Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Yan Zhen paused slightly.

Xiahou Che is a man of skill.

She gave him a chance, and he emerged stubbornly and forcefully like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Judging from his current momentum, it's not impossible for him to become the most favored prince in the emperor's eyes.

-

Five or six days later, Emperor Jin issued an imperial edict, publicly acknowledging Xiahou Che's status as the eleventh prince and granting him residence in Linzhi Palace.

Rumors about this "eleventh prince" spread throughout the palace for a time.

The first snow of the winter fell in Beijing.

At night, Yan Zhen leaned back on the chaise lounge and read a book.

Green Pearl came in from outside, bringing with her a chill.

She breathed on her palms and rubbed them together vigorously. "Miss, it's getting colder and colder. I wonder how His Highness the Crown Prince is doing in Bashu, and when he will be able to return."

Yan Zhen didn't even look up, and said casually, "It'll be soon."

Green Pearl knelt down on the footstool and massaged her legs: "Even if you can come back before the New Year, the wedding will probably not be held until after the New Year."

"It's alright after the New Year, there's no rush." ​​Yan Zhen turned to the last page of her book, glanced at Lü Zhu, and said, "Pour me a glass of water."

"Yes." Green Pearl responded and turned to pour water. Yan Zhen rummaged through the low table next to her and subtly replaced the book with one that had the exact same cover.

When Green Pearl returned with the water, she saw Yan Zhen flipping through the storybook again. She asked curiously, "Miss, is this storybook very good? You've read it several times already."

"Yes, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, the demons and monsters in it are very interesting."

Upon hearing this, Green Pearl was immediately dissuaded. She was terrified of such things. She couldn't sleep at night after hearing eunuchs and maids talk about which palace or hall was haunted.

As the mistress and servant were talking, Hongyu came in from outside and curtsied, saying, "Princess."

Yan Zhen could tell at a glance that she had something to say, something that Green Pearl couldn't know.

So he waved Green Pearl away and asked, "What's wrong?"

Hongyu whispered, "The Eleventh Prince has arrived."

Yan Zhen was taken aback.

Xiahou Che is the most watched person in the palace recently, with eyes everywhere on him, yet he still dares to come to Yihua Palace.

"Let him in, you go and keep watch outside."

"Yes."

A short while later, Xiahou Che, wearing a black cloak and completely concealing himself, slipped in through the side door.

Upon entering the inner hall, he lifted the hood of his cloak and shook off the snowflakes scattered on the ground.

After not seeing him for half a month, his complexion had visibly improved. He was wearing a dark blue brocade robe embroidered with gold thread, and his long hair was tied up with a silver crown with curled patterns. He looked somewhat like a young master from a wealthy family.

However, his expression was more tense and sinister than before.

Yan Zhen gestured with his chin towards him: "Sit."

Xiahou Che sat down on the other side of the couch, with a small table between them and a chessboard on it.

Yan Zhen, holding black stones in his left hand and white stones in his right, was playing against himself. His tone was casual: "You came on this snowy night, is there something you need?"

Xiahou Che was silent for a moment, then said, "Someone poisoned my dinner tonight."

Yan Zhen raised an eyebrow slightly.

She knew that the more favored someone was in the palace, the more dangerous it was, but she didn't expect those people to be in such a hurry. They were eager to kill Xiahou Che even before he was officially registered in the imperial genealogy.

However, upon further reflection, the more Emperor Jin valued Xiahou Che, the better it was to get rid of him sooner rather than later, lest he develop power in the palace and make it difficult to deal with him again.

"Are you scared?" Yan Zhen asked.

Xiahou Che shook his head: "I'm not afraid, but I don't know what to do."

"Ok?"

"The better my father treats me, the more those people want to kill me. I have no support in the palace. If this continues, I will be killed sooner or later."

Xiahou Che saw the problem very clearly: "Moreover, the crown prince has already been chosen, and the other princes all have powerful maternal families behind them. Unless I eliminate them all, the throne will never fall into my hands."

Yan Zhen picked up a white chess piece with his long, slender fingers and placed it on the chessboard with a "thud".

"Then eliminate them all."

Xiahou Che was taken aback, then frowned: "Killing the Crown Prince and other princes, how easy is that?"

“I didn’t tell you to act now.” Yan Zhen raised his head, his shimmering phoenix eyes looking calmly at Xiahou Che. “Your father will not pass away for another six years. You have six years to prepare.”

Xiahou Che's heart skipped a beat under her gaze, and he quickly looked away. Only then did he notice her words: "How do you know that Father Emperor..."

"You don't need to worry about that," Yan Zhen interrupted him. "I'll give you six years. You decide for yourself what to do, what to do, and what level you can achieve. Let me be clear from the start—if you become obsessed with the wealth and status you have, and only seek enjoyment without any ambition, how did you climb to this position? I will make sure you fall from grace."

Xiahou Che: "..."

"have you understood?"

"……Understood."

Seeing the resentment and anger on his face, which was full of being threatened, Yan Zhen found it somewhat amusing. After all, he was just an eleven-year-old child.

When dealing with children, we cannot simply threaten and suppress them; we also need to comfort them and offer them some sweet treats.

Thinking of this, she put the chess piece back in the chess box, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at him with a smile: "There is something I don't understand."

"You said."

"Who was the person who assisted you in assassinating His Majesty at the Hibiscus Pond that day?"

Xiahou Che lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly in the lamplight: "There was no one else. I made the mechanism myself."

"Oh?" Yan Zhen adopted a posture of being willing to hear the details.

Xiahou Che quietly straightened his back and said, "His Majesty has visited Furong Pond twice. I have observed him. Each time he stands in the same spot and leaves after a quarter of an hour. So I set up a crossbow at the pavilion in the middle of the lake."

The crossbow's mechanism was activated by a lotus stem thread, tied to the emerald canopy ornament. Once the ornament was plucked, the mechanism would activate after about half a cup of tea's time, firing the crossbow bolt. The bow would then fall into the lake. The lotus stem thread had been soaked in lime water, so it dissolved upon contact with water. Afterwards, the Imperial Guards could only retrieve the bow and crossbow from the lake; no other traces could be found.

Yan Zhen said thoughtfully, "So no matter who goes to pick that Emerald Canopy Flower, as long as the flower is picked, it will trigger the crossbow bolt?"

"Correct."

"After you were shot by the arrow, someone witnessed the assassin jumping into the Lotus Pond and escaping. What happened?"

“I used silt I dug from the bottom of the lake to make a human figure out of withered lotus leaves. It will sink and disappear after falling into the water, and the lake surface will be shrouded in mist, so they can’t see it clearly,” Xiahou Che said. “Before that, I left a set of night clothes at the mouth of the ditch that leads to the hot spring water, to create the illusion that the assassin escaped the palace along the ditch.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhen almost wanted to applaud Xiahou Che.

This kid is smarter than she imagined; no wonder he dared to kill and dispose of the body at such a young age.

"You did a great job," Yan Zhen praised generously. "I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

Xiahou Che pursed his lips, a hint of restrained smugness and joy showing in the corners of his eyes and brows.