Emperor Pei stepped down from the dragon throne and walked up to Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi remained kneeling on the ground with her back straight.
"Get up."
Pei Zhi said in a serious tone, "Thank you, Father Emperor."
Pei Zhi supported herself as she stood up, not daring to look up at her father.
"Chang Le, your father has something to entrust to you."
Pei Zhi hurriedly replied, "Whatever Your Majesty commands, I will do my utmost."
"Your eldest brother is dead. Don't leave a single person alive in the manor. Find any excuse and imprison them all."
Pei Zhi asked in surprise, "Father, my brother still has children in his household."
After Pei Zhi finished speaking, she knelt down on the ground, "No matter what my brother did, he is no longer here, and those children are innocent."
Emperor Pei said with a sorrowful tone, "They are all no longer alive."
The eldest prince was the first to have children, and although Emperor Pei was an emperor, he also showed affection for his grandchildren.
He had held all the children, so he had developed some affection for them.
Emperor Pei reached out his hand, and a eunuch beside him handed the letter to Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi took it; it was the First Prince's wife's last letter.
"This vicious woman is too cruel; she can even harm a child."
Pei Zhi received the letter, but he didn't think much of it.
Isn't the eldest prince the same?
He stole someone else's wife and slaughtered their entire family. Why doesn't the Emperor say anything about it?
After his anger subsided, Emperor Pei continued to instruct, "To the outside world, just say that your eldest brother has fallen ill."
"The Crown Prince's wife was so heartbroken that she also passed away. As for the concubines and children, you can just find any excuse to send them away from the outside world."
Pei Zhi responded, then hesitated, "I will naturally obey Father's decree, but I only have some local soldiers under my command, and I'm afraid I might accidentally let something slip..."
Emperor Pei took off the token he carried with him. "This is my token for mobilizing the secret guards. You take it, and they will obey your orders."
"Remember, not a single person from the Prince's residence should be left alive for me."
"In addition, not a single member of the Crown Prince's maternal family should be left alive."
They deserved to die, and Pei Zhi had no intention of pleading for them.
"Your subject obeys."
Emperor Pei looked at Pei Zhi, walked up to her, and patted her on the shoulder.
"Of all my many children, now I can only trust you, my daughter."
Pei Zhi was disdainful in her heart, but she comforted him aloud, saying, "Father is the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler. It is naturally difficult for him to enjoy the simple pleasures of family life like ordinary people. However, there is always a price to pay."
Emperor Pei nodded. "Yes, you're right."
Emperor Pei entrusted these matters to Pei Zhi because he didn't trust his princes with them.
As for the matter of the eldest prince, it's still unknown which prince caused it.
Emperor Pei's daughters either married far away.
Even if they were in the capital, asking them to do something to silence witnesses would terrify them.
After much thought, only Pei Zhi could have such courage.
Pei Zhi had been on the battlefield and saved the lives of people in several cities.
Most importantly, Pei Zhi is a woman, so Emperor Pei can use her with peace of mind.
Previously, when Pei Zhi returned from the battlefield, Emperor Pei harbored resentment towards her.
They believed that Pei Zhi, as a princess, should simply stay in her boudoir and do what women are supposed to do.
But now, Emperor Pei suddenly realized that having a princess who is both brave and resourceful is not so bad.
There's no need to worry; she's plotting her own throne, so he can confidently order Pei Zhi around.
Pei Zhi accepted the order and, after leaving the palace, went directly to the prince's residence with her entourage.
To the outside world, Pei Zhi said that her father had asked her to oversee the funeral arrangements for her eldest brother.
Pei Zhi is already married, so it's not against the rules to let her handle the arrangements.
Pei Zhi surrounded the entire prince's residence, using those who were useful and discarding those who weren't.
In addition, Pei Zhi learned a lot about the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince from these people.
Every day when Pei Zhi returned home, she felt as if even the strands of her hair smelled of blood.
While Pei Zhi was handling the affairs after the Crown Prince's death, Xie Qi also took the initiative to expose in court the Zhong family's theft of official positions and the sale of titles, as well as the countless lives lost.
To put it simply, Xie Qi spent half an hour recounting the Zhong family's crimes before he finally finished.
This clearly demonstrates just how heinous the crimes committed by the Zhong family were.
In fact, the first dozen or so items are indeed serious crimes.
Later on, it was all about beating and killing servants and seizing fields and shops.
Emperor Pei flew into a rage on the spot, stripped the Zhong family of their titles, and handed the matter over to the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice must thoroughly investigate this matter and provide an explanation to the people.
Pei Zhi had just returned home when she received an imperial edict from the Empress, summoning her to the palace.
Pei Zhi calmly took a bath and ate a meal at the princess's residence, leisurely sipping her soup.
The one who should be anxious now is the Empress in the palace, not her.
Chunhua prepared the clothes for Pei Zhi to wear to the palace. "Princess, the Empress has sent someone to urge you to enter."
Pei Zhi responded with a soft "Mm".
Pei Zhi put down the bowl and asked Chunhua to prepare something for rinsing her mouth.
Pei Zhi changed her clothes and then spent another half an hour getting ready.
Just as the Empress was getting anxious and was about to send someone to urge him again, Pei Zhi finally arrived.
"What's wrong with Xie Qi? Doesn't he know that I have something on him?"
Before Pei Zhi could even perform the proper rites, the Empress began to question him.
Pei Zhi said casually, "You know, right?"
The Empress didn't care, and Pei Zhi was too lazy to perform the proper etiquette. He walked to a chair and sat down.
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