Yan Nangui still smiled: "But you all want the emperor's favor, yet none of you put in any effort for him. Aren't you stupid?"

"You drag me down today, but someone else will do it tomorrow. When has the harem ever lacked beauties? When has it ever lacked talented women?"

“I was able to climb up step by step because I always knew that my opponent was not you. My opponent was the Emperor. You are right, it’s impossible for people in the harem to be clean. It’s even more impossible for them not to fight. But from beginning to end, I only fought against the Emperor. It was never you.”

Murong was stunned. She looked at Yan Nangui and didn't know what to say for a long time.

"But isn't that how women in the harem are? They do their best, just to outdo other women, just to get His Majesty's attention." Murong Shi really didn't understand.

"Is that so? You dress beautifully, speak eloquently, and can be a confidante. And then a man will look up to you and dote on you for life? You live just to have His Majesty look at you and cherish you? All your efforts are only to please one man, yet you never put any effort into that man?"

"How pathetic, having to sell yourself to someone of higher value. There are so many confidantes and beauties in the harem, one after another. Can you possibly get rid of them all?"

"Being in the harem has its share of helplessness, but don't think of yourself as someone who can be obtained just by paying a price. That's too cheap and worthless."

“I consider myself unique, and I want the emperor to consider me unique as well. He is someone who cannot be bought or taken away. I lived well when I couldn’t have children because the emperor thought I was worthy. I still lived well after I gave birth to a daughter because the emperor thought I was capable. I dared to interfere in the affairs of all the princes because I had no princes and had no selfish motives.”

“You would be selfless? I don’t believe it!” Murong said.

"Yes, you don't believe it. You all don't believe it, but His Majesty does," Yan Nangui sneered.

"You see, as long as His Majesty believes it, what else matters?"

"Yan Nangui, you've schemed against His Majesty! He won't let you get away with this!" Murong shouted.

“How could His Majesty not know that I’m scheming against him? I’m just trying to scheme against him. With so many people in the harem, how could he see me if I didn’t scheme against him? But even though I’ve schemed against him so much, I haven’t harmed any of his concubines or his children. Am I not kind?” Yan Nangui asked with a smile.

"You...you..."

“You are a dying man. I didn’t come here to tell you this. Before you plotted against me, I already said that I had high hopes for the Third Prince.” Yan Nangui stood up.

"I even want to support him to become the crown prince, you know that, I'm telling the truth." Yan Nangui smiled happily.

"But look at you, you guys are really impatient."

"You..." Murong was shocked and took a step back: "Are you telling the truth? I...I..."

"However, that's impossible now. Since you've done something wrong, you have to bear the consequences. You've lost the opportunity His Majesty gave you. You've lost your son too. Do you think I'll support a prince who harbors ill will towards me?"

"What are you doing? His Majesty won't stand by and watch you harm the prince!" Murong was shocked.

“No, I won’t harm him. It’s just that I don’t think he has the talent to be the crown prince.” Yan Nangui took a few steps closer and pinched Murong’s chin: “You know, from the beginning of the manor, I didn’t like you. At that time, it was just a simple dislike, our personalities didn’t match. But you see, how good my judgment is. Sure enough, you and I are not on the same path.”

"Don't worry, just don't starve yourself. His Majesty won't order you to die now. He'll wait until next year, after your son gets married. If you don't want to harm him, you'll have to observe three years of mourning, so just live well."

Yan Nangui let go, saying, "I'm leaving now. This may be the last time we meet. Let's meet again in the next life."

"No, come back, come back!" Murong suddenly went crazy and tried to grab her, but she couldn't get out.

After leaving Yujing Palace, Yan Nangui went to Beichen Hall.

Meanwhile, the Third Prince also learned that the Imperial Concubine had just visited Yujing Palace.

He was still young and couldn't keep his composure. When he heard that the Imperial Concubine had gone to the Beichen Palace, he rushed there as well.

Although he was afraid of displeasing his father, he really had no choice but to watch his mother be imprisoned.

Besides, he's not stupid; he's probably already thinking about some bad things.

So, just as Yan Nangui sat down, a report came from outside that the Third Prince was requesting an audience.

Shu Chengfeng frowned: "Tell him to go back."

Yun Ji said, "The Third Prince insists on seeing His Majesty and is kneeling down now."

Yan Nangui stood up: "I'll go take a look. Is Your Majesty reassured?"

"Go ahead," Shu Chengfeng waved his hand.

Yan Nangui smiled at him and walked away.

At the entrance of Beichen Palace, Yan Nangui looked at the Third Prince kneeling there. The Third Prince had indeed grown up.

It was the time when he was growing taller and thinner.

"May Mother Consort Chen be well," the Third Prince said softly.

"Your father does not wish to see you at this time."

"Is it Father Emperor who doesn't want to see, or Consort Chen who doesn't want to see?" The Third Prince's heart was in turmoil, and he couldn't hold back his words.

“When I have nothing to do, I certainly don’t want to see you, because there’s no need,” Yan Nangui said bluntly.

"...What exactly happened to my mother? Even if she has made a mistake, does that mean we, mother and son, are not allowed to see each other from now on?" The Third Prince looked up.

Yan Nangui looked down at him: "And then what?"

"Begging your father to forgive her? Even if you weren't involved, don't you know what she did? What did you choose? To have her demoted to a commoner and sent to the Suning Palace. And then you, and your maternal clan, the Murong family, would be implicated?"

"How could it be... how... there must be a misunderstanding. I beg Father to investigate thoroughly." The Third Prince's words were less firm, but he still addressed the audience in the hall.

"Third Prince, today I am the one speaking to you. It can be pretended not to have been said. But if His Majesty were to speak to you, the words of the Son of Heaven would not be casual remarks. A thorough investigation would be ordered. What crime is it to practice witchcraft in the palace? What crime is it to murder a prince? What crime is it to murder a high-ranking concubine? What crime is it to frame the Empress Dowager?" Yan Nangui asked calmly.

"Impossible! No, my mother wouldn't do such a thing!" the Third Prince said urgently.

“Third Prince. If we don’t make a scene, it won’t happen. But if we do, every single one of these things will become real.” Yan Nangui smiled at him. “What do you choose?”

"How could you...you..." The Third Prince glared angrily at Yan Nangui.

"Third Prince, go back. Your father doesn't have many sons, but he still dotes on you." After saying this, Yan Nangui smiled gently at him and turned to go inside.

After taking only a few steps inside, Jiangxiang said, "He's gone."

The wild geese, returning south, raise their heads and walk back inside.

"Did Your Majesty hear that?"

Shu Chengfeng didn't speak, he just shook his head slightly.