Under the peach blossom tree in the backyard, I watched the peach blossom petals falling all over the ground and couldn't help but speak first:

"Your Highness, the big fire in the palace ten years ago also happened during the peak of the peach blossom season, right?"

Chen Niannian, who had been silent the whole time, looked at me sharply as soon as she heard this sentence.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Your Highness?" I pretended not to understand, meeting her eyes.

"Little girl, what do you want to say?"

"Is it your brother's orders?"

When it came to the events of ten years ago, Chen Niannian was filled with prickles.

In that fire, many people died, but only her mother, a palace concubine, died tragically, and she, a princess, was disfigured.

Of course, she didn't think an eight-year-old child like me could come and negotiate with her; she would only think of my brother behind me.

In my past life, I died in the fire and saw everything clearly after death.

Not long after I died, the palace coup occurred. No one had expected that the mastermind behind it all would be the previously inconspicuous Seventh Princess.

The pleasure-loving emperor was caught off guard, and in the end, he fled in a sorry state with the Ninth Princess and other princes and princesses. Shortly after, the Seventh Princess ascended the throne.

The coup had been planned for a long time and was also the trend of the times. The emperor had long lost the people's hearts, and many in the court had already harbored dissent. However, there were many criticisms about a woman, the Seventh Princess, ultimately taking the throne. The Seventh Princess used drastic measures to silence those who opposed her.

By quietly biding her time by Chen Qingqing's side for ten years, Chen Niannian had always hidden her ambitions well, presenting an image of a timid and cowardly waste to the outside world.

No one would have thought that the girl in front of them had secretly accumulated a considerable amount of power.

I smiled sweetly at her, trying to make her relax a bit, but the effect was minimal: "Your Highness, my brother said we have a common enemy."

The Seventh Princess frowned slightly, but the wariness in her eyes disappeared:

"You mean Chen Qingqing?"

Seeing me nod, her expression changed slightly. After pondering for a moment, she chose to believe my words, but she still had many questions:

"Now, the Ninth Princess is remarkably talented, outstanding in appearance, and currently in favor. Your brother could gain unimaginable wealth by following her. Why refuse?"

Thinking of the torment in my past life, I couldn't help but feel a surge of hatred, so my tone turned cold: "Not everyone desires the favor of the Ninth Princess. No matter how good she is, she can't compare to even a single finger of my sister-in-law."

Perhaps the calm and composure that I, a young girl, displayed were qualities usually seen in adults, which ultimately led the Seventh Princess to believe me and agree to meet me again at a later time.