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

Aside from Shen Sangwan, Shen Yuchen's mind was basically on the food and drink at the table.

He didn't pay much attention to the woman in the center of the hall, but her figure seemed somewhat familiar.

As the music ended and the dance concluded, applause spontaneously erupted throughout the hall.

The masked woman stepped forward gracefully and bowed to Shen Yuchen.

"I have met His Majesty."

Knowing that this person was arranged by his mother, Shen Yuchen didn't want to offend his elder in this setting, so he raised his hand and asked in a calm tone, "What's your name?"

The concubines seated on the left, except for the two leading imperial concubines, all looked at the woman with surprise.

Jealousy was evident in Cheng Tingran's eyes, and she almost tore the handkerchief in her hand to shreds with her fingers.

He Zhiwan raised her hand and removed her veil, revealing her beautiful face. She blinked and gazed at Shen Yuchen with a smile.

"Your Majesty, I am Consort He of Yong'an Palace. Did you enjoy my dance today?"

Shen Yuchen had no idea how He Zhiwan had managed to get close to his mother, the Empress Dowager, as a powerful backer. She had truly gone to great lengths to gain favor with the Empress Dowager.

"Consort He is very thoughtful."

Seeing Shen Yucheng's composed expression, He Zhiwan's gaze was intense, and she felt a sense of urgency as she asked again, "Does His Majesty like it?"

If Wen Yuening hadn't been sitting next to him, Shen Yuchen really wanted someone to come up and sit next to him, so that the Empress Dowager wouldn't have to say anything later.

Ever since the day he caused a scene at Chonghua Palace because of Shen Sangwan's trip to Wuzhou, the Empress Dowager has been forcing him to visit the concubines in various palaces.

Now that Shen Sangwan has returned, the Empress Dowager has gone even further, sending people directly to her doorstep.

"I like it very much. Today's dance was wonderful. Consort He put her heart into it. Tonight, when I go to Yong'an Palace, please dance for me a few more times."

Upon hearing this, He Zhiwan completely forgot that it was the fifteenth of the month. Overjoyed, she curtsied and said, "Then I will wait for Your Majesty."

Wen Yuening looked rather displeased, and even Wen Yunhe's gaze towards Shen Yuchen held a hint of resentment.

Tonight, instead of staying at the Phoenix Palace, His Majesty went to favor a concubine, which is a blatant slap in the face to the Empress.

Shen Yuchen was so focused on dealing with the Empress Dowager that he completely forgot about the days ahead. But now that he had spoken, there was no reason for him to take it back.

Shen Sangwan, however, thought that Shen Yuchen was deliberately provoking Wen Yunhe with this matter, hoping to make him behave himself in the court.

Clearly, judging from Wen Yunhe's reaction, he shared the same thought as Shen Sangwan.

When the concubines saw this scene, some were envious and jealous, while others felt sorry for He Zhiwan.

After all, they had offended the Empress and the Wen family. The He family member was only a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and it was unlikely that he would be able to climb the ranks in the court in the future.

Wen Yuening pretended to be humiliated, her face darkening, and left the table under a pretext.

Cen Luoyan was also not in high spirits, and took her leave of the banquet on the grounds of feeling unwell, after bidding farewell to the Empress Dowager.

Shen Sangwan had unknowingly drunk too much and thought that Shuyi would help her go outside for some fresh air to sober up.

"Oh no, Xiaotong, is this wine going to dissipate in the wind? My head is getting dizzier and dizzier!"

Shu Yi felt Shen Sangwan pressing down on her more and more heavily, as if a heavy object weighing several hundred pounds was crashing down on her.

"Your Highness."

"Um--?"

Seeing that Shen Sangwan was still conscious, he used all his strength to help her sit down on a bench in the corridor.

"Your Highness, please sit here for a while. I will go and find two more people to help you back to Weiyang Palace."

Shen Sangwan lowered her head and shook it vigorously up and down.

