I died tragically in my previous life, and I want to be an empress in my next life

The weather is clear and crisp in autumn, and the palace's annual Hundred Flowers Banquet is about to begin again. Although it is called a Hundred Flowers Banquet, it is actually a blind date for dignitaries.

At this time of year every year, the families of the capital's princes, nobles and prominent families would gather together to find suitable spouses for their children. Those unmarried young men and women would become the focus of everyone's attention.

The focus of this year is said to be the Sixth Prince Xuanyuan Che. The Crown Prince Xuanyuan Zheng and the Third Prince Xuanyuan Ping are already married. The Second Prince is frail and sickly and stays at home all year round. The Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince are both married. The only adult prince who has not yet married is Xuanyuan Che.

Xuanyuan Che didn't want to come at first, but the emperor personally spoke and asked him to be present, so he had to go through the motions.

As soon as Xuanyuan Che appeared, he caused quite a stir at the scene. Many noble ladies approached him shyly with smiles, hoping to gain his favor.

Xuanyuan Che's appearance was outstanding, with distinct facial features, a face like a jade crown, and a pair of deep eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. He had an upright posture and noble temperament, and his innate nobility made people involuntarily respect him. In addition, he was wearing a luxurious brocade robe, which further highlighted his nobleness.

Although it was said at the princess' banquet last time that he had a liking for men, which of the children of the royal families in the capital didn't have some quirks? This was not enough to obscure his brilliance.

"Oh, the Sixth Prince is so elegant. I wonder which lady would be lucky enough to marry him." said a noble lady.

Pei Zhiyan was sitting among a group of noble ladies, chatting about family matters, when she suddenly saw Xuanyuan Che walking slowly towards her. She raised her eyes casually to glance at him, but unexpectedly, her eyes met Xuanyuan Che's in the air.

Xuanyuan Che winked at Pei Zhiyan, with a hint of teasing and mischief in his eyes. Pei Zhiyan was disturbed by his gaze, and her face flushed involuntarily. She subconsciously lowered her head and picked up the teacup beside her, trying to hide her shyness and embarrassment.

This old man! Pei Zhiyan was a little annoyed. He was so rude to her in such an occasion!

Pei Zhiyan took a deep breath, calmed herself down, raised her head, looked at the ladies around her with a smile, and continued their conversation.

"The Sixth Prince has extremely high standards. Not just anyone can catch his eye. I heard that even the Emperor and the Queen Mother are troubled by this matter." A noble lady with luxurious clothes and elegant temperament said in a low voice.

"Yes, the emperor once personally selected several talented and beautiful girls for the Sixth Prince, but the Sixth Prince just didn't like them. This is really worrying." Another noble lady echoed.

"It's a pity for the Sixth Prince. Thinking back to the past..." sighed a Marquise.

"Sister, you'd better be careful with your words." Another noble lady quickly stopped her.

Hearing this, the Marchioness immediately calmed down and covered her mouth.

Xuanyuan Che, the sixth prince, although not of the highest status, was deeply favored by the emperor. He was the prince who looked most like the emperor, and was extremely smart since childhood. When his mother was alive, he was the most favored in the harem.

However, when he was twelve years old, his mother died unexpectedly of illness. Since then, his temperament changed drastically and he became a very naughty boy.

If not for this, the position of crown prince might have been his.

At this time, Zhao Wanru, who had been sitting next to her, suddenly interrupted and said, "Princess Jing, Concubine Xuan in the mansion is about to give birth, right?"

Pei Zhiyan didn't want to pay attention to her. Did she forget what happened at the Princess' banquet last time? But she didn't want to give anyone a handle in front of everyone.

Pei Zhiyan put down the teacup in her hand and smiled, "Yes, the baby is due in two months."

"Oh, congratulations." Zhao Wanru raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a fake smile, but that smile contained a hint of sarcasm and ridicule.

Pei Zhiyan snorted in her heart, knowing that Zhao Wanru was just laughing at her. Pei Zhiyan had been married to Xuanyuan Ping for many years but had never been pregnant, and a concubine had gotten ahead of her. Zhao Wanru would naturally not miss this opportunity to laugh at her.

However, Pei Zhiyan was not an easy person to deal with. She still kept a smile on her face and said softly, "Thank you, Crown Princess. You and the Crown Prince have been married for many years and have always been in love. If you can give His Majesty a little grandson, it will be the icing on the cake."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene instantly became subtle. It was no longer a secret among the noble ladies in the capital that the Crown Princess and Princess Jing did not get along.

Princess Jing is really smiling but she is hiding a knife behind her smile. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have been married for many years but have no children. This has always been a concern for the Crown Prince and the Queen. Only she dares to say this. Everyone's eyes turned to Zhao Wanru, only to see that her face was ashen and she looked embarrassed.

Some people even murmured in low voices. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had been married for many years, but had no children. There were many concubines in the Eastern Palace, but not a single one had made any progress. No one knew whether it was the Crown Princess's fault or the Crown Prince's.

Zhao Wanru frowned and picked up the teacup in front of her, trying to use the tea to calm her excitement. The aroma of tea filled the air, but Zhao Wanru could not taste any flavor and her heart was in a mess.

Although she was the Crown Princess, she was never able to have children as she wished, and was often scolded and urged by the Queen. However, she also tried many folk remedies, but to no avail.

Pei Zhiyan curled up the corner of her mouth into a smile. Who made her provoke herself? She was just fighting back.

"My Eastern Palace is not as lively as Prince Jing's Mansion, and the Crown Prince is not as lucky as Prince Jing to have the two beauties from the Pei family as his companions." Zhao Wanru sneered and said sarcastically.

"Haha, so the Crown Princess thinks the Eastern Palace is too quiet? So what? Isn't the Queen busy helping the Crown Princess select sisters? From now on, the Eastern Palace will certainly be very lively." Pei Zhiyan said lightly, but her eyes drifted towards the Queen at the top.

The Queen was chatting with the wife of Marquis Zhongwu, and the Marquis Zhongwu's legitimate daughter was also following them. The three of them were talking and laughing happily. The Queen looked at the legitimate daughter with some admiration in her eyes.

Zhao Wanru's face became even uglier. She naturally understood that the Queen had another purpose today, which was to select some noble ladies to enrich the Eastern Palace. Although she was the Crown Princess, the daughter of Marquis Zhongwu was of higher birth than her. If she entered the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince ascended the throne, it would be hard to say who would be the Queen.

But now the Zhao family has fallen on hard times. If it weren't for the fact that her father took the blame for the crown prince, she, the crown princess, would have been deposed long ago.

Seeing that there was a tense atmosphere between Pei Zhiyan and Zhao Wanru, everyone didn't dare to say anything more. They just picked up their teacups and started drinking.