Pei Zhi didn't know whether Xie Qi was referring to this matter or something else.

Pei Zhi had already taken the medicine Xie Qi gave her, and felt weak and sleepy all over.

After all that struggling, I was even more exhausted.

When Pei Zhi woke up, she was already at the princess's residence.

Hearing the noise, Chunhua came in to serve.

How did I get back?

"The princess drank too much and was not in a good mental state, so the palace servants escorted her back."

Pei Zhi nodded. "Has anything happened in the palace?"

“No.” Chunhua shook her head. “However, the palace is suddenly under martial law. His Majesty did not hold court this morning. It seems he drank too much yesterday.”

It's normal that Chunhua doesn't know the news. Pei Zhi rubbed her waist, feeling sore all over.

After Pei Zhi finished breakfast, Chunhua handed her a letter, saying that someone had delivered it.

Pei Zhi opened the sealed letter, which contained only one line of text.

Consort Gao is dead. Yin Luhui will take office within three days.

The letter was unsigned, but Pei Zhi knew it was sent by Xie Qi.

Although the collaboration with Xie Qi did not go as smoothly as Pei Zhi had hoped.

But she finally achieved her goal.

Pei Zhi planned to stay quietly in the princess's residence for a few days.

The death of Consort Gao was kept secret in the palace, which must have enraged Emperor Pei.

She has fulfilled Dekang's dying wish.

Yin Lu's appointment has also been finalized.

Next up are the eldest prince and the second prince.

While practicing calligraphy, Pei Zhi was also thinking about how to get rid of the eldest prince and the second prince without making a sound.

Then, they conveniently shifted the blame onto the Fourth Prince.

While Pei Zhi was plotting in the princess's residence, Emperor Pei was so angry in the palace that he couldn't sleep all night.

Yesterday, Emperor Pei was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

He witnessed his beloved concubine being with a guard.

His beloved concubine kept praising the other man, saying he was more valiant than her.

Although Emperor Pei was nearing forty, he could not allow his dignity as a man to be challenged.

Emperor Pei executed Consort Gao and her guards on the spot.

The guards castrated him directly, and then he was torn apart by five horses.

As for Consort Gao, she was subjected to caning and beaten to death.

No one dared to speak out about the emperor's scandals.

Three days later, the palace suddenly announced that Consort Gao had fallen seriously ill and died.

His Majesty did not mention any honors for the burial of a Noble Consort, nor was there even a funeral; he merely made a public announcement.

No one expected that the beloved imperial concubine would pass away like this.

Those who knew and those who didn't dare to say anything.

Nobody's a fool. If there really wasn't a problem, why would a noble concubine be buried so hastily?

Something was clearly wrong, but no one dared to voice their doubts.

Even Consort Gao's own son didn't say much.

Yuan Chengyu arrived at the princess's residence through a secret passage and played chess with Pei Zhi on the chessboard.

How did the princess persuade Xie Qi?

Yuan Chengyu came to see Pei Zhi today because he heard that Yin Lu has already taken office.

After the Kingdom of Solo was conquered, many people had their eyes on this location.

Yin Lu has no powerful backing; without someone to promote him, he would never have had the chance.

Yuan Chengyu inquired a little and soon found out what had happened.

Pei Zhi held a white piece and "appealed to their emotions and reasoned with them."

Yuan Chengyu scoffed, "The princess doesn't understand Xie Qi. He's not so easy to persuade."

"But in the end, he still chose to cooperate with me."

Yuan Chengyu stared at Pei Zhi: "That's why I'm curious, what exactly did the princess do?"

Pei Zhi simply smiled and said nothing.

Yuan Chengyu had a bad feeling, but he also believed that Xie Qi would not do such a thing.

Xie Qi clearly knows that he likes the princess, so surely he wouldn't?

Yuan Chengyu suppressed his curiosity and played a game of chess with Pei Zhi, who ultimately won.

"What does the princess plan to do next?"

Yuan Chengyu wanted to know the princess's next plan so that he could do something to help her.

"Cultivate your character and wait for the prince consort to return home."

When Yuan Chengyu heard Pei Zhi mention Qin Xiangyang's name, he felt slightly displeased, but he also knew that he had no right to say anything.

After finishing the game, Yuan Chengyu did not stay overnight and took his leave.

Pei Zhi did not try to stop him. She guessed that Yuan Chengyu must have gone to find Xie Qi.

Yuan Chengyu seemed very magnanimous, but when he played chess later, he had no strategy whatsoever.

Pei Zhi was unwilling to explain anything to Yuan Chengyu.

Moreover, Yuan Chengyu has no right to ask her to explain his relationship with him.

Since the incident in the palace, Xie Qi has been on leave and staying at home.

Xie Qi had injuries on his wrists, ankles, and head.

Going to court in this way is far too obvious.

Xie Qi simply said that he had caught a cold and was feeling unwell, so he was unable to attend court.

Yuan Chengyu did not invite Xie Qi, but went directly to Xie's residence.

Xie Qi was lying at home recovering from his injuries. Even though Xie Qi was a superhuman, after all that exertion, he gritted his teeth and only fainted when he got home.

I lay on the couch for two whole days before I felt a little better.

As soon as Yuan Chengyu entered, he saw Xie Qi's pitiful state.

Yuan Chengyu swallowed his doubts and asked curiously, "What's this?"

"He suffered a minor injury."

Yuan Chengyu examined Xie Qi's face; he didn't look like he had suffered a minor injury.

"Are you being retaliated against? Your hand was even broken?"

Xie Qi was incredibly brave that day; he directly rammed his hand into the pillar.

His hand wasn't broken, but it needs to rest for a while to avoid any future problems.

"What brings you here?"

Yuan Chengyu pulled up a chair and sat opposite Xie Qi. "You were so unwilling to obey the princess back then."

"Why now?" Yuan Chengyu's eyes were full of inquiry.

It seemed that Xie Qi wouldn't believe him unless he gave a detailed explanation.

Xie Qi raised an eyebrow. "Because, like you, I became a guest of the princess."

Yuan Chengyu frowned; for a moment, he thought he was hallucinating.

Perhaps Xie Qi was joking?

Coming to his senses, Yuan Chengyu looked at Xie Qi's serious expression and realized that Xie Qi was telling the truth.

For a moment, anger and resentment filled Yuan Chengyu's mind.

Yuan Chengyu overturned the chair, grabbed Xie Qi by the collar, and was about to raise his fist at Xie Qi.

"Since you know the princess's grand plan, you should know that she will naturally have many people by her side in the future."

"Having me on your side isn't a bad thing for you. After all, we're friends, aren't we?"

Xie Qi spoke eloquently, and after a few deep breaths, Yuan Chengyu seemed somewhat convinced.

Yuan Chengyu released his grip on Xie Qi's collar. "But you clearly know that I love the princess, so why..."

Xie Qi gestured for Yuan Chengyu to look at the injuries all over his body.

"If I could, I wouldn't want to either, but I almost died at the hands of the princess, so I had no choice but to compromise."