Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

Consort Ning's expression faltered slightly. She glanced around and then dismissed the palace maids.

After all, it's best if very few people know about this.

A moment later, after the last palace maid closed the palace door, only the two of them remained in the entire Chengqian Palace.

“Now you can speak, Miss Pei.”

Ning Wan'er was rather impatient and clearly couldn't hold her temper any longer.

These days, in order to keep a low profile in the palace, she has rarely gone out. She's really been cooped up for too long!

Now that someone has finally come to talk, she didn't expect Pei Nanyue to be so taciturn, which only made her more anxious and restless!

"Your Majesty, please don't be impatient. Before I tell you about this, I have another question to ask you."

Pei Nanyue calmly picked up the teapot and filled the teacup in front of Consort Ning.

The enticing aroma of tea seemed to soothe Consort Ning's anxious heart. She lowered her eyes, staring at the still-steaming teacup, her expression somewhat stiff.

"Then hurry up and ask."

"Do you know why my father strongly advised the Emperor to stop the Crown Prince from leading troops to the Southern Barbarians as the military governor?"

"Stop the Crown Prince? But hasn't your father always supported the Crown Prince? I was going to ask you about this, but I didn't expect you to ask me before I even opened my mouth?"

Ning Wan'er leaned against the soft couch and turned her head to look at Pei Nanyue.

Her face gradually showed displeasure. She thought to herself that girls from Nanyang just liked to talk in circles. When would they ever get to the point?

Weren't they just talking about an alliance? Why did they suddenly bring up her father again?

Pei Nanyue smiled gently and slowly shook her head in reply.

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but I had wondered before why my father was acting so strangely all of a sudden. It wasn't until the eve of my entry into the palace that I finally understood his intentions."

"Prime Minister Pei's intention?"

"Yes, he wants to completely sever the Crown Prince's ties with the Pei family."

"But since the Crown Prince was established, Prime Minister Pei has always insisted on assisting him. Does this mean that your Pei family intends to switch sides with the Third Prince?"

Ning Wan'er's expression turned even more unpleasant upon hearing this, even though the Crown Prince was not her biological son.

However, due to the request from an old friend, she could not possibly stand by and watch the Crown Prince die. Although she was now just a mere concubine and did not have the illustrious family background of a Noble Consort.

But if someone really tries to harm the Crown Prince, she will take them down with her even if she has to die.

Pei Nanyue's breath hitched, as if she was shocked by Consort Ning's idea.

Her usually serene face finally cracked a little.

“Your Majesty… no, the Pei family has never intended to support the Third Prince. Please rest assured on this point. Otherwise, I would not have risked entering the palace today to deliver this message to you.”

"What is Prime Minister Pei's intention? Tell me quickly."

Ning Wan'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief, even though she had been frightened by what she had just said.

If she had just agreed to cooperate with the Pei family, only to be betrayed to the An family the very next day, she probably wouldn't even have had the chance to die a complete death.

Thinking back on these years, the reason why the emperor's offspring have dwindled is undoubtedly due in part to the efforts of An Jia.

“My father already knew when he arranged for my sister to marry into the An family that the Emperor was looking for an excuse to eradicate the Pei family. If this comes true, the Crown Prince’s power in the court will be cut in half.”

Pei Nanyue downed the hot tea in front of her in one gulp, seemingly unconcerned that the scalding tea had burned her cheeks.

Her rosy face and clear, bright eyes were fixed on Ning Wan'er.

She was afraid that her words might cause her to miss the other person's emotions.

As Pei Nanyue had expected, Ning Wan'er's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed tightly together, becoming increasingly deep.

"You...you told me this news, are you really not afraid that I will tell the Emperor?" She raised an eyebrow, naturally seeing through Pei Nanyue's test.

Although she had no interest in palace intrigue in her early years, she still had some thoughts about it and had experienced the inner workings of the palace.

Pei Nanyue slowly stood up, held a silk handkerchief in her hand, and performed a deep bow before Consort Ning.

"I told Your Majesty about my father's thoughts so that Your Majesty could be at ease. This is the sincerity that the Pei family has for Your Majesty."

On the surface, Pei Nanyue was obviously trying to test Ning Wan'er.

But secretly, she also wanted to know whether the big tree she had found was truly sturdy.

After all, in this deep palace, the only one who could rival Consort An was the former eldest princess of the Western Regions, Consort Ning.

Consort Ning lowered her head and looked at Pei Nanyue, who was already bowing to the ground. Of course, she wasn't stupid.

She didn't rush to make Pei Nanyue get up, but instead followed her example, slowly picking up the hot tea on the table and savoring it.

Similarly, Pei Nanyue kept her head down and remained kneeling.

For a long time, neither of them spoke.

"Boom-"

Consort Ning clenched her fist and slammed it on the table. She still wanted to know the secret that Pei Nanyue had mentioned.

"Get up. Are you going to keep kneeling like this if I don't say anything?" She was naturally a little unhappy. She was perfectly content being a leisurely concubine in the harem.

But he impulsively agreed to form an alliance with the Pei family.

She had not seen Pei Nanyue since the alliance was formed.

They finally managed to meet, only to be completely controlled by the other party.

She really didn't like this kind of competition.

"Thank you, empress."

Pei Nanyue smiled, but when she slowly rose and sat down next to Consort Ning, that smile had already disappeared.

Since Consort Ning has shown sincerity, she naturally cannot continue to speak in such a manner.

"Your Majesty, do you know that after the incident at the Imperial Study, the Emperor will only despise the Pei family even more? Since that's the case, he might as well stop pretending and send my elderly father and the Crown Prince to fight in the Southern Barbarians. He simply wants to keep my father there forever."

"You...you mean the Emperor...the Emperor wants to kill Prime Minister Pei? But he clearly isn't..."

Ning Wan'er's face stiffened, and she couldn't help but stare at the other person with wide eyes.

Even deep down, she always believed that the Emperor treated Prime Minister Pei very well.

"The Emperor did this to completely eradicate my Pei family. Otherwise, why would my father have opposed the Crown Prince leading the troops in the Imperial Study in front of so many people? Everyone thought this battle was a sure victory, and the military merit was practically handed to us."

Pei Nanyue lowered her voice, afraid that their conversation might be overheard by someone with ulterior motives.

Consort Ning clenched her hands tightly in her sleeves, even though she had never liked the Emperor.

However, ever since she married into Nanyang, the Emperor's life-or-death friendship with Prime Minister Pei has been known to everyone in the palace.

Otherwise, why has the Pei family fought with the An family for so many years without being reprimanded by the Emperor?

Isn't this just the emperor turning a blind eye?

You know, when the emperor first ascended the throne, how could there be such a peaceful and prosperous era in Nanyang if it weren't for Prime Minister Pei?