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

In the main hall of the morning court, Shen Yuchen sat on the dragon throne, looking at the civil and military officials in the hall, his face showing considerable impatience.

He was getting tired of hearing the same few sentences over and over again.

"Since all the ministers have offered their advice, I have already ordered the Astronomical Bureau to conduct calculations and determined that the fifth day of the seventh month is an auspicious day. Therefore, the ceremony for taking a concubine will be held on that day. Are you all satisfied?"

"I dare not wait."

Ha—I see you don't just dare not, you're far too daring!

"Since there is nothing else to discuss, the court may adjourn."

Looking at the court officials bowing respectfully below, Shen Yuchen felt a surge of anger.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

"Your Majesty, please slow down."

Fu'an jogged behind him, afraid that Shen Yuchen would fall if he walked too fast.

"The Left and Right Chancellors have no respect for me. Their excuses about being young and lacking experience are all just that. When my father was in power, I often discussed state affairs with him and occasionally even had a say in the conversation."

"Now look what's happened. You're writing memorials about a bunch of trivial matters every day. Do you think I'm unaware of the people's suffering and that the new policies are difficult to implement?"

The more Shen Yuchen spoke, the angrier he became. Finally, in a fit of rage, he pushed the memorials from Xingde Hall to the ground, scattering them everywhere.

Fu'an hunched over, trying to pick it up, but Shen Yuchen scolded him, "Why pick up those rubbish? They're all trivial matters. Throw them all out."

When Shen Sangwan arrived, Shen Yuchen had just thrown the last memorial on his desk toward the door.

Faced with something suddenly thrown at her, Shen Sangwan parried it and swiftly swept the memorial aside.

"Why is Your Majesty so angry? It's not worth ruining your health over someone else."

Upon seeing Shen Sangwan, Fu'an's anxious heart instantly calmed down considerably.

"This servant greets Your Highness the Eldest Princess."

"Go and wait outside."

"The slave retire."

Shen Sangwan walked over to Shen Yuchen, stepping over the pile of memorials scattered on the ground.

"Sister, they've gone too far."

Shen Sangwan wondered if it was just his imagination, but the angry look he had just seen from Shen Yucheng seemed to suggest that such a fierce aura shouldn't be present in someone like him.

Upon seeing Shen Sangwan, Shen Yuchen suppressed all his negative emotions, his eyes reddened slightly, and he even seemed a little coquettish.

This made Shen Sangwan feel like she was hallucinating.

"Ah Chen, this is just the beginning. We must proceed slowly and steadily. We can't rush it."

"Sister, I know everything you're saying, but I just can't control myself. It's better not to go to court every day. What difference does it make whether I read these trivial memorials or not?"

Shen Sangwan pulled the other person's hand and sat them down on a chair. "Achen, wait a little longer. In a few days, the waters of Zhongdu will be stirred up."

"They say that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. We should stir up the waters of Zhongdu, then sit firmly on our high platform and see who can't sit still first."

Shen Yuchen's eyes lit up, a hint of excitement in them. "What does my sister need me to do?"

"That old fox, the Left Prime Minister, is outwardly flattering you, but secretly he's plotting something. Although the Right Prime Minister and he disagree on political views, they agree on delegating power. Several ministers also hold real power, so we need to take them down one by one."

"When Father was on the throne, the two of them fought fiercely. Now, in order to consolidate their power, they are united against external forces. But in this world, everyone is driven by self-interest. Once the balance is lost, do you think their alliance will collapse?"

"I understand. Please wait, sister. I will not let you down."

Shen Sangwan patted Shen Yuchen's head unconsciously, as if he were a child.

If there's anyone in this world who can touch the head of the current young emperor, it's probably only Shen Sangwan.

After all, Shen Yuchen is now somewhat unwilling to get close to the Empress Dowager, since his mother stole his elder sister!

Shen Yuchen was overjoyed to have his head patted. If he had a tail, it would be sticking up high and wagging wildly right now.

"Don't let me see this happen again."

"I know I was wrong, sister, please don't be angry."

"Fu'an, clean up the ground."

[Master, a new mission has been triggered: hold a special imperial examination to promote scholars from humble backgrounds and recruit talent for the young emperor.]

"Xiaotong, are you kidding me? My cheapskate father, who just recently passed away, reigned for forty years and still couldn't implement the imperial examination system for selecting talent. It was all about officials protecting each other and paving the way for the sons of powerful families. How am I supposed to promote someone from a poor family?"

[The time limit is one year. I'm only responsible for informing you, Master. As I said before, you're free to refuse; just wait to be punished.]

Xiaotong was leisurely swinging her legs with her legs crossed at the moment.

Suddenly, it was pulled out and appeared in front of Shen Sangwan in a transformed form.

[Digging up grass (a type of plant), Master, when...when did you learn that?]

Xiao Tong was so anxious that she jumped up and down, trying to hide back, but Shen Sangwan closed the entrance first.

"I've spent two nights studying this; do you think I can't handle you? Back at Weiyang Palace, I'll beat you until you beg for mercy."

