After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 164 Killing Multiple Birds with One Arrow

She gave the Ninth Prince a deep look: "...I'm afraid that after I die, you won't be able to control the court."

"I?!!"

"Yes," Xia Li nodded in confirmation.

The Ninth Prince refused to believe it: "How could that be? Father knew I loved Princess Nanhua, yet he betrothed her to my eldest brother!"

Speaking of this, the Ninth Prince couldn't help but feel resentful towards the Emperor.

He had already expressed his feelings to his father and asked to marry Zhao Jihua, but his father turned around and betrothed Jihua to his eldest brother.

Xia Li knew exactly what he was thinking and explained, "If possible, he would certainly prefer your eldest brother to inherit the throne. Nangong Sheng is virtuous and talented, and his strength is formidable. He can definitely lead the Azure Dragon Empire to a higher level. In fact, if he wanted to, he could even unify the four kingdoms. You are a benevolent ruler and undeniably a skilled ruler. However, your own strength is not strong enough, and he is afraid that you cannot handle the situation. So he made two preparations... or you could say, killing several birds with one stone."

Ninth Prince: ? ? ?

Xia Li already knew the ending of their love story in her previous life, so this time she spoke it without hesitation:

"The struggle for the throne has always been brutal throughout history. Once a prince ascends the throne, it is difficult for the other princes to have a good ending. You have the ambition to seize the throne, and the emperor also wants to use this to test you two brothers to see if you will turn against each other and fight each other in the future, or if you will help each other and jointly protect the country. If it is the former, he will definitely make arrangements for the fate of the other princes in advance."

"Secondly, whether for the sake of the country or for personal feelings, he is more inclined towards the eldest prince, after all, the eldest prince's birth mother is the person he loved in his life. So... umm, you understand."

“But the eldest prince is indeed too violent, resorting to violence at the drop of a hat. He is afraid that the country will be in turmoil and that it will be detrimental to the people’s livelihood. Moreover, the eldest prince has chosen the path of cultivation, so he probably won’t stay here for long. But if it were you, the emperor would be afraid of foreign invasion or aristocratic families seizing power.”

“It is indeed a difficult choice, but my sister is virtuous and talented. In his eyes, she is the chosen one and the only candidate for the future empress. So he gave the opportunity to my sister. Whoever my sister chooses will be the future emperor.”

"My sister and the First Prince are a couple who complement each other yet are also intertwined. The First Prince can absolutely crush her. If she chooses you, she is already a woman who has been rejected twice, her reputation is damaged, and she will lose her pride in front of you. Moreover, if you can't control her in the future, you can use this as a reason to depose her."

"That's why he insisted on marrying my sister to the eldest prince, even though he knew you liked her."

After saying so much in one breath, Xia Li was so thirsty that she picked up the teapot and drank it straight from it.

However, because he drank too quickly, he choked and coughed.

After hearing this, the Ninth Prince knew that he still had a chance. His eyes softened and he said gently, "How could I possibly look down on Hua'er? She is so wonderful, like a gentle breeze and a bright moon, like a fairy from heaven. It is always those people who are not good enough for her, and I am not good enough for her either."

"So, my sister is the only victim in this whole incident. You're all the beneficiaries!" Xia Li said indignantly.

The Ninth Prince said with remorse, "It was my father's fault in this matter. I will make it up to her in the future."

"That's it? Can't you come up with something more substantial?" Xia Li pouted.

The Ninth Prince said firmly, "Yes! I will give her everything I can. I am willing to offer the entire country as a dowry in exchange for her rising to prominence. What she wants is what I want."

Xia Li retorted without hesitation, "Is this empire yours? You keep hiring, hiring, hiring!"

"Yes, I'm confident I can win."

"Can you defeat the eldest prince?"

Ninth Prince: ...

We can't beat them.

“But I… can negotiate with him.”

Xia Li waved his hand: "Alright, no matter what, the capital is already in chaos."

Fortunately, there is still time. After all, the Third Prince is also afraid of what the world says. If he wants to rightfully ascend the throne, he must wait until the Second Prince returns in two months before making any major moves.

"It'll be almost Chinese New Year by then, which is good. After dealing with these people, everyone can have a good New Year."

“But when the eldest prince returns, my sister’s calamity will begin.”

"No, even if she can't annul the engagement now, there are still many things I can do for her, such as recruiting talented people and cultivating insightful individuals..."

Xia Li: ...

60 points!

That's the most I can have.

If it were Nangong Sheng, he would have gone directly into the palace to bail her out; he would never have allowed his wife to suffer the slightest injustice!

But the Ninth Prince was, after all, a benevolent and filial monarch, for whom filial piety was of paramount importance.

Unlike Nangong Sheng, who was a rebellious son!

Although the ending of the previous life was also happy, but...

In this life, she spoke up in advance, hoping that their path together would be smoother.

"Alright, don't rush to breathe a sigh of relief. We've offended the Third Prince today, so we're going to be busy for a while!"

"Should I send some soldiers to protect you?"

Xia Li: I'm not bragging, but your soldiers might not be as effective as mine.

She said, "No need, the Third Prince wouldn't dare take my life."

……

Meanwhile, the Third Prince was also discussing matters with his confidants.

The Third Prince's eyes flashed with a sinister light as he said, "These days, visit the homes of court officials more often. Subdue those you can, and suppress those you can't. I want everyone to respect me!"

"Then, Princess Anping, would you like to..." The confidant made a throat-slitting gesture.

"No! She has the backing of the black market and the protection of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion. Not only can I not easily take her life, but if anything happens to her, I will have to save her."

"So we're just going to call it a day?"

"Impossible! I must avenge this!"

The Third Prince pondered for a moment and said:

"The black market and the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion won't remove the future emperor of the Azure Dragon Empire over such a trivial matter. So just cause her some trouble and annoyance, keep her busy and stressed, and let me vent my anger."

So the next two months were spent in a standoff between the Ninth Prince and the Third Prince, and the Third Prince constantly causing trouble for Xia Li.