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

A breeze picked up, and the lotus leaves around the pavilion swayed in the wind.

"A cluster of lotus and water chestnuts grows in the pond, and the wind carries their fragrance to the railing." Shen Sangwan couldn't help but recall a line of poetry by Yin E, but now it was "the wind carries their fragrance to the pavilion."

This was the first time she had ever seen a lotus flower blooming so beautifully.

"If Achen has nothing else to do, then go back to Xingde Palace. There are still many things for Achen to handle."

"Achen takes his leave."

Watching the boy's departing figure, Shen Sangwan felt a surge of maternal affection.

Shen Sangwan sent Shuyi to the small kitchen to make her some refreshing soup. When no one was around, Shen Sangwan leaned against the railing of the pavilion and played with the water in the pond.

"Xiao Tong, do you think it's possible that Cen Yan has already returned to the present world?"

According to the master, he saw her laughing and talking with the master's grandmother in the mortal world, so theoretically she has returned. However, your bodies were destroyed in that car accident, so she probably has no chance to return in reality.

But I saw on the billboards on the street that the time displayed was after my accident with her. If it wasn't her, how could she look exactly like me and be chatting so happily with my grandmother?

[Master, are you sure it's not a nightmare?]

I could clearly perceive the people and things around me; it couldn't be a dream.

[And before I lost consciousness, I heard an old voice in my mind telling me it was time to go home!]

Xiao Tong looked utterly dejected. Just as she suspected, she knew that the main system, that damned sixth brother, had tampered with it.

[Master, as I mentioned before, Cen Yan will play a crucial role in advancing the mission; she should be returning.]

Cough cough cough, it seems that this is the only way she can comfort her master.

Sigh, she's such a miserable working system.

Can Cen Yan really come back?

As long as my master believes, I believe she will return one day.

"Your Highness, this is a newly developed chilled honey lychee in the palace. It quenches thirst and promotes saliva production. Please try it."

Shuyi carried the food box forward in short steps, lifted the lid, and took out a bowl of something that looked like a paste, mixed with small, scattered ice cubes.

Shen Sangwan picked up the spoon and took a sip. Her heart and lungs felt cool, and she became less agitated.

It was just the right amount of sweetness, not too cloying, and she liked it very much.

"Have the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and His Majesty tried it?"

"This refreshing iced drink is a new creation from our small kitchen today; the imperial kitchen is unaware of it yet."

"Have them make several more bowls and send them to Chonghua Palace and Fengluan Palace. Also send one bowl to Xingde Hall. If the Empress Dowager is pleased, then pass on the recipe to the Imperial Kitchen."

Shuyi accepted the order, bowed, and withdrew.

If Cen Yan were here, she would probably make me lots of refreshing cold drinks to beat the heat. Wait a minute!

"The meaning of the book!"

Shuyi, who had just stepped onto the corridor, heard Shen Sangwan calling her and turned around to hurry back.

"Your Highness, do you have any other instructions?"

"You mean this iced drink is something our little kitchen just invented?"

"Hmm, Your Highness, do you find anything amiss?"

Shen Sangwan's eyes shone with surprise as she got up from the stone bench and strode towards the small kitchen.

[Does the master suspect it's Cen Yan?]

"Yes, Cen Yan knows my taste; I don't like overly sweet things. But the Princess has a sweet tooth. I think it's her."

[But Master, I've detected her presence in the surrounding area.]

As they approached the dining room, Shen Sangwan suddenly stopped, hesitating as she listened to Xiao Tong's words.

If not, what should she do?

Shuyi ran all the way and barely managed to catch up.

His Highness is truly swift of footsteps; in the blink of an eye, he has already traveled a great distance.

"Your Highness—?"

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and called out to Shen Sangwan with some confusion.

After much deliberation, I decided to cross that threshold.

Inside, things were bustling about in an orderly fashion.

Princess Chang would never normally come to a place like this.

Most of the palace servants were seeing Shen Sangwan for the first time, and some were overwhelmed with gratitude.

They all knelt down and bowed their heads, saying, "Your Highness, we servants pay our respects! Long live Your Highness!"

"Who is making candied lychees today?"

Hearing that Shen Sangwan's tone was not quite right, some of the people dared not respond, fearing that a single wrong word might bring disaster upon themselves.

After a long silence in the room, the consul's nanny forced a low reply, "This new product was developed by a maidservant, and she said His Highness will definitely like it."

"We servants have also tried it, and the taste is excellent. That's why we had Miss Shuyi deliver it to Your Highness. Does Your Highness not like it?"

The palace servants kneeling on the ground were filled with regret. How could they have acted so impulsively and listened to the words of a lowly maid?

It seems His Highness is displeased; we must be careful not to let innocent bystanders suffer as a result.

"Bring the person here!"

The consul's nanny gave a wink to the person behind her, and two palace maids quickly went to the backyard.

A short while later, a thin, slightly dirty palace maid was dragged in.

"Hurry up and pay your respects to His Highness."

The consul's nanny whispered a reprimand to the little palace maid, but Shen Sangwan stopped her.

"Raise your head and let me see."

The young palace maid raised her head with some difficulty, and the moment their eyes met, Shen Sangwan felt a surge of excitement.