As soon as Shuyi left, Shen Sangwan verbally agreed, but before half an incense stick's time had passed, she couldn't contain herself and got up unsteadily, wandering around aimlessly.

"Xiaotong, I'm so hot! Is it because Xiaoyan dressed me in too many layers?"

【Master, don't wander off. There's a lotus pond not far from the Golden Palace. Don't fall in.】

"No, it's too hot. I'll die of heat if I don't move. I need to find a cool place."

Tell me quickly, where is the lotus pond? I want to go for a soak.

Xiaotong's eyes widened, wondering if she was hallucinating.

Is a drunk person going to soak in a lotus pond?

Perhaps they think they have too long a life ahead of them.

[Master, listen to me, Shuyi will be back soon. Have her take you back to Fuyu Pavilion in Weiyang Palace; it's cool there. Let's not go to that rotten pond.]

Seeing that Xiao Tong refused to give directions, Shen Sangwan swayed her body and found her own way.

After leaving the Golden Palace, Wen Yuening was preparing to return to the Phoenix Palace. As she passed through the corridor, she heard Shen Sangwan and Xiao Tong's conversation.

Feeling somewhat uneasy, he told Qingque and Qingluan to go back first, while he searched around based on the sounds he heard.

He listened to the other person's rambling the whole way, but unfortunately the mountains, rocks and trees were a bit messy, and what he heard was the other person's inner thoughts. He wandered around and around but couldn't find Shen Sangwan anywhere.

If she hadn't heard the other person's thoughts repeatedly, she would have suspected that she was also drunk and hallucinating.

"Ugh, what is this?"

Shen Sangwan gently kicked a rockery, when she suddenly heard a man and a woman talking nearby.

Just as she was about to stick her butt out to investigate, Wen Yuening, who arrived late, covered her mouth and hid behind the artificial hill.

"Be good, don't make a sound."

"Huh? Didn't the Empress angrily return to Phoenix Palace? How did she get here? Why is she covering my mouth?"

Mmm! It smells so good.

Shen Sangwan moved closer to Wen Yuening, exhaling a strong smell of alcohol that made Wen Yuening want to push him away.

"Song Qingwan, what exactly do you want?"

"Luo Yan, I...I regret it."

Upon hearing the familiar name, Wen Yuening quickly covered Shen Sangwan's mouth even tighter.

"Did I risk my life for you before I entered the palace? Because of you, I almost killed my elder sister, but what did you do? You abandoned me."

"Now you're threatening suicide, don't you think you're being childish?"

Faced with such a cowardly and incompetent person, Cen Luoyan is now heartbroken and has no desire to have anything to do with him anymore.

"Ayan, I just wanted to see you properly. I didn't mean to skip it that day; my mother locked me in the ancestral hall. I..."

Upon hearing this, Cen Luoyan could no longer contain herself and roared in a low voice, "Song Qingwan, are you even a man? How can you be so spineless?"

“I told you before the new year to ask your mother to come and propose marriage, but you said you were too ashamed to ask for a wife since you hadn’t passed the imperial examination. I told you I never cared about fame or fortune.”

"After you took a concubine, you dared not defy the imperial authority. I risked ruining my family's reputation, faked my death by drowning myself in a lake, and eloped with you. What did I get in return?"

"Song Qingwan, I've known you for so many years, it turns out I was just blind."

Song Qingwan had drunk some wine, and her eyes were still slightly drunk. She stepped forward and grabbed Cen Luoyan's hand. "Ayan, I was cowardly. I know I was terribly wrong. I know I was wrong. I'll take you away right now, okay?"

Cen Luoyan forcefully pulled her hands away and took several steps back.

“Song Qingwan, I am now a Noble Consort. If you can spare my life for the sake of our past relationship, I will be eternally grateful. If you want me dead, you can shout loudly now and attract the guards to witness how the current Noble Consort is entangled with a man outside the court.”

Song Qingwan's eyes were red, and she knelt on the ground, looking very disheveled.