"Oh! Yao Yuanshan! You're still thinking about that vixen!" Shangguan Pian jumped up in a panic upon hearing Yao Yuanshan's words, and said angrily.
"No. I just wanted to see if she was doing well," Yao Yuanshan stammered, knowing he was in the wrong.
Yao Yuanshan was a stubborn young man; once he made up his mind, it was hard to change it. He believed that Shangguan Pian was his wife, so even though he didn't like her, he still stood up for her. And since childhood, he had believed that Shen Qianxin was the one he loved; how could he easily forget that?
Shen Qianmo revealed a cryptic smile, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes, and said with a smile, "It would be better if we didn't meet."
"Why? Is Qianxin not doing well right now?" Yao Yuanshan asked anxiously after hearing Shen Qianmo's words, which made Shangguan Pian stomp her feet in frustration.
"Fine, consider it helping you resolve your inner conflict, and letting you see what the virtuous and kind Shen Qianxin in your heart is really like!" Shen Qianmo hesitated slightly, but still agreed, then raised an eyebrow and looked at Shangguan Pian, "What about you?"
"I want to go see my brother." Shangguan Pian's eyes flickered, and she gently bit her lip as she spoke.
Now that Yao Shan has betrayed Shangguan Che, Shangguan Che is practically isolated and helpless. She wants to persuade Shangguan Che to leave together, so that although there will be no wealth and glory, at least they can save their lives.
"Shangguan Che?!" Shen Qianmo's lips curled into a cold smile. "If you're trying to persuade him to leave with you, then there's no need!"
"Why?" Shangguan Pian frowned and asked, unwilling to give up.
“Because he won’t leave.” A hint of certainty flashed in Shen Qianmo’s eyes as she smiled knowingly.
As husband and wife in their previous life, she knew Shangguan Che well. Given his temperament, he would rather die at the feet of the emperor than live the life of an ordinary person. Moreover, even if Shangguan Che wanted to leave, she wouldn't give him the chance to leave alive!
"No matter what, I want to go and see it." Shangguan Pian said through gritted teeth, her face filled with sincere hope. "I'm begging you."
"Could you please take Yao Yuanshan to see my second sister, Jingyan?" Shen Qianmo shook her head helplessly. Oh well, she'd just be a good person for once.
"You should at least give me a nicer address before asking me to do anything, right?" Situ Jingyan said with a wicked smile. If anyone else dared to order him around like that, they would probably be dead already. But if it was his Mo'er, he would be quite happy to do it.
"Isn't Jingyan a nice name? It seems the Emperor of Tianmo is not satisfied with his name?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on her lips, and a sly glint in her eyes.
"Mo'er is always being naughty." Situ Jingyan gently flicked the tip of Shen Qianmo's nose. Since she was still unwilling to call him that, he wouldn't force her. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
"Then let's go." After glancing at Yao Yuanshan, Situ Jingyan's smile vanished, replaced by a cold expression.
"Husband, be careful." Shen Qianmo smiled as she looked at Situ Jingyan's back.
"Don't worry, my wife!" Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, Situ Jingyan's lips curled into a genuine smile, and his dark eyes warmed as he turned to look at Shen Qianmo with deep affection.
A smile unconsciously crept onto Shen Qianmo's lips, and her originally cold, dark eyes were now filled with a faint affection.
Shangguan Pian watched Shen Qianmo from the side. At first, she thought of her as an ethereal fairy, beautiful but unapproachable. But when she saw Shen Qianmo smile at Situ Jingyan, she realized that Shen Qianmo was also a woman with feelings and love. That smile was so charming.
Shen Qianmo led Shangguan Pian to Shangguan Che's residence and gestured for Shangguan Pian to remain silent and stay behind a rockery.
The winter sun slanted down into the empty courtyard. The ancient tree in the courtyard, now bare of leaves, looked particularly desolate.
Shangguan Che sat alone on a stone bench in the courtyard. The table was covered with wine jugs of all sizes, some standing upright, some lying down, some already empty, and some only half-empty.
Shen Qianmo stared indifferently at the scene before him. The person not far away was still dressed in an ethereal white robe, with the same gentle and refined features, but the elegant and otherworldly demeanor was gone.
Her eyes, which had once held a gentle smile, were now filled with the smell of alcohol and a deep sense of disappointment. Her lips, which had once held a refined smile, were now stained with spilled wine, carrying a bitter and helpless expression.
"Why!? Why is this happening?!" Shangguan Che raised the wine jug and gulped it down, completely immersed in depression and despair. He even had some stubble growing around his mouth, and he looked extremely haggard.
