Only after being reborn did I realize that I was the white moonlight of a powerful minister.

Xie Bohuai returned late at night. Ye Wanning was half asleep when she heard the sound of the door being pushed open. Her long-standing caution made her instantly wake up and sit up.

"it's me."

Xie Bohuai's voice was hoarse.

The room was pitch black, with only a blurry figure visible, but Ye Wanning only dared to breathe heavily when she heard it was Xie Bohuai.

"What time is it now?" Ye Wanning felt it was already very late.

“It’s past 1 AM.” Xie Bohuai took an inner garment, not intending to lie down. “You continue to sleep. I’ll go change my clothes and sleep in the study later.” He would get up again in another hour.

"There are no bedding prepared in the study, so you should sleep here. Yunzhi and the others are asleep now. I'll get up when you get up." Ye Wanning wasn't sleepy at all; she was startled and became much more awake.

Xie Bohuai paused for a moment, then said "okay".

There was no hot water at night, so he just took a quick shower and came back to find the lights on inside.

Ye Wanning brought a plate of snacks from the kitchen. "There's no time to start a fire now. You've been busy for so long, you must be hungry."

Xie Bohuai looked at the snacks on the table, feeling a warmth in his heart. Before, when he only had Qingshan and a few others by his side, and they weren't so considerate, they would sometimes go to sleep without washing up, even if they came back late, since they would be covered in sweat the next day anyway.

There was hot tea and some snacks available. Xie Bohuai took a snack and ate it in one bite.

Ye Wanning sat to the side and, mentioning the news of the Prince Xian's death in battle, asked, "You came back so late today just for this?"

"Yes, Prince Xian secretly contacted Prince Cheng, and the two wanted to cooperate. The Emperor didn't want to punish Prince Xian for treason again, otherwise it wouldn't sound good to posterity, and he would be known as someone who couldn't tolerate his brother. So the Emperor gave Prince Xian a good reputation, saying he died in battle, which is a great honor, and it also allowed him to frame Prince Cheng, inciting public outrage." Actually, this was Xie Bohuai's idea. "When Prince Xian died in battle, his eldest son received a reward. Anyone with a bit of sense would know to show loyalty at this time to protect the entire Prince Xian's mansion."

Ye Wanning understood. "The Emperor's brothers are either dead or have been banished and sent far away. If there are none left in the capital, it will indeed affect his reputation. Leaving an empty shell of the Prince Xian's mansion, like a vase for decoration, will ensure that as long as the Prince Xian's heir doesn't harbor any wicked thoughts, he can enjoy wealth and honor for life. This is a good plan, much better than exterminating them all. After all, without a leader, the Prince Xian's heir will not be able to control real power in the future and will not cause too much trouble."

“That makes perfect sense.” Xie Bohuai yawned after finishing his meal.

After the two blew out the lamp and lay down, Xie Bohuai suddenly called out, "Wanning."

"Ok?"

After a while, Ye Wanning still hadn't heard Xie Bohuai speak, so she asked again, "What does Your Excellency want to say?"

"Let's wait a few more days, until things are more peaceful." Xie Bohuai was truly exhausted, and after lying down, he quickly fell asleep.

Ye Wanning was no longer sleepy. Listening to the even breathing beside her, although she couldn't see Xie Bohuai clearly in the darkness, she still turned to her side and looked at Xie Bohuai's blurry outline.

Xie Bohuai has very outstanding facial features, and despite his bad reputation, he still has many fans.

Ye Wanning thought about Xie Bohuai, then lowered her outstretched hand. "Go to sleep. I'll definitely wake up early tomorrow."

Meanwhile, in King Cheng's camp, the lights were on, and King Cheng, having learned of the death of King Xian, did not sleep all night.

“When the Emperor sent Fifth Brother on the expedition, he never intended for him to return alive. He used to appear indifferent to worldly affairs, but in reality, he is treacherous and ruthless, and he even framed me!” Prince Cheng’s eyes were bloodshot. “I was wondering why Fifth Brother’s troops hadn’t been eager to attack these past two months. It turns out they were waiting for this day so that I would be completely disgraced and then they could use the righteous path to annihilate me.”

Wu Yong, who was closest to him, frowned. "Who cares about framing him? We'll march north, take the capital, and then history will be written by us, the victors and the vanquished."

“It’s different, completely different.” King Cheng took a deep breath, but still couldn’t catch his breath. “Originally, it was me who questioned the authenticity of the will, which at least had a reason. Now, it’s different in the eyes of the people because I sent people to pretend to make peace with Fifth Brother, but secretly killed him.”

Wu Yong didn't understand. "But you didn't kill Prince Xian. It has nothing to do with us!"

"Does it matter whether there's a connection or not?" the strategist Zhou Yi interjected. "The Emperor has created this situation so that everyone thinks the Prince is ruthless and cruel to his own brothers. Before this, the Emperor had been using the slogan of benevolence and righteousness to persuade us to surrender, to avoid countless deaths after the war. Now the situation is that the Emperor didn't want to fight, but we only wanted to seize the throne, showing no regard for brotherhood or the lives of the people. Without the support of the people, how can we rally more followers in the future?"

Wu Yong grew increasingly angry as he listened, "Don't people in this world have the ability to distinguish right from wrong?"

"How can we tell? Did they witness how the Prince Xian died, or did someone testify for us and spread the word?" Zhou Yi shook his head. "Neither, not a single one. In the hearts of the people, we have lost the upper hand, and the Emperor will surely send even more valiant men to launch a final assault."

Zhou Yi had always followed King Cheng and was the most intelligent of King Cheng's confidants. His words made King Cheng even more worried.

Wu Yong asked what to do.

Zhou Yi looked at King Cheng and said, "To succeed, we must prioritize the will of the people. Given the current situation, our chances of winning if we try to march north are slim. It would be better to make peace."

King Cheng: "Making peace?"

Wu Yong said, "How could that be? The Emperor would rather sacrifice our heads to the heavens than make peace. Even if he does make peace, the Emperor will first give the prince a fiefdom, but sooner or later the