Chapter 20: Chapter 20

The scheming and pressure from the person beside her pillow were certainly painful, but for a mother, the most heartbreaking betrayal would always be from her own child’s stab in the back.

An Ning wasn’t entirely sure how other pills felt when ingested, but unless one was a fool, how could they not notice such obvious changes in their body?

So, even after all these years, no matter how well Boguo Yi treated her or how considerate Mingyu was, the undiluted Spirit Spring Water was something An Ning never shared with anyone else but herself.

“Alright, chit-chat time is over. Has the copying of the items been completed?”

The system reluctantly nodded.

Soon, the one cubic meter space of Spirit Spring Water was almost completely filled with a huge pile of books, leaving only a solitary spring well standing quietly in the corner. In the corner of the books, there were even several jade slips resembling those from cultivation texts.

Just a glance, without even flipping through the content, An Ning knew this was definitely worth far more than the 1.5 points spent — not a single bit wasted.

However… An Ning curiously pointed to the jade slips beside her:

“Did you copy these jade slips as well?”

It was just a bit of waste utilization!

Not bad! Finally showing some progress, An Ning gave the system a approving look. The little companion proudly puffed out its chest.

After receiving the items, while there was still some monitoring time left for the exchange, the system continued to observe the palace’s situation.

As expected, Emperor Kangxi was particularly furious over Consort Mi’s mysterious death during pregnancy. Not only did he personally order all investigations to be carried out by his trusted confidants, but every item used by Consort Mi and anyone who had ever come into contact with her was thoroughly scrutinized.

Especially after learning that a few months ago, Consort Mi had lost an important item and no matter how hard they searched, it couldn’t be found.

At that moment, the system covered its little chest, quietly rejoicing.

“Host, luckily! Luckily you didn’t accept that pearl back then, or we’d be in deep trouble now.”

“That female lead truly had ill intentions! Thankfully, you didn’t fall for it.”

But looking at the palace’s chaotic scene, even the system had to admire the female lead.

She was determined to drag down a whole pile of people with her even in death.

She even blamed the loss of the treasure firmly on the truth of the matter. After all, others didn’t know, but Emperor Kangxi was well aware — there was no way Consort Mi, who had the “treasure,” could have been poisoned to death.

Unless someone had taken the “treasure” first.

Because of the pregnancy, Kangxi wouldn’t even suspect the true culprit. After all, in their current understanding, no mother would dare to “commit suicide” with her unborn child.

The system clicked its tongue. But thinking about such a powerful figure still perishing in the palace, the system couldn’t help but laugh dryly.

An Ning, however, had her own thoughts:

Given the female lead’s actions, aside from revenge, she probably also cared about the two princes, especially the still young Fourteenth Prince.

Only if the treasure was “taken away” would the two children avoid living their entire lives under surveillance.

“Ugh, I still can’t understand it. The female lead is so good to her two sons, so why did the Twelfth Prince…”

Late into the night, the system couldn’t help but mutter.

“Probably because one son wasn’t obedient enough, Emperor Kangxi might despise him, but the mother wouldn’t, right?”

An Ning once heard a saying in her previous life: people always tend to aim the sharpest blade at the person who is most tolerant of them.

Because the price paid is often the smallest.

She wondered if the Twelfth Prince now regretted it or not.

At dinner, perhaps influenced by the system’s constant nagging, An Ning’s expression remained sour all evening. Even the new jewelry delivered today by the Treasure Pavilion failed to brighten her mood.

The father and son exchanged a glance. As the father, Prince Zhuang was the first to put down his chopsticks.

“An Ning, what’s wrong today? Was the jewelry sample sent this morning not to your liking?”

Could it be that he had been too strict this morning? Boguo Yi felt slightly guilty, though after all these years, An Ning’s paintings had already shown some artistic conception. Occasionally being distracted wasn’t a big deal.

Beside him, Mingyu tugged at his mother’s sleeve anxiously:

“Mother, please don’t be angry. If you like any other noble lady next time, just decide on her directly.” After speaking, he added especially:

“As long as you like her!”

His mother elegantly rolled her eyes in response. An Ning somewhat disdainfully pulled her sleeve back from her son’s grasp:

“If you really want to marry, tell your father yourself. Your mother is still young and has no interest in becoming someone’s mother-in-law!”

In modern times, who would want to be called a mother-in-law in their early thirties?

Uh, that was a tough comeback!

Mingyu carefully glanced at his father. In the end, the little scale in his heart tipped toward his mother.

After all, Father was always easy to please; it would be fine to coax him later. It was his mother who…

Thinking this, the young lord immediately sweetened his tone:

“Yes, yes, mother, you are so young and beautiful. When you go out with me, you don’t look like a mother at all; saying you are like my twin sister wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

This was no lie but was somewhat unfriendly toward his old father. After all, Mingyu hadn’t forgotten when he traveled south with his royal uncle, the three of them disguised and went out to play. The street vendors called them master, lady, and of course, little young master.

Thinking of his father’s expression at the time, Mingyu felt even more guilty.

Ah, who told him he had a playful mother?

Fine, you little guy know when to be sensible.

Seeing the usually gentle face of the person opposite darken for once, An Ning’s mood quickly brightened after receiving the scriptures. Though she paid a small price in memory points that night, it didn’t stop her from happily dragging her family out boating at the manor the next day.

As for palace intrigues, she just listened for amusement. No matter how fierce the fight, it had nothing to do with their prince’s manor.

What An Ning didn’t expect was the female lead’s strength exceeded all imagination, or rather, Emperor Kangxi, a feudal monarch, had a desire for longevity beyond everyone’s comprehension.

While An Ning’s family happily played at the manor, the palace was already rocked by an earthquake of multiple levels.

First, Consort De was demoted to Noble Lady for plotting against consorts and princes and then reportedly fell seriously ill. The Fourth Beile and his wife were busy tending to her and fretting over the situation.

The Fourth Prince suffered even more, not only that but he also had to constantly face his father’s inexplicable suspicious gaze.

His usually expressionless cold face stiffened even further.

Only in front of his cousin and his dear Thirteenth Prince brother did he show a rare smile.

Afterward, all the palace consorts who had laid hands on Consort Mi or had contact with her and could possibly have “stolen” the treasure were all severely reprimanded by old Kangxi.

Unless there were surprises, these people would live under the watchful eye of those in power for a long time.

Witnessing the madness of the upper echelons, the already cautious An Ning became even more careful. She didn’t even dare to take out the medical books she had long coveted in her space to read.

In the following years, seeing the court struggles grow more intense and the crown prince’s situation increasingly difficult, no one expected that just as Kangxi had confined Suo’etu to death and had yet to carry out the second wave of suppression, the next month, during an otherwise ordinary morning court session, he suddenly collapsed and could not get up.