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

After lunch, Shen Sangwan returned to Weiyang Palace.

During the journey, he inquired about Shuyi's intentions and learned that the palace had high-quality silk satin, so he sent her to the Clothing Bureau to fetch a bolt.

Shuyan studied fashion design in college, so garment design is a piece of cake for her.

After Shen Sangwan ordered people to find all the necessary tools, she began to work on the cutting.

Shen Sangwan lay half-reclined on the soft couch, showing none of the demeanor one would expect of a princess.

He squinted, pretending to sleep, but was actually pondering the system's many functions.

Xiao Tong was initially happy, but then she felt a little worried, as she had a feeling that her host's research into the system was not a good omen.

"Didn't you tell the young emperor about your assassination attempt?"

Shuyan, who was sitting in front of the desk, suddenly blurted out a sentence.

"Huh? Little Yan Yan can now read my mind?"

Shen Sangwan was slightly curious. She got up from the soft couch, half-closed her eyes, and tilted her head to look at the other person.

“If you had told him, he would have complained again when he got back. Since he hasn’t been babbling on and on, I guess you didn’t tell him.”

Shen Sangwan clapped her hands. "Tsk tsk tsk, little Yan Yan, it's good that we're on the same side. If I were an enemy, I'd probably be dead by now, and the grass on my grave would probably be three feet tall."

"What nonsense are you spouting all day long?"

Shu Yan rolled her eyes at Shen Sangwan and scoffed, "Are you afraid the little emperor won't be patient?"

"No, no, no, I suddenly realized that it's better to take matters into my own hands than to ask him to avenge me. The only power he has right now is Liang Huaiting's military command. That old fox, the Left Prime Minister, isn't on our side. The Imperial Guard is currently under the command of Mo Feng. What use is he?"

"As for the other ministries, they are basically dependent on others and rely on the two prime ministers. Today, the young emperor said that the memorials he read were mostly unimportant political matters, and the important ones were basically never delivered to him."

Shuyan paused, her hand holding the scissors pausing, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Wasn't the court very stable when the late emperor was in power? How come everything changed so much after the new emperor took the throne? Sang Wan, I'm starting to suspect that your system is deliberately messing with you."

"What nonsense about stability! It's all an illusion. There are too many problems left over from the previous dynasty. Since the late emperor raised an army to overthrow the old dynasty and established the Southern Jing Kingdom, he has been implementing new policies and strengthening reforms, which have indeed been quite effective."

"It's a pity that he died young, and reform is not something that can be done overnight. The young emperor is also inexperienced. If it weren't for me, his older sister, he would probably have been sidelined by now and wouldn't even have the chance to review unimportant memorials."

She got up and walked to Shuyan's side. "Huh, this seems to be my size? Didn't you even measure it first? I've at least changed bodies."

Shuyan glanced at Shen Sangwan with disdain and said with a look of disgust, "Your two plots of land that you built from scratch, do you even need to measure them?"

"Hey—! Little Yan Yan, don't make such personal attacks, that's going too far. Even if it's small, it's still a 70B, not an A. Besides, you're not much better, acting like everyone's envious of your mere C."

Shen Sangwan pouted and whined, looking like a wronged little wife.

"Hmm, I don't know who's always restless in their sleep at night, shamelessly rubbing against me, and I don't know who's holding on so tightly, saying in their dreams that they wish they had a size like that."

"You...you...I'm suing you...for spreading rumors and slander."

Shen Sangwan's face flushed red instantly, and she pointed at Shu Yan and launched into a tirade of accusations.

"Yes, yes, I'm spreading rumors. If I had my phone with me, I would have shown you some videos and even found a projector to project them onto the biggest screen so you could see and hear them properly."

Since there's no evidence, Shen Sangwan will deny it to the death.

"Speaking of which, you little palace maid are so skinny, you don't even have two ounces of flesh, do you?"

He was about to go over and pinch it when he said that.

Shuyan jumped in surprise and quickly dodged, letting out a low growl of exasperation.

"Shen Sangwan, when are you going to get rid of this lousy habit? Who did you learn it from to become such a hooligan?"

Shen Sangwan missed her target and tried to continue, determined not to give up until she touched him.

Then, by sheer coincidence, Shuyi, who had just come in, saw it all.

"I knew Your Highness and this palace maid had a complicated relationship."

"Oh no, oh no, did I come at the wrong time? Did I disturb their enjoyment? Will Your Highness punish me?"

Retreating is not an option, nor is advancing.

Shuyi stood at the door with her head bowed and whispered, "Your Highness, Lady Xie from the Right Prime Minister's residence has sent a visiting card and wishes to see you."

Shen Sangwan was just a little scared. Fortunately, Shuyan didn't say anything outrageous, otherwise, if someone had overheard it, there would have been trouble.

