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

Thirteen nodded slightly and stepped forward to sit in the armchair next to Pei Zhiheng.

"I only guessed what you were thinking in the Imperial Study at the time, but I never imagined that the infighting between the Crown Prince and General Weiyuan was actually your doing..."

"If I hadn't focused all my attention on the An family, the Crown Prince wouldn't have discovered you!"

Pei Zhiheng's eyes betrayed his pain; he had miscalculated after all!

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince, who always pretended to be innocent and guileless, would seize his daughter without authorization at this time, and even use her to blackmail him.

He completely disregarded his more than twenty years of dedicated assistance, just like his father!

Heartless and ungrateful! Utterly shameless!

Pei Suisui frowned slightly. Now it was her turn to not know what to say. She had been eating and drinking all the way, and she hadn't expected that Thirteen would know her father better than she did.

"What are you talking about...?"

"Sui Sui, you are the key person in this matter now."

Thirteen lowered his voice and helped Pei Suisui up from the ground.

Pei Suisui looked up with her little face, shaking her head in confusion.

"What are you talking about? How could I..."

"Listen to our plan first. Now that you are in the open, I will take advantage of everyone's attention being on you to break this deadlock."

Thirteen slowly looked at Pei Zhiheng beside him.

When she saw the approval on his face, she continued.

“I think that since the Crown Prince used Sui Sui as a threat, he must have guessed that this trip to the Southern Barbarians would be fraught with danger. He is simply afraid of making a mistake and wants the Pei family to take the blame for him.”

Thirteen stood up and gave his original seat to Sui Sui, while he himself sat on the stool to Pei Zhiheng's left.

Pei Zhiheng nodded in agreement.

"I was also wondering why the Crown Prince only put Sui Sui under guard now. It's probably because he might have sensed something."

He stroked his beard, realizing that he had been so focused on the An family that he had perhaps neglected the people around him.

"Since the Crown Prince deliberately concealed his strength, he must also be holding back some things from you. Now that I have regained my identity as a young woman, it is actually the most convenient time for me to investigate... The Crown Prince has never seen me before."

After thinking it over carefully, Thirteen realized that she had always lived a secluded life in the capital, and when she entered or left the palace, she only stayed in Yong'an Palace and had never met the Crown Prince.

"Since the Crown Prince has never seen you, it's probably best for you to leave here. I'll find a maid to replace you later. Anyway, the guards outside take turns on duty every day, and they probably won't remember you after just a brief encounter."

Pei Zhiheng also felt that Thirteen's plan was somewhat feasible.

"But I feel like something's not right..."

Pei Suisui frowned slightly. She seemed to understand their conversation to some extent, but for some reason, she had a vague feeling that something was not right.

The other two also looked at her simultaneously.

"What are your thoughts, Sui Sui?"

Thirteen frowned slightly. She also felt that the Crown Prince's attitude had changed too quickly, so much so that she had not expected that the Crown Prince would put them all under house arrest so early this morning.

Pei Suisui glanced at her father, then at Thirteen, and slowly spoke.

“I don’t think the problem lies with the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince had known from the beginning that this battle would be extremely dangerous, I would have had many more opportunities to return to the capital. If I had returned, what would the Crown Prince have to threaten you with?”

Although she rarely concerned herself with court affairs, perhaps because she was too naive, she saw the most obvious problem at a glance.

Thirteen took a deep breath and then echoed.

“Indeed, I have always wanted to send Sui Sui back to the capital from the beginning. Although she will still be under the Emperor’s nose, fortunately her sister is looking after her, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

"That's right. Does the Crown Prince really believe I'll be able to follow him all the way to Philadelphia?"

Pei Suisui nodded, then looked at her father.

Pei Zhiheng propped his head up with one hand, while tapping the armrest with the other, making a dull sound.

"You mean the Crown Prince only found out recently that you were following us? How did he find out? I've been following him closely the whole way, and I haven't seen any strangers approach him..."

He frowned, clearly recalling his observations along the way, and it seemed that he really hadn't encountered any unfamiliar faces.

"When they found out I ran away isn't the key issue. The key issue is who told him he could use me to threaten you. Others may not know, but surely even the Crown Prince remembers that if it weren't for our Pei family vouching for him back then, the Crown Prince..."

Pei Suisui suddenly fell silent and glanced towards the door.

Fortunately, they were in the inner room and kept their voices very low, so the guards outside probably couldn't hear them.

"Sui Sui, are you saying that the Crown Prince has harbored ulterior motives and intends to take action against the Pei family?"

Thirteen frowned slightly; she clearly hadn't considered this aspect.

Pei Suisui immediately nodded and said

"I think only you, Father, know the truth about this matter better than we do. Perhaps the Crown Prince has misunderstood you about the matter in the Imperial Study... or perhaps someone is stirring up trouble between us in the inner quarters..."

"The Crown Prince's knowledge of the Imperial Study was part of our plan."

Pei Zhiheng's face turned ashen, interrupting Pei Suisui's guess.

"That……"

"Then the only way out is that the Crown Prince wants to take advantage of the situation to step on my Pei family and rise to power..."

He narrowed his eyes, never expecting that after decades in office, he would be bitten by a mere greenhorn. It was truly something he hadn't anticipated.

Pei Suisui and Thirteen exchanged a glance, then hesitated and said...

"This matter should be investigated carefully. I don't think the Crown Prince is a hypocrite. Our Pei family has helped him openly and secretly for so many years. Does he really not care about the slightest bit of gratitude?"

She naturally still believed in the Crown Prince's attitude towards the Pei family.

Pei Zhiheng shook his head at this moment, giving her a deep look before speaking.

"Do you know that when I learned that the Crown Prince had you imprisoned, he even used you to threaten me?"

"Threatening you?"

Pei Suisui was somewhat surprised

Pei Zhiheng nodded heavily.

"Yes, the threat that you came to Philadelphia is currently known only to him and me, and will not be told to the Emperor for the time being..."

"Is he saying that if we can't win this battle, he'll have to put you before the emperor? Wouldn't it be better if I just left Philadelphia and went back to the capital?"

Pei Sui Sui suddenly stood up and, in the blink of an eye, turned around to look for the bundle placed on the soft couch.

"Sui Sui, don't worry, you can leave this place now if you want."

Upon hearing this, Thirteen stood up and grabbed her arm.

“If I return to the capital, the Crown Prince will no longer be able to use me to threaten my father, right? Why can’t I go back?”

Pei Suisui looked at Thirteen, then turned her gaze to her father.

Pei Zhiheng slowly stood up and walked step by step to Pei Suisui's side, his tone somewhat heavy.

"He's determined to destroy the Pei family. I'm afraid that once you leave here, his assassins left in the capital will surround the Pei residence!"