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

Pei Nanyue glanced at her younger sister and said softly

What is my sister thinking?

Startled from her reverie, Pei Suisui trembled slightly and looked up to meet her sister's probing gaze.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about the Imperial Concubine."

She composed herself, but because of her personality, she didn't reveal what had happened outside the palace.

"You don't need to worry. The Imperial Concubine has experienced many ups and downs and won't hold a grudge against the Pei family for this."

Pei Nanyue lowered her eyes, staring intently at the stone path beneath her feet. Before Pei Suisui could speak, she sighed softly.

"Do you really think that Father is deliberately going against the Emperor?"

Pei Suisui paused, watching her sister's figure disappear into the distance, then quickly snapped out of her daze and took a few steps forward to chase after her.

"The Emperor is so eager to establish an Empress, and my father has tried to stop him many times. It's hard to say that the Emperor might become suspicious, and the Imperial Concubine might take her anger out on our Pei family."

Pei Nanyue's gaze was calm and deep, as if unfathomable emotions were churning within her eyes. After a long while, Pei Nanyue suddenly chuckled softly.

"You really think so?"

"Isn't that right? I saw it clearly."

Pei Suisui nodded vigorously. Just now, she thought that her father would be reprimanded by the Emperor for contradicting him. At that moment, the Emperor's eyes seemed to hold murderous intent, which frightened her so much that she broke out in a cold sweat.

"It's not what you think." Pei Nanyue took her sister's hand. Her sister had always been sensitive to cold, and her little hands were indeed icy cold. Pei Nanyue frowned slightly and instead held her sister's hand in her bosom.

"In fact, the emperor would never make the Consort into empress."

Pei Suisui couldn't hide her surprise, but remembering that they were in the palace, she quickly lowered her voice and said...

"Could it be that Father gave the Emperor the reason for refusing to establish an empress?"

She could hardly believe it. The Emperor and her father hadn't exchanged any words in the palace, so why did her father immediately understand the meaning behind the Emperor's words?

"You little fool."

Pei Nanyue affectionately tapped her head.

"How can one become prime minister if one does not understand the emperor's thoughts?"

As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them finally left the palace and got into their respective carriages.

It was past midnight, and the streets were quiet except for the soft sound of horses' hooves tapping on the ground.

Pei Suisui was still a little unwilling to give up, so she moved closer to her sister and pestered her.

"My sister then told me how Father knew."

She kept her voice very low, and even nervously lifted the curtain to watch Pei Zhiheng get into the carriage in front before she dared to relax.

Her father was present, so she didn't dare ask too many questions, fearing she would be scolded for being too talkative.

"Oh, you silly boy."

Pei Nanyue looked at her with doting eyes, blaming herself for spoiling her too much, making her so naive. Unable to resist Pei Suisui's persistent nagging, she had no choice but to explain...

“Consort An’s father is the Duke of Anguo, whose power in the court is equal to that of her father. No women from the Pei family have entered the palace, and if the Duke of Anguo’s own daughter is made empress, the balance of power in the court will be broken.”

Pei Suisui was taken aback upon hearing this, her expression seemingly understanding the meaning behind her sister's words.

"So, what you mean, sister, is that if Consort An is made empress, the power will shift, and the Emperor could very well be threatened by the An family?"

"The threat is not the primary concern; the real fear is that the An family will use the name of the legitimate son of the empress to purge the court of corrupt officials."

Pei Nanyue's gaze sharpened as she looked at her younger sister, a fleeting glint of coldness in her eyes. This was something she had mentioned before entering the palace with her father: now that the An family was powerful, the emperor was using the Pei family to suppress them.

But my father was honest and upright, unlike the Duke of Anguo who was cunning and scheming in court.

If they were to hand the emperor a knife, the Pei family would not be powerful enough to resist the An family.

The brilliance of today's scene lies in the fact that if the emperor affirms his father's request, it means that the emperor already has the intention to eliminate the An family.

"If that's the case, then isn't the Imperial Concubine's desire to arrange a marriage for the Third Prince simply a way for them to secure a stable family and build up their influence?"

Pei Sui Sui finally understood why her father had forbidden her from visiting the Third Prince; it wasn't simply because of the feud between the Pei and An families in the court.

Pei Nanyue smiled at her but did not reply.

Now that the Emperor of Nanyang has also seized the throne illegitimately, how could he allow anyone to follow in his footsteps and threaten him?

Just like how Prime Minister Pei always told Pei Sui Sui to avoid suspicion with the Third Prince, it meant that the Pei family did not want to get too involved in the royal family's troubles.

If you want to ensure the prosperity of the Pei family, you must not waver in front of the emperor.

Pei Nanyue lifted the curtain and gazed at the bright moon in the night sky. Her heart was cold; although she understood her father's good intentions, as the most outstanding legitimate daughter of the Pei family, the mission she bore was not something she could decide for herself.

It could be the Nanyang royal family, a high-ranking official, or...

She suddenly remembered the way the emperor looked at her back then, and realized that she had also become a player in the game.

Suddenly, her gaze fell upon a familiar figure in the moonlight, and she visibly paused in her breath.

"Sister, what are you doing?"

Pei Suisui rarely saw Pei Nanyue lost in thought, and wanted to lean over to see what she was looking at. Pei Nanyue quickly lowered the curtain, her tone turning somewhat cold as she spoke.

"It's nothing. Go back and get some rest."

She glanced at her younger sister beside her, a smile playing on her lips.

She was already a pawn on the chessboard, and all she wished for was that her sister could live a peaceful life.

Meanwhile, standing by the railing, Nash abruptly withdrew his gaze and forced a self-deprecating, awkward smile.

"What are you looking at, Young Master Helian?"

A man dressed in black slowly walked to his side.

Herlenash turned around, meeting Duan Yumou's gaze, and gently shook his head.

"Nothing much, just casually looking at the scenery of Nanyang. It is indeed different from my Western Regions."

"is it?"

Duan Yumou's cold and indifferent tone, along with his unfathomable eyes, startled Helian Nash, causing him to catch his breath.

He took out a stack of land deeds from his pocket and handed them to the other party.

"This is Young Master Helian's reward. These are all shops near the Western Regions. Although they can't compare to a chest full of real gold and silver, they're convenient for you to take back."

Hernash stared coldly at the land deed before him, not reaching out to take it, but instead asking with some confusion...

"What exactly does His Highness intend to do?"

He still didn't understand what Duan Yumou was trying to do. After all, even he, who was far away in the Western Regions, knew that the Second Prince was not doing well in the Nanyang court. He had neither the emperor's favor nor a wealthy maternal family to support him.

If it weren't for my eagerness to know about the case of the murder of court officials in Nanyang, I wouldn't have readily agreed to cooperate with Duan Yumou.

"Of course, it's to annoy my dear third brother." Duan Yumou couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes as he stuffed a stack of land deeds into Helian Nash's hands, saying excitedly.

"Don't worry, my cooperation with you only goes this far, but my purpose is not limited to this."

With his hands behind his back, Duan Yumou's robe billowed in the night wind, and his effeminate face twisted slightly when he smiled.

Helian Nash looked at the land deed in his hand, unable to hide the disdain in his eyes. Ever since he stepped into the Nanyang territory again, he had somewhat regretted cooperating with the Second Prince.

After making numerous inquiries along the way, he came to a conclusion.

Duan Yumou is a madman!