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

[Master's target for seduction is none other than your wife, isn't it? Besides, doesn't Master love beautiful women? Isn't this practically a wife delivered right to your doorstep?]

Xiaotong curled her lip indifferently.

"Your initial task for me was to support my adopted brother to ascend the throne and secure his position in court."

[Later, you subtly and overtly assigned me tasks related to Wen Yuening, telling me that the side quest was to win her over.]

[Will you later introduce even more outrageous tasks, like "conquering the Empress Dowager" or "conquering the concubines," euphemistically called "side quests"?]

Shen Sangwan grew angrier as she spoke. Although she did like beautiful women, she would never play with other people's feelings or approach them with a strong purpose, calling it a "strategy." This made her feel inexplicably disgusted.

The broken system is awful; if you don't do the tasks, you'll face all sorts of bizarre punishments. Her body, which weighs only ninety-odd pounds, probably already feels like it weighs a hundred pounds.

The extra stuff is all condensed resentment.

【Master, what you're saying is getting more and more absurd. The main quest is to support the young emperor, and there's only one side quest: to win over Wen Yuening. And Master, I guarantee you won't lose out by investing in this. You'll have to thank me when you finally win her heart!】

"Xiaotong, this is the last time I'll trust you. If you assign me any more of these ridiculous tasks, we'll both die. Go ahead and let the Gou System unleash all 8,888 punishments on me at once. I don't believe I can survive."

[Master, I never assigned you random tasks; they were all related to the main and side quests. You're slandering me.]

[Could you please explain the connection between my entire courtyard of spies in the princess's residence and the mission of the young emperor and Wen Yuening?]

[Master, let me tell you, is there... a possibility... that... the main system is trying to... provoke the Empress?]

Xiao Tong's voice stammered a little, mainly because he also felt that the nature of this mission was somewhat absurd.

Shen Sangwan lowered her almond-shaped eyes, her mind focused on the word "exciting" that Xiao Tong had mentioned.

Was she used to provoke Wen Yuening because the other party had forgotten something?

Despite being described by Xiaotong as having "old arms and legs," Doctor Li's speed was still quite good. Although he couldn't keep up with someone as young as Shuyi, he wasn't slow either.

After running back and forth in the sweltering heat, my forehead was covered in beads of sweat.

"Your Highness, this is the antidote."

Shen Sangwan admired her own acting skills, which allowed her to suppress her surprised expression.

"Xiaotong, compared to this antidote, I don't think the Vitality Pill is that important anymore."

This must be the size of two "Black Chicken White Phoenix Pills" (a traditional Chinese medicine).

"This...isn't edible!"

Then she saw Physician Li cut the pill into two pieces, dissolve one piece in water, and crush the other half.

"Your Highness, please have a palace maid come in and apply this medicine powder to Her Majesty the Empress's chest."

Shen Sangwan then belatedly realized that Qingque and Qingluan, who served Wen Yuening closely, were not there.

"Such a trivial matter, I will take care of it."

"This dissolved medicine will only be effective once the Gu worm in the heart is drawn out and fed to the Empress. Only then can the Gu poison be neutralized."

"Ah."

"Your Highness, please wait outside. You may summon me at any time."

Physician Li gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, bowed, and withdrew.

[Master, remember to be gentle, don't be as rude as you were just now.]

'Okay, okay.'

Wen Yuening was only wearing a white undergarment, which was still stained with the blood she had vomited not long ago.

She reached out to try and open the other person's clothes, but pulled back after touching the collar.

"Xiaotong, why do I have this strange feeling that someone is taking advantage of me?"

She never felt guilty when she used to play and joke with Xiao Yan Yan, and when they ate and slept together.

Master, may I despise you?

Xiaotong rolled her eyes dramatically.

Shen Sangwan took a deep breath, carefully unbuttoned her clothes, and sprinkled hemostatic powder all over her chest. She poured the powder onto a soft cloth and applied it to the wound.

He then helped her up from the bed, placed one hand on Wen Yue Ning's chest, and wrapped the other around her, making her lean against him, quietly waiting for the Gu worms to crawl out after smelling the scent.

Hmm—, how come her body is so soft? Compared to her own martial arts-trained body, the delicate body in her arms had a waist that could be encircled with one hand, and was as soft as water.

Because she was holding the other person, the cool scent of the fragrance of the fence on Wen Yuening's body permeated her nose and mouth, which smelled particularly good and seemed to directly cover up the smell of blood.

"uh-huh--!"

Perhaps due to the surge of Gu worms, Wen Yuening let out a soft hum, her brows furrowing slightly.

Upon hearing the noise, Shen Sangwan shifted her body slightly away, carefully feeling the slight movement under her hand.

A few breaths later, she felt something wriggling. Shen Sangwan slowly moved the soft handkerchief away and saw a milky white thing that looked like a maggot crawling out.

I quickly wrapped it in a soft cloth, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it far away, feeling nauseous.

Then he picked up the porcelain bowl beside him and fed it to him.

【Hey—Master, be gentle, be gentle!】

Seeing that Shen Sangwan was getting impatient and was about to pinch Wen Yuening's mouth to force down the remaining medicine in the bowl, Xiao Tong screamed in fright.

"At this rate, drinking it little by little, it'll take forever!"

That's still too rude!

Who pries medicine down a patient's throat by forcing it down their throat?

Shen Sangwan patiently fed him the drink little by little.

I've never been this patient with Xiao Yan Yan before.

"Master, this is your future wife; it's what you should do."

This is the first time I've ever heard of someone so openly coveting another man's wife, such a scoundrel trying to steal her away.

[Master, are you insulting me, or yourself?]

I don't have that kind of fetish; I'm just insulting you.

Xiaotong became somewhat withdrawn, her lips pursed and her face filled with heartbreak.

[The main system is truly cunning. It made me personally go to the Prime Minister's residence for a secret meeting with the Left Prime Minister to put his daughter on the throne, and then turned around and pulled a surprise attack on me by stealing his own brother's wife. This operation is absolutely brilliant; I'm more impressed than anyone else with it.]

Xiao Tong didn't dare to say a word and silently remained silent.

Since the task was issued by the main system anyway, just consider it an insult to the main system, not him.

It's all the main system's fault; he won't take the blame, nor can he.

Wen Yuening felt that there was a lot of noise in her ears, but no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't open her eyes. She wanted to listen carefully to what the people around her were saying, but she couldn't hear clearly.

"Stop playing dead, quickly check if there's anything wrong with her body."

【oh--!】

I'm just a heartless tool.

Oh no, I don't even qualify as a person.

I'm just a system without emotions!

Xiao Tong kept muttering to himself, but Shen Sangwan ignored him and let his little mouth chatter on and on.

[Your Majesty, please rest assured, the Empress is in excellent health. She should be fine after ten days to two weeks of rest.]

Several black crows flew over Shen Sangwan's head.

【Master, although the system has an inexhaustible supply of medicine, we should still be careful. After all, I'm not entirely sure about some of the side effects, and using too much isn't good. So I suggest you stop giving her Vitality Pills and similar medicines.】

Relying on its own immunity to heal wounds and internal organs, it can take ten days to half a month, and maybe even longer.

[My lord, it seems there's been some trouble with the Empress Dowager outside.]

I'm a person, not a donkey pulling a millstone. Can't I rest for a bit?

Shen Sangwan inwardly wailed – This damn system is even more inhumane than capitalists!