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

"So what do you mean? Why don't I find an opportunity to rescue Sui Sui tonight?"

Thirteen's voice pulled Pei Zhiheng back to reality.

She was naturally concerned about Pei Suisui, who was confined to the other courtyard. Although the Crown Prince's men were watching over her, she was still worried that something might happen to Pei Suisui on her own.

After all, the only useful person in that villa was the maid that Prime Minister Pei had brought with him.

Pei Zhiheng paused, looked up at Thirteen, and then shook his head helplessly.

"We can't rescue Sui Sui yet, or we'll alert the enemy."

Upon hearing this, Thirteen's heart sank, and his expression showed a slight look of confusion.

"Why not save her? Are you afraid that the Crown Prince will harm Miss Pei in the capital?"

"This is just one reason. Right now, we are in the open, while he is in the shadows. The fact that the Crown Prince was able to find my daughter's whereabouts right under Shen Mu's nose suggests that he must have a backup plan in the capital."

Sunset

Pei Zhiheng leaned back, perhaps because the tension he had been holding in for the past few days had suddenly eased, and for a moment he slowly closed his eyes.

As if in a dream, he seemed to see again the young prince who lost his mother at a young age and was bullied by the palace servants.

In the height of summer, a torrential downpour struck the Imperial Garden.

Despite being the Crown Prince of Nanyang, Duan Yuqing knelt before Pei Zhiheng, kowtowing repeatedly and pleading with him. Like a stray cat, he trembled violently as he curled up on the ground.

His weak voice pleaded with him, seeking his protection.

At that time, Pei Zhiheng was still the Prime Minister Pei who had just helped the new emperor ascend the throne and was enjoying great popularity.

Unable to bear seeing the young crown prince being bullied by his palace servants, he promised to protect him until he grew up. Little did he know that this cooperation was a high-stakes gamble from the very beginning.

At the height of his power, he failed to restrain himself, defied the new emperor, and defied public opinion to recommend that the crown prince be adopted by Ning Pin, the princess from the Western Regions who had just entered the palace.

The princess from the Western Regions, merely a captive sent from the Western Regions, suddenly became the crown prince's stepmother. Such a rebellious remonstrance enraged the new emperor.

Therefore, several of Prime Minister Pei's close friends who had served the new emperor were also demoted, which allowed the crown prince to be successfully adopted.

That year, the crown prince was eight years old.

"Prime Minister Pei, we've arrived."

Thirteen's voice woke Pei Zhiheng. He slowly opened his eyes and saw his own wrinkled hands.

Yes, a full fifteen years have passed since he stood behind the Crown Prince and became part of the Crown Prince's faction!

He went from being in his prime to having a full head of white hair; he has truly grown old.

Thirteen carefully helped Pei Zhiheng out of the car. Pei Xiang liked quiet, so he chose to stay in the small courtyard he had bought in Philadelphia years ago, which was some distance from the Gu residence.

Looking at Pei Zhiheng's trembling figure, she felt a pang of pity.

"Prime Minister Pei has overworked himself. He should rest early today, after all, tomorrow..."

She turned around and looked at the deserted courtyard. She knew that walls have ears, and there were probably spies of the Crown Prince in this courtyard as well.

Pei Zhiheng waved his hand and lowered his voice.

"I'm sure I won't be able to sleep tonight either. The Emperor has already issued an imperial edict, ordering the Crown Prince to personally lead troops to ambush the vanguard of the Southern Barbarians at midnight tonight. This is the first time he's ever done this..."

"But your body can't withstand this kind of exertion."

Thirteen's tone was very firm. After all, Prime Minister Pei was the backbone of all of them now. If anything happened to Prime Minister Pei, not only would Pei Suisui not let her off the hook.

Even she herself couldn't get over that mental hurdle.

The two went inside and had someone guard outside.

Pei Zhiheng sat down on the soft couch to the side, his forehead covered in fine sweat.

Seeing this, Thirteen frowned slightly and forcibly took her pulse, her face immediately changing.

"Prime Minister Pei, you..."

"The Crown Prince poisoned me; you must keep this a secret for me."

Pei Zhiheng's complexion gradually weakened, and his once energetic face suddenly looked as if he had aged more than twenty years, with fatigue showing in his eyes and brows.

"He actually poisoned you! When did he do it, and why didn't he tell me?"

Thirteen was surprised and hurriedly reached into the medicine box beside her to look for something, but Pei Zhiheng interrupted her at that moment.

"You don't need to worry about me. The Crown Prince is just afraid that I won't do my best to assist him. This poison is meant to make me lose my mobility, but it will subside by dawn."

"How dare he treat his teacher like this?"

Thirteen truly never imagined that the Crown Prince could be so ruthless.

She had been trying to get close to the Crown Prince these past few days, so naturally she didn't realize that Pei Zhiheng had been poisoned.

If she hadn't personally escorted Prime Minister Pei back to his residence today, she would probably still be kept in the dark!

"The Crown Prince won't kill me for now. If you give me the antidote, it might only make him more suspicious. If he were to give me another deadly poison, it wouldn't be worth it."

Pei Zhiheng waved his hand and closed Thirteen's medicine box again.

He was well aware that although the Crown Prince was ruthless enough to poison him, as the most useful person to the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince would not be foolish enough to take his life.

So much so that when he first learned that the Crown Prince had poisoned him, his emotions did not change much.

Perhaps he had grown old, or perhaps the crown prince had finally grown up.

The Crown Prince's methods surpassed his own, leaving him momentarily unsure whether to be pleasantly surprised or terrified.

"Then this poison of yours... Your Highness... No, I have to go to him to get the antidote!"

Thirteen was still worried. Prime Minister Pei's health had been poor due to overwork over the years, and now that the Crown Prince had poisoned him, it would obviously worsen the burden on his body.

"Going there will only alert the enemy! Thirteen, I have other things to arrange for you."

Pei Zhiheng suppressed the metallic taste in his throat, grabbed Thirteen's sleeve, and pulled her in front of him.

"What do you want me to do?"

Thirteen frowned. She couldn't bear to see Pei Zhiheng poisoned, especially since she had been by Pei Xiang's side every day without noticing!

"Go to the Crown Prince's side. I have arranged for someone to be there tonight. The Crown Prince will definitely be injured."

Pei Zhiheng lowered his voice so much that only the two of them could hear it.

Thirteen frowned, her small face filled with confusion.

"You mean the Crown Prince will be injured in tonight's surprise attack? But for this military campaign, the Emperor specifically ordered half of the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to accompany the army, so it's clear that it's not my turn."

She had naturally considered this method, but unfortunately the Crown Prince's villa was heavily guarded.

She tried many methods, but none of them allowed her to get close.

Pei Zhiheng shook his head, forcing himself to speak despite his discomfort.

"I've already had those old guys taken care of tonight. I imagine there are no imperial physicians available for the Crown Prince now. Even so, you must stay by the Crown Prince's side, or you'll miss this golden opportunity."

"How can you be so certain?"

Thirteen clearly hadn't expected that Pei Zhiheng had also left a backup plan for the Crown Prince.

Pei Zhiheng's lips curled into a self-deprecating sneer.

"That wolf cub is still too green. He's not good enough to outsmart an old man like me."