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

"Are you in love with someone?" The eldest princess raised her eyebrows.

She picked up the teacup gracefully, took a sip of the fragrant tea, and fell into deep thought.

There had never been any girl around Xuanyuan Che, but Pei Zhiyan's shadow suddenly emerged in her mind, and all the things that had happened in the past went through her mind one by one.

Since when? Probably after the Cuju Conference, he was willing to help Pei Zhiyan out, even though he was misunderstood as having an affair with Long Yang.

After that, she encountered the two of them together several times. Although it seemed normal, she always felt that something was unusual.

But Pei Zhiyan is the princess of Prince Jing's Mansion. How could Che'er possibly have feelings for her?

However, her intuition told her that there must be some secret between them.

After thinking for a moment, she raised her head and looked at Xuanyuan Si, "Si'er, you are responsible for receiving the Xiliang envoys this time, so you should also fulfill your hospitality and entertain the Xiliang prince and Princess Jialan."

Xuanyuan Si was a little puzzled, "Aunt, are you asking my nephew and Princess Nagalan to..."

The princess chuckled and said, "What are you thinking? However, if you are willing to marry Princess Nagara, I support you."

Xuanyuan Si's face flushed with embarrassment, and he lowered his head, "Aunt, my nephew is not thinking about these things now, and I only have the affairs of the court in my mind."

"It might not be a bad thing if you could marry Princess Nagaraman." The eldest princess pondered for a moment, put down the ornament in her hand, and said.

"Last time, your aunt asked for you to marry the daughter of the general's mansion, but she was unlucky. Now, looking around, there are no suitable candidates of the right age in the court or the noble families."

The princess nodded slightly, put down the ornament in her hand, thought for a while, and then said, "Si'er, if you can marry Princess Galan, it may not be a bad thing for you. She is the apple of the eye of the Lord of Xiliang, she has a noble status and extensive connections, which will be of great help to your career."

"Aunt, I know you are doing this for my own good. However, I am a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How can I fall to the point where I have to rely on foreign forces to achieve my wishes?" Xuanyuan Si's words revealed a firmness and self-respect.

"Oh, you are worthy of being my good nephew, you are so ambitious!" The eldest princess looked at him with satisfaction and praised him.

In fact, Xuanyuan Si didn't want to marry Princess Galan because he already knew that she had someone in love with Xuanyuan Che. They were both princes, so why did he pick the one that Xuanyuan Che didn't want?

"I just want to test Princess Galan's feelings. If she really wants Che'er, we can lend her a helping hand so that she and Che'er can achieve a happy ending." The eldest princess said with a faint smile.

"Aunt, what about our sixth brother? If he knew our plan, he might not agree." Xuanyuan Si was a little worried.

"I have my own way to make him compromise." The eldest princess said firmly.

None of these nephews and nieces are worry-free. If Che'er really has feelings for Pei's daughter, wouldn't it be a royal scandal if it gets out? That's his sister-in-law!

What I’m afraid of is that this isn’t Che’er’s unrequited love.

Pei Zhiyan and Prince Jing were both very thoughtful and no one could fathom them. Che'er might have been deceived by them. If they used beauty tricks to seduce Che'er in order to fight for the throne, then Che'er would not be a match for the couple.

Si'er's health has always been his weakness, and many people in the court have reservations about Si'er because of this.

Prince Jing is currently in the limelight. If Che'er joins his camp, Si'er's chances of winning will be even less.

Therefore, she must find a way to create a rift between the two of them.

In fact, she originally had some admiration for Pei Zhiyan in her heart, but now, they were in two different camps after all. Being lenient to the enemy would be cruel to herself.

As the night deepened, Xuanyuan Che was worried and sat alone in his study, holding a glass of cold wine in his hand. The moonlight shone through the window onto him, casting a faint halo over him.

He put down his wine glass and picked up the letter that had just been delivered by carrier pigeon. He read every word written on it, feeling mixed emotions.

He never expected that the consequences of the investigation would be like this. Princess Yongtai was his sister. Although they had the same father but different mothers, she had been close to him since childhood.

In the palace, she treated him even better than her biological brother, the deposed crown prince. When she was a child, Princess Yongtai always followed him and called him "brother" sweetly. At that time, she was innocent, kind and lovely. But now, how could she become like this?

At this moment, his heart was filled with pain and struggle, and he didn't know how to face this fact.

He picked up the note and burned it in the light of the lamp on the table, but he couldn't just pretend that this incident had never happened.

Inside the secret room of Fuyun Building

Xuanyuan Che was silent for a long time, and finally looked up at Pei Zhiyan and said slowly, "The master behind the loyal and righteous Marquis's assassins has been found out."

"It's Yongtai..."

Pei Zhiyan looked indifferent; this result was within her expectations.

The entire family of the Marquis of Loyalty was executed, the deposed crown prince was trapped in the imperial mausoleum, and the former queen was imprisoned in the cold palace. Only Princess Yongtai was still free, and she was the only one who could command those death warriors.

Xuanyuan Che was a little surprised to see Pei Zhiyan so calm, and locked his deep eyes on Pei Zhiyan, "You guessed it a long time ago?"

"I just guessed 70% or 80%."

That day at the White Horse Temple, she noticed that Princess Yongtai's behavior was different. She was overly attentive to her and was courteous to her for no reason. She must be a thief or a traitor.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Pei Zhiyan picked up the teacup and took a sip. "I won't say anything without evidence."

Princess Yongtai was his sister after all. If someone just speculated that it was her, he would not believe it. Why bother himself? Now that he had found out the truth, he could face it himself.

"What do you think?" Xuanyuan Che asked tentatively, with a barely perceptible nervousness in his eyes.

Pei Zhiyan raised her eyes to look at him and said calmly, "If no one offends me, I will not offend anyone; if someone offends me, I will kill him!"

Xuanyuan Che felt a chill rising from his back. He hesitated for a moment and spoke slowly, "Can Yongtai and I learn something about this first?"

What Yongtai did to her in the White Horse Temple was indeed very vicious. If she had not gone there in time, the consequences would have been disastrous. However, Yongtai was still her sister. Ever since the Queen and the Crown Prince were deposed, her behavior had become increasingly strange and unpredictable.

As an older brother, I also have the responsibility to protect my sister, provided that she returns to the right path.

Pei Zhiyan saw the hesitation and struggle in Xuanyuan Che's eyes. She smiled faintly, "I believe you will treat this matter fairly and justly."

Xuanyuan Che breathed a sigh of relief. He had to go see Yongtai as soon as possible.