【Um...Master, let's talk this out. As the saying goes, a gentleman uses his hands, not his words...no, no, it's more like using words, not fists. Besides, she's a woman...】

[Digging up grass (a type of plant), Master, you have no martial ethics! When did you change it to a male character?]

I... I finally managed to convince myself that being a girl is pretty good, beautiful and cute...

【You changed it without even telling me! You still act like a little kid! Waaaaah, I'm a grown man!】

Don't wail at me, just stand there obediently.

[Waaaaah—, Main System Daddy, help! The host is inhuman, she's going to torture me to death!]

"Sister, could you keep Ah Chen company and have lunch with him today?"

Shen Sangwan originally intended to go to Fengluan Palace to find Wen Yuening, but now that Shen Yuchen had spoken up, she had another reason and readily agreed.

"Your ten-day mourning period with the Empress is not yet over. It wouldn't be good if you broke the rules. How about I go to Fengluan Palace at noon to have lunch with Ah Chen and the Empress?"

Shen Yuchen actually wanted to have a meal alone with Shen Sangwan.

He was inevitably a little disappointed, but seeing that the other party hadn't refused, and that it was just an extra empress, he could barely accept it.

"Very well, I will send someone to the Phoenix Palace to tell them to prepare some of the dishes that my elder sister likes."

Before Shen Sangwan could refuse, Shen Yuchen had already gotten up to call Fu'an, telling him to hurry to Fengluan Palace and order people to prepare some dishes that the princess liked.

The two talked for a while longer in Xingde Hall, and when they saw that it was almost time, they went to Fengluan Palace hand in hand.

Before leaving, Shen Sangwan asked Shuyi to return to Weiyang Palace first and bring along the buttered abalone and pear blossom spring wine she had bought the day before.

Shen Yuchen was initially curious about what was in the food box, thinking it was prepared by his elder sister. However, upon opening it, he found that it was being presented directly to the Empress.

The smile on his face vanished instantly, and he even looked at the Empress with resentment.

She acted like a jealous young wife.

"I've heard that you've always loved the pastries from Crescent Moon Pavilion. Yesterday, I sent someone out of the palace to buy a plate of crispy abalone and snails, and also picked up a pot of pear blossom tea from Changchun Restaurant. You can try it later."

Wen Yuening was slightly stunned, then delighted.

Then a wave of panic surged up, his fingers clenched into a knot inside his sleeves, and his palms became sweaty.

"Yueling thanks Your Highness for your trouble."

"It's not much trouble at all. I also love to eat this buttered abalone and snail. I never thought that we would have such a coincidence, that we both love the same things."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yuening could only hear the pounding of her own heart, and a sense of unease surged from all directions.

She was wrapped up tightly, making it slightly difficult for her to breathe.

Even though the other person was just saying something casual, I lost my composure and composure.

"Wen Yuening, Wen Yuening, you are truly useless. How come you have completely lost your usual composure?"

"The buttered abalone and snails of Crescent Moon Pavilion are well-known throughout the city, and young ladies from wealthy families love them."

The implication is that everyone likes it, and there's no question of fate or anything like that.

Shen Sangwan didn't dwell on it, and simply asked Shuyi to serve her food.

When her gaze inadvertently fell on Shen Yuchen next to Wen Yuening, she noticed that the other's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

The atmosphere around us was a bit off.

Why isn't Ah Chen eating his vegetables?

Upon being called out, Shen Yuchen quickly composed himself, his voice still somewhat low, "Seeing my elder sister talking to the Empress, I shouldn't start eating alone."

"It's my elder sister who's at fault."

With a slightly apologetic look on her face, Shen Sangwan personally picked up a piece of chicken for the other person, saying, "This is Ah Chen's favorite bamboo shoot and chicken stew. Eat more."

Upon seeing the piece of meat in his bowl, Shen Yuchen's gloomy mood vanished instantly, as if the meat in his bowl was some kind of treasure.

He was so happy he could hardly close his mouth.

"It seems that even the Empress Dowager has never personally served me food, hehe, I am the only one. Indeed, my sister still loves me the most."

"The chicken that my sister put in tastes especially delicious today."

Shen Sangwan gave a perfunctory smile and did not respond to the other person's words.

Wen Yuening glanced at Shen Yuchen with an ambiguous expression, feeling that His Majesty's attitude towards the Eldest Princess was somewhat strange.

Although she had doubts, she kept them to herself and never revealed them.

After finishing her meal, Shen Sangwan stayed at Fengluan Palace, citing the need to have some private conversations with Wen Yuening.

Shen Yuchen then bid farewell to Shen Sangwan and returned to Xingde Palace with Fu'an.

When the two were alone again, Shen Sangwan noticed that the other person was not as natural and easygoing as at the villa in the suburbs of Beijing, but rather more reserved.

"Huh? We haven't seen each other for days, why is she suddenly afraid of me?"

"I haven't done anything particularly terrifying lately, the only outrageous thing I did was to send beautiful concubines to the residences of various court officials, but that hasn't spread yet, has it?"