Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

Yu Wanran looked wary as she slowly walked to a chair by the window, sitting down to the left of the Empress.

A round table separated the two. The morning sunlight quietly filtered through the cracks in the windowpanes, casting its glow on the table. A warm atmosphere rose in the middle, while a chilling coolness settled on either side, carrying a sense of doubt, probing, and defensiveness.

"Miss Yu, there's something I think you need to know first."

The Queen said slowly.

"The Crown Prince's health is poor, and his condition is worsening day by day. The imperial physicians have tried their best, but over the years, they can only try to slow the progression of his illness."

She paused, watching Yu Wanran's expression change.

"By the way, there's something I need to thank you for first. Cheng'an was able to save his life and successfully bring the Dendrobium officinale back to the capital, all thanks to your help along the way."

Although Dendrobium officinale ultimately did not prove to be of great use.

Yu Wanran remained silent.

I never dreamed that the Dendrobium officinale from both lifetimes would be linked to the Crown Prince from the very beginning. Is it truly fate?

Dendrobium officinale, in a way, saved her and made her who she is. It was like she boarded the prince's warship early on. However, finding fire coral was extremely difficult and uncertain; success or failure could gamble with the safety of her family...

She doesn't dare to gamble!

"Miss Yu, are you sure... that the Zhanren exist and can understand their language?"

Yu Wanran lowered her eyes and answered softly, "I know a little bit. However, I only learned a few words from my master and have never actually had any contact with the other party."

Of course she was telling the truth.

I haven't had a chance to go to sea in my entire life!

"Do you know where Champa is? Did your master tell you?"

Yu Wanran replied definitively, "I don't know!"

Her master hadn't told her about the flight path to Champa. She'd heard of it, but had never been there. That doesn't count as lying, does it?

The Empress was so close that I could see the gentle expression on her face, but I couldn't guess what she was really thinking.

It was somewhat frustrating.

Is this really a seventeen-year-old girl? She's quite shrewd, no less so than those palace concubines skilled in palace intrigue!

She had exhausted herself fighting for most of her life, but in the end she couldn't even protect her only child. What was the point of continuing to fight?

A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes as the Empress spoke, each word distinct and clear.

"I heard that Miss Yu is unwilling to return to the Duke's mansion? Then she must care more about the Yu family. After all, adoptive parents are not as good as biological parents, right?"

Yu Wanran raised her head and looked at the Empress, a hint of coldness appearing in her eyes.

"Your Majesty the Empress has investigated my family background. Doesn't she know that I have already left the Yu family and become an independent female merchant?"

Wanting to use people while also controlling them—what's the difference between this tactic and that of the Duke's mansion!

"You do have your own opinions..."

The Queen murmured.

At this moment, she was in a state of utter confusion. Yu Wanran was so unyielding that she didn't know how to persuade her to help her.

Her previous approach of using both kindness and severity seemed to have lost its effectiveness. On the contrary, it only made the other party look at her with increasing wariness. This made the Queen, who had seen all sorts of people, feel quite troubled.

She could indeed use the Yu family to threaten Yu Wanran into doing things for her, but firstly, it would anger the other party, and whether the other party would sincerely work for her was another matter; secondly, as the empress, she was using her power to oppress innocent people...

When this reached the ears of the Imperial Concubine and her second son, they threatened to complain to His Majesty, thus implicating the Crown Prince and tarnishing his reputation.

Her child has already suffered enough in this life!

She could sense the Crown Prince's despair and hopelessness. But even in such hardship, the child persevered. All for her sake, so that she wouldn't have to bury her child!

Upon realizing this, the Empress felt a deep bitterness in her heart.

She suddenly stood up and faced Yu Wanran!

Yu Wanran was startled and instinctively clenched her fists.

However, the empress did not turn against her as she had expected.

Instead, she lifted the hem of her skirt, pushed aside mountains of gold and jade pillars, and knelt down directly before her! Two lines of clear tears quietly slid from the corners of her eyes.

"Miss Yu, I beg you! If you have the ability, please save my Hongde! He's so young, he hasn't even had a chance to get married and have children..."

Yu Wanran was so startled that she jumped back immediately! Only after reaching the Empress's side did she remember to reach out her hands and help her up.

The Empress helped her up, but she couldn't kneel down. The emotions she had suppressed for so many years finally burst forth, overflowing completely.

"His illness is no ordinary one! He was poisoned by a villain. He suffered from it on and off for many years. It kept recurring, causing festering sores all over his body, and his wounds would reopen and refuse to heal..."

“He was in so much pain every day, yet he still had to endure it and comfort me, saying he was fine and it didn’t hurt…”

"He is a sensible and filial son! He has endured such hardship to survive for me; how can I, his mother, not kneel down for him even once!"

"The Queen..."

Yu Wanran was truly at a loss this time. The Empress couldn't kneel down, and could only tightly grasp her arm. Like a drowning person grasping at a straw, she looked at her with tears streaming down her face and eyes full of hope.

“Miss Yu, this time, I am not pleading with you as the Empress, but as a mother! Please have pity on the heart of a mother who is doing everything she can to protect her child…”

Yu Wanran stomped her foot hard, then half-lifted, half-carried the Empress's limp body and placed her on a chair.

"Your Majesty, I know... very little! But for the sake of the Crown Prince, I am willing to do my best. However, if the search for the medicine fails, I hope you will not implicate my family..."

The Empress hastily wiped her face with a handkerchief, and upon hearing these words, she felt as if she had heard a divine decree. Her reddened eyes widened in surprise.

“Miss Yu, you agreed? That’s wonderful! I promise that whether or not the medicine is obtained, I will not punish you or your family…”

If the Crown Prince is beyond saving, she herself doesn't want to live anymore, so why would she care about the incompetence of others?

However, Ms. Yu's previous ambiguous attitude turned out to be due to her concern about such trivial details!

You're overthinking it! How could she possibly mistreat someone who works so hard for her?

Pulling Yu Wanran to sit beside her and holding her hand, the Empress was exceptionally sincere.

“Miss Yu, you are also a daughter, so you should be able to understand how difficult it is for parents to raise children. If you can help us retrieve the medicinal herbs, I will definitely treat you like my own daughter and give you everything you want. I will never break my promise!”

Yu Wanran gently withdrew her hand.

She didn't deny that she was indeed moved by the other person! Having failed to receive pure maternal love in both of her lives, she believed that even the strongest kinship in the world was mixed with calculations related to daily life.

Unexpectedly, the Empress, as the mother of the nation, loves her children just like any other mother.

She replied softly, "This humble woman asks for nothing in return! Her Majesty the Empress's love for her son has deeply moved me. How unfortunate that His Highness the Crown Prince was harmed by treacherous people! But how fortunate that he has such a good mother as you!"

The Empress felt soothed by her gentle words! Holding a handkerchief, she couldn't help but wipe her eyes again.

"Good child, you are so smart and sensible, I really don't know how your adoptive parents...could bear to kick you out?"

She gripped Yu Wanran's hand tightly once more.

"The Crown Prince is on the verge of death, and the imperial physicians are doing everything they can to keep him alive. If an antidote can be found, it needs to be done as soon as possible!"