“Ayu, His Majesty is an ambitious man.”

"Do you think His Majesty is truly concerned for Qin Xiangyang, fearing that she will have a difficult time if she enters the harem?"

Yuan Chengyu frowned. "Isn't that right?"

"Of course not."

"Qin Xiangyang is good at making money. His Majesty needs money right now. If Qin Xiangyang is brought into the harem, he will have no further use to him."

"Once a person has lost their usefulness, how much affection can they still have in the long run?"

Xie Qi flicked his sleeves. "I'm the same as you. Never think that you can spend your days by His Majesty's side."

Yuan Chengyu nodded blankly, "I'm not that kind of spineless man."

Yuan Chengyu was somewhat troubled, "I am sincere to His Majesty, so why does His Majesty always have so many schemes?"

Yuan Chengyu was puzzled. "His Majesty faked his death before."

“I stayed behind with the determination to die. I thought His Majesty trusted us, but I never expected that His Majesty had other plans.”

Xie Qi glanced at Yuan Chengyu. Even Xie Qi believed that His Majesty had put all his bets on them, since His Majesty had faked his death.

Xie Qi never imagined that what Pei Zhi wanted was an imperial edict personally written by the late emperor.

As it turned out, His Majesty's gamble paid off. He obtained the late emperor's edict and rightfully ascended the throne, with thousands paying homage to him.

"It has not been easy for Your Majesty, a woman, to have come this far."

Xie Qi comforted her, saying, "If she didn't have these schemes, she would have died countless times over."

Yuan Chengyu nodded. "Fortunately, His Majesty has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel."

Late at night, Pei Zhi returned to the princess's residence.

Pei Zhi returned today without sending anyone to inform her in advance.

When Pei Zhi returned, Qin Xiangyang was still looking at the account books.

Pei Zhi arrived quietly without anyone informing her.

"Why are you still looking at the ledgers so late? Are you that busy?"

Qin Xiangyang looked up and saw Pei Zhi, and was overjoyed. "Why is Your Majesty here? You didn't even give me any advance notice?"

I wanted to give you a surprise.

Qin Xiangyang closed the ledger. "I have some business in the capital that I haven't had time to look at during the day, and I can't sleep now either."

Pei Zhi walked over and casually glanced through the pages.

How's the profit this month?

"It's alright. His Majesty's ascension to the throne and the general amnesty have made business much better than before."

Pei Zhi smiled and shook her head. "How come you've learned to flatter like everyone else outside?"

Qin Xiangyang's face stiffened slightly, and his tone was somewhat resentful, "If I don't have a sweet tongue, I'm afraid His Majesty will forget me."

Pei Zhi noticed that Qin Xiangyang's expression was off. "Haven't you been resting well these past few days?"

Qin Xiangyang sighed, "Your Majesty, do you look down on me because I come from a merchant family?"

Pei Zhi understood that some things had been dragging on long enough.

"My intention is to have you live in the princess's residence, so that you can continue doing business in the future."

"If you return to the palace with me, I'm afraid you'll lose your freedom in the future, and it will be difficult for you to leave the palace. What do you think?"

Pei Zhi seemed to be giving Qin Xiangyang the choice.

After Pei Zhi finished speaking, she stopped looking at Qin Xiangyang and instead pretended to casually flip through the account book.

Qin Xiangyang was a businessman, and he was used to speaking to people in a way that suited them, whether they were human or ghost.

Qin Xiangyang naturally understood what Pei Zhi meant by those words.

Qin Xiangyang spoke up, wanting to ask His Majesty for a guarantee.

I promise I will never forget him.

I promise I'll come to see him often.

I promise I won't get tired of him.

In the end, Qin Xiangyang simply nodded slightly.

"Your Majesty's arrangements are very appropriate."

Pei Zhi breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing Qin Xiangyang's words.

If Qin Xiangyang doesn't agree, or if he pesters her relentlessly to go to the palace...

Pei Zhi really had no way to refuse.

Pei Zhi did not want Qin Xiangyang to become a person without a sense of self.

Of course, Pei Zhi also understood that her decision would inevitably hurt Qin Xiangyang's feelings.

"I cannot guarantee you much else, but I will not establish a harem."

"Whether you or I die first, we will surely be buried together."

Qin Xiangyang thought, "His Majesty is truly a master at flattering people."

With just one sentence, Qin Xiangyang was no longer able to feel any dissatisfaction.

"His Majesty's words are enough."

After Pei Zhi appeased Qin Xiangyang, she could then devote herself entirely to dealing with the Left Prime Minister's family.

Pei Zhi frequently interacted with the youngest son of the Left Chancellor, who was probably a truly innocent child.

Pei Zhi asked a few questions and learned quite a bit from the man.

By using these seemingly minor details to investigate, they quickly uncovered a great deal of evidence of crimes committed by the Left Chancellor's family.

The day after Xie Qi obtained the evidence, he severely impeached the Left Prime Minister during the morning court session.

In addition to the charges against the Left Chancellor, Xie Qi deliberately added another charge: using the young son to sow discord among the emperor's mind.

Pei Zhi's expression changed slightly. When they discussed it yesterday, they didn't mention adding this charge.

Everyone in the court knows that Xie Qi and His Majesty have an ambiguous relationship.

Xie Qi's impeachment of the Left Chancellor this time is probably for personal revenge.

If this happens, who would dare send someone to His Majesty in the future? Wouldn't that be courting death?

The evidence was all conclusive, and the Left Chancellor was immediately imprisoned.

To ensure impartiality, Pei Zhi handed over the follow-up investigation to the Dali Temple.

Upon hearing the news, the Left Chancellor's wife immediately fainted.

The whole family panicked and didn't know what to do.

It's unclear who came up with the idea, but the Left Chancellor's youngest son was made to kneel in front of the palace gates and plead for his father.

The whole family could only hope that His Majesty still had some affection for him and would let the Left Chancellor off lightly.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment when the ministers of Pei Zhi's cabinet were in a meeting and a palace servant came in to report the news.

Several cabinet ministers looked at His Majesty, eager to see his reaction.

The rumors that had been circulating were quite detailed and convincing; His Majesty was judging people and suspected they had some ulterior motives.

However, I wonder if these thoughts are worth His Majesty's favoritism.

Pei Zhi's tone seemed somewhat surprised: "Kneeling?"

"Yes, there are already many people looking out at the palace gate."

A cabinet minister stepped forward and said, "The matter between His Majesty and the youngest son of the Left Chancellor has been the subject of much discussion among the people of the capital."

"If we make people kneel now, and Your Majesty doesn't take some measures, I'm afraid the people will start talking about it."

"Your Majesty has just ascended the throne; you must not lose the hearts of the people."

Pei Zhi understood this principle, "Summon the prince consort and take the person back to the princess's residence."

It's impossible for us to meet.

But one cannot keep someone kneeling forever; otherwise, even if Pei Zhi is His Majesty, he will not escape accusations of being unfaithful.

Cabinet ministers are still pondering how to resolve this matter.

It would be far too heartless of Your Majesty to refuse to see him.

If they summon the person in, the Court of Judicial Review might not be able to gauge His Majesty's attitude.

Unexpectedly, His Majesty was so decisive, letting the prince consort handle it.

Indeed, it is perfectly appropriate to let the imperial son-in-law handle matters concerning His Majesty's harem.