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

News spread quickly that the Crown Princess and the Princess had traveled to Mount Li to pray for Empress Wende's well-being. Meanwhile, Yuan Zhengze was listening to music in the Imperial Household Department. The room was filled with incense, and a palace maid's soft voice sang "Longing." The Emperor of Wei had been ill for a long time, and because of Pei Jiaoran's secret words before the emperor, he had become somewhat disgusted with him. Aside from delivering medicine, he did not attend to the emperor. Only the female official named Sun Shaofeng remained in the imperial court, serving the emperor.

The convicted palace maids, who had been summoned from the imperial palace through his influence, either knelt or lay prostrate at Yuan Zhengze's feet. Hearing hurried footsteps outside, Yuan Zhengze raised his hand, and the singing abruptly stopped. Several palace maids, led by a young eunuch, retreated through a side door.

"The Crown Princess has left." Jia Gonglu glanced at Yuan Zhengze, who was still stained with powder, and frowned in disdain. "I have arranged for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu to return secretly."

"Won't Pei Jiaoran stop it?" Yuan Zhengze asked subconsciously.

Hearing this, Jia Gonglu sneered, "No. She won't stop him. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu is so filial that he dragged his sick body to see His Majesty. This filial piety is witnessed by heaven and earth." Glancing around, he scolded, "Yuan Jueyuan, do you think the Crown Princess's trip to Mount Li is really just to pray for blessings?"

His expression froze, and Yuan Zhengze frowned. He didn't believe the Crown Princess had truly left to pray for Empress Wende's afterlife, but the Emperor had given his word, agreeing to her going to Mount Li to pray for her afterlife. How could he not believe it?

After pondering for a moment, Yuan Zhengze said, "Even if I knew she had other motives for this trip, how could I stop her? Besides, isn't it a good thing for us that she's going to Mount Li to pray? Why don't you send someone to kidnap the Crown Princess and use that to threaten the Crown Prince?"

"Fool." Jia Gonglu's eyes rolled up. However, his tone was calm, not giving the nobleman too much embarrassment. Then he said, "Ambush the Crown Princess? Pei Jiaoran dared to let the Crown Princess leave the palace and go to Mount Li. She must have made all the preparations. If it were really easy for you and me to succeed, she wouldn't have thought of this idea. The Crown Princess is not in Chang'an, so you and I have one less bargaining chip. But I will also arrange people to keep an eye on Mount Li. If necessary, I can still cause trouble for Pei Jiaoran." After a pause, he continued, "The King of Wu will rush back day and night. You should find a way to let him go directly from Xuanwu Gate to the inner court to meet His Majesty."

"Your Highness, Prince Wu, will you only see His Majesty?" Yuan Zhengze licked his lips, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "Perhaps we can use this opportunity to take the throne. After all, we're close by, and the Crown Prince won't be able to return for a while."

Upon hearing this, Jia Gonglu's eyes flashed with a sharp light, but he quickly regained his composure. He slowly stroked the gold embroidery on his cuffs and looked at Yuan Zhengze with a half-smile.

"Yuan Juyuan, your idea is quite bold." His tone was calm, yet sharp. "But have you ever considered what the people would say if the King of Wu really ascended the throne at this time? The Crown Prince is still alive, and the position of heir apparent has not been abolished. Acting rashly would only give others an opportunity to exploit you."

Yuan Zhengze felt a little guilty when he asked this, but he still said unwillingly: "But now that the Crown Princess has left the palace and the Crown Prince is far away at the border, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we wait for the Crown Prince to return to the capital, won't we..."

"Foolish!" Jia Gonglu suddenly interrupted, a cold glint in his eyes. "Do you think Pei Jiaoran will just sit there and do nothing? Since she dared to let the Crown Princess leave the palace, she must have a backup plan. If we act rashly, we will only fall into her trap." He snorted coldly and continued, "The Prince of Wu only needs to show his filial piety to His Majesty when he comes to the palace. As long as His Majesty's mind is shaken, we will have the opportunity to slowly make our move. Impatient for quick success will only lead to self-destruction."

Yuan Zhengze was speechless and could only bow his head and agree. Seeing this, Jia Gonglu softened his tone, "Just do as I say. Make sure His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu enters the palace safely. As for the rest... I'll make my own arrangements."

He finished speaking and turned to look out the window, his gaze deep. The palace walls in the distance looked particularly solemn in the setting sun, as if hiding countless unknown variables.

The closing drums at Chengtian Gate slowly began to sound, and officials began to emerge from their offices, filing home. Pei Jiaoran, however, remained seated in his official quarters in the outer provinces of the Secretariat, quietly listening to the sounds of servants moving about and lighting lamps downstairs.

She leaned against a table, her eyes slightly closed, as if she had fallen asleep. A young man beside her was reading a memorial to her.

"Uncle, do you think life in the Secretariat is too hard, so you don't want to go there anymore?" Pei Jiaoran asked indifferently. Li Xiangxian, who was studying, suddenly perked up and his voice became clearer.

But he had already been here for two hours, reading one book after another, and his mouth was already dry. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he couldn't resist the weariness that was taking over him. Not only was his voice hoarse, but his stomach was rumbling like a drum.

Pei Jiaoran opened his eyes and glanced at Li Xiangxian. "Are you hungry? Let's go to the public kitchen for dinner."

After looking at her hesitantly, Li Xiangxian finally handed the copy of the memorial to her. He then bowed as if he had been pardoned, and then stepped out.

She lowered her eyes to examine the memorial in her hands, signed jointly by Shen Yunzhou and Wu Lingjia. It detailed the implementation of the new policies throughout Jianghuai. Feedback from various prefectures and counties was quite positive, and she expected to see results by the time she returned to Beijing next year. She curled her lips into a smile and placed the memorial in a nearby cabinet.

There was a sound of flapping wings outside the window, so Pei Jiaoran stood up and walked to the window. He pushed it open, grabbed the pigeon, took out the paper from the mailbox on its leg and unfolded it.

The letter read: "The King of Wu is on his way back."

The King of Wu's post station wasn't far from Chang'an, and could be reached in three days at most. While the Crown Prince was not far away in southern Xinjiang, the rituals of offering sacrifices to heaven required fasting, which took the longest time. However, allowing the King of Wu to return to the capital was inherently risky, and for now, both parties remained tacitly silent.

Just as he was thinking about it, he saw Li Xiangxian tiptoeing back and picking up the memorial on the table.

"No need to read. It's getting late, let's go back." Pei Jiaoran said gently.

After looking at her in surprise, Li Xiangxian nodded and put away the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on the desk.

A moment later, the two of them walked together on Chengtianmen Street, the setting sun stretching their figures infinitely.

"How to get to various places in the palace? Do you remember them all?" Pei Jiaoran asked, tilting his head.

Li Xiangxian nodded when he heard this, "I've remembered everything."

Ever since Pei Jiaoran brought him into the palace, he'd been her servant, responsible for delivering documents she'd reviewed to various locations throughout the palace. He'd make several trips back and forth throughout the day. Initially, he'd been accompanied by a clerk, but later, all the work became his.

"Not bad." Pei Jiaoran nodded with satisfaction.

"Mr. Pei, what do you want me to do?" Li Xiangxian couldn't help but ask.

Pei Jiaoran fixed his gaze and said, "When the time comes, you will understand."