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

Destroy it!

"Wasn't it said that there would be a three-day period after being punished?"

How can I make my presence known to the Queen when I'm immobilized?

"Xiaotong, I don't think I've provoked the main system lately, so is this scoundrel just picking on me?"

【My lord, Phoenix Palace isn't far from here. Try to get up and see if you can. Even if you have to crawl, you have to crawl there.】

Xiao Tong was genuinely worried about Shen Sangwan. With only fifteen minutes left in the second time limit, he had no idea what his host would face if she didn't complete the task.

Shen Sangwan took two deep breaths and mustered all her strength before crawling off the ground and sitting down.

But it wasn't much better than before; he still couldn't stand up and walk.

[Xiaotong, what will happen if you are punished a second time?]

I'm not sure about that either, but no one will die.

〖......〗

I thank you for your comfort.

Torture her or just kill her.

[Master, there's still a chance if you climb a bit.]

[If I had known I should have brought Ruoli along, why did I stubbornly assign everyone to repair the tunnels? Who's going to save lives now?!]

Shen Sangwan looked around. There was hardly anyone passing by here, and with the light rain falling, even palace servants rarely walked this path.

He then gave up and lay down, quietly awaiting punishment.

The rain gradually turned into a curtain of rain, and her cloak was already soaked. Every now and then a gust of wind blew, making Shen Sangwan huddle together in the cold.

"Your Highness?"

"Holy crap, has the Empress installed a surveillance camera on me?"

Suddenly, there was a sense of joy at being saved from a desperate situation, but at the same time, it was mixed with embarrassment.

"Looking at myself in this sorry state, I'd rather not have seen her at all. Waaah, Hitomi, please lend me your face!"

Wen Yuening waited and waited at Fengluan Palace, but Shen Sangwan did not appear.

Shu Yi said that she would come out of Xingde Hall to find her within half an hour to discuss something.

An hour had passed, and she was a little worried, so she chose this gravel path to take the shortcut.

From a distance, I spotted an unidentified object lying on the ground. As I got closer, I recognized the fox cloak and called out to it uncertainly.

Thinking he had admitted his mistake, he was certain after hearing the familiar voice and quickly stepped forward to have Qingque help him up.

"Is Your Highness injured?"

With Qingluan holding an umbrella, Wen Yuening had Qingque remove Shen Sangwan's fox fur cloak, and then draped her own thin cloak over Shen Sangwan's shoulders.

"This Empress..."

Before Shen Sangwan could finish speaking, the time limit was up, and she collapsed into Wen Yuening's arms, fainting.

"Return to Phoenix Palace, Qingluan, quickly go to the Imperial Hospital and invite Physician Li here."

"Yes, slave, go right away."

Qingluan handed the umbrella to Qingque and used her hand to shield herself from the rain as she ran quickly.

Wen Yuening scooped the person up in her arms and strode towards her palace.

Shuyi had been waiting in Fengluan Palace. When she saw Wen Yuening carrying someone back, her heart skipped a beat. Could it be her own Highness?

After the other party placed the person on the soft couch, revealing a familiar face, Shuyi asked worriedly, "Your Highness, what's wrong with my prince?"

"Your Highness is soaked to the bone. Go to Weiyang Palace and fetch a set of clean clothes immediately."

Wen Yuening did not explain, but only gave Shuyi a few instructions and then asked the palace servants to prepare hot water.

When Physician Li arrived at Fengluan Palace with his medicine chest, Shen Sangwan had already been cleaned up and changed into clean undergarments, lying on the bed in the inner room.

"Your humble servant greets you..."

Wen Yuening waved her hand to dismiss the other party's formalities, saying, "I'll trouble Physician Li to examine His Highness."

She had secretly taken Shen Sangwan's pulse before, but the pulse was extremely strange and she had never encountered it before.

Doctor Li now feels somewhat traumatized whenever he sees Shen Sangwan as a patient.

He stepped forward shakily to take his pulse, and as time passed, his complexion grew increasingly grim, his brow furrowing.

"Your Highness, it seems that His Highness's body... has been infected with Northern Witch Gu Worms."

Whether in her past life or this one, Wen Yuening knew very little about the Northern Witches.

But last time she was stabbed by Consort Yu's maid, it was Physician Li who diagnosed her with Gu worms after Shen Sangwan reminded her, and now her pulse is similar to that day.

"Is this true?"

"The poison that Your Highness was afflicted with should be the same type as the poison that Her Majesty was afflicted with when she was injured that day, but there are some differences."

Upon hearing the words "Gu poison," Wen Yuening heard a long ringing in her ears.

"What is the difference?"

Physician Li carefully took her pulse again, his expression extremely serious. "The poison that the Empress was afflicted with entered through her wound, but the poison that His Highness has... seems to have been planted by someone, and it has been there for quite some time."

The hall was very quiet, except for the occasional rumble of thunder and the sound of rain hitting the ground outside the window.

There was silence for a long time.

"Could you use the medicine that treated me before...?"

"Your Highness, His Highness's poison has been accumulating for years and has long penetrated deep into his internal organs. The antidote developed by the Imperial Medical Academy can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."

"You should prepare the medicine first; the most urgent task is to wake His Highness up."

Physician Li nodded, bowed, and withdrew.

"Qingque, Qingluan, you two must quickly inform His Majesty and the Empress Dowager of this matter."

"Yes."

Shen Sangwan lay on the bed with her eyes closed and her face as usual, as if she were asleep.

Wen Yuening reached out and touched Shen Sangwan's cheek, her index finger tracing the other's delicate features one by one.

She wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, it was only a hoarse whisper. The anger in her heart spread to every part of her body, and her body trembled involuntarily.

Her composed face had lost its color; her eyes were slightly red, and two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks, dripping onto her magnificent robes.

Just as Shen Yuchen in Xingde Hall finished explaining the new regulations for the provincial examinations to the Minister of Personnel, Qingluan summoned Fu'an to report.

After learning about Shen Sangwan's situation, he left Lin Qu in the palace and rushed off towards Fengluan Palace.

The Empress Dowager received the news almost simultaneously, and before she could catch her breath, she fainted.

......

In the bustling banquet hall, the lights were dazzling, and low, somber music rang out among the crowd.

Am I... back?

Still somewhat confused, Shen Sangwan looked around, puzzled.

"Xiaotong? Xiaotong, are you there?"

After calling out several times without any response, Shen Sangwan weaved through the crowd, just like her first experience.

As far as she was concerned, others could neither see nor hear her, and neither could she.

As her gaze wandered, she spotted her parents.

Dressed in a black suit, she stood at the door, looking somewhat haggard, seemingly welcoming and seeing off guests.

Shen Sangwan finally got a clear look at the layout around her.

She was momentarily stunned when she saw the black and white photo in the frame hanging in front of her.

Have my parents discovered they're no longer alive?

"But it seems like half a year has passed since the day I had the accident, and it's only now that my funeral is being held. It's quite ironic."

She smiled bitterly at her own portrait.