The Lady had never been so humiliated in her life.

When she was a daughter in her maiden home, her parents adored her and her brothers surrounded her like stars around the moon. Later, when she entered the palace, she smoothly rose from Noble Consort Li to Imperial Consort Li. Though there had been strife, with the Emperor protecting her, she lived comfortably. Even when the sky eventually collapsed and she lost everything, the new Emperor still treated her with courtesy—because of how she had behaved from the start.

But today, she had been humiliated by a mere junior!

She wasn’t a rash person—otherwise she would never have made it this far.

And yet, in this moment, all she wanted was to have this girl beaten to death. With someone like this beside her son, she could already foresee: the longer this girl stayed, the more the mother and son would drift apart!

A mere yellow-haired little girl—what right did she have to serve as her son’s advisor?

Today, they followed this girl’s ideas. Tomorrow, he’d follow her every command! And one day, if she asked Yan Shian to give all this up and live a peaceful life with her—he might just agree!

All her years of effort, ruined in an instant—how could she possibly endure that?

The more she thought about it, the more the Lady believed this girl could not be allowed to stay. But she didn’t want to become enemies with her son, so she said, “If you agree to leave the capital, we’ll consider this matter closed.”

Shi Buyu smiled. “I wonder what exactly ‘closed’ means in your view, Lady?”

“Shi Buyu, do you think that just because your surname is Shi, I won’t dare to deal with you? Ten’an was fooled by you, but I won’t be. If you really had such talent, how could you have failed to protect even your own family? You couldn’t even keep your own house safe, yet you dare claim to help someone seize the throne…”

The Lady let out a cold snort. She didn’t need to finish the sentence—her meaning was clear enough.

“You look down on me, Lady, just as I can’t understand how the woman before me could be the same Imperial Consort Li who, under such desperate circumstances, managed to protect her child.”

Shi Buyu rested her chin on her palm, her head tilted slightly, as if truly pondering, but unable to figure it out. “The Imperial Consort Li I imagined was wise and far-sighted, beautiful and intelligent, like a star descended from the heavens—only such a woman could have won the deep affection of the late Emperor and the respect of the current one. Not someone as narrow-minded and obsessive as the person before me. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed. You’ve shattered every good thing I ever imagined about you.”

Lan Hua couldn’t help but raise her eyes to look at the bold young woman speaking. She had dealt with many women in her life, seen all kinds, but never one who spoke as sharply as this.

Was she insulting, or praising?

She seemed to be praising, yet the words stung like an insult. It was impossible to feel pleased, but somehow the anger was also subdued.

Like now—the Lady’s face was filled with fury, but she no longer seemed ready to kill.

“If you hadn’t led my son astray, I naturally would’ve remained calm and composed!” the Lady said, her voice growing increasingly harsh. “I put so much effort into raising him to be so exceptional, and how long has it been since you appeared? He’s already changing for the worse! If this goes on, will he completely forget the blood feud he carries on his shoulders?”

“With all due respect, Lady,” Shi Buyu said bluntly, “if Yan Shian had grown up at your side, he’d have become your carbon copy—just as obsessed, and certainly not as outstanding.”

With Agugu beside her, Shi Buyu didn’t care at all about the Lady’s anger. She calmly twirled a tiger whisker between her fingers and continued: “He became who he is because he worked harder than anyone could imagine, because he’s a good son who genuinely cares about you, because he paid the price of growing up entirely in the image you wanted. You should be grateful to have such a dutiful son. If it were me, I’d probably have dragged you to hell with me hand-in-hand.”

“If you know he’s filial, then you shouldn’t try to change him.”

Seeing how self-righteous she looked, Shi Buyu felt a wave of sympathy for Yan Shian. “Do you know he’s currently taking the Autumn Examinations?”

The Lady frowned slightly. “What are you trying to say?”

“Do you know how grueling it is—nine days and seven nights of continuous testing?”

“You underestimate him. You think he can’t handle that kind of hardship?” The Lady’s brow furrowed even more. “Your presence only wears down his will. If you really cared about him, you’d leave on your own.”

At that, Shi Buyu felt there was no longer any need for restraint.

“He’s filial to you, so he must obey you in everything, suffer all pain in silence, carry the hatred you’ve force-fed him since he was a child, fulfill all your expectations, serve as a tool of vengeance, and live not for himself but for others. While you—you don’t need to feel sorry for him. You don’t need to treat him like a child. You don’t need to give him any love or care.”

The Lady had never been spoken to like this before. She stood up, her hand pointing at Shi Buyu trembling with rage.

But Shi Buyu remained unmoved and continued: “You coldly watch him suffer. Watch him endure endless torment. As soon as he likes something, you take it away. The moment someone close to him speaks up, you want them gone. As a mother, you place yourself high above him and judge him, bind him with responsibility, and the moment he disobeys, he’s committed an unforgivable sin. He is filial to you, so no matter how much pain he’s in, he obeys you. But Lady, do you even see his pain?”

“You… you…”

“You turn a blind eye, even take pride in how obedient and filial he is, how he’s become exactly what you wanted him to be.” Shi Buyu let out a soft chuckle. “Have you already planned out his future? Who he’ll marry, whose support he’ll receive, how you’ll endure until the new Emperor ascends—and then seize the perfect opportunity. And when that day comes, who will take the throne? Him? Or you? Will he read his memorials himself or bring them to you first? Will you decide, or will he?”

“Enough! Shut your mouth!”

Crash! A teacup was flung to the ground by the Lady.

But Shi Buyu didn’t pause for even a breath: “Will he approve policies himself—or bring them back for you to review first? Will it be your say—or his?”

Lan Hua, supporting her mistress whose chest was heaving, cast a pleading look toward Shi Buyu.

But Shi Buyu, now fully fired up, wasn’t about to back down. She straightened up and said, “When I was ten, I dared to sail out to sea. When the boat capsized, I still knew to hold onto a plank to keep from drowning. Yan Shian is twenty, yet you still treat him like a child. This he can’t do, that he can’t touch. And him—where is he supposed to place himself? You think he’s rebelling, that he’s disobedient, but what twenty-year-old doesn’t have their own thoughts? You want him to achieve greatness but also obey your every word. So tell me, do you really want him to succeed—or do you just want a son who obeys you in all things?!”

The Lady pointed at her, utterly speechless.

“Did I strike a nerve? Was it the new Emperor’s ascension? Or you seizing power? Or perhaps I hit the mark on every single point?” Shi Buyu remained seated, chin slightly raised. Even though the Lady was standing, she didn’t lose an ounce of presence. “I was taught from a young age: if someone hits you, hit back. If someone curses you, curse back. Lady, I’m afraid your visit here today won’t go as planned. Yan Ze.”

Yan Ze, having wiped his eyes, hurried into the room. “Miss.”

“I’m tired. Who are you sending away—your guest, or their host?”