Time flew by quickly, and it was already noon. Shen Xiaoyan yawned and stretched, feeling refreshed.
"This nap was really comfortable," Shen Xiaoyan murmured to herself, getting out of bed.
After she changed her clothes and walked into the main room, she found everyone present, already seated.
"Big sister, you slept in today!" Shen Xiaoming exclaimed the moment he saw Shen Xiaoyan emerge, acting shy as he spoke.
Shen Xiaoyan smiled at him, offering no explanation. She walked over and sat down beside Zheng Wei, looking at everyone and asking, "Why are you all here? Are you waiting for lunch?"
"We've all eaten, sis," Shen Xiaoming replied.
"Really?" Shen Xiaoyan eyed Zheng Wei suspiciously. The sun outside seemed to be just right; it shouldn't be this late, yet everyone had already eaten? And why were they still sitting here after eating?
"Mm, we've all eaten. What do you want to eat? I'll ask Aunt Qu to make it for you," Zheng Wei said.
Hearing Zheng Wei confirm it, Shen Xiaoyan knew it was indeed true. She then stood up, intending to head to the kitchen.
"No need to go. Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll go," Zheng Wei said, stopping Shen Xiaoyan.
"I'll just have a bowl of noodles," Shen Xiaoyan replied.
Since everyone else had already eaten, it wouldn't be much fun for her to eat alone. She'd rather wait until the evening for a big meal with everyone.
Zheng Wei agreed and strode out.
Watching Zheng Wei leave, Shen Xiaoyan turned to the people in the room and asked, "What were you just talking about?"
Scanning the room, Shen Xiaoyan's gaze fell on Yue Qingxin, and she suddenly remembered that Yue Qingxin had undergone spiritual awakening last night.
"Big sister, how are you feeling?" Shen Xiaoyan stood up and went to Yue Qingxin's side, taking her hand.
"I'm fine," Yue Qingxin shook her head. "Although the process was quite painful, I feel much better now."
Having just gone through it herself, Shen Xiaoyan could deeply empathize with the pain Yue Qingxin had experienced.
Those few casual words could not fully describe the feelings of that moment.
Lu Taobao and Shen Xiaoming had been watching from the side. Hearing Yue Qingxin's words, they both felt a lot more at ease.
"Oh, hearing sister-in-law say that, I'm relieved," Lu Taobao sighed deeply, then said.
"What are you relieved about?" Shen Xiaoyan asked curiously.
"If sister-in-law, a woman, didn't find the pain unbearable, then I, a grown man, will surely be able to get through it with ease."
Lu Taobao blurted out his thoughts without hesitation. After speaking, he realized his words might be misconstrued and quickly added, "Of course, I don't mean to look down on women. I just feel that as a man, one should be able to endure more."
Shen Xiaoyan and Yue Qingxin didn't mind his earlier remark. They just hoped that when he experienced it himself, he would still hold the same conviction.
Yue Qingxin and Shen Xiaoyan exchanged a glance. Yue Qingxin felt that in Shen Xiaoyan's eyes, she saw the same thought as her own.
But something felt off. After all, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't cultivate, let alone undergo spiritual awakening.
Yue Qingxin looked at Shen Xiaoyan again, a hint of doubt in her eyes, only to find that Shen Xiaoyan no longer had that look.
Yue Qingxin felt like laughing. She had truly been poisoned; no matter the situation, her thoughts always turned to cultivation.
"You still haven't told me, what were you talking about just now?" Shen Xiaoyan pressed.
"I was asking about Sima Han's future plans," Yi Zhixie said with a faint smile.
Shen Xiaoyan looked puzzled.
Future plans? What plans?
"What do you mean?" Shen Xiaoyan, always considering herself a model of diligent inquiry, felt she had to understand if she didn't know.
Sima Han had been deep in thought. Hearing Shen Xiaoyan's question, he finally looked up.
Seeing Sima Han's grave expression, Shen Xiaoyan felt that the matter was perhaps not as simple as she imagined.
"What exactly do you mean?"
Shen Xiaoyan felt a headache coming on. Couldn't they just say it directly?
"Sima Han is the former Emperor's son, you know that, right?" Yi Zhixie asked Shen Xiaoyan.
Shen Xiaoyan nodded. She knew that. But the problem was, wasn't Sima Han demoted to commoner status by the current Emperor and banished from the capital? What was the point of bringing this up now?
"Lately, the conflict between the former Emperor and the current Emperor has intensified..."
"What does this have to do with us?" Shen Xiaoyan interrupted Yi Zhixie, confused. Was Zheng Wei supposed to return and help the former Emperor fight the current one?
"The former Emperor wants Sima Han to return," Yi Zhixie said.
"Return for what?"
"To help fight the current Emperor together."
"And then?" Shen Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow.
"And then?" Yi Zhixie also seemed perplexed. What else was there?
"After overthrowing the Emperor, who will become the Emperor?" Shen Xiaoyan didn't hide her thoughts at all, speaking plainly.
"The former Emperor's intention is that he is growing old and his health is not good. Therefore, he will only help Sima Han overthrow the current Emperor. At that time, Sima Han will rightfully become the Emperor," Yi Zhixie explained.
After hearing Yi Zhixie's words, Shen Xiaoyan remained silent for a long time.
It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but she didn't know what to say.
Although she felt that the former Emperor was a bit unreliable. The person who was currently Emperor was his own son. Regardless of the reason, whatever conflict he had with the Emperor, wanting to overthrow him was a terrifying idea. Even if Sima Han became Emperor, could he be sure he would always be of one mind with the former Emperor? What if there were disagreements later on? Would the former Emperor then try to support another son to take the throne? It wasn't surprising that Shen Xiaoyan thought this way; the former Emperor's words made people feel this way.
"Sister, what are you thinking about?" Yue Qingxin asked, seeing Shen Xiaoyan standing there expressionless and silent for so long.
"It's nothing. This is ultimately Sima Han's own matter. If it's to be discussed, it should be with you, sister. I won't offer any advice," Shen Xiaoyan said with a smile, shaking her head.
"How can that be? Sister always has many ideas and a quick mind. You should offer some advice now," Yue Qingxin said.
Shen Xiaoyan paused and shook her head seriously. "This is a major undertaking that you and Sima Han must decide for yourselves."
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan's firm tone, Yue Qingxin understood that Shen Xiaoyan didn't want to interfere too much. She then stopped asking and turned her gaze to Sima Han.
Shen Xiaoyan also shifted her gaze to Sima Han. Looking at his stern demeanor, she truly didn't know what he was thinking.
"How did you know about this?"
Sima Han remained silent for another moment before finally speaking, but he asked this question.