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

Yan Zhen was taken aback.

She brought Xiahou Che out of the Yeting Palace because it was convenient and because she valued his agility and caution, believing he wouldn't hold her back.

As for the third, it was to treat him as a pawn.

In her plan, if she wanted to rightfully take that position, she needed to find a puppet as a transitional point.

This puppet can be cowardly and incompetent, or as stupid as a pig. Her only requirement is that the other party must be obedient so that she can control it.

She would take care of everything, delivering the edict of succession and the imperial seal to him. All he had to do was obediently inherit the throne according to her wishes.

Unexpectedly, this "puppet" not only had ambitions, but also took the initiative to enter the game and went to great lengths to fight for power.

This is a good thing for Yan Zhen, as it will save her a lot of trouble.

However, if a "chess piece" develops its own consciousness, it means that the other party may no longer obey it, and there is a risk of losing control.

As Yan Zhen pondered, Xiahou Che leaned in, hugged her, and nuzzled his chin against her shoulder, whispering, "Xiao Lingyi..."

Yan Zhen got goosebumps instantly and shoved Xiahou Che away abruptly: "What are you doing?!"

Xiahou Che frowned, seemingly not understanding why she refused: "Is it wrong for me to be intimate with you?"

Yan Zhen was taken aback by his matter-of-fact tone, then became even more annoyed: "Of course not! What are you thinking?"

"You are my wife, why not?"

"...When did I become your wife?"

“You brought me out of the Yeting Palace, intending to support me to become emperor and you to become empress. What else could we be but husband and wife?”

Yan Zhen was stunned by his thought process and self-righteous attitude, and raised her hand to slap him again.

Xiahou Che's cheek was red from the slap: "Why did you hit me?"

"Get those filthy thoughts out of your head!" Yan Zhen warned, pointing at him. "His Majesty isn't dead yet, and you haven't taken that throne. If I hear you spouting nonsense again, I'll sew your mouth shut!!!"

Xiahou Che selectively focused on the key point: "He's dead, so it's okay for me to become the new emperor?"

Yan Zhen: "..."

Having done so many missions, she's seen all sorts of weirdos.

But at this moment, facing Xiahou Che, she felt a sense of helplessness, as if she were facing a stubborn fool, unable to communicate with him.

"We'll talk about it once you're in that position," Yan Zhen said, not refusing to make any definitive statements.

Having not seen him for five years, she didn't know how many trump cards Xiahou Che had up his sleeve to dare to speak so arrogantly about seizing the throne, but for now, it was best not to break ties with him.

Xiahou Che was delighted to hear this: "Good, I will definitely make you the Queen Mother of the Great Jin Dynasty."

Yan Zhen glanced at him with disdain, but quickly composed herself and asked, "Where's Liu Su?"

"On the way back to Beijing."

"His Majesty has summoned him back to the capital?"

"Correct."

Yan Zhen understood—Emperor Jin probably knew that his days were numbered and that his situation was very dangerous at this time. No one could say for sure whether his sons would try to take advantage of his illness in order to seize the throne, causing him to meet a tragic end.

The reason for recalling Liu Su at this time was to intimidate several princes, including Xiahou Chuan.

"Then why are you here?" Yan Zhen asked. "Did His Majesty secretly summon you back?"

"No, I came back secretly."

"Does Liu Su know?"

"know."

Yan Zhen's heart skipped a beat: "His tacit agreement to your return to the capital at this critical juncture is to help you seize the throne?"

Liu Su commands 300,000 troops. If Xiahou Che can obtain his assistance, he will be at least halfway to succeed in seizing the throne.

“No, Liu Su only obeys the old emperor,” Xiahou Che said, adding, “but his 300,000 troops will be mine sooner or later.”

Yan Zhen: "..."

The more I look at this kid, the more he seems to be exaggerating.

"Alright, since you're returning to the capital in secret, don't wander around," Yan Zhen said. "Find a place to hide. Both the imperial court and the harem will be in chaos during this time, and I can't guarantee your safety."

After giving her instructions, she turned to leave, considering that Xiahou Chuan might be looking for her everywhere.

Xiahou Che grabbed her hand: "Wait."

He pulled a cloth bag from his pocket and presented it to Yan Zhen like a treasure.

Yan Zhen glanced at it and asked warily, "What is it?"

Birthday gift.

Yan Zhen paused, a thought popping into his mind.

Xiahou Che returned to the capital before Liu Su. Could it be to celebrate her birthday?

She accepted the gift, and, meeting Xiahou Che's expectant gaze, opened the cloth bag.

Inside was a crudely made necklace. The necklace itself was strangely shaped, milky white with yellow and black patches, irregularly shaped, varying in size, and emitting a peculiar smell.

Yan Zhen picked up the necklace, which was so ugly that no one wanted to wear it at all, and brought it to his nose to sniff, trying to tell what material it was made of by smell.

Perhaps it is some kind of unusual stone.

Unable to identify it, she asked, "What is this thing?"

"Skull."

"..." Yan Zhen froze as he was fiddling with the necklace.

"These are the skulls of enemy generals I've killed over the years. I cut off their heads and took the small piece from the very center," Xiahou Che said excitedly. "There's a legend in the southwest that if a man gives his merits to the woman he loves, it will bless her with health and longevity."

Yan Zhen remained silent for a moment, then calmly put the necklace back into the cloth bag: "Yes, I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

Where Xiahou Che couldn't see, Yan Zhen repeatedly rubbed the necklace between his fingers on the hem of his clothes, trying to alleviate the discomfort of feeling "dirty" through this action.

Xiahou Che didn't notice. Seeing that she accepted the necklace, he said happily, "I'm glad you like it."

After seeing Xiahou Che off, Yan Zhen emerged from the dark alley and soon saw Xiahou Chuan and Hongyu searching for her everywhere.

"Where did you go?" Xiahou Chuan asked with concern. As soon as he reached her, he took her hand and checked it. "With so many people around, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Yan Zhen withdrew his hand. "It's getting late, let's go back."

Xiahou Chuan wanted to say something more, but seeing the obvious fatigue on her face, he held back: "Okay, I'll take you."

Upon reaching the palace gate, Yan Zhen stopped and curtsied to Xiahou Chuan: "I'll leave you here, Your Highness. Please return."

"Ah Heng." Xiahou Chuan called out to her, took a deep breath, and mustered his courage to say, "I love you."

Yan Zhen looked at him calmly, her eyes expressionless, seemingly unsurprised that he would say such a thing: "Is that so?"

"..."

Her reaction was so calm that it left Xiahou Chuan, who had prepared a whole speech, speechless.

"I know that saying these things to you at this critical moment when my father is ill might be seen as an attempt to win over the Xiao family and help me ascend to the throne, but Ah Heng, I truly love you."

Xiahou Chuan continued, "I know I am not as outstanding as my elder brother, nor do I share the same deep affection for you. But you are the Crown Princess, the future Empress. Among us brothers, I would be your best choice to choose one as your future husband."