She knew those eyes all too well.

The person in front of her is her little Yan Yan!

"The meaning of the book is to take people away."

Everyone in the kitchen watched Shen Sangwan and the other two leave, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

The group remained silent throughout the journey. Shuyi helped the young palace maid slowly return to Weiyang Palace.

Seemingly injured, the young palace maid walked with a limp, gasping for breath with every step.

"Shuyi, go prepare hot water for her to take a bath."

"Slave, go now."

After helping the person to a chair, Shuyi bowed and withdrew.

Shen Sangwan's voice trembled slightly as she opened her mouth abruptly, "Little Yan Yan—!"

“I thought I was going to die in that little courtyard. Shen Sangwan, did I do something heinous to your ancestors in my past life that God is punishing me like this?”

With a hoarse voice, Cen Yan recounted her ordeal with great difficulty.

"Waaaah—it really is you. I thought I would never see you again. That night, when I went to the Prime Minister's residence in the middle of the night, Xiao Tong told me that she couldn't detect your presence. I felt like my will to live was about to collapse."

Shen Sangwan didn't care whether the other person was dirty or not, she went up and hugged him again and again. If it weren't for the dirt on his face, she probably would have kissed him a couple of times.

"Don't use so much force, I have many injuries."

Cen Yan gently pushed Shen Sangwan, but she didn't dare to push too hard, as her back and arms were covered in bruises.

It hurts so much that I grimace when I move it.

"What's wrong with you? How did the eldest daughter of the Cen family suddenly turn into a palace maid? Even Xiaotong can't detect your presence."

"Could you please get me some food first? I'm afraid I'll die if I don't eat something soon."

"Okay, I'll let someone prepare it."

"Someone come here, I'm a little hungry, go to the kitchen and bring me some fruit."

"Your Highness, please wait a moment, this servant will go right away." The person waiting outside first slowly entered, acknowledged Shen Sangwan's words, bowed and left the inner hall.

It was the height of summer, so the bath water didn't need to be as scalding hot as in winter. Shuyi led the people to pour the hot water, and at Shen Sangwan's instruction, she brought out a new set of palace attire.

"Shuyi, go out and keep watch."

“Your Highness, let me handle this matter. Your status is so noble that it would be inappropriate for you to serve a lowly maidservant while she bathes. If this gets out, it might not be proper.”

The book states that the prince was going to take action himself, and while he hesitated, after much deliberation, he still felt it necessary to stop him.

"So I'm sending you out to keep watch."

Shuyi wanted to say something more, but in the end she stopped herself, saying, "This servant takes her leave."

Shen Sangwan carefully undressed Cen Yan. The wound inside had begun to fester due to the hot weather, and there was a faint foul smell.

"vomit--"

Cen Yan glared at Shen Sangwan.

"I really didn't mean to, it's just that the taste is a bit too strong for me, Xiao Yan Yan, I'm not disgusted by you, really, please don't look at me like that, it scares me."

"..."

After they were naked, Shen Sangwan took a deep breath and said, "Damn it, who did this? I'll skin him alive."

"When I came into this body, I was already like this. It was all because of those sycophants in your kitchen who abused their power."

"Ouch—it hurts! Be gentle!"

Shen Sangwan accidentally touched the wound on her shoulder, causing Cen Yan's face to contort in pain and her features to scrunch up.

"You're covered in injuries, there's not a single good spot on you, so there's no way you can take a bath."

Shen Sangwan frowned deeply, a pang of heartache rising in her heart. She pursed her lips tightly, unsure of what to say to comfort the other person.

"So I'll have to trouble you to be careful and wipe the unbroken areas. I don't know how long this little palace maid hasn't bathed. She's so uncomfortable. If she doesn't bathe, I'm afraid I'll feel disgusted to death."

Her hands, gripping the soft handkerchief, trembled slightly. Although this body wasn't Cen Yan's, the soul residing within it was Cen Yan's, and the pain was real. Therefore, Shen Sangwan was somewhat afraid.

"Ouch—! Shen Sangwan, you jerk, are you trying to kill me with this pain on purpose?"

Cen Yan let out a low, mournful wail.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I'll...I'll be more careful next time."

It's more accurate to call it wiping down the body than bathing.

Shuyi placed the tea and snacks brought by the palace maids onto the low table one by one, and then quietly withdrew to stand guard outside.

"Don't put on your clothes yet, you need to apply medicine. I just happened to have injured my neck and I still have some wound medicine left. Go lie on the bed for a while, and I'll go get it for you."

【Master, are you crazy? There are plenty of ointments in the system, much better than your wound medicine!】

Xiao Tong's voice suddenly popped out, startling Shen Sangwan so much that she almost dropped the porcelain bottle in her hand.

Yeah, my brain is really stupid.

I opened the homepage and took out "Zhenxue Gao" and "Yenhun Yao" from the ointment section, as well as a bottle of "Yanxue San".

One bottle is for removing blood stasis, one bottle is for external application to stop bleeding, and one bottle is for replenishing qi and nourishing blood.

As for why it has such strange names, you'd have to ask the system. After all, Shen Sangwan has to click through the instructions one by one to know what the medicine does. You can't know what it's for just by the name.