After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

The two of them quickly left the palace. Only after stepping out of the palace gates and getting into the carriage did Fang Xiaoran ask suspiciously, "How did you manage to persuade the Empress Dowager? It is said that she lives a secluded life and nothing can move her heart."

Seemingly having anticipated Fang Xiaoran's question, Gu Yuqing smiled mysteriously, "It's because she needs something from me."

"Do you need something from me?" Fang Xiaoran was skeptical of this question, mainly because Gu Yuqing rarely told the truth, and she always managed to fool him. It was too difficult to get a single truth from him.

Her eyes flickered slightly as she looked at him earnestly and asked, "You're not saying it's because of those few pieces of pastry from Millennium House?"

Gu Yuqing narrowed his eyes. "That's one thing."

"Alright, if you can't tell the truth, I won't ask any more questions. But there's something I need to remind you: the Empress Dowager's favors are not so easy to repay."

In her view, she would rather owe favors to the Empress or even the Empress Dowager than have too much entanglement with the Grand Empress Dowager. This woman, who was over seventy years old, was the one who had the last laugh in so many bloody battles in the palace. Such a person should not be underestimated, nor should one dare to underestimate her.

Gu Yuqing chuckled softly upon hearing this, his fingertips lightly tapping the sandalwood carriage wall, producing a dull sound. The candlelight passing by the window cast flickering shadows on his profile, and a rare glint of sharpness flashed in his usually smiling peach blossom eyes.

"Is my wife concerned about her husband?" He suddenly picked up a plate of pastries from the small table and handed it to Fang Xiaoran. "I didn't lie to you this time. She does have a request for me, and these pastries are one of them, but the main reason is for her Prince Yong."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoran abruptly turned to look at him, her eyes filled with surprise.

Prince Yong was the grandson of the Empress Dowager. His fief was Yongzhou. He was frail and sickly from childhood and never left his fief. In his previous life, he participated in a rebellion. After it was suppressed, he returned to his fief and was not implicated. It is clear that the Empress Dowager had been paving the way for him, giving him the opportunity to make a comeback.

Fang Xiaoran's fingertips turned cold as memories of her past life flooded back—the "Yongzhou Rebellion" that shocked the court and the public, which ultimately ended with the Prince of Yong escaping unscathed.

She felt something was amiss at the time, and now that she thinks about it...

But what does this have to do with Gu Yuqing? What help can he offer to the Empress Dowager or Prince Yong?

Based on her current understanding of Gu Yuqing, the one thing he has in abundance is money.

Thinking about it that way, it's not entirely impossible.

Seeing Fang Xiaoran's strange expression, as if she was thinking about something, Gu Yuqing smiled and picked up a piece of pastry, stuffed it into her slightly open mouth, and said with a smile, "It's just a matter of losing money to avoid disaster, it's a small matter."

A sweet aroma spread in her mouth, and Fang Xiaoran immediately came back to her senses. She had believed him just now, but after hearing his words, she suddenly had some doubts.

Is that really the case?

I always feel that things are not that simple.

It seems she still has some questions about this person and needs to figure them out gradually.

After they left, Chengqian Palace fell into a deathly silence.

Consort Ning sat on a soft couch, her icy eyes terrifying, while Shang Heng knelt directly below her, barely breathing.

Shang Heng's knife wound was already quite severe, and now he has lost too much blood, putting his life in danger at any moment.

However, Consort Ning did not summon the imperial physician to treat her; instead, she stood by and watched coldly.

Realizing he was on the verge of death, Shang Heng disregarded everything else and pleaded in a trembling voice, "Aunt, please save your nephew..."

"Useless trash, manipulated by two women, why should I save you?" Consort Ning's icy gaze swept over him, like a sharp sword radiating murderous intent, making Shang Heng shiver.

He hadn't expected things to turn out this way; it was all because Liu Ruyan had seduced him. He thought he could solve a problem for Consort Ning, but he never expected to put himself in danger.

