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

During this month, the court was in turmoil, and officials were replaced. Unsettling news was spreading, and just as people were filled with anxiety and rumors were rampant, the crown prince, who had not yet been chosen, quietly emerged.

The eldest prince was adopted by Consort Hui and made crown prince, while Consort Hui was promoted to Noble Consort Hui.

The battle for the crown prince has finally come to an end, and those who support the eldest prince can breathe a sigh of relief.

In the end, Consort Hui emerged as the ultimate winner, a fact that many envied.

Fang Xiaoran was not surprised by this. She was more concerned about Shang Lingzhu, so she continued to send people to investigate thoroughly and at the same time continued to inquire about Yinhe's whereabouts.

However, Shang Lingzhu was too mysterious, and nothing could be found about her.

Therefore, Fang Xiaoran had no choice but to test Gu Yuqing again.

This time, she specially prepared a sleeping potion to add to the wine. This potion would not be detected once dissolved in the wine, and even the most skilled martial artist and the most vigilant person would find it difficult to defend against.

As night deepened, Fang Xiaoran arranged wine cups in the courtyard, her fingertips gently tapping the celadon wine pot. The sleeping potion was colorless and odorless, and even she herself could not detect anything unusual about it.

"What kind of wine is this? It smells so good." Gu Yuqing had just returned when he smelled the aroma of wine as soon as he entered the door. He immediately went to the old locust tree in the yard out of curiosity and saw Fang Xiaoran had set out a table of dishes and a pot of wine, and was drinking it.

He was clearly not invited, but he skillfully sat down next to Fang Xiaoran, picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup, then gently sniffed it. "It smells really good."

"It smells good, that's for sure. This is my own pear blossom wine. You won't find another cup like it in the world." Fang Xiaoran smiled confidently. This wine was indeed brewed by her. It was buried in the Princess's herb garden last year. Nourished by the herbs, it made the wine taste even more mellow.

Of course, she didn't prepare it specifically for Gu Yuqing, but for herself, intending to take it out and drink it to her heart's content on the day she avenged her great enemy. But for now, she could only make an exception and drink it first. After all, someone like Gu Yuqing who could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk might not be interested in strong liquor that wasn't made with the nourishment of medicine.

As for whether she could get drunk, Fang Xiaoran didn't rely on the alcohol itself, but rather on the drug in it.

She was always most proud of using poison.

"Is that so?" Gu Yuqing smiled with narrowed eyes. He first took a sip, then tilted his head back and drank it all. As his Adam's apple bobbed, the wine cup was empty. He showed her the bottom of the cup, his eyes half-smiling and half-joking: "Madam's winemaking skills are truly exceptional."

"Drink less, I didn't prepare any for you." Seeing that he was about to fill her cup again, Fang Xiaoran pretended to refuse and even tried to stop him, but Gu Yuqing easily dodged her. After the cup was full, he picked up his cup and gently tapped it against the cup in Fang Xiaoran's hand, making a crisp clinking sound.

He said with a smile, "This cup is for you."

For some reason, Fang Xiaoran felt inexplicably guilty upon hearing this, but she remained calm on the surface and even pretended to fight with him.

The two drank and ate, and before they knew it, a pot of wine had been finished. Gu Yuqing was clearly drunk, while Fang Xiaoran, having taken the antidote beforehand, was not knocked out, but the alcohol was indeed making her dizzy.

The night breeze was cool, occasionally rustling the treetops and startling birds into flight.

Fearing that this little bit of wine wouldn't be enough to knock Gu Yuqing out, Fang Xiaoran reluctantly brought out another pot. The two of them, carrying the pot and cups, drank their way from the courtyard to the room.

The flickering candlelight made Gu Yuqing's features appear even more profound. He suddenly pressed down on Fang Xiaoran's wrist, which was holding the wine pot. His peach blossom eyes seemed to hold a spring breeze, and his smile was intoxicating.

For a moment, Fang Xiaoran was captivated by that smile, feeling her heart flutter and her intoxication lingering...

A night of intoxicating peach blossoms led to a dreamlike state, and the next morning, as dawn broke, Fang Xiaoran awoke with a start amidst the pervasive fragrance of agarwood.

The soreness in her body made her realize that yesterday's events were out of control. She was supposed to try and get information out of Gu Yuqing while he was engrossed in his thoughts, but instead, she fell for his trick and became intoxicated by his captivating eyes, losing herself in the moment...

what happened?

Fang Xiaoran couldn't help but rub her forehead; she began to re-examine her opinion of Gu Yuqing.

Even though I wasn't attracted to him, why am I always drawn to him?

And then gradually sink into depravity...

Fortunately, in her moment of passion, she managed to implant a Gu spirit into his body. Although this Gu spirit wouldn't cause him any great harm, it could be used as a last resort.