"Afterwards, I returned to the Princess's residence and met her there."

"This servant will send someone to report back immediately."

Shuyi couldn't wait to slip away, but before she could even take a step, Shen Sangwan called her back.

"If anything happens again in the future, please announce your arrival outside the hall before coming in."

"I've made note of this."

Seeing Shen Sangwan wave her hand, Shu Yi felt as if he had been granted a pardon and curtsied before retreating.

"We should be more careful in the future to avoid giving others cause for gossip and getting ourselves into trouble for no reason."

"Ha—, do you think that little girl still believes that we're completely innocent?"

Shuyan saw it clearly; the look in the other person's eyes before leaving was just like someone who was really into shipping a couple.

Heavens above! Her lifelong reputation has been ruined in an instant.

That damned Shen Sangwan, she ruined her chances of finding a boyfriend back in school. It's one thing for her not to like handsome guys, but she also had to break up her own relationship.

Whenever a man gets close to her, Shen Sangwan will act like she's dead, deliberately trying to disgust him by saying that she's his wife.

Sometimes she even doubted whether Shen Sangwan really liked her, but after many tests, she realized that he just wanted to turn her gay.

Damn it, this is a disaster to run into such a thing!

"Oh dear, I was wrong. I promise I'll behave myself from now on, I swear—!"

"Stop! Hold on, I'm afraid a sudden thunderbolt outside will strike me dead."

Shu Yan glanced at Shen Sangwan with her eyes that seemed to be smiling but weren't, her disdain undisguised.

Shen Sangwan turned her head away, leaned against the window frame, and looked at the branches swaying in the wind outside, feeling a strange sense of melancholy.

When did she also learn to be sentimental?

Weird! Weird!

"What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought, and you won't even answer me when I ask you a question. Are you really angry?"

Before she knew it, Shuyan had walked up to her and nudged her with her elbow.

"Huh—? No...no, I was thinking about how to complete the mission. What did you just ask me?"

Shuyan leaned against Shen Sangwan, side by side, on the window frame.

"When you return to the Princess's residence the day after tomorrow, do you plan to stay there from now on, or are you simply leaving the palace for a few days?"

"Once the Emperor and Empress's honeymoon is over, the young Emperor will hold a ceremony to take concubines. With more women in the harem, there will be more trouble. It would be better for us to hide in the Princess's residence."

Shen Sangwan thought that if she lived in the palace all the time, she would be driven crazy by the constant palace intrigue.

But when she thought about how her younger brother had chosen so many beautiful concubines, she felt a little reluctant.

Missing any opportunity to see beautiful women is a huge loss, isn't it?

"Then I..."

"As your personal maid, you will naturally come with me out of the palace. You will be more comfortable at the Princess's residence then."

Shen Sangwan gently patted the other person's shoulder and smiled, but Shu Yan always felt that the other person was seducing her.

If she weren't such a straight-laced woman, remaining unchanged despite being tormented by Shen Sangwan for years, she might have actually been seduced by him.

"Shen Sangwan, stop using those eyes of yours that look at dogs with such affection to seduce people, or you'll end up with a bunch of unwanted suitors."

Shen Sangwan was momentarily speechless, but quickly chuckled and bent down, "Little Yan Yan, I haven't been able to turn you gay all these years. Could it be that you've already lost your composure here?"

The other person was getting more and more excited as they talked, and their laughter became more and more unrestrained.

Shuyan couldn't resist and pinched Shen Sangwan's soft waist hard.

"Hey—! Little Yan Yan, I was wrong, I was wrong, I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore, stop pinching me, it hurts and itches."

Shen Sangwan begged for mercy repeatedly, and was finally chased until she was out of breath before Shu Yan finally let her go.

After they had finished fooling around, the two of them slumped down on the soft couch and lay down together.

"By the way, how is Miss Cen doing these days?"

“That night I went to see you, and Xiao Tong told me that your soul was no longer there, and Miss Cen was essentially a living dead.”

"By the way, you still haven't told me why you ended up in this little palace maid's body instead of Miss Cen's. Aren't you most afraid of water? How did you end up going boating on the lake with Miss Cen?"

Shuyan didn't know what came over her, but that day she inexplicably agreed to Cen Luoyan's request.

The two were initially just strolling around the pavilion by the lake, but Cen Luoyan repeatedly begged her to go sit on a boat for a while.

She was reluctant in her heart, but agreed very quickly.

Before boarding the ship, she had a strong premonition and felt something was wrong, but she always felt an invisible force pushing her forward.

As luck would have it, Cen Luoyan fell into the water.

She quickly ordered the maids and nannies accompanying her to go down and rescue people. In the chaos, she felt someone push her.

