She felt extremely comfortable at that moment, her eyes slightly closed. Unconsciously, she let go of her usual airs, and without using "I am the Empress," she became much more approachable.

Upon hearing this, Manhuan's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Your Majesty, this servant will not leave. This servant will serve Your Majesty for the rest of my life. This servant will not marry."

Hearing the slightly aggrieved voice, Shen Mingzhuang slowly opened her eyes, her eyes glistening with tears. She was also reluctant to part with Manhuan.

You see, in the original story, the only person the original owner could trust was Man Huan, but Man Huan did not have a good ending. In this life, she could not let Man Huan suffer the same fate. No matter what, she could not let this girl down.

It's even more impossible for him to make things convenient for himself by wronging Manhuan, keeping her by his side for the rest of his life, and preventing her from ever living a life of her own.

"Silly girl, are you going to spend your whole life with me? You're a perfectly good person, and I can't hold you back for the rest of your life. If you can't live your own good life, I'm afraid I'll never have peace of mind."

Manhuan had not expected her master to say such earnest and heartfelt words to her.

In her view, she had only served her mistress for many years, following her from her boudoir to the palace, from the clouds to the mud. The only thing she had done was never waver in her stance, but she had not brought anything to her mistress. She felt that she had only done what a maid should do.

But her master was so devoted to her, and she still felt guilty.

"Your Majesty."

Suppressing the urge to cry, Manhuan grinned, "But I want to take care of Your Majesty for the rest of my life. Your Majesty hasn't had anyone you can trust all these years. I'm afraid that after I'm gone, the people around Your Majesty will..."

As she spoke, she felt it was inappropriate and hesitated, not finishing the second half of her sentence.

She still hoped that her mistress would have more loyal people around her, and did not want to say anything bad that would make the Empress feel that she had no one to rely on.

Shen Mingzhuang saw through her meaning and sighed with a smile, "Alright, just listen to me. As for the servants, as long as they are dutiful, that's fine. If they are not dutiful, just drag them out and execute them. Everything is governed by palace rules, so just follow the rules. But you can't let these things delay you."

Then, smiling, she gently wiped away the floral dew that Man Huan had placed on the back of her hand. "If you don't have someone you like, we're not in a hurry. But I still hope that the person who leaves my side has the courage that ordinary women don't have. Your parents are getting old now, and they've been hiding for us for many years. If you can find your ideal husband, you can take him back to see her in the future. That way, all her hard work over the years won't have been in vain."

"As for me, you came from my side. If you want to come to the palace to see me, just send your invitation. By the way, when you get married, I will ask you for a favor. Don't worry about that. When you want to enter the palace, just do it like any other noblewoman."

As Manhuan listened, tears streamed down her face.

She looked at Shen Mingzhuang, covered her face, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Shen Mingzhuang was also affected by her emotions and felt a pang of sadness in his heart, but he forced a smile and said, "We're just joking now, why are you crying? Okay, stop crying, you silly girl."

...

For the next few days, Jiang Xuan came to Jiaofang Palace, while Jiang Wang, who seemed to be busy with something, hadn't been to Jiaofang Palace for a long time.

Shen Mingzhuang, besides spending time with his son, was also trying to find the child that Yin Rong had hidden away. He didn't have time to care whether Jiang Wang came or not.

Man Huan, on the contrary, was a little anxious. Her mistress and the Emperor had only recently reconciled, so why were they going back to their own things? She was really worried that her mistress would be wronged. But the Emperor was not worried, while the eunuch was. Shen Mingzhuang did not take it to heart at all. Her son accompanied her to meals every day, and with the little guy around to keep her entertained, she did not feel lonely.

Thinking about how Song Yi later successfully usurped the throne, yet no one ever called him a traitor, she suddenly thought of a possibility: could it be that Song Yi ascended to the throne under the name of the young prince who was hidden by Yin Rong?

He was forced to take on this important responsibility, rather than being a usurper. With military power in hand, his ascension to the throne became a natural progression.

She decided that she should meet with Song Yi as soon as possible to find out the truth. If it was really as she guessed, then she would have to make plans early.

Jiang Xuan had already finished a bowl of rice, but seeing that his mother had eaten very little, he thought that his father hadn't come to Jiaofang Palace much these days, and assumed that his mother was sad about this matter. So, in a very manly manner, he said to his mother, "Mother, don't be sad. If Father doesn't come, I will. Jiaofang Palace won't miss him."

Shen Mingzhuang was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. He wondered where this little rascal had learned it from. Despite being strictly groomed by Jiang Wang as the future successor, he always managed to say something nonsensical.

"Alright, then thank you very much, Xuan'er. Your mother is not angry with your father. Your father has official duties to attend to, and important matters cannot be neglected. You should study hard and be careful that your father doesn't come to test your studies when he has free time."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan said with dissatisfaction, "Mother is wrong. No matter how busy you are, you shouldn't neglect your mother. Father is wrong."

The servants in the Jiaofang Palace dared not utter a sound. In the entire palace, only this Crown Prince dared to speak so frankly about His Majesty's faults. If anyone else had said these words, they would have been beheaded even if they had ten heads!

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