Transmigrated into a cunning princess, she sets her sights on a celibate royal uncle.

Thinking this, he leisurely walked over and sat down next to Huo Jingxuan. At that moment, a guard next to him grilled a fish and handed it to him.

Originally intended for Huo Jingxuan, it was intercepted by Yan Zijin halfway: "Thank you, thank you!"

Han Chuan, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore. Their prince had only eaten one chicken leg.

"Scholar Yan, you are truly...shameless!"

Yan Zijin, contrary to his usual behavior, said: "Thank you for the compliment!"

Han Chuan was speechless and turned to help Huo Jingxuan roast other things, leaving Yan Zijin and Huo Jingxuan sitting by the fire.

Huo Jingxuan looked at Yan Zijin, who had taken the initiative to approach him, and knew that he had ulterior motives, so he remained silent and waited for him to speak.

After finishing the grilled fish, Yan Zijin finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Your Highness, haven't you ever thought about joining forces with the princess?"

Huo Jingxuan raised his eyes and glanced at Yan Zijin: "Just for those words, I could chop off your head right now!"

Yan Zijin touched his neck: "Your Highness, there's no need to scare me. You know, my allegiance to Princess Guishun is only because I have something on my hands in the Cold Crow Society. I don't really want to be your enemy!"

"What? You want to betray your master now?" Huo Jingxuan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yan Zijin.

Yan Zijin waved his hands repeatedly: "I wouldn't dare!"

"If you don't dare, why come and say these things to me?" Huo Jingxuan's voice was extremely cold.

Yan Zijin decided to speak frankly and openly.

"I am well aware of Your Highness's abilities. The Seventh Princess is no match for you. I dare neither betray the Seventh Princess nor be your enemy."

So I've come up with a solution that satisfies both sides; Your Highness might want to listen to it!

Huo Jingxuan gave him a single word: "Speak!"

"His Majesty may not truly be willing to be a puppet. Xie Changsheng's death is a clear indication of this. Why don't the Prince and the Seventh Princess join forces to put forward an emperor who is more willing to be a puppet!"

Yan Zijin revealed his plans.

"You mean that newborn child?" Huo Jingxuan's brows furrowed so deeply they looked like flies were trapped between them.

Yan Zijin nodded: "Jiang Fu is the bloodline of the Third Prince. As the Seventh Princess said, if he becomes the only bloodline of the royal family, then it would be only natural for him to ascend the throne!"

"When the time comes, we'll appoint Chun Tao as Empress Dowager and let her rule from behind the curtain. You know Chun Tao's abilities; she poses no threat to you!"

Huo Jingxuan sneered: "What about Jiang Xi? How do you think I should arrange things?"

When it came to Jiang Xi, Yan Zijin was also at a loss, but he still mustered up his courage and spoke.

"In my opinion, we should overthrow the Four Pillars of State, appoint the Seventh Princess as the Regent Princess, and then have the Prince and her stand as two equals!"

Huo Jingxuan looked at Yan Zijin and suddenly laughed: "Are you thinking of me or Jiang Xi? What's the difference between this and now?"

Yan Zijin said frankly, “This move is for the sake of both the prince and the princess. The difference is that during this period, you and the seventh princess are temporarily on the same side.”

"And then what? Didn't we still end up fighting each other? It only strengthened her power!" Huo Jingxuan retorted.

Yan Zijin's expression darkened further: "Then... Your Highness only needs to draft the decree yourself, making the princess marry you, and gradually clipping her wings so that she can be content in the inner quarters!"

Huo Jingxuan was visibly taken aback after hearing Yan Zijin's plan.

It must be said that Yan Zijin was even more cunning than his father.

However, his actions were not without merit.

Since the outcome is the same anyway, what difference does it make whether it's Jiang Xi or Jiang Gu?

After a long pause, Huo Jingxuan made up his mind: "Alright, I agree, but whether Jiang Xi agrees or not is up to you to persuade her!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Zijin's face lit up with joy: "This humble official will certainly not fail in his mission!"

The team set off early the next morning.

Yan Zijin arranged for Chun Tao to have a luxurious carriage, citing the child's need for rest.

He had just invited Chun Tao over when he himself climbed into Jiang Xi's carriage.

"Hey, you, a Grand Scholar, riding in the same carriage as this princess, is that even proper?"

Jiang Xi felt that Yan Zijin's intentions were not simple, so she asked him warily.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I am your man, and I was almost targeted and killed while crammed into the Regent's carriage!"

Yan Zijin looked pitiful.

The carriage swayed and began to move, but he insisted on staying in Jiang Xi's carriage and refused to get off.

He even lifted the curtains on both sides of the carriage to greet Lu Ye and Su Huanqing, who were riding horses to protect him on both sides, but it was obviously a show-off.

Lu Ye and Su Huanqing each turned their faces away, seemingly suspecting that he was a petty person who had achieved his goal.

"Oh, you two are angry!"

Yan Zijin lowered the carriage curtain, his tone teasing.

Jiang Xi kicked him: "Just say what you want to say!"

"You knew I needed to talk to you?" Yan Zijin was slightly surprised.

"I'm not blind. You were just trying to make sure no one was eavesdropping around you, weren't you?" Jiang Xi rolled her eyes.

Yan Zijin was slightly embarrassed, but immediately got to the point: "This humble official wants to persuade the princess to cooperate with the prince!"

Jiang Xi became interested and asked, "How do we cooperate?"

Yan Zijin solemnly repeated what he had said to Huo Jingxuan the day before, slightly altering his words, to Jiang Xi.

After hearing this, Jiang Xi looked surprised: "You want to make Fu'er the next puppet?"

Yan Zijin looked heartbroken and said, "This humble official is unwilling as well, but Princess, please think of it, is there a better way?"

Jiang Xi fell silent.

Yan Zijin continued, "Right now we are outnumbered and outmatched. If we don't have the Regent's help when we return to the capital, you will either be betrothed or given a fief and driven away. What else can you do?"

As Yan Zijin spoke, he observed Jiang Xi's expression. Seeing that she did not object, he continued.

"Princess, think about it. That child is still so young. Even if he becomes the only heir to the royal bloodline, will the ministers agree to his ascension to the throne?"

At this point, all the clansmen will jump out, and various vassal kings will rise up in rebellion, causing widespread suffering and death among the people. Is this really what you want to see?

"Let's take it one step at a time, get to that position first, and then worry about other things, okay?"

"You're not the first person to make this suggestion!"

Facing Yan Zijin's expectant gaze, Jiang Xi looked up at him and slowly said.

"I know what you're thinking; you just don't want to be a sacrifice on my path to power."

According to your plan, even if Chun Tao were to rule from behind the curtain and I were to replace the Four Pillars of State as the Regent Princess, it would depend on Huo Jingxuan's power.

He only needed to draft an imperial decree to marry me off to one of his subordinates, or simply marry me himself and confine me to the inner quarters.

Then, in the name of the imperial son-in-law, he can take over the power I hold. In this way, I can control the entire court without lifting a finger!

Yan Zijin was shocked. He never expected that Jiang Xi would reveal all his thoughts.

After Jiang Xi finished speaking, she looked up and stared intently into his eyes.

"Is this the kind of talk you used to persuade Huo Jingxuan?"