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

Black gold fell obliquely, weary crows returned to their roosts, and thousands of lanterns lit up in the corners of Chang'an. Pei Jiaoran halted his horse at the entrance to the Li residence and entered. The Li residence had become much quieter these days. Before leaving, Li Sikong and his wife had sent the lady and the rest of their family back to their old home in Longxi. Now, only Li Xiangxian and his servants remained in the vast mansion.

Upon hearing that Li Xiujing was returning home to recuperate, Li Xiang first hurriedly arranged for someone to clean up the courtyard where he had previously lived. Before the two could chat, a servant came in to report that the eunuch Yuan Zhengze had come to visit by imperial decree.

Under Li Xiujing's guidance, he accepted a pile of rewards from the emperor at a loss, but fortunately he got through the day safely.

Li Xiangxian was just about to sit down and rest for a while and drink some tea when he saw Pei Jiaoran appear before him with his servant. He was young and without official status, so he stood up and bowed respectfully.

His gaze paused briefly on Li Xiangxian, then Pei Jiaoran walked towards Li Xiujing, who was lying on the couch, and sat down beside him. "How is it?"

"Second brother, I will ask the servants to prepare dinner." Seeing that the two had something to say, Li Xiangxian hurriedly bowed and said goodbye.

"Just give the order, and the servants will prepare these things. You can stay and listen." Pei Jiaoran picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip. As the cold tea touched his lips, he frowned and asked, "What did Yuan Zhengze say when he came here?"

Pei Jiaoran said this with great momentum, and Li Xiujing couldn't help but smile as she looked at her.

"He used the emperor's name to ask about my well-being, simply to find out how long I could live." Li Xiujing pointed to a pile of gifts in the room. "Those were all gifts from His Majesty. I was taking medicine when he arrived, and he was startled. He asked the imperial physician he brought to review the prescription before conveying His Majesty's order."

Hearing this, Pei Jiaoran nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at Li Xiangxian, who looked reserved, and asked, "What do you think?"

"The one who came, Yuan Judang, although he expressed concern for my second brother in his words, his eyes were always full of inquiry. He also asked the imperial physician to take my second brother's pulse several times, but he didn't seem to believe that my second brother was sick." Li Xiangxian said in a gentle voice.

In addition to studying the Four Books and Five Classics, what he had learned most recently was how to address the people in the court. By now, he already knew most of the people in the court.

Pei Jiaoran smiled and nodded, "Do you think he believed it in the end?"

"I can't see it, but I saw a bit of joy on his face when he left. I think he must have believed it." Li Xiangxian replied.

"You have worked hard today, so go to bed early after dinner. You don't have to wait for your second brother and me, just ask someone to send me one." Pei Jiaoran's eyes were full of smiles.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xiangxian bowed to the two of them as if he had been pardoned, then strode away.

Only Pei Jiaoran and Li Xiujing were left in the room.

"King Han has agreed to temporarily serve as regent." Pei Jiaoran looked up at Li Xiujing and said solemnly, "He will attend the court meeting tomorrow."

"King Han is in charge of government affairs, and I'm afraid Jia Gonglu will not let it go. As for King Wu..." Li Xiujing spoke thoughtfully.

"This is also what I am most worried about. I can't stop the emperor and his son from meeting." Pei Jiaoran's brows were filled with worry, "So I have an idea."

Li Xiujing licked his lips and asked, "What's your idea?"

"First, let the King of Wu return. After that, Chang'an will be under martial law, and outsiders are not allowed to enter Chang'an without permission." Pei Jiaoran said word by word, "I have instructed Cen Xi to send people to guard the palace armory."

As dusk fell, the Li residence was completely silent. Pei Jiaoran sat before Li Xiujing's couch, his teacup cold but oblivious.

"Let the King of Wu return?" Li Xiujing frowned, his voice slightly hoarse, "This move is too risky. The Crown Prince's return to the capital is not a good thing for you."

