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

"So what are your plans for the future?"

Ning Wan'er sat back down on a round stool to the side, lowering her eyes to observe Pei Nanyue, who was eating snacks.

Although she was a bit short-tempered, the unexpected incident had gradually calmed her down.

After swallowing the last piece of pastry, Pei Nanyue finally felt some strength returning to her body.

"Your Majesty, you must continue to endure. I believe that soon, the mastermind behind this will spread rumors that will be detrimental to you."

"After they've already started smearing me, am I supposed to just keep quiet?"

Ning Wan'er thought to herself that this idea was a bit unreliable. She narrowed her eyes slightly and carefully observed Pei Nanyue's delicate face, afraid that she might miss some information.

Such a plan is truly putting her on the chopping block, leaving her to be slaughtered at will.

Pei Nanyue, aware of Ning Wan'er's doubts, quickly stood up and curtsied.

"Your Majesty need not worry. This matter will soon be replaced by something else. At that time, you will only need to cry and complain about your grievances to the Emperor."

"Feeling wronged? What wronged do I have? Are you asking me to expose the An family's deliberate framing of me in front of the Emperor?"

Ning Wan'er looked incredulous. She still remembered how Pei Nanyue had tried to stop her, fearing that Pei Nanyue would make a big fuss about it.

Pei Nanyue raised her eyes and smiled.

"Your Majesty is wise. This matter should have been discussed by you personally, but we need to wait for the most suitable opportunity."

"what chance?"

"Fourth Princess... an opportunity to anger the Emperor." Pei Nanyue's voice trembled slightly, revealing that she wasn't entirely confident about this risky plan.

"what are you saying?"

Ning Wan'er's expression naturally stiffened. Although she had already married the Emperor of Nanyang, her heart still yearned for the Western Regions.

If the marriage alliance between Nanyang and the Western Regions were to be sabotaged at this time, she would absolutely not agree to it happening.

After all, she still has her clansmen...

"Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. Yesterday, one of my maids happened to see your younger brother coming out of the Fourth Princess's residence."

Pei Nanyue composed herself, lowering her eyes to stare at her hands, afraid that Ning Wan'er would see her emotions.

Ning Wan'er frowned slightly. She hadn't heard anything about her younger brother still staying in Nanyang, and couldn't help but ask with some doubt.

“He shouldn’t be in Nanyang right now. Right after the Emperor’s birthday celebration, he secretly returned because he had some important matters to attend to in the Western Regions.”

"You went back?" Pei Nanyue was naturally a little surprised.

Seeing this, Ning Wan'er added another sentence.

"However, few people know about this, since there's been some internal strife in the Western Regions. Speaking of which, I just remembered..."

She slowly got up, turned around, and took out an exquisite wooden box from a hidden compartment by the bedside.

"Your Majesty, what is this...?"

Pei Nanyue's heart tightened as soon as she saw the box.

She knew this wooden box all too well!

Ning Wan'er keenly noticed the change in Pei Nanyue's expression, and she explained softly.

"This box was given to me by my younger brother before he left. I forgot about it last time you went to the palace in a hurry. You can take it back with you this time."

She gently placed the wooden box on the table and pushed it towards Pei Nanyue.

The wooden box looked quite old, and the patterns carved on it were no longer legible.

Only the silver lock that tightly secured the wooden box was polished to a gleaming shine.

It's likely that the box's owner used it frequently.

"Your Majesty... this is inappropriate." Pei Nanyue suddenly stood up, wanting to politely decline.

"I know about this, you don't need to explain."

Ning Wan'er looked up at her, as if she already knew about her relationship with her younger brother.

At that time, her half-brother was sent to Nanyang as a hostage when he was young. If it weren't for the Pei family's help, her brother probably wouldn't have lived to see the day he returned to the Western Regions.

Even though her younger brother had once killed her family...

“Your Majesty, I cannot take this. If you know this… then please do not try to persuade me. The Pei family’s current predicament does not allow me to have any other romantic feelings.”

Pei Nanyue's firm refusal left Ning Wan'er at a loss for words.

After a long while, Ning Wan'er slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Very well, it's not our place to interfere in your story. But he insists that you open the box. Why don't you stay and look at it before you leave?"

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the inner room without waiting for Pei Nanyue to refuse again.

Although she disliked her younger brother from the bottom of her heart, she was afraid that without Herlian Nash's help back then, neither she nor her mother would have had such a dignified ending.

She certainly didn't care about transactions or anything like that.

When Ning Wan'er was a little over ten years old, she had already made an alliance with Herlian Nash.

She entered Nanyang as a concubine in exchange for peace in the Western Regions.

He became the Khan of the Western Regions and protected the lives of her people.

"My lady..."

A soft voice pulled Ning Wan'er back to reality. She turned around and saw Huanpei, the maid who had just entered the palace, standing guard at the door of the room.

Huanpei was a maid she brought from the Western Regions. She had grown up by her side since childhood and was a trustworthy girl.

"Is Your Highness thinking of Madam?" Huanpei, with her sharp eyes, naturally noticed the lingering sadness in Ning Wan'er's eyes.

Ning Wan'er shook her head slightly.

"I didn't think about my mother, but I did think that even though Nanyang is currently in a period of prosperity, it's not as peaceful as it seems on the surface..."

"Is Your Highness speaking in riddles? I am ignorant and do not understand your meaning."

Huanpei stepped forward and helped Ning Wan'er slowly walk out of Chengqian Palace.

By then, the sun had already set.

The crimson sunset painted the entire sky, a truly beautiful sight.

Ning Wan'er slowly raised her head to look at everything before her, as if in her eyes, it was always so beautiful that it seemed unreal.

"Do you think the Crown Prince can win this battle?"

With her jade pendants jingling and head bowed, she answered naturally.

"Of course, Your Majesty personally taught him horseback riding and archery, which is naturally different from what the tutors in our palace taught him. Your Majesty, back then..."

"Huanpei."

"Yes, my lady."

Huanpei almost forgot that they were in the palace.

"I think it's good that the Crown Prince can return safely, regardless of whether this battle is won or lost... It's just a pity that, apart from me, no one else in this palace thinks like me."

Ning Wan'er's expression betrayed her deep sorrow.

When she thought about her conversation with Pei Nanyue, it seemed that this deep palace was full of deceit and treachery, with not a trace of sincerity.

Even if a father schemes against his son, the son will still resent his father...

Everything seemed so natural and taken for granted.

Thinking of this, she clenched her hands tightly in her sleeves. Of course, she wasn't as indifferent to everything as she appeared.

It's just that the more she pretends to be indifferent, the more peacefully everything she cares about can go.

"Your Majesty, you are talking nonsense again. His Majesty takes this battle very seriously, and I believe the Crown Prince will surely return in triumph."

The sound of her jade pendants pulled her back to reality.

"is it?"

"Yes"