“Yes, join forces,” Li Yanyan repeated.

Shen Xihe’s fingers lightly moved on the teacup as she tilted her head to look at the smoking incense burner nearby: “Why?”

“We have a common enemy,” Li Yanyan said.

She was a princess of a fallen nation, destroyed by His Majesty.

Shen Xihe was the daughter of a non-imperial prince, and His Majesty couldn’t tolerate the Northwest, making them natural enemies.

“You’re wrong,” Shen Xihe corrected. “You and His Majesty are sworn enemies, not merely opponents.”

Opponents merely have conflicting interests and don’t necessarily fight to the death; sworn enemies, however, cannot exist under the same sky.

“Whether opponents or sworn enemies, it’s the same person,” Li Yanyan didn’t care about this distinction.

Shen Xihe smiled slightly: “You don’t understand my meaning. As long as His Majesty doesn’t move against the Northwest, I won’t commit regicide. But you want His Majesty’s life regardless. We are fundamentally different, and those who follow different paths cannot work together.”

Shen Xihe felt neither ill will nor goodwill toward Li Yanyan. She hadn’t experienced Li Yanyan’s pain of losing her country and wouldn’t comment on her actions. However, she couldn’t agree with Li Yanyan collaborating with Xiao Changtai for revenge, even covering up his grave robbery – this violated basic human conscience.

Putting herself in others’ shoes, if someone dug up her ancestors’ graves for their purposes, Shen Xihe would surely tear them to pieces!

“Heh.” Li Yanyan laughed softly, looking Shen Xihe up and down. “You remind me of someone.”

Shen Xihe didn’t respond; she knew whom Li Yanyan meant.

“The late Princess Consort Xin was equally foolish,” Li Yanyan spoke disdainfully of Gu Qingzhi. “Had she struck first, had she prepared earlier, the Gu family might not have fallen so far. I thought people like her were rare…”

Li Yanyan gave Shen Xihe a strange look: “Are all noble ladies of your Great Zhou so stubbornly self-righteous? His Majesty’s intentions are clear as day, yet you still wait passively for death?”

“How Princess Consort Xin was, she has passed away, I won’t comment,” Shen Xihe avoided discussing Gu Qingzhi. “How I am is none of Third Princess Consort’s concern.”

Li Yanyan oversimplified regicide. While the Northwest and Emperor Youning indeed couldn’t coexist, Shen Xihe wouldn’t explain this to Li Yanyan – they weren’t that close.

“Why not hear my sincerity?” Li Yanyan scrutinized Shen Xihe.

Shen Xihe tapped her teacup lightly, laughing softly: “Sincerity? Is His Majesty having the Third Prince test the Eastern Palace?”

Li Yanyan’s pupils suddenly contracted as she looked incredulously at the faintly smiling Shen Xihe.

“His Majesty sparing you both certainly has its reasons. But His Majesty now suspects the Crown Prince and the Third Prince has always seemed the most uninvolved. Having him act would be most unexpected,” Shen Xihe smiled confidently, seeming to be wrapped in a holy light that made her appear sacred and inviolable. “With Xiao Changtai’s matter, His Majesty already suspects the Crown Prince, and you couple were involved. Using you both would be perfect.”

Composing herself, Li Yanyan smiled appreciatively: “Princess Zhaoning, truly worthy of being the one who could make Princess Yanling die without a sound.”

Shen Xihe acted as if she hadn’t understood Li Yanyan’s words and continued: “Rather than saying you want to ally with us, it’s more that you don’t want the Third Prince to be completely used by His Majesty. You’ve seen the Eastern Palace’s true face and know they’re destined to clash with His Majesty.

Let me guess – you’ve surely convinced the Third Prince by discussing your future as a couple and how His Majesty has made things difficult for you over the years. You’ve gotten him to agree to be a double agent, officially helping His Majesty spy on the Crown Prince.

In reality, you’d be watching His Majesty for the Crown Prince.”

Completely seen through by Shen Xihe, Li Yanyan dropped her pretense: “Isn’t that good?”

“No,” Shen Xihe smiled faintly. “What the Third Prince Consort and Third Prince can offer the Crown Prince and me, we can have without you. Yet what you seek from us can only come from us.

So why should we discuss an alliance?”

Shen Xihe wouldn’t agree to ally with Li Yanyan – she was someone who didn’t understand the rules of cooperation. Otherwise, how could Xiao Changtai have fallen to his current state?

She certainly didn’t want to repeat Xiao Changtai’s mistakes one day.

“You want us to submit?” Submission meant being beneath them.

Shen Xihe slowly stood up: “Third Princess Consort, neither I nor the Crown Prince lack supporters. Nor do we fear one more enemy. Consider the fates of all who opposed us – from the Prince of Kang’s household, Princess Changling, Princess Yanling, Minister Wang, to your former ally. Third Princess Consort should think carefully.”

Leaving this warning, Shen Xihe turned to leave.

Just as she reached the doorway, Li Yanyan suddenly stood: “I can sense that you reject me not for these noble-sounding reasons. I want to hear one truth.”

With one foot already over the threshold, Shen Xihe paused but didn’t turn back: “The truth? The truth is, I can also sense that you hate the entire Xiao clan.”

Before her words faded, Shen Xihe had disappeared from Li Yanyan’s sight.

Her words echoed in Li Yanyan’s mind, causing tangible fear to surface in her eyes.

Was Li Yanyan’s cooperation with Xiao Changtai truly just to deal with His Majesty?

It was now, but if Xiao Changtai were to succeed, her sword would point at him next. Besides Xiao Zhenzhen, her hatred for her country’s destruction likely made her want to slaughter the entire Xiao imperial clan.

This time, Xiao Changtai’s fall appeared to be due to Li Yanyan’s foolishness, but Shen Xihe believed Li Yanyan had long wanted to push aside Xiao Changtai, who had been punished to guard the imperial tombs and was gradually slipping from her control. She deliberately created this chaos to see clearly who would be the best to ally with first.

First ally to deal with Emperor Youning, lurk beside allies to understand them thoroughly, then strike back at the critical moment…

“The ambition to be Empress,” Shen Xihe laughed softly in the carriage.

If Li Yanyan could bet correctly, lie low and ally with someone, wait for the final fatal strike until only Xiao Zhenzhen remained – if Xiao Zhenzhen successfully ascended the throne, given his infatuation with her, she could act as regent like the ancestral Empress. After Xiao Zhenzhen’s death, she could smoothly take the throne, becoming the dynasty’s second Empress.

This way, she would truly overthrow the Xiao imperial clan and restore the Li clan’s imperial power of Xiliang.

Unfortunately, she encountered Shen Xihe.

The next day, Xiao Huayong again broke his word and snuck into the Princess’s residence. Shen Xihe revealed Li Yanyan’s thoughts to him.

Xiao Huayong propped his chin, gazing tenderly at Shen Xihe: “Youyou is more suited to be Empress.”

Shen Xihe wasn’t afraid to pierce his heart, speaking honestly: “Too tiring. I’d rather be Empress Dowager.”