Shen Wangshu naturally didn't care whether he would kill Emperor Hui, but hesitantly asked, "Why don't you ascend the throne?"

Ah Xuan wielded more power than the emperor. If that was the case, why didn't he become emperor himself, so that he could be legitimate and avoid being poisoned by jealous people? Shen Wangshu didn't care whether she could become empress, but she cared about Ah Xuan's safety. Seeing him raise an eyebrow and smile at her, handsome and carefree, she scolded, "This is for you. Otherwise, who knows if one day it will be another bowl of arsenic?" Consort He still wanted to poison Ah Xuan, which made her furious.

"Even if I depose him, I still can't ascend the throne myself." Ah Xuan was extremely rational, clearly having considered this disastrous problem before. He lowered his voice and said, "Everyone is eyeing the throne. It's one thing for me to monopolize the court as the regent, but if I dare to depose the emperor and establish myself, those self-proclaimed members of the imperial clan will immediately shout that I am a traitor and deserve to be killed by everyone. They will use the banner of avenging the late emperor to drive me to my death, and then they will want to become emperor themselves."

Rather than being a stepping stone for others, it's better to focus on the present. Besides, Ah Xuan has no interest in becoming emperor. Back when he hadn't met Shen Wangshu, he wouldn't have even wanted to start a family.

He thought back to how he had never been interested in women, and lowered his eyes.

What's the point of becoming emperor if you have no wife and no children?

...The regent had refused to marry for many years and had no well-known female confidantes, leading many courtiers to feel that they "understood" the situation.

They presented the regent with many handsome young men.

Of course... we shouldn't tell the Imperial Concubine about this. Ah Xuan didn't want those handsome young men, and later it was rumored that the Regent didn't like handsome young men, but preferred handsome older men.

Haven't you seen so-and-so, who was exceptionally handsome and praised for his scholarship, now a vice minister in some department? And so-and-so, who, because of his refined and gentle appearance, has gained the favor of the regent and thus enjoyed a smooth official career? Ah Xuan didn't think much of it then, feeling it had nothing to do with him, but now, thinking about it, he felt a cold sweat run down his back, and tried to look at Shen Wangshu with deep affection.

He no longer cared about any rigid rules.

Shen Wangshu felt a chill run down his spine from looking into those dark eyes. He couldn't understand why asking about the coronation made Ah Xuan stare at him so blankly.

She looked down at herself and, finding nothing wrong, became somewhat puzzled.

"If there are any rumors in the future, never believe them," Ah Xuan earnestly instructed his beloved, clearly his heart had already wandered off to somewhere else.

Shen Wangshu was both amused and exasperated. Unable to understand, she stopped thinking about it. She was talking to Ah Xuan about how they had packed up many pearls and treasures in the palace and that they would be very wealthy in the future when they heard a greeting from outside. Then, Emperor Hui, who looked like he had just recovered from a serious illness, entered the room with two eunuchs.

He was listless and somewhat troubled, but when he looked up, he saw Ah Xuan sitting opposite Shen Wangshu, their hands clasped together. The Consort was stunningly beautiful, and Ah Xuan was handsome and dashing; the two were so intimately together that the beautiful scene stung Emperor Hui's eyes.

His eyes immediately turned red, and he glared at Ah Xuan with hatred.

Ah Xuan glanced at him indifferently, but did not let go of Shen Wangshu's hand.

In the face of this man who had hurt Shen Wangshu, only Shen Wangshu was willing to let go; he would never be the one to give up first.

"You, you've gone too far!" Anyone would be furious to discover that a woman had cheated on them in their own backyard. Emperor Hui's eyes were red as he shouted angrily, "This is outrageous!"

"The ministers have already discussed with His Majesty the matter of the Imperial Concubine leaving the palace, and have already made it clear that the Imperial Concubine has not wronged His Majesty. I do not understand His Majesty's words." Ah Xuan's words were cold, yet contained a hint of inexplicable hatred.

Emperor Hui treated Consort Gui poorly, so he made her change her mind and put her heart into Ah Xuan. Ah Xuan should have been grateful to Emperor Hui for his kindness, but for some reason, whenever Ah Xuan thought about how painful it was for her beloved to go through the difficult time of discovering that Emperor Hui had betrayed, deceived, and hurt her, she would feel extreme hatred in her heart.

He cherished this precious treasure, yet Emperor Hui treated it so cruelly, which was making him lose his temper. Ah Xuan narrowed his eyes, looking at Emperor Hui's face, which seemed to have suddenly realized his mistake.

"I heard that His Majesty has compromised," Ah Xuan said with a hint of disgust.

The previous dynasty's influence was too great, and Emperor Hui could not withstand the pressure even after refusing twice. He vaguely agreed to let the imperial concubine leave the palace.

Ah Xuan didn't want to know how many of these "unavoidable" circumstances existed; she only knew that the cowardly Emperor Hui was not worthy of her.

"It's just a matter of careful consideration." Emperor Hui has always been good at this. Isn't there Consort He quietly watching over things ahead of him?

He hated Ah Xuan for exposing his weakness and incompetence. Seeing that Shen Wangshu didn't even glance at him, his eyes reddened, but he quickly held back and whispered to Shen Wangshu, "Even if you leave the palace, I will still bring you back in the future!" He glared at Ah Xuan with hatred, stamped his foot, and could no longer bear to see the two of them becoming more and more intimate. He quickly turned around and left.

He had been carrying a deep hatred for Ah Xuan all the way, and when he passed through the Imperial Garden, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He narrowed his eyes, as if he had thought of something, and turned to go to Consort He's palace.

Consort He's palace became increasingly deserted, almost deathly quiet.

Ah Xuan stole several of her trusted servants, leaving her with only the most loyal one, but Consort He was already in a very difficult situation.

With fewer palace servants, the daily service was already routine, and now there was even less work to do. On one occasion, Consort He even boiled water for herself.

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