"Is it her?" Empress Zhou's expression darkened, a cold frost instantly appearing in her eyes. She lightly tapped the table and sneered, "She usually seems as timid as a mouse, practically invisible, yet she dares to do something like this at this juncture, even instigating Yu Mo."

"It seems the Shen family is truly impatient to take Yu's life this time."

Empress Zhou smiled, but her eyes were vicious.

She said, "Xu Momo, go and invite Consort Shen. Tell her this empress has some embroidery matters she wishes to consult her on. Also, invite the Crown Princess to come and sit for a while. It's her first day in the palace; she should pay her respects to this empress. This is proper etiquette. Even if she's going to die tomorrow, as long as His Majesty allows her to move about the palace, she should come."

"Yes, this way, it will be in accordance with the rules."

Xu Momo nodded but didn't immediately leave Fengzao Palace.

After a pause, she frowned and looked at Xiao Yu Mo, who was cowering in the corner. Lowering her voice, she asked Empress Zhou with great concern, "Your Majesty, is this Yu Mo girl really going to be sent back to Nan Yue? She doesn't have any relatives there. If she's sent back, I'm afraid she'll only be sent to the palace there, but the palace probably won't tolerate someone as deranged as her. Letting her live or die on her own is one thing, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to Third Master."

What's so difficult to explain?

Empress Zhou raised her lips, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and looked at Xu Momo indifferently, scoffing, "What's so difficult to explain? Xiao Yu Mo scared herself into madness. Is my son supposed to marry a madwoman as his Crown Princess? Or even as a Liangdi (a concubine rank)? Not to mention Jin Yan (a high-ranking concubine), no prince would ever welcome a madwoman into his household."

"Besides, his own niece was scared crazy by the good disciple he taught. He can't blame this empress."

"That makes sense." Xu Momo nodded slightly, breathed a long sigh of relief, and then asked, "Then, Your Majesty, is Yu Mo girl going to be sent back to Nan Yue after all?"

"Send her out of the city first. I'll write a letter to Xiao Rongqi to see if he'll take her away or let her live or die on her own."

"Alright, summon Consort Shen and the Crown Princess together."

Empress Zhou waved her hand and urged Xu Momo again.

Seeing that Empress Zhou seemed a little impatient, Xu Momo didn't say anything more. She bowed to Empress Zhou and then bowed as she retreated.

Afterward, Xiao Yu Mo was also dragged back to her room by two maids. The door was locked, the windows were nailed shut, and the room was dark. Xiao Yu Mo sat on the bed, staring at the clay pot in the room, muttering to herself, dazed and foolish.

On the palace road outside, a woman in green palace attire hurried along. When she reached the vicinity, she couldn't help but stop.

"Consort, what do you think the Empress summoned you to Fengzao Palace for at this time? Could it be… that she's noticed something?"

The maid's timid voice entered her ears, and Shen Yan Huan's body couldn't help but stiffen.

She glanced deeply at Xiao Yu Mo's residence and said in a deep voice, "Don't scare yourself. Xiao Yu Mo brought the person into the palace. What does it have to do with me? Even if the Empress suspects, as long as I don't admit it, she can't do anything to me."

"Besides, would she go against the great aristocratic families for the sake of a mere Yu? My brother and uncle have already arranged everything. Yu is sure to die…"

"It's just that I really didn't expect this Yu to be so ruthless, completely different from her mother, who always swallowed her anger."

When she mentioned her half-sister Shen Ru Yan, a strong hatred welled up in Shen Yan Huan's eyes.

The handkerchief in her sleeve tightened, and Shen Yan Huan quickened her pace towards Fengzao Palace.

Yu Qing Wu went with Xu Momo. Xie Ruizhi followed behind. They walked into Fengzao Palace, and the two bowed to Empress Zhou, "Greetings, Mother Empress."

"Rise." Empress Zhou raised her hand, signaling the two to rise. Her eyes were somewhat displeased. She glanced at Xie Ruizhi and asked, "Ruizhi, why are you here too?"

"What? Does Mother Empress dislike me so much? I didn't drive Xiao Yu Mo crazy. Why are you getting angry with me?" Seeing Empress Zhou's gloomy face, Xie Ruizhi assumed that she was in a bad mood because of what happened to Xiao Yu Mo. She couldn't help but retort to her biased mother, "Who told her to bully people all the time? Now, I don't know who she's being retaliated against by. It's truly retribution…"

"Ruizhi!" Seeing Xie Ruizhi's words becoming more and more excessive, Empress Zhou immediately shouted sternly and pointed to the door, "You go down first. This empress has important matters to discuss with your imperial sister-in-law."

"What is there that I can't hear?" Xie Ruizhi retorted, her expression slightly dissatisfied, but seeing Empress Zhou's face becoming even more unsightly, she had no choice but to retreat, biting her lip and saying, "You and brother are always like this, never telling me anything…"

She stamped her foot and reluctantly stepped out of Fengzao Palace.

A moment later, Shen Yan Huan arrived late.

As soon as she entered, she bowed very gently to Empress Zhou, her eyebrows lowered and eyes obedient, "This concubine greets the Empress."

"Sit down. Today, we're all family, no need for formalities." Empress Zhou smiled and signaled Xu Momo to bring tea and pastries. She looked at Yu Qing Wu, who was already seated, and smiled as she introduced her to Shen Yan Huan, "Consort Shen, this is the Crown Princess. According to seniority, she has to call you aunt. These days, the Crown Princess is staying in the palace, and she doesn't know many people here. You are her aunt; you should interact more in the future."

"Auntie, hello." As soon as Empress Zhou finished speaking, Yu Qing Wu smiled at Shen Yan Huan in a very cooperative manner.

Shen Yan Huan nodded and smiled stiffly at her, saying, "Compared to when she was a child, the Crown Princess has grown into a beautiful young woman. Looking at the Crown Princess, this concubine seems to see my sister again."

As she spoke, she wiped away tears in a fake manner and sighed, "In the blink of an eye, it's been ten years since my sister passed away. If she could see you so successful now, she would be very happy."

Shen Yan Huan's words were gentle, but her eyes were full of hatred.

If it weren't for that lowly illegitimate daughter Shen Ru Yan, how could she have been sent into the palace? Being in the palace was bad enough, but she was also neglected by Emperor Wei because of those unfounded things. Even now, she's still just a Consort, to the point that even a small palace maid dares to mock her.

That bitch, even on her deathbed, still set her up! Now, her daughter is the Crown Princess. It's really infuriating!

Thinking of this, the hatred in Shen Yan Huan's eyes turned into a smile again. She raised her eyes to look at Empress Zhou and asked, "By the way, Empress, you said you wanted to ask this concubine some questions about embroidery. What would you like to ask?"

"Consort Shen, actually… this empress called you here today not really to ask you about embroidery." Empress Zhou's gaze swept over Shen Yan Huan's constantly changing eyes. She lowered her voice and said with a look of heartache, "You must have heard about Yu Mo's matter. This empress heard that you and Yu Mo are very close on weekdays. The imperial physician said that if you want Yu Mo to get better, her close relatives and friends need to talk to her more. This empress would like to ask you to take care of her and accompany her for a few days."