Pei Jiaoran remained silent upon hearing this. Following the attacks of the Shen Ce Army over the years, the Jinwu Guard had been reduced to just over ten thousand men. This time, a thousand were assigned as escorts to the Crown Prince's southern suburbs for the Heavenly Sacrifice. She had no idea how many of the remaining men could be controlled by Jia Gonglu.

If Yuan Zhengze took control of the Shen Ce Army and conspired with Jia Gonglu to welcome the King of Wu as the Emperor, she would have to mobilize at least 5,000 troops to challenge them. However, such power would inevitably make the new emperor wary of her.

Pei Jiaoran smiled. She had no choice. In Chang'an, where a coup could happen at any moment, every step she took, from deciding to petition the emperor to temporarily relinquish power to allowing the King of Han to temporarily serve as regent, had been like treading on the edge of a precipice. Now, her political power was exposed once again. If she lost, she would perish; if she won, she would achieve immeasurable merit.

"The prince's return is a matter for the future. If the prince doesn't come back, you and I will be in danger of death." Pei Jiaoran said in a gentle voice.

Her feud with the King of Wu was well known. He hated her to the core, and she didn't believe he was tolerant. Even if Jia Gonglu valued her talent, she wouldn't necessarily be able to live a happy life. Therefore, the King of Wu was doomed to fail.

Li Xiujing, leaning on the couch, stared at Pei Jiaoran. The candlelight flickered in her eyes, reflecting a sharp, resolute edge. He suddenly reached out and covered her palm, only to feel it cool.

"I'm feigning illness right now. Yuan Zhengze will definitely find a way to have me dismissed from my post and leave the army so he can place someone loyal to him in a key position." Li Xiujing held her hand and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty won't completely trust him. Lieutenant Zuo Shence and him have had a quarrel. Why not divert the blame and let them fight first? There's another thing you can try."

Pei Jiaoran raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Find a way to release the prisoners in Chang'an City." Li Xiujing looked at Pei Jiaoran, "You should understand what I mean."

Looking at Li Xiujing, Pei Jiaoran suddenly smiled.

"I will follow the example of Emperor Taizong."

The so-called "following a certain story" is nothing more than following the old examples of predecessors in history books. On the one hand, it gives a legal cover to the behavior of later generations, and on the other hand, it spreads the original meaning to the world.

Just as he finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside the door, and Li Xiangxian came in personally carrying a food box. The young man looked respectful and laid out the food one by one: "Prime Minister Pei, Second Brother, please have your meal."

"Why bother seeing me off in person?" Pei Jiaoran looked at him and saw him place Li Xiujing's favorite dishes nearby. A hint of admiration flashed in her eyes: "Xiang Xian, you handled it very well today."

Li Xiangxian's ears turned red, and he whispered, "Xiangxian is dull, and he still has a lot to learn from Pei Xiang."

"I heard you're well-versed in literature? Come with me to the palace tomorrow," Pei Jiaoran said suddenly. Seeing the young man look up in surprise, she explained, "King Han is regent and needs reliable help. Although you hold no official position, you can serve as a clerk by my side. Just come with me, and don't worry about anything else."

This promotion came so suddenly that even Li Xiujing was stunned.

"Thank you, Mr. Pei!" Li Xiangxian bowed.

Upon hearing this, Pei Jiaoran responded indifferently.

After looking at Li Xiujing and then at Pei Jiaoran, Li Xiangxian bowed again and left.

"How old is he? Why did you choose him?" Li Xiujing poured a bowl of soup for Pei Jiaoran and asked, "Are you satisfied with him?"

"I guess so." Pei Jiaoran held his hand in his, and lightly stroked his palm with his fingertips. "He's young, so no one will notice him if he blends in here."

Li Xiujing felt a slight itch in his palm, and his heart trembled. He looked at the calm and composed profile of the woman before him and sighed suddenly.