Seeing her brother like this, Shangguan Pian's eyes flashed with a hint of pity, and she was about to rush out when Shen Qianmo stopped her, saying in a cold voice, "You stay here for now."
Although Shangguan Pian had doubts and reluctance in her heart, firstly, Shen Qianmo had saved her life, and secondly, she had promised Shen Qianmo before coming to Shangguan Che's residence that she would listen to her in everything. Therefore, she could only pout and hide behind the rockery.
Shen Qianmo watched Shangguan Che, who was still drinking incessantly, her dark eyes devoid of any emotion. She simply stared indifferently.
"Go to hell! Shangguan Jin! You go to hell!" Shangguan Che, seemingly drunk, smashed a wine jug on the ground, his breath reeking of alcohol, and mumbled incoherently.
Shen Qianmo's lips curled into an enigmatic smile. "Shangguan Che, so this is what you've come to?!" The Shangguan Che of today is completely different from the spirited Shangguan Che of his previous life.
"The Third Prince has quite a temper." Shen Qianmo walked slowly to Shangguan Che's side with a faint smile, looking down at him.
"You...you..." Shangguan Che, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, pointed at Shen Qianmo, swayed as he stood up, leaned closer to look at her, and chuckled, "Qianmo? Hehehehe. Shen Qianmo...you've ruined me so badly. What are you doing here?"
Shen Qianmo frowned. She didn't like talking to drunk people. She reached out and put a pill into Shangguan Che's mouth, then stood there indifferently, not answering Shangguan Che's question.
"You... what did you feed me?!" Shangguan Che staggered and tried to grab Shen Qianmo's hand, but Shen Qianmo nimbly dodged. Shangguan Che lost his balance and fell to the ground. Shangguan Pian, who was hiding behind the artificial rock, let out a gasp. Shen Qianmo glanced at Shangguan Pian, who also glared at Shen Qianmo anxiously, almost rushing out.
After Shangguan Che fell to the ground, he simply sat up and refused to get up, shouting like a child, "Are you trying to poison me? Heh. I've seen people poisoned since I was little... My mother said that if I don't become emperor, I will be poisoned too."
Shen Qianmo's indifferent eyes finally showed a slight change. Shangguan Che must have his reasons, but does having reasons justify doing such cruel things?
Shangguan Che sat on the ground and shouted intermittently for almost half an hour. Shen Qianmo also sat patiently on the stone bench without saying a word, just coldly watching him. Poor Shangguan Pian, she stood behind the rocks and almost lost her patience. She tried to rush out several times, but Shen Qianmo stopped her each time.
"Qianmo?!" The pill finally took effect, and Shangguan Che became slightly more awake. He looked up at Shen Qianmo, his eyes still a little dazed.
"Has the Third Prince finally regained consciousness?" Shen Qianmo sat on the stone bench, her eyes devoid of any emotion, and asked calmly.
Shangguan Che staggered to his feet, adopting an arrogant demeanor, and coldly snorted, saying, "What are you doing in my residence? Are you here to laugh at me?"
With a cold smile, Shen Qianmo said, "I'm just doing this for someone, to tell you some news."
"News? What news?" Shangguan Che raised an eyebrow. What news could he possibly have at this point? Who else could possibly tell him news? Even Yao Ruoqin had vanished without a trace!
"The news that the Grand General has betrayed us and switched allegiance to Shangguan Jin!" Shen Qianmo said with a faint smile, her calm and indifferent tone almost crushing Shangguan Che.
Sure enough, Shangguan Che took a few steps back in disbelief, his eyes wide with astonishment as he looked at Shen Qianmo. Seeing Shen Qianmo's calm smile, he burst into maniacal laughter, "Hahahaha... I should have known! With such tight security in the manor, how could Yao Ruoqin disappear without a trace? You took her away, didn't you? You told her to instigate Yao Shan to betray me, didn't you?"
Faced with Shangguan Che's madness, Shen Qianmo still had a serene smile and said calmly, "It's true that I took her away. However, I didn't instigate her; it was all her own will."
"You bitch! You're all bitches!" Shangguan Che cursed viciously, no longer retaining any semblance of his elegant gentlemanly demeanor. He glared at Shen Qianmo with hatred and roared madly, "Are you satisfied now? I have nothing left! I have absolutely nothing!"
Shen Qianmo's eyes remained unchanged as she slowly stood up from the stone bench. Dressed in the same white robes, she exuded an elegant and otherworldly aura. "No, you still have family."