Yujing's birth mother, her eyes were filled with resentment and malice, and her hand on the table unconsciously clenched into a fist.

"Judging from what you said earlier, the late emperor knew his identity, so why did he still let you keep him by his side and take good care of him?"

"Hahaha~"

Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted. The weak Consort Lan barely managed to prop herself up with her hands, her eyes seemingly filled with venom.

"Princess, Princess, you've spent so many years on the battlefield that you don't understand the intrigues and machinations within the palace."

The person who was laughing suddenly changed his tone, his face full of regret, as if he was about to cry. "Now that I think about it, the late emperor's methods of manipulating people's hearts are truly impressive."

On one hand, he secretly drugged me, rendering me infertile for life; on the other hand, he showered me with endless favor. All of this was just him using me as a shield for the Empress. Only I was foolishly willing to be a sharp blade in the late Emperor's hands.

She eliminated a potential threat for the Empress, but in doing so, she offended all the concubines in the palace. The Empress, on the other hand, gained a reputation for virtue.

I don't know when tears started flowing, and my voice was trembling with sobs.

Shen Sangwan didn't interrupt, she just sat there quietly.

"The Northern Witch Kingdom was weak, so it sent a princess for a marriage alliance. The late emperor originally intended to leave her out of the picture, but things went wrong. That slut secretly seduced a guard and eventually became pregnant. She plotted against the late emperor and, once she gained power, even climbed over me."

There were quite a few concubines in the palace who had become pregnant and then miscarried. Since I could do it once, I could do it twice. However, the late emperor stopped me. Later, I learned that it was all orchestrated by the late emperor behind the scenes. Isn't that ridiculous?

Shen Sangwan felt that the other person's words were somewhat incoherent, and she couldn't help but wonder if the previous medicine really affected his mind, or if he had been locked up for too long and then became mentally deranged, and some of the things he said were just made up by the other person.

"The late emperor allowed that wretch to live for ten more months. On the day the child was born, that wretch also died suddenly. At that time, the empress already had a son and a daughter. This little bastard, Shen Yujing, was entrusted to me to raise by the late emperor. Apart from the late emperor, only I know his true identity."

"The late emperor even claimed that he had bestowed a child upon me. Although he is not of royal blood, as long as he has no ambition to seize the throne, I will raise him and live a peaceful life. The late emperor has leverage over the An family, and I am unable to have children. Princess, what do you think I should do?"

Shen Sangwan frowned, trying to find traces of lying in the other person's expression, but after carefully reviewing it, she felt that it was just a little bit of a logical mess, and everything made sense.

This did change her understanding of the late emperor.

After all, this was her first time returning to the capital to save the emperor. During their brief time together, she felt that the late emperor was a good father and a good ruler in dealing with the people.

But the way Consort Lan described Shen Changxu made him seem like a ruthless and unpredictable person.

“Shen Yujing has been raised by your side since birth, so how could he turn against you and imprison you in a dark secret room?”

The room was silent. Consort Lan, who had been sobbing, suddenly stopped and looked up at Shen Sangwan.

“That bitch Yu Ling came to Nanjing for a marriage alliance with a purpose. She planted a lot of people in her own hands. Although the late emperor was cautious, some still managed to slip through the net.”

Perhaps the system's medicine wasn't working properly, but Consort Lan was able to slowly rise, pointing at Shen Sangwan with a half-smile, "Your Highness, the Northern Witchcraft is infamous far and wide. You should know the dangers without me having to elaborate. That little bastard has been lying low for years. How many healthy people do you think are left in the Southern Jing royal family now..."

After Consort Lan reminded her again, Shen Sangwan felt as if a thorn had been stuck in her heart.

Shen Yuchen was afflicted with the same Gu poison as her, and was only temporarily safe thanks to the main system, but this was not a long-term solution.

Because of Physician Qin, the Empress Dowager has suffered from a chronic brain ailment that has been difficult to cure for many years. It seems that there have been no outstanding individuals among the imperial clan in recent years. If she and Shen Yuchen were to fall, the Southern Dynasty might suffer the same fate as the previous dynasty.

"This place is secluded and undisturbed; from now on, this is yours—"

"Does the Princess also intend to imprison me here like that little bastard Shen Yujing?"

Shen Sangwan got up without answering, but pushed open the door and went out, giving a strict order—the Consort Lan could only leave the manor if she died suddenly.

Having regained some strength, Consort Lan picked up the teacup on the table and smashed it against the slowly closing wooden door, roaring, "Shen Sangwan, do you think you can protect the new emperor by yourself? I'll be right here watching how you and your brother die a miserable death!"

Ruoli heard Consort Lan's scolding from outside and wanted to go inside to teach her a lesson, but Shen Sangwan stopped her.

“A person who is mentally unstable and insane is not worth wasting energy on. Have someone keep a close eye on him. If he disappears into thin air again, you two will no longer need to stay by my side.”

"Subordinates take orders."

Shen Sangwan gave a few more instructions before riding back to the palace.

I wonder what kind of tormenting methods that jealous woman in the palace will devise to torment her now that she knows I didn't go home last night.

Despite the rain, Shen Sangwan hurried back on horseback, fearing that if she returned to the palace any later, she would suffer again.

"Xiao Tong, I feel like the system's medicine is getting more diluted with each upgrade. The medicine I gave Consort Lan didn't even last half an hour before she recovered. I seriously suspect the main system has been padded with unnecessary content."

Bored along the way, Shen Sangwan kept chatting with Xiaotong to pass the time.

[Master, I think you should eat more pig brains.]

〖 ？ ？ 〗

"You dare to mock me?"

[Master, are you no longer reading the instructions when you use these items? The instructions on that pill clearly state that it only lasts for half an hour. Half an hour has passed, it would be a miracle if it still had any effect.]

Faced with Xiaotong's scolding, Shen Sangwan was not angry. Instead, she opened the panel and discovered that the continuously upgraded system was now more detailed than before, and even the items inside had time limits.

She had only clicked on the first option and hadn't paid attention to the time limit. Now that she had looked at it carefully, she suddenly felt dizzy.

"Damn, I'm not even as meticulous as this system."