Shen Mingrong looked at her, his voice lowering slightly, and said, "I want to know, what exactly happened between you and His Majesty that caused you to fall out?"

She had a vague feeling that Ninth Sister's resolute decision to defy the world and divorce His Majesty was not a simple matter. Could it be just because of Liu Wenxin's betrayal?

In her view, people have mouths to speak to others, and even if Shen Mingzhuang was angry, he couldn't help but defend himself. Could there be a bigger reason behind this?

Shen Mingzhuang was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He looked at Shen Mingrong, opened his mouth, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

Why are you suddenly asking about this?

She felt that this was her own business. Although Shen Mingrong had a good relationship with her, if it was just out of curiosity, she would refuse to tell the truth to satisfy his curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingrong thought for a moment and said, "Ninth Sister, things have come to this point, and there are some things I don't want to hide from you anymore. I suspect that the Empress Dowager wants to..."

She didn't say what she was about to say, but both of them understood what she meant.

It was no secret that the Empress Dowager wanted to depose the emperor and install a new one; even Jiang Wang himself knew this. But who should be installed? Shen Mingzhuang suddenly felt a headache coming on as a fact she had almost forgotten came to mind.

"The Cold Palace!"

Shen Mingrong was startled by her reaction. He clutched his chest, took a couple of deep breaths, and then asked, "What cold palace?"

Shen Mingzhuang did not answer her immediately, and gradually calmed down.

"nothing."

She lowered her eyes, and the panic she had felt when she first thought of this matter had been suppressed.

How could she forget? She and Jiang Wang had nothing to do with each other anymore. Since that was the case, she should stay out of Jiang Wang's business.

Shen Mingrong was extremely anxious when he saw that she only said half of what she meant.

She looked at Shen Mingzhuang earnestly, her voice gentle and her expression devout, "Ninth Sister, I don't know what caused you and His Majesty to end up in this situation, but since you are unwilling to say, I will not ask. However, if the Empress Dowager really makes this happen, the world will inevitably be in chaos. The Empress Dowager's personal desires are too strong. If she plots to seize power, all the people in the world will be preyed upon by her, and the common people will suffer. Don't you really care at all?"

As Shen Mingzhuang listened, he slowly raised his head to look at Shen Mingrong, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips. "Mingrong, I'm not like you."

After she finished speaking, a cold glint appeared in her eyes again.

They're different? How are they different? "We are all children of Heaven, and even more so, family members. Should we deny everything just because we've lost faith in our parental love?"

Shen Mingrong still clung to a sliver of hope, trying to persuade Shen Mingzhuang, but Shen Mingzhuang didn't want to waste time on it. She simply said bluntly, "Mingrong, I don't have your magnanimity. I can't care about the country and the world. I just want to live a peaceful life now. The common people are the business of those in power. You and I are too weak to save the world and help the people."

Shen Mingrong was stunned, his lips twitching, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

To be honest, no one can expect others to have the same concern for the world as themselves. After all, some people simply can't take care of so many things. They can't even handle their own affairs properly, let alone be distracted by caring about the common people.

Shen Mingrong sighed softly, lowered his eyes, and took a sip of tea, seemingly pondering how to continue the conversation.

"Are you living a happy life in the Lu family?"

Shen Mingzhuang didn't want to continue dealing with this matter, so he took the initiative to change the subject.

Hearing her ask about his time at the Lu family, Shen Mingrong finally let out a sigh of relief, his voice becoming much lighter as he said, "I'm doing well at the Lu family."

Then, with a hint of self-deprecation, she said, "Sometimes it really is true that fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Sometimes it seems like you've reached a dead end and are in a complete mess, as if getting caught up in it will lead to eternal damnation. But when you actually experience it, it's like finding a way out of a dark abyss."

Hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang knew that Shen Mingrong must be living a very good life in the Lu family.

"When you reach the end of the road, a new path opens up..." Shen Mingzhuang murmured these words, feeling a surge of emotion within him.

She must have loved Jiang Wang very much before. In her memory, he was lonely, like a lone figure on a pyramid. She was vague about what she went through from initially resisting him to resolutely walking towards him, but she could deduce that she must have loved him very much before.

She thought it would be a sweet romance, and even though she was only his favorite concubine and not the empress, she was happy to accept it.

But fate played a cruel trick on her. She was wrong from the start, thinking she could possess the emperor through his favor, but she forgot that the emperor had three thousand concubines in the harem, and where were they now? As for the promises of men, they were like willow catkins in the wind, unable to withstand scrutiny.

"You seem to be in much better spirits than when you were at home. Are you still taking those medications you used to take?"

Shen Mingrong shook his head, his eyes glistening with a gentle light. "I've consulted several doctors, and they all say I don't need any more medicine. They just prescribe some tonics to help regulate my body. I've been here for a while now, but my body..."

Speaking of this, she blushed and looked at Shen Mingzhuang, saying, "That's not what I meant."

She couldn't help but feel guilty, wondering why she had to bring up such a sensitive topic. She knew that Ninth Sister had recently suffered a miscarriage, yet she still mentioned the matter of offspring in front of her.

Thinking of this, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. Could it be that because of the miscarriage, His Majesty felt she wasn't capable of bearing children for the royal family, which was why the two of them...

Shen Mingzhuang didn't take it to heart. It was just an act, and she never took it seriously. Jiang Wang probably made those remarks to reduce obstacles and help her secure her position as Consort Ming.

Just like now, he insisted on bestowing the title of Consort Shu upon Liu Wenxin despite all opposition. No one is particularly special; it all depends on whether Jiang Wang likes it or not.

"It's alright." She smiled, but a hint of regret flashed across her face. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. "I am the cause of your life, but you can't just stay silent because of this. The matter of having offspring is a big deal, and you still need to pay attention to it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingrong felt a slight sense of relief, and a smile returned to his face.

Thinking about what was happening in the palace, she decided to tell her about Liu Wenxin's situation.

“Ming’e was a bit reckless last time in the Hehuan Palace. Little did she know that things would be completely different after just three days. They are no longer the same as before. They were mistress and servant, but now the situation has been reversed. How could Liu Wenxin be willing to be controlled by her?”

Thinking of Liu Wenxin, a mocking smile appeared on Shen Mingzhuang's lips.

Shen Mingrong didn't mention it; she didn't even take this person seriously—Liu Yiniang's illegitimate daughter.