For those who don't believe in Buddhism and lack patience, picking up Buddha beans is a tiring and tedious task.

Pick the broad beans one by one from the basket into another container, reciting a Buddhist prayer each time you pick one.

After a day of picking beans, Su Yanwan felt sore and dizzy. Just as she was leaving, the old woman told her to come back the next day and finish picking all the beans from several baskets.

She then personally cooked the broad beans and distributed them to the widows and orphans in the charity hall, as a sign of the Empress's wish for them to accumulate blessings and longevity.

In other words, Su Yanwan did the deed, but the Empress gained the good reputation.

Su Yanwan was angry, but dared not express it. After returning home, she complained to her mother, Madam Su, in a low voice.

Madam Su dreamed of becoming the Crown Prince's mother-in-law. She comforted her daughter, "Her Majesty the Empress doesn't seem like a difficult person to talk to. Originally, with our family's background, it would have been quite difficult for you to become the Crown Princess."

The Crown Prince is fond of you, and Your Majesty is your mother. Although marriage is arranged by parents, most of the time a mother can't go against her son's wishes.

Especially since that son is the future emperor, I'm afraid the empress is unhappy and wants to take this opportunity to test you.

The more difficult the situation, the more you must endure humiliation and bear the burden. This will make the Crown Prince feel sorry for you, and he will value you even more in the future.

Su Yanwan had previously followed Ye Wantang and had heard Ye Wantang say many times how good the Empress was to her.

Thinking it over again, Ye Wantang was the legitimate daughter of a first-rank general, while she herself was merely the daughter of a vice minister, so she believed Madam Su's words.

The next day, she resigned herself to her fate and entered the palace. She spent another day picking Buddha beans. During this time, Xie Ting came to see her, but was stopped by the nanny guarding the door.

"Your Highness, picking Buddha beans requires sincerity and tranquility. Rest assured, Her Majesty is kind and will not make things difficult for Miss Su."

Xie Tingzhou was worried, so he went to Fengyi Palace in person. "Mother, could you let Miss Su rest tomorrow? She has a restless personality and I'm afraid she won't be able to sit still."

He pleaded for Su Yanwan.

The Empress, unwilling to have any grudge against her son, nodded, "Choosing another day today would be about right."

Xie Tingzhou then left, satisfied.

Prince Yun emerged from behind the screen. “Mother, has my elder brother, the Crown Prince, truly taken a liking to Su Yanwan? I think what Brother Ning said makes a lot of sense.”

He also felt that Su Yanwan was not good enough for the Crown Prince, so why would the Crown Prince like her?

Suspicion inevitably arose in his mind: "Could my elder brother, the Crown Prince, be faking it?"

The Empress's heart sank, and she asked, "Why do you think so?"

The Prince of Yun shook his head, "Your subject simply finds it unbelievable."

He looked down on Su Yanwan, while the Crown Prince always had high standards.

The Empress frowned, "I wish it were a lie, but have you ever seen him protect any woman before?"

These past two days, she has actually been collecting Buddha beans, which she really intends to send to the charity.

Picking up Buddha beans helped her calm her mind, and once she calmed down, she noticed the Crown Prince's unusual behavior.

She couldn't help but think of the person who instructed the Commander of the Martial Virtue Division to alter the imperial decree, changing the search for the Crown Prince to the assassination of him.

Of all the people who hunted down the Crown Prince back then, only this one remains undiscovered. With such a powerful figure behind him, how could the Crown Prince possibly let him go without finding him?

She suspected that the Crown Prince's unusual behavior was related to that matter, although she still couldn't figure out why Su Yanwan had to be involved.

However, the second son, who has been confined to his residence and has been coming to the palace every day for the past few days, has just questioned the Crown Prince's authenticity, making the Empress think twice.

If you have nothing to hide, why question the crown prince? There's no logic to men liking women; no one says a good man must like a good woman.

Why did he... have to suspect that his brother was pretending to like a woman?

The Empress felt a tightness in her chest. "Yun'er, you should go back first. Your mother should think carefully about your brother's marriage."

Seeing her clutching her chest, the Prince of Yun said worriedly, "I will fetch a female physician for you."

"No need, Mother is fine, she just wants some peace and quiet."

The Prince of Yun assumed that she was genuinely troubled by the Crown Prince's marriage, so he instructed the palace servants to take good care of the Empress before leaving the palace.

On the third day, the Empress summoned Su Yanwan to the palace again, this time to cook Buddha beans.

Su Yanwan had never cooked before. She burned her hand, which was a small blister the size of a fingernail. But wanting to make the Crown Prince feel sorry for her, she pretended to faint on the ground.

Her maidservant went to the East Palace in tears.

Xie Tingzhou went to Fengyi Palace with a gloomy face. "Mother, do you dislike Miss Su and are you deliberately making things difficult for her?"

His questioning tone saddened the Empress, but Xie Tingzhou wasn't finished. "Mother, you have truly disappointed me."

Prince Ning, who had come with Helian Qing, was furious when he heard him speak to the Empress in that manner.

“How can you be so disrespectful to the Empress Dowager? You should apologize to her.”

He felt very sorry for the Empress when he saw that she was pale and looked pained.

Seeing the Empress's expression, Xie Tingzhou also began to reflect on whether he had overacted.

Then Su Yanwan, looking aggrieved and frail, was helped over by a maid. "Your Highness, the Empress did not do it on purpose. Yanwan is alright. It was just that Yanwan was careless."

His tone was pitiful, as if he had been bullied by the Empress.

Prince Ning loved the Empress most and couldn't stand her like this, so he roared, "Get out of the way, don't cause trouble here."

He said he was fine, but his words still implied criticism of his mother.

Xie Tingzhou frowned and scolded him, "You mustn't be rude to Miss Su."

Prince Ning laughed in exasperation, and asked Helian Qing, somewhat speechless, "Was I being unreasonable?"

Helian Qing, who never misses a chance to stir up trouble, shook his head and said, "No, she deliberately came to sow discord between the Crown Prince and the Empress."

With his good friend's affirmation, Prince Ning became even more determined and said, "I will not concern myself with this woman's matter for now. You should apologize to the Empress Dowager first, or I will really beat you up."

"Ning'er, you must not be rude to the Crown Prince."

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