"How can you be so sure this plan will be foolproof?" Chi Yan sat on the couch, propping his chin up and tilting his head. "What if she confronts Consort Li directly? Wouldn't that expose the scheme?"

Shen Tangning's lips curled slightly: "Yun An has been a princess for more than ten years, enjoying all the riches and honors. It can be said that everything has gone smoothly for her. Suddenly, she finds out that she actually stole all of this. Do you think she dares to confront her?"

She dared not. As long as things didn't fall apart, she could pretend she didn't know and enjoy everything with a clear conscience. But once the truth came out, everything she had could disappear, and she couldn't afford to take that risk!

"Consort Li has just experienced the pain of losing her son. From being a favored concubine to being banished to the Cold Palace and ignored by everyone, this is a huge blow to her. Under such circumstances, how could she have the mind to care about Yun'an?"

As a result, it was almost inevitable that a rift would develop between the mother and daughter.

Chi Yan looked thoughtful: "But His Majesty is not someone who can be easily fooled. Without concrete evidence, how can he believe that Yun An is not his daughter?"

“Yun An has already planted the seed of doubt in her heart, so she will inevitably take action next, either trying to investigate the truth or letting this secret remain hidden forever.”

If she takes any action, it will confirm her guilty conscience.

Shen Tangning's lips curled into a faint chill. "His Majesty is a suspicious man, and when it comes to matters of the royal bloodline, he cannot tolerate the slightest confusion. To have survived in the palace for so many years, Consort Li's hands may not be clean. If one is determined to investigate, one will surely find something."

For example, one year a palace maid was secretly executed, and another day a pregnant concubine was tricked into miscarrying...

These things might have been trivial when the two were deeply in love, but now that there's a rift between them, even the smallest things can turn into a thorn in their hearts.

She specifically asked the eldest daughter-in-law to use her connections in the palace so that these messages would be intentionally or unintentionally delivered to Emperor Chongde's desk.

Once His Majesty becomes suspicious, the truth will not matter; what matters is how to cover up this royal scandal and how to quell his anger at being deceived.

Just look at Jiang Zhijing's example, and it becomes clear.

If this doesn't shake Yun'an's position, it doesn't matter. She has one more move that will ensure she can never recover.

With a frosty look in her eyes, Shen Tangning's eyes curved slightly.

She said she would make Yun'an pay the price, so it certainly wouldn't be a small matter.

They could have kept to themselves, but since the other party provoked them, they might as well pay with their lives!

——

"Have you found out for sure that Mother Consort executed a palace maid back then?" Yun An slumped into a chair, dejected. Her suspicions had been confirmed, and any sliver of hope she had held onto vanished instantly.

After much thought, she decided to investigate secretly, since if this had really happened, there would always be some clues.

With Yan Mingyi's prior arrangements, everything she found was naturally what she wanted Yan Mingyi to find.

Cailian bit her lip, her face pale: "This servant asked the old servants who served in Your Highness's palace, so there shouldn't be any mistake, and the time also roughly matches the time when the princess was born."

Yun An's expression shifted unpredictably. Why execute a palace maid at this particular time?

The only option left was to kill her to silence her. This was a method her mother often used. She had never taken it seriously before, but now she was terrified!

So, does that mean she really isn't her mother's daughter?

The thought that her biological parents might be lowly people whom she had always looked down upon sent chills down Yun An’s spine!

How could such an absurd thing happen to her?

Yun An remained silent for a long time, his eyes growing increasingly cold.

Cailian noticed the gaze fixed on her, her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly knelt down and crawled over: "Princess, I have served you for many years and have been loyal to you. I swear I will not divulge a single word!"

Yun An's expression was gloomy, and he was weighing his options in his mind: