After provoking the holy maiden of Miao territory, she was infected with a love curse.

Night was falling.

Lanterns lit up the imperial city.

Every household is filled with joy and happiness.

"Your Highness, did you call me?"

A woman, lifting the hem of her skirt, stepped into Zhao Huining's study and gestured for the maidservant beside her to leave.

The door creaked shut.

The hall was brightly lit by candlelight. Zhao Huining put down her slender brush, looked up at the woman, and smiled faintly.

"Ah Shuang, we've known each other for so many years, why be so polite?"

Despite His Highness's words, Shen Shuang remained composed and unhurried. She sat down with utmost restraint, looking at the haphazardly arranged bouquet of flowers His Highness had placed beside him, and made up her mind.

This flower branch was probably picked for Your Highness by the woman you cherish. Otherwise, given Your Highness's temper, it would be a miracle if such an ugly flower wasn't thrown out.

The eldest princess has not yet chosen a husband, while the emperor and empress have already given birth to a daughter.

There had long been speculation in the capital that His Highness had a penchant for mirror polishing and a fondness for women.

Rumors are just rumors, but no one has ever seen His Highness or Princess Wang bring a woman back to the palace, so the rumors are even more unfounded.

Now... it's confirmed.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhao Huining stopped trying to intimidate her.

He said sincerely, "Ah Shuang, I did call you here because there's something I need to discuss."

When you see His Highness, speak frankly and openly.

Shen Shuang finally breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face, no longer as reserved as before.

One doesn't visit the temple without a reason.

But as long as His Highness tells the truth, she's fine; she's always been timid and easily frightened.

Zhao Huining: "Prince Rui will be coming to the capital soon. I think he will send someone to your father's residence. A-Shuang, you should persuade your father to meet with Prince Rui's men without anyone noticing."

Shen Shuang's father wielded great power, and the ambitious Prince Rui naturally wanted to win over this general who had not yet fully aligned himself with any side and still had a chance to be won over.

Upon hearing His Highness's words, Shen Shuang looked puzzled.

"Your Highness, have you made up your mind to support Prince Rui's ascension to the throne?"

The current emperor is the prince's own younger brother, and Shen Shuang couldn't understand why the prince didn't trust the emperor and instead tried to win over Prince Rui, who had been staying in his fiefdom for years and whose attitude towards the prince was rather indifferent.

Although His Majesty is suspicious of His Highness, he ultimately cares about the people's opinion of his actions and would certainly not do anything excessive to His Highness at this critical juncture.

That would be incredibly stupid.

Zhao Huining shook her head. Her gaze fell on the flowers that Jia Wan had brought her today. She reached out and picked one out.

With her fingers gently caressing the delicate petals, Zhao Huining lowered her eyes, thinking of how Jiawan had been worried and hadn't slept all night when the emperor summoned her to the palace not long ago.

When she returned, she saw Jiawan curled up on the bed, looking pitiful and heartbreaking.

When she tiptoed to lie down next to Jiawan, Jiawan opened her eyes and hurriedly snuggled into her arms, repeatedly asking the emperor if Xiao Deng had done anything excessive to Zhao Huining.

Ah Shui's imagination ran wild, thinking all sorts of nonsense. Of course, the Emperor's order for the eunuchs to drag her away and throw her into prison was untrue.

He still has some sense of shame after all.

I don't want to be a cold-blooded emperor who is despised by everyone in the world, even nobles and upright families, for killing his own compatriots.

But he was also greedy.

A barrage of criticism and threats.

Everything I could say just came out.

Zhao Huining listened quietly without saying anything, like a pine tree, unafraid of the storm and the bending of its branches.

Finally, seeing his elder sister's calm and composed demeanor, Zhao Yuan gripped the prayer beads in his hand and sneered.

"Elder sister, I know that in your eyes I am just a useless burden, but elder sister... I, this useless burden, know that you have someone you love in your household."

"If you, elder sister, do not wish for that girl to be subjected to the most severe punishment by me, hung upside down in the water dungeon, never to see the light of day again."

"Elder sister, you should obediently listen to me and be my good older sister."

With just a few words, Zhao Yuan had already paved a path full of thorns for Jia Wan's future, with the aim of using this weakness to restrain his elder sister's wicked intentions.

But he never expected that Zhao Huining, who originally didn't intend to kick him off the throne so quickly, would actually have murderous intent.

Since becoming emperor, Zhao Yuan, who had always been hiding behind her, has somehow become a foolish ruler blinded by the sins of killing.

Zhao Huining repeatedly made concessions, but he was ultimately unwilling to let go of any of the important people around her. Zhao Huining didn't care about life or death.

If she were truly a coward who feared death, she wouldn't have agreed to Zhao Yuan's request to go to Miao territory to investigate whether the Gu King and Chi You's divine blood truly existed.

Thinking back to that night when Zhao Yuan sent people to kidnap Jia Wan, but mistakenly identified Sang Che, who was imprisoned by her, as Jia Wan.

They were ruthless and killed.

Zhao Huining had no intention of waiting idly by. She wanted to provoke a conflict, to strike first, and to let her brother know that she was someone he could bully at will.

She promised to give Jiawan a peaceful place in the capital, and she would never break her promise.

With the petals moist and warm against her fingertips, Zhao Huining spoke to Shen Shuang: "When the crane and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

"Ah Shuang, even the fisherman who sits there fishing and observes the situation should put some bait in."

...

The servant guarding outside the courtyard had beads of cold sweat on his forehead, but he didn't dare to reach out and wipe them away.

He simply bowed and pleaded, "Miss, His Highness has ordered me to guard this place and not allow anyone to enter."

"I hope you will understand, young lady. This is His Highness's order, and I am truly at a loss to fulfill it."

Despite being stopped at the door, Jiawan persisted. She stretched out her finger, and a small red spider landed on the back of her hand, baring its fangs and claws at the gatekeeper.

Upon seeing the spider, the servant turned pale with fright, his body instinctively staggering back two steps before crashing into the wall.

"My sweetheart, come back."

"Just scare him a little."

With her finger lightly tapping the spider's head, Jia Wan stepped over the threshold and bumped into Shen Shuang and Zhao Huining, who were coming out.

Normally, Zhao Huining wouldn't forbid Jiawan from following her at night, but today Zhao Huining specifically issued a ban on Jiawan.

Free-spirited and unrestrained, Jiawan was used to being carefree and didn't take Zhao Huining's orders to heart at all.

"Ah Ning!"

First, she happily called out to Zhao Huining, and then Jiawan noticed that there was a beautiful woman with Zhao Huining by her side.

Jiawan's gaze unconsciously fell on the woman. She leaned forward and greeted her, "Pretty sister, are you A-Ning's friend?"

Unexpectedly, she encountered the woman that His Highness had hidden. Shen Shuang wore a stiff smile. Could her presence have caused a rift between the woman and His Highness?

Amitabha, good is good.

It seems that I should avoid going to His Highness's invitation late at night in the future, as it is quite dangerous.

No matter how you try to persuade your father, this matter is not an easy one to resolve for Shen Shuang.

Before Shen Shuang could subtly create some distance, Zhao Huining grabbed Jia Wan by the back of her neck and pulled her close.

No one wants to see their pet cat become closer to a visiting friend.

The same applies to Zhao Huining.

"Ah Ning, let me go... I still want to talk to that pretty lady."

Just as Jia Wan was about to break free, Zhao Huining's grip tightened. Shen Shuang seized the opportunity and, with great tact, gracefully performed a bow.

It's getting late.

"Your Highness, my elders are still waiting for me at home. I apologize for the inconvenience. I will take my leave now."

Shen Shuang, leaving only her back view, quickly disappeared from Jia Wan's sight. Faced with this situation, Jia Wan didn't even have time to finish her sigh.

Zhao Huining immediately pulled her back into the house and pressed her against the wall.

"Ah Shui, why were you staring at her like that just now?"