Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

"In that case, I'll go investigate the An family's line of work."

Zhou Jinghuai nodded. It seemed that his return to Xichen would have to be postponed again.

"The fact that the An family has been able to remain silent about leading troops to attack the Southern Barbarians, and that they secretly sent their grandson Youzhi to Philadelphia, suggests that they may have been in secret contact with the other two leaders. If the An family's secret collusion with the Southern Barbarians succeeds, then it won't just be the Crown Prince who dies."

Thirteen downed the tea in her cup in one gulp, and with a slightly bitter taste in her mouth, she couldn't help but frown.

"Does the An family want the throne? To trade the entire city of Philadelphia for it? Have they lost their minds?"

Zhou Jinghuai couldn't help but sigh. He really hadn't expected that people's hearts in the mortal world were so treacherous.

Thirteen groaned.

“Now we’re splitting up. Since Shen Mu has already infiltrated the Southern Barbarian army, I’ll go find out why the Crown Prince and the old general are fighting amongst themselves. You’ll go and find out the remaining two clones by following Sun Youzhi’s lead.”

"Row."

The next day, at the residence of General Weiyuan

A young man dressed in a light blue and white robe stood by the window, his handsome face devoid of any emotion, his cool and indifferent eyes as calm as still water.

A squeak

The door to the room was slowly pushed open.

An elderly man in a dark brown robe entered the room and knelt before the boy, kowtowing as he spoke.

"This old minister greets Your Highness the Crown Prince..."

"There are no rulers and subjects here, Prime Minister Pei!"

The boy quickly turned around and helped Pei Zhiheng, who was trembling slightly, to his feet. Perhaps it was the bumpy ride along the way, but in the half month since he last saw him, he had become thinner and had even more white hair.

Pei Zhiheng lowered his eyes, naturally keeping the relationship between ruler and subject in mind at all times.

"Your Highness, you've gone through so much trouble. Marquis Gu came to ask me early this morning, asking me to inquire about your injuries."

He followed the boy's arm and saw that the wide robe couldn't hide the bruise on the boy's right elbow at all.

Duan Yuqing quickly shook her head and lowered her arm, afraid that Prime Minister Pei would see it.

"Prime Minister Pei, you flatter me. Although I am not in good health, this injury is nothing to me."

"But in the end, it was still that Lord Gu who was reckless and offended His Highness."

Pei Zhiheng couldn't help but mutter a few curses in his heart about that old bastard. He had no sense of proportion. Didn't he know how strong he was after living most of his life?

Duan Yuqing chuckled lightly

"The general's actions have convinced outsiders that he and I are now irreconcilably at odds. In that case, can we continue this charade properly?"

His tone was sincere, as if he truly did not hold a grudge about General Weiyuan accidentally knocking him over onto the table.

His words made Pei Zhiheng sigh with emotion.

"That's because His Highness cares about us old folks. If you feel aggrieved, I'll have him kneel outside the courtyard for a whole day and night to apologize."

Pei Zhiheng pointed to the courtyard outside the house.

This secluded house was the place where Lord Gu had previously given his youngest daughter to live.

Now that Gu Shining has been in the capital for quite some time, this courtyard is rarely visited, making it a convenient place for the Crown Prince to stay.

Duan Yuqing believed it to be true and quickly waved her hand.

"Prime Minister Pei, there's no need for this. It's just that this performance has already troubled him. If we don't do it this way..."

He slowly lowered his eyes, his gaze filled with unconcealed worry.

Seeing this, Pei Zhiheng could only sigh.

"But if we don't do it this way, the An family will definitely not reveal their trump card. In the end, this matter is still the old minister's fault..."

When Pei Zhiheng learned of the An family's secret plot, he genuinely wanted to stop the Crown Prince from leading the troops before the Emperor! However, he never expected the Emperor to be so obstinate.

They even sent him to Philadelphia!

In desperation, he had no choice but to resort to this drastic measure: to have the Crown Prince feign discord with General Weiyuan in order to lure out the person behind it all.

"How can I blame you? If you hadn't pleaded for me, you wouldn't have come here with me. You should be enjoying your retirement years..."

Duan Yuqing quickly offered words of comfort. Perhaps because he had always been raised under Consort Ning's care, he, like Consort Ning, rarely had such a calculating nature.

Pei Zhiheng sat down at the table with him.

"Speaking of which, I've heard that your daughter, Prime Minister Pei, has also come to Philadelphia?"

Duan Yuqing raised an eyebrow slightly; he had only received this news this morning.

Pei Zhiheng quickly forced a wry smile, his eyes revealing his helplessness.

"Your Highness is too kind. My daughter is really a disappointment. She was worried that something might go wrong with me on the way, so she insisted on secretly following me. Fortunately, I managed to send her back."

"Really? But I heard she lives in a restaurant outside Philadelphia?"

Duan Yuqing's words made Pei Zhiheng's breath catch in his throat. He quickly looked up at the young and impetuous Crown Prince.

The kind and benevolent look in his eyes seemed genuine, yet there was a hint of strangeness about it, causing Pei Zhiheng to frown slightly and momentarily forget to answer.

Seeing that the other person had fallen silent, Duan Yuqing assumed she had been too abrupt and continued...

"Prime Minister Pei, there's no need to worry. This matter was originally only known to the two of us. I sent someone early this morning to bring your daughter back to the manor."

He looked up and personally poured Pei Zhiheng a cup of tea.

Pei Zhiheng glanced at the fragrant teacup and quickly composed himself.

"Then this old minister thanks Your Highness in advance."

"There's no need to worry too much. If nothing unexpected happens, I won't tell Father Emperor."

What Duan Yuqing's words sounded like well-intentioned were, in Pei Zhiheng's ears, a strong threat.

Pei Zhiheng knew that Duan Yuqing, who had managed to remain the Crown Prince for twenty years without the support of her maternal family, was certainly no saint.

At this moment, he slowly raised his head and looked at Duan Yuqing.

But they also met each other's probing gaze.

He secretly made up his mind and immediately stood up.

"Your Highness possesses extraordinary composure and exceptional intelligence. In the Crown Prince's eyes, this battle would naturally be a piece of cake, a sure thing. How could anything unexpected happen?"

He's been showering people with compliments for decades, so naturally they're impeccable.

Duan Yuqing merely glanced at him indifferently, seemingly having completely lost her previous humility, and simply waved her hand.

"Prime Minister Pei, you flatter us. However, we still don't know what methods the An family will use against us, so we can't be too careless about this matter."

"Yes, Your Highness is right."

Pei Zhiheng lowered his eyes to look at his feet.

"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. The second young lady of the Pei family should be here by now. Don't linger here. Go and see your daughter."

Duan Yuqing waved her hand, signaling Pei Zhiheng to step down.

"Then this old minister takes his leave."

Pei Zhiheng bowed and quickly left the house.

Duan Yuqing glanced at the tightly closed door, the indifference on her face vanishing instantly, replaced by a fierce and calculating look.

He Duan Yuqing

Naturally, he is also a calculating person.

They had lived deep within the palace for a long time, and were also members of the royal family.

Why would she be as naive as she appears?