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

The night was as quiet as a poem.

Duan Yuchuan stood quietly by the window, his posture upright, but his expression held a hint of unconcealed sorrow.

Although he gazed at the spring scenery outside the window, his thoughts had already drifted far away.

During this time, a man in black steadily vaulted into the courtyard, quickly entered Duan Yuchuan's house, and knelt down to pay his respects.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

"What? Has that person in the palace made any moves this time?"

Duan Yuchuan turned around somewhat wearily and looked at the man kneeling on the ground. This was his spy planted in Yong'an Palace, named Yongcheng.

Last time, it was he who came to deliver the message, and that's how I learned that the Empress Dowager wanted to ask Thirteen to help her regain favor and become pregnant.

Yongcheng's face was covered with a black cloth, revealing only his eyes, making it impossible to see his features.

"Today His Majesty went to Yong'an Palace to visit the Imperial Concubine."

"Is it really necessary for you to make a special trip to the Third Prince's residence to tell me about such a matter?"

Duan Yuchuan frowned slightly, displeased. So many eyes were now fixed on the Third Prince's residence and the An family. Even the smallest matters could prompt a memorial impeaching them.

He had originally planned to tell Yongcheng not to come to the Third Prince's residence to see him again in the coming days.

I didn't expect to get caught up in some trivial matters and forget about it.

Yongcheng buried his head even deeper and slowly explained.

"They discussed the Third Prince's marriage."

"Marriage?" Duan Yuchuan frowned subconsciously. He already disliked Gu Shining, whom he had never met, let alone that his mother had brought up his marriage to the Emperor again.

He walked to the armchair inside the room, sat down, and slowly picked up the hot teacup.

"What did they say? They said they'd give me a new principal wife?"

Duan Yuchuan's gaze fell on Yongcheng with some displeasure, as if he had already guessed that his mother would say something about pomp and circumstance to his father, in order to save face for the An family.

Ultimately, it's about paving the way for her future son.

After all, who would want a sickly person as the future crown prince of Nanyang?

"Her Imperial Concubine said she wants to give you the second young lady of the Pei family as a concubine."

"Bastard!"

The teacup shattered with a crack, and scalding hot water splashed onto Yongcheng, but his kneeling posture remained unchanged.

Ignoring the fact that his fingers were scalded red by the tea, Duan Yuchuan stood up and strode over to Yongcheng, grabbing his collar and demanding an answer fiercely.

"Can you say that again?"

His gaze toward Yongcheng seemed to be filled with doubt and dissatisfaction.

"The Imperial Concubine requests Your Majesty to betroth the second daughter of the Pei family to you as a concubine. A date has been chosen for her to enter the palace on the same day as the principal wife."

Although Yongcheng also sensed his master's anger, he remained calm and said that they only needed to do their best to fulfill their master's requirements.

The rest is none of their business.

"Hehe..." Duan Yuchuan subconsciously released his grip on Yongcheng's collar and took a few steps back.

It's laughable that he was such a glamorous prince in the eyes of outsiders, yet even in this cannibalistic palace, he couldn't even decide his own marriage.

"Gu Shining came, and then I got Pei Suisui, haha—" Duan Yuchuan muttered to himself as if he were insane.

He had hoped that Pei Suisui would be able to protect herself and avoid getting involved in the game.

Unexpectedly, her mother still did not let her off the hook!

The marriage alliance between the An and Pei families—what a ridiculous story!

Duan Yuchuan's neatly tied clothes were torn open due to the large movement, and his black hair, as black as ink, was spread out, making him look even more ghostly.

He secretly retreated into the shadows, his expression unreadable.

There weren't many candles burning in the room to begin with, and at this moment only Yongcheng was exposed to the light.

Did he agree?

Duan Yuchuan's last shred of reason told him that there was room for negotiation in this matter.

Seeing this, Yongcheng quickly nodded and said

"The Emperor has not yet agreed. He only said that the Consort was being too unreasonable and left Yong'an Palace in anger. The Consort seems to be somewhat annoyed by the Emperor's refusal."

“Annoyed? She’s still angry? Why not just let Father Emperor give her the Nanyang kingdom?”

Duan Yuchuan suddenly realized that his mother was foolish; how could his father possibly agree to such a stupid request?

Yongcheng buried his head again, completely ignoring the shards of porcelain on the ground that cut his hands.

"His Majesty has granted Prime Minister Pei's request to resign today. He will soon retire and return to his hometown, leaving the capital."

His voice was like a blue stone falling on the surface of a still lake.

This shattered Duan Yuchuan's last shred of reason.

In the darkness, Duan Yuchuan seemed to stiffen, his body trembling slightly as he spoke.

"Prime Minister Pei has resigned?"

He couldn't believe that Pei Zhiheng had so easily given up on more than a decade of fierce fighting with the An family. His sudden resignation—was it really just so his daughter could marry him?

"Yes, His Majesty approved this matter in court today. However, there are still many matters that need to be handled by Prime Minister Pei. He has given him three months. Once the time is up, Prime Minister Pei will be allowed to retire and return to his hometown."

"Retire and return to his hometown? How can he retire and return to his hometown!"

Upon hearing this, Duan Yuchuan became even more agitated. He picked up an object next to him and smashed it on the ground, as if only in this way could he vent his dissatisfaction.

Before long, the room was a complete mess, smashed by Duan Yuchuan.

He was breathing slightly heavily, and the fine sweat on his forehead clung to his long hair, making his already handsome appearance appear even more effeminate.

He looked at Yongcheng, who had been kneeling on the ground answering questions the whole time.

For some reason, Duan Yuchuan felt that the only person he could trust in the entire Nanyang was the one in front of him.

He walked over, stepping on the shards scattered on the ground, and slowly squatted down in front of Yongcheng.

"Will you betray me?"

Upon hearing this, Yongcheng froze, slowly raising his head to meet Duan Yuchuan's burning gaze. He subconsciously swallowed, then replied...

"In this life, I will only be loyal to the Third Prince. If I ever dare to betray Your Highness, I will die a gruesome death and never be reborn as a human."

His resolute gaze seemed to have infected Duan Yuchuan.

Duan Yuchuan became agitated again. With trembling hands, he cupped Yongcheng's face and tore off the black cloth covering his face.

What was revealed was a truly terrifying face.

A long scar stretched from his right temple to the left corner of his mouth, dividing his otherwise handsome face in two.

This scar was caused by Duan Yuchuan.

Duan Yuchuan stared intently at Yongcheng's face, as if he wouldn't miss a single trace of hesitation.

"Are you really only loyal to me?"

No one knows how emotionally devastated he was after his mother left him alone at the age of thirteen, and how he was plagued by nightmares every night.

He thought that once he recovered, he could once again compete for the position of crown prince, and even hold half of the entire Nanyang kingdom in his own hands.

Unexpectedly, his mother became pregnant again, the thirteenth prince left the mansion and betrayed him, and even his beloved younger sister from childhood stopped contacting him because of his previous illness.

He believes that all those who have ever put themselves in others' shoes and regarded them as family, confidants, and friends...

They all betrayed themselves.

He can't accept it!

Yongcheng, emboldened by some unknown source, grasped Duan Yuchuan's trembling hands. His gaze towards Duan Yuchuan was unwavering.

"Your Highness, I am willing to overcome all obstacles."