"It's all Liu Ruyan's fault. She lied to me. I only wanted to help my aunt. I never thought it would turn out like this. Please forgive me this time, considering how hard I've worked for you." Shang Heng trembled all over, enduring the dizziness from excessive blood loss, and kowtowed forcefully.

He knew his aunt's personality all too well; if she lost her value, then she had no reason to exist.

As the son of a merchant, he was already disliked by others. If even Consort Ning abandoned him, he would truly have no way to survive.

In fact, the reason why Consort Ning used him was simply because he was easy to control and could be discarded at any time.

Neither Consort Ning nor the Shang family cared about the son born of a concubine; no one cared whether he lived or died.

"Share the burden? You can't even do the most basic things right, and you want to share the burden for me? Guards, take him away."

Consort Ning waved lazily, got up and walked towards the inner room. Seeing this, Shang Heng kowtowed in despair, calling out repeatedly, but ultimately failed to earn even a glance from her.

Kunning Palace.

The Queen had returned here with her entourage. She sat helplessly in the vast palace, her mind racing with a myriad of thoughts.

Seeing her absent-minded look, Xue Rou couldn't bear it. She brought over a bowl of ginseng soup and offered it to her with both hands, saying in a low voice, "Your Highness, please don't worry too much. Consort Ning has always been like this. Otherwise, how could she have been able to act so arrogantly in the palace for so many years? Although we can't do anything to her this time, at least we understand her way of doing things, and we can think of new strategies for the future."

"Over the years, I have fought with her many times, but this is the first time I have truly seen her. Shang Linglan, she is indeed worthy of being the daughter of the Shang family." The Empress clenched her fists with a gloomy expression. This time she had suffered a great loss, but she also knew that as long as the establishment of the crown prince was imminent, she and Consort Ning would have a life-or-death struggle sooner or later.

Xue Rou couldn't help but sigh, "The reason why Consort Ning acts so madly is mainly because she is favored by the emperor and has the support of merchants behind her. It is indeed very difficult to touch her."

"It's alright, we'll have plenty of opportunities," the Empress said calmly, a hint of coldness lurking in her eyes.

This matter may seem to have come to an end, but it still leaves many people watching with interest and even curiosity.

Among them was the Empress Dowager.

When the news reached Cining Palace, what surprised the Empress Dowager the most was that the Grand Empress Dowager would actually step in. She had suffered a lot at the hands of the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager was still terrified whenever she thought of what had happened back then.

"Even she has intervened, so it seems they've made quite a fuss. It's strange, she didn't care about the princes and nobles' tragic deaths before, but this time she's going to Chengqian Palace to rescue them. What is it about Fang Xiaoran that's worth her going to such lengths?"

The Empress Dowager lightly tapped the armrest of the phoenix chair with her fingertips, a dark light flickering in her eyes.

The trusted nanny beside him whispered, "This old servant heard that it was the Second Young Master Gu who invited the Empress Dowager. Perhaps it was because he was so eager to save his wife that the Empress Dowager couldn't bear it and intervened."

"Do you think that old woman would go out of her way to save someone just because of a mere word of pity? She never does anything without a reason. She won't care about this matter unless you promise her something important," the Empress Dowager said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the old woman lowered her eyes and pondered to herself, "Could it be that the Second Young Master Gu promised the Empress Dowager something? But he doesn't even have the qualifications to inherit the title, so what could possibly be so appealing to the Empress Dowager?"

"She has feelings for Prince Yong, and it's possible that it's related to him. However, I'm very curious, what can Gu Yuqing do to help Prince Yong?"

These questions remained unanswered, and the Empress Dowager dared not delve into the matter. Despite her secluded lifestyle, the palace was filled with her spies; a single misstep could leave one unaware of how they died.

Over the years, the Empress Dowager's sharpness had been worn down, and she really didn't want to provoke the Grand Empress Dowager. If the Grand Empress Dowager hadn't rarely shown her face, she would have preferred to go outside the palace to recuperate in order to avoid running into her.