Before she could react, she was already thrashing about in the water. In no time, she swallowed several mouthfuls of water and sank to the bottom.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in a damp, dark little room, filled with a foul stench that made me want to vomit.

My whole body was in a lot of pain, and the slightest movement would cause me to grimace and grimace.

Later, the pain became numb, and the pain sensation became dulled, which actually made me feel better.

Seeing the wound slowly festering, she had to quickly find a way to find Shen Sangwan. If she delayed any longer, it wouldn't just be a matter of dulled pain, but death.

Fifteen minutes before the kitchen staff went on duty, she secretly made a bowl of refreshing drink when no one was around and placed it in the most conspicuous place so that the head cook would notice it.

After much effort, they finally delivered the items to Shen Sangwan.

At first, she was a little uneasy, afraid that Shen Sangwan, who was sometimes oblivious, would not notice the details.

She only has one chance; if she fails to lure the other party, she may lose her life.

Fortunately, the other party finally arrived.

"Xiao Tong said earlier that Miss Cen could help advance the mission, but now that she's practically a living dead, what use is she?"

"Madam Xie wants to see you, probably because of Miss Cen."

"The Cen family has not yet announced the news, so I can still take a few days off. Once Lady Xie comes to visit, the Princess, as her longtime friend, will definitely visit her frequently."

Shen Sangwan turned her body to the side with a wry smile, looking at Shu Yan on the other side. Shu Yan's small face, no bigger than a palm, was not particularly exquisite or beautiful, but it gave people a sense of simplicity and made people feel comfortable.

"But why do I have a feeling that Lady Xie wants you to save Miss Cen?"

"What makes you say that? I don't believe that the couple didn't have a doctor or imperial physician examine him when he remained unconscious. I'm not a god, how could I possibly save someone?"

Shuyan pursed her lips. What she said was true, but if she just wanted someone to see her daughter, wouldn't a letter suffice?

Given the long-standing friendship between the eldest princess and Miss Cen, and knowing the truth, would she really not go?

"Never mind, we'll deal with it as it comes. Right now, I need to think of a reason to see the Empress."

Shuyan was a little puzzled. "Why don't you just go to the Phoenix Palace to see the Empress? You are still her nominal elder sister. Do elders need to find a reason to see juniors?"

"It was this 'scumbag system' that gave me the task of going to comfort the Empress. I don't know what's so great about comforting her. I was thinking that it wouldn't be good to go there rashly."

"Then why don't you send someone to find out what the other person likes to eat, prepare some, and then take the opportunity to say you care about the younger generation? Wouldn't that make things happen naturally?"

Shen Sangwan thought it was alright, and then asked Xiaotong.

"Xiao Tong, can you find out what the Empress likes to eat and drink?"

The records indicate that she enjoyed the crispy abalone and snails from the pastry shop frequented by the Princess, and loved the pepper syrup and pear blossom spring tea from Changchunlou, another frequented by the Princess.

"Hmm—? She goes there often? Wasn't it said that the Princess spends no more than three months a year in Zhongdu? She spends the other half of her time in the palace."

[Your Majesty, shouldn't our focus be on why the Empress enjoys eating and drinking what the Eldest Princess likes?]

"Eh—? Oh right, hmm, didn't I ask you before? You said the two of them weren't familiar with each other, isn't that a little strange?"

【Master, why don't you go and ask them yourself?】

〖......〗

"Xiaotong, I have some doubts about the original purpose of your main system's mission."

Cough cough cough—, Xiao Tong felt a little guilty and didn't dare to speak, but fortunately her host couldn't see her extremely unnatural expression.

[Is Your Highness trying to comfort and console the other party by using the Empress's favorite food?]

Eh--?

Shen Sangwan was a little confused. Didn't Xiaotong hear her conversation with Xiao Yanyan just now?

Why did you ask again?

So he retorted irritably.

"Otherwise, am I supposed to just show up empty-handed and bluntly ask, 'Hey! I heard you haven't been in a good mood lately. What happened? Can you tell me?'"

【It's not impossible!】

Do I look like an idiot to you?

[Master, there's no need for us to constantly berate ourselves; self-doubt isn't good.]

Shen Sangwan was caught off guard and angrily punched Shuyan hard, which landed squarely on Shuyan's forearm.

The pain startled Shuyan, who was beside him, and made her wake up from the soft couch.

"Shen Sangwan, what's gotten into you again?"

"I...I'm sorry, I was so angry with that treacherous system that I was a bit confused. I...I didn't mean to."

Shen Sangwan got up, rubbed the other person's arm which was red from being hit, and bowed her head repeatedly to admit her mistake.

Shuyan sighed, "I really will thank you."