After rebirth, I joined forces with my mortal enemy to seek revenge.

Taking the scroll from Li Xiujing, Pei Jiaoran hung it nearby, arms folded as he admired the painting, "Duke Zhou Assisting King Cheng," created by a contemporary painter. Dusk filtered through the window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the painting, illuminating Duke Zhou's attire with flickering brilliance.

"My dear, did you know that when Duke Zhou returned power to King Cheng, he wrote the poem 'The Owl'?" she suddenly spoke, a hint of amusement in her voice. "He clearly made great contributions to the country, yet he compared himself to a mournful owl to express his feelings."

At this moment, the twilight outside the window seeped into her eyelashes, making the subtle irony on her lips obscure and unclear.

The candlelight on the desk popped, and her shadow fell on the painting "Duke Zhou Assisting King Cheng." The shadow perfectly covered Duke Zhou's hands, holding King Cheng, and twisted on the mottled wall into the shape of a hawk snagging its prey.

"Wang Mang claimed to be a sage, favoring the Zhou rituals and innovating new policies." Pei Jiaoran suddenly turned and looked at Li Xiujing with a smile. "Yet, within six months, he was killed by someone else's sword. Although Cao Cao was extremely powerful, he never usurped the throne. Instead, his descendants usurped the Liu Dynasty and established the Cao Wei Dynasty. However, within a few generations, Sima Zhongda and his sons plotted to seize the throne. Oh, who among these people hasn't read the story of Zhou Gong? Unfortunately, in the end, they were no match for Yi and Huo. As a result, countless usurpers emerged during the Jin Dynasty."

Listening to Pei Jiaoran's sigh, Li Xiujing said: "How many people in the world can achieve what Duke Zhou and Huo Bolu did?"

Pei Jiaoran's fingertips lightly traced the edge of the scroll, and she chuckled softly. "Huo Bolu? He lived a life of integrity, never making any mistakes, but the entire Huo family ultimately suffered genocide." She walked over to the candlestick, picking up silver scissors to trim the wicks, a cold light flickering between her fingers. "When Emperor Xuan of Han established the Kirin Pavilion as an honorific honoree, I don't know if he erased the name of this Grand Marshal out of fear or respect." A gust of wind blew in, and the candlelight suddenly shot up, accentuating her features with an especially sharp look. "Duke Zhou feared rumors, while Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne. Had I died then, who would have known the truth about his life?"

After saying this, Pei Jiaoran closed her eyes and sighed. All of these ministers entrusted with assisting the government were assisting a young monarch. But the crown prince the Wei Emperor wanted her to assist was already over thirty. As a powerful minister, she couldn't interfere too much. But the King of Wu and her had different ideals, so they weren't qualified to work together.

Thinking of this, Pei Jiaoran said, "Before I came back, Yuan Zhengze asked me about your current situation. I told him that if he was worried, he could come to visit me. My dear, you must be prepared."

"Then I have to move back to the Li residence?" Li Xiujing leaned forward, hugged her from behind, and cut the candle flowers with her. "Why don't you move back to Chongyifang too? That way we can be closer. It's just me and the child at home, it's so lonely."

"You keep to yourself, what does it have to do with me?" Pei Jiaoran turned his head to look at him and said angrily.

Li Xiujing took her hand and held it against his chest. "That child came to see me. I hope you can give him some advice. He doesn't want to be protected by the Li family his whole life."

"That child, I will go when I have time. I have an important thing to do right now." Pei Jiaoran smiled.

His eyes fell on Pei Jiaoran's profile, and Li Xiujing lowered his voice, "Can I help?"

Hearing this, Pei Jiaoran smiled, but she did not answer Li Xiujing.

Seeing her like this, Li Xiujing had the answer in his mind.

The two exchanged a smile, yet each saw something unsaid in the other's eyes. Outside the window, the drums began to beat again, and the night grew darker.

The next morning, Pei Jiaoran changed into a moon-white robe and rode away on horseback half an hour after the gate opened.

The Prince of Han's Palace was located in Yongxingfang, east of the city. Its red gates and high walls exuded an extraordinary grandeur. Pei Jiaoran dismounted in front of the palace and presented his business card.

The messenger left quickly and returned just as quickly. Following him was the chief secretary of the Prince of Han's palace. "The Prince of Han has heard of the Secretary's name and is preparing to come with ceremony. Please wait a moment, Prime Minister Pei."

Pei Jiaoran just smiled when he heard this and bowed. "The King of Han is a noble of the royal family. Why wait so long? The Chief Secretary will take me to see the King of Han immediately."

Although the Minister of the Central Secretariat was far superior to the prince in terms of position, he was still a member of the royal family and had titles and honors. She didn't need to care about these empty formalities.

After she gave the order, King Han's chief secretary had no choice but to lead her in.

Pei Jiaoran followed the guide through the courtyards. While the gardens contained rockeries, unusual rocks, pavilions, and waterside terraces, there was no sign of pruning or deliberate landscape design, leaving them with a sense of natural beauty. This demonstrated the owner's carefree nature.

Turning a corner, I suddenly saw a young man in blue clothes feeding the fish by the pond. He was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with delicate features. Seeing a guest coming, he quickly put down the porcelain bowl in his hand.

"This is the Crown Prince of Han." The Chief Secretary of Han smiled and pointed to Pei Jiaoran beside him, "Crown Prince, this is the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Pei Jiaoran."

Pei Jiaoran smiled and saluted, "Prince."

After taking a look at Pei Jiaoran, the prince nodded.

After a brief pause, the Han Wang Changshi continued to lead Pei Jiaoran to the inner courtyard. After the message was passed, Pei Jiaoran entered the house alone.

Huan Yuanjing sat cross-legged on a cushion with his eyes closed, a whisk in hand, muttering something to himself. Two blue-robed Taoist children, each holding a lotus flower, stood beside him. This reception was rude, but Pei Jiaoran remained composed. Before arriving, she knew that this prince not only enjoyed the beauty of nature but also practiced Taoism and alchemy. Yet, seeing him now, she remained silent.

Huan Yuanjing's hair was already white, and the bags under his eyes hung like rotten fruit on a branch, piling up on his cheekbones. His eyes were half-closed, and his voice was old. "Prime Minister Pei, I'm not sure what brings you here."

"The emperor has issued a secret order. I hope King Han can dismiss his attendants." Pei Jiaoran said in a gentle voice.

Huan Yuanjing finally opened his eyes upon hearing this and waved his hand for the two Taoist boys to sit down. He still sat cross-legged on the cushion, whisk in hand, and looked up at Pei Jiaoran, pointing to the cushion in front of him and asking her to sit down.

"The emperor has given his order. He orders Your Majesty to temporarily take over the position of regent and wait for the crown prince to return to the court." Pei Jiaoran answered after he put on his clothes and sat down.

"He's not even thirty yet, but he's already in a high position. This old man really envies you." Huan Yuanjing said with emotion.

Pei Jiaoran bowed his head and saluted, "I am fortunate to have been able to hold such a high position, but I dare not compare myself with the King of Han."

Huan Yuanjing simply smiled at this. While the other party wasn't from an aristocratic family, to have reached this position showed he had real talent. He flicked his whisk and said, "I'm no longer a mortal, so why would His Majesty think of me? Since you've come here with the Emperor's decree, why don't you explain the reason?"

Pei Jiaoran looked up at this, her face, etched with worry for the country and its people, reflected in the candlelight. "The prestige of the King of Han is unmatched by any other member of the royal family. Besides, the Crown Prince is already thirteen or fourteen years old. Even with the title as a guarantee, he could live a life of luxury and leisure. But is this really the way it must be for generations?"