The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

Hua Sirong recalled the past and couldn't help but add, "The Leng family is not only ambitious, but also uses extremely despicable and low-class methods."

Take her aunt, Madam Shen, for example. Although she was scheming and manipulative, she would never intentionally harm her concubines or their offspring.

This alone shows that the Shui clan was deeply influenced by the Leng clan's style, and that they were people who would do anything to achieve their goals.

Meanwhile, the Shui family member whom Hua Sirong secretly suspected was currently imprisoned in the imperial prison.

After leaving the Moon King's Palace, the Emperor, for reasons unknown, went to the Imperial Prison, saying he wanted to interrogate the Shui family.

When Jiang Yulai dragged the dying Shui Shi to the emperor, the emperor frowned and stared at her for a long time.

Only then did I manage to glean a few traces of the Leng family noblewoman, who had long held a prominent position among the noble ladies of the capital, from my distant memories.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions, but they were quickly replaced by hatred. "Shui clan, do you know what I am holding in my hand? It is something that your Leng clan has schemed and plotted against, but could never obtain."

Shui has not been treated well in the imperial prison these days.

She was also surprised by her good fortune. Now that she saw the emperor, she understood everything. She pretended to be calm and said, "It has been many years since we last met. I am grateful that Your Majesty still remembers a woman like me."

Although the emperor was dressed in plain clothes, his majesty remained undiminished. "Remember, even if your Leng clan were reduced to ashes, I would still recognize you!"

In the past, your Leng clan, relying on the kindness of the eldest prince, acted recklessly.

Now, you, a discarded concubine who doesn't even dare to use your surname Leng, have no need to feign such indifference before me.

Shui laughed heartily, "I am indeed unmoved. In my opinion, it is Your Majesty who is still unable to get over what happened back then!"

That's good, it seems she's not going to die anytime soon.

The emperor, his secret exposed, roared, "Shui! Stop talking nonsense! If you continue, today will be your death day!"

Despite the excruciating pain in her body, Shui grimaced and said, "Everyone says that if you go to the imperial prison, you'll be skinned alive or dead. I'm just a woman, and I'm still alive and well."

"The infamous imperial prison is nothing more than this!"

The emperor was no longer as enraged as before. He looked at Shui Shi with disdain and said, "You don't need to provoke me with your words. I will kill you, but not now."

"I will show you, the last remnant of the Leng clan, that your attempt to control the royal bloodline will ultimately be in vain!"

"Do you see what I hold in my hand? The imperial edict of succession!"

"Unfortunately, it's not the fourth prince you've been longing for."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Isn't it surprising that I discovered Consort Bing's true identity?"

"You members of the Leng clan are always so self-righteous. You can lie low, but I can't?"

"I have waited for this day for most of my life. Now, I can finally stand before you and watch your beautiful dreams be shattered by my own hands!"

"How about it? The person you had high hopes for didn't follow your plan. Aren't you disappointed?"

Shui Shi's lips, which were partially obscured by her disheveled hair, curled slightly before quickly returning to their original shape. She parted a tangled strand of hair and looked at the emperor, showing no fear whatsoever of the emperor or death.

"I am indeed disappointed, but what can we do in life? There will always be some things that don't go as planned."

"Your Majesty has been the supreme ruler for half your life, haven't you understood one thing yet? Power cannot be concentrated in the royal family forever."

"Even if the Leng family is gone, there will still be the Zhang family, the Li family, the Wang family..."

"Your Majesty, you understand that it's either the East Wind prevailing over the West Wind, or the West Wind prevailing over the East Wind."

"The Leng clan has declined after the late emperor's purge. The Leng clan of today is nothing to fear."

The emperor, believing this to be a strategic retreat by the Shui clan, scoffed, "Shui clan, are you still indulging in wishful thinking?"

"Let me tell you, I have five princes. Even if I had to give up the fourth one, I still have four others to choose from. Even if your Leng family has declined, do you think I have to choose the fourth one just because of my maternal relatives?"

"I think you've been a concubine to Marquis Mu Qing for a long time, and you've probably forgotten that the girl you gave birth to is just a secondary wife of the fourth prince. If we're talking about maternal relatives, then it's the fourth prince's future principal wife."

It will never be your Leng family's turn!

"In truth, I should thank you for betrothing He Liu to the fourth prince. Otherwise, how could I have followed the clues and uncovered the spies that your Leng family had planted for so many years?"

Shui was not as hysterical as the emperor had imagined. She said indifferently, "I am just a woman. I have done my best for the Leng clan."

"As for whether it will ultimately succeed, that's up to fate. I won't force it."

Moreover, she is now imprisoned and cannot be forced to do so.

It was precisely this negative demeanor that greatly pleased the emperor.

The emperor suddenly became interested and asked, "Guess who I chose instead of the fourth prince?"

Shui said self-deprecatingly, "How could I, a mere woman, be worthy of participating in matters of state? Your Majesty is giving me far too much credit."

The emperor scoffed, "A mere woman? If you are an ordinary woman, then who is stirring up trouble in the shadows?"

"You really think the imperial prison I set up is just for show? My commander has already exposed you completely!"

"Do you expect me to recount all the evil deeds you've committed in secret, one by one, in front of you?"

You don't deserve it!

Shui remained silent, pondering how much of her background His Majesty actually knew.

These days, she has been arrested by Jiang Yulai and imprisoned in the imperial prison. Because she is a woman, they are afraid that they might accidentally kill her, even if they try to use any means necessary.

Therefore, those methods were all held back.

She managed to fool them with a mix of true and false information.

Although the Leng clan suffered another major blow after this incident, they still managed to preserve their most core assets.

Thinking of this, she looked up and said, "His Majesty is just trying to force me to guess what His Majesty's wise decision is."

"Then I'll guess."

"Third Prince?"

She immediately denied it, saying, "The Third Prince is no good. He looks shrewd, but he actually has a penchant for beautiful women."

I truly worry that if the empire falls into his hands, sooner or later this world will become his harem.

"Your Majesty is so wise; if you had chosen a ruler who would bring about the downfall of a country, there would have been quite a show to watch. It's a pity that my Leng clan has been repeatedly suppressed by the late emperor and Your Majesty."

Otherwise, when the time comes to contend for supremacy, the Leng family might very well get a share!

The emperor sneered, "Very well, do you think that all my sons are worthless?"

"Only your fourth son, who carries the blood of the Leng family, is completely without flaws?"

Shui's smile became strangely kind. "Your Majesty, please calm down."

“What you say is not entirely true. The Fourth Prince certainly has his shortcomings, but a ruler does not have to be like my brother-in-law who died young, who was outstanding in every way.”

"Isn't Your Majesty yourself an excellent example? As long as you can recognize and use people wisely, you can still safeguard this empire."