The Prince of Yan tilted his masked face slightly, narrowed his eyes, and scrutinized her, saying in a nonchalant tone, "Female Physician Yao, you are indeed a person of courage."

Yao Shiyu gave a slight curtsy and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Father."

I've come here specifically to tell my father something: Princess Anrou's plan has failed. Xie Yizhi has found Liuyun Pavilion and rescued Jiang Luoluo.

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Yan paused in striking the wooden fish, then his eyes darkened, and his voice revealed a hint of suppressed anger: "Useless."

He tapped the wooden fish impatiently and said slowly, "Then, in Dr. Yao's opinion, how should we handle this?"

Yao Shiyu sneered inwardly, knowing that he was testing her.

She had thoroughly understood the Prince of Yan in her previous life. He could even use his own flesh and blood as a pawn, let alone now that his plan had been exposed and the pawn was useless, he would naturally discard it.

Yao Shiyu pretended to ponder for a moment, then bowed her head respectfully and replied, "Liuyun Pavilion has been exposed. Given Xie Yizhi's protective nature, he will not let this go easily. Someone must step forward to take the blame."

The Prince of Yan finally stopped striking the wooden fish in his hand and looked at Yao Shiyu with a deep gaze.

This daughter-in-law actually has some courage and shrewdness, making her much more useful than Madam Gu.

However, the next moment, he suddenly snorted coldly and shouted sharply, "Insolence! Lu Anrou is my daughter, how can she lose her life because of me!"

Yao Shiyu scoffed inwardly, but on the surface she appeared frightened, lowering her head slightly and trembling as if she were in a state of fear and unease.

She knew perfectly well that the Prince of Yan was best at saying one thing and doing another.

In his past life, he used any means necessary to ascend the throne, and even his own flesh and blood were nothing more than pawns in his game.

In his previous life, he used the excuse that Yao Shiyu had killed Gu Boyuan to have Yao Shiyu riddled with arrows.

Yao Shiyu knew that since she knew so many of his secrets, he would kill her to silence her sooner or later.

Making himself empress was merely a temporary measure.

Hearing that the Prince of Yan had lost his temper, Yao Shiyu cautiously followed his words and said, "Father, you fought alongside the late emperor on the battlefield, risking your life countless times, before you were granted the fiefdom of Jiaozhou and the title of Prince of Yan."

But once the late emperor gained power, in order to ensure his son's smooth ascension to the throne, he drastically reduced the power of the princes, even going so far as to threaten your life.

She paused, then spoke with even greater earnestness: "How can there be such a thing? You are a founding hero of the Great Qi Dynasty. When the late emperor needed you, he treated you as an honored guest, but when he didn't, he would cut off your head."

Why is it that the Xie family can hold the position of supreme ruler, but his father cannot?

In my opinion, Father, you are the most suitable person for that position.

The sacrifices made by everyone today are paving the way to that position; their sacrifices will forever remain in your heart and will not have been in vain.

She spoke each word with great emotion, and even her eyes showed a hint of reverence.

Yao Shiyu was certain that the Prince of Yan would be moved.

He was a ruthless man, yet extremely vain. He gave himself the Buddhist name Yikong, but every day he would carry a broken wooden fish and put on airs at Yuanhua Temple.

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Where in his heart has he ever felt empty? He has probably been filled with the word "throne" for a long time, day and night, in his dreams and out of his sleep, with dreams of becoming an emperor.

The Prince of Yan seemed to be savoring Yao Shiyu's words. He slowly rose from the prayer mat, stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the Buddhist hall, and looked up at the majestic and solemn Buddha statue.

The flickering candlelight made the golden statue shine brightly, like a god looking down upon all living beings.

After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, turned to look at Yao Shiyu, and said in a low voice, but with a hint of deep meaning: "With you by my side, Boyuan, I am at ease."

"I'll leave the cleanup to you."

Having received the Prince of Yan's approval, Yao Shiyu felt a slight tightness in her heart, followed by a surge of secret joy.

At this moment, she finally found a true backer. As long as this matter is handled well.

The Prince of Yan will surely treat her differently, and her position will only become more and more secure in the future.

She dared not show the slightest hint of pride, lowered her head and said in a calm voice, "Yes, Father, your daughter-in-law will certainly live up to your expectations."

Yao Shiyu quickly left Yuanhua Temple and arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Her personal maid had been waiting by the carriage for a long time. The cold wind was biting, and her hands were red from the cold, making her steps stiff.

She secretly observed her young mistress and noticed that Yao Shiyu's aura had completely changed since she came out of the temple.

A hint of smugness flickered in his eyes, as if victory was already assured.

Meanwhile, inside Yuanhua Temple, the Prince of Yan knelt back on the prayer mat, clasped his hands together, and devoutly bowed to the Buddha statue.

He slowly uttered, "Amitabha, may the Buddha have mercy and bless me to ascend to the throne soon, and protect the people of the Great Qi for peace and well-being."

The candlelight flickered, casting a golden glow, but his gaze was unfathomable; even Buddha would probably have to look at him for a long time to discern his true thoughts.

Yao Shiyu and her servant rode their carriage at full speed towards the city, passing through East Street.

Yao Shiyu suddenly spotted the pastry shop that Madam Gu frequented, her eyes flickered, and she instructed, "Go buy some pastries."

The maidservant got out of the carriage as instructed and walked quickly toward the shop, where she happened to see Mo Yang buying snacks.

She recognized him as someone from the Prince Yi's residence. A thought flashed through her mind, and she deliberately took advantage of the bustling crowd to bump into him, knocking the pastries in Mo Yang's hands to the ground.

Mo Yang frowned slightly, but then he saw the little maid quickly squat down and whisper a few words in his ear while picking up the pastries.

A hint of surprise flashed in Mo Yang's eyes, but he remained expressionless. He bought a new bag of pastries, then turned and left with them.

After the maidservant had waited in line for a while to buy some pastries and returned to the carriage, she was severely reprimanded by Yao Shiyu. She lowered her head and apologized repeatedly, her expression submissive, as if she had already gotten used to it.

Yao Shiyu was always capricious, and she would beat and kick the only maidservant by her side, but the maidservant always swallowed her anger and endured the scolding.

Yao Shiyu was in a great mood today and didn't bother to argue.

After all, she has now found the Prince of Yan as her backer, and she will no longer have to act according to the whims of others.

As for Madam Gu, she is the white moonlight in Prince Yan's heart, and he must treat her well now and never offend her in the slightest.

Mo Yang rode back to Prince Yi's mansion at full speed and told Jiang Luoluo everything the little maid had told him.

"Be careful of Yao Shiyu, she went to Yuanhua Temple."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Luoluo's expression shifted slightly.

She remembered that the little maid was the same one Lu Anrou and Yao Shiyu had conspired with to frame Jiang Luoluo at Yuanhua Temple, but failed and was pushed out by Yao Shiyu to take the blame.

At that time, Jiang Luoluo couldn't bear it, so she specially asked the wife of the Minister of Works to rescue her from Empress Dowager Du.

In retrospect, this maidservant can be considered to have been grateful for kindness.

"She's a very loyal and affectionate girl," Jiang Luoluo said with a smile, handing the pastries to Xiao Lingchuan.