But will I really be able to activate it?

In the past, Fang Xiaoran would never feel confused or conflicted, but after each encounter with him, she understood herself less and less.

Fang Xiaoran didn't want to be controlled by her feelings. She simply considered it a normal need and believed there was nothing more between her and Gu Yuqing, thus comforting herself with this thought.

A few days later, there was still no news from Yinhe, and there was still no progress from Shang Lingzhu. Fang Xiaoran did not want to alert the enemy, so she could only wait. Because Emperor Zhao was seriously ill, she needed to go to the palace every few days to administer acupuncture and prepare medicines suitable for him according to his current physical condition to suppress his illness.

A month has already passed, and even she is about to lose control.

Strangely enough, she hadn't seen Zhao Jin recently. It was as if he had vanished. The Seventh Prince and Consort Ning were both in critical condition, and yet he, as their closest relative, had disappeared. It was really worrying.

Therefore, Fang Xiaoran still had people keep an eye on Zhao Jin. However, Zhao Jin was different from others. He was surrounded by many experts and had a lot of spies. She had to be careful to avoid being discovered.

After leaving the palace, Chu Qi immediately found Fang Xiaoran and said to her, "Princess, you asked us to keep an eye on Liu Ruyan, and recently there has finally been some movement."

"She really couldn't hold back after all." Hearing this, Fang Xiaoran smiled knowingly. Although the Liu family had fallen and Liu Ruyan couldn't cause any trouble, she could use Liu Ruyan to find another person.

The recent political turmoil has brought about significant changes in many factions. Although the Fang family appears to have escaped the storm, the grudges left behind have put the Fang father and son in a precarious situation, especially Fang Huaihong. In addition, Fang Huaide has been implicated in the Duan Prince incident, and the official positions of the Fang family members have been repeatedly demoted, far from their former glory.

The old lady couldn't sleep at night, fearing that the Fang family couldn't escape this calamity. She repeatedly begged Fang Zhengyong to plead with her daughter. At least now Fang Xiaoran was the young mistress of the Marquis's mansion. Although Gu Yuqing couldn't inherit the title, he was still a member of the Marquis's mansion. Fang Xiaoran was also quite popular in the Marquis's mansion, so perhaps she could solve the Fang family's urgent problem.

But how could Fang Zhengyong possibly bring himself to do something like this? Back then, Fang Xiaoran left in a huff and severed ties with the Fang family, which foreshadowed the Fang family's current predicament.

Back then, they couldn't see through it, so what difference does it make now that they know?

Fang Zhengyong knew that he had always owed Fang Xiaoran and her mother a debt, and that was why he was even more unable to go to her.

The old lady knew Fang Zhengyong's difficulties, so she stopped insisting.

Nowadays, the Fang family home is deserted and quiet, and none of the daughters have ever returned.

As dusk fell, the old lady was about to go to sleep when she suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind the screen.

"grandmother……"

The voice trembled slightly, which made the old lady feel both heartache and shock.

She turned around abruptly, her empty eyes fixed on the direction from which the sound came. She groped her way forward, but quickly stopped, a bitter smile playing on her lips, tinged with a hint of aloofness. "What are you doing here?"

The old lady's expression shifted slightly, her tone revealing a hint of indifference.

At that time, Liu Ruyan resolutely chose the Liu family and severed ties with the Fang family, which greatly disappointed the old lady. No matter how much she loved this granddaughter, she still believed that Liu Ruyan was an ungrateful wretch.

When he was at the height of his power and influence, he never thought of the Fang family or her. Now that the Liu family has lost power and Liu Ruyan has nowhere to go, he suddenly misses her. It's truly lamentable.

"Grandmother, granddaughter, granddaughter just missed you..." Seeing the old lady's attitude change so drastically, Liu Ruyan felt a chill in her heart, but she still shamelessly walked towards the old lady.

"Why bother with this pretense? The Fang family and you have finally developed a rift, and things can never be the same again." The old lady sighed softly, her eyes weary and distant. "You had already chosen the Liu family back then."

"Grandmother, you had no choice. If it weren't for Fang Xiaoran, if it weren't for her, how could you be in this situation? Grandmother, do you know who caused your granddaughter to end up like this? It's because of her! Your granddaughter is not reconciled..."

Tears streamed down her face. Even though the old lady was blind, one could still sense the sorrow in her words.

After all, she was her granddaughter whom she had watched grow up, and the old lady subconsciously wanted to speak up to stop her.

Just then, another voice came with a soft laugh.

"Not reconciled?" Fang Xiaoran leaned against the door, toying with a willow-leaf dart between her fingers, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Then you clearly have only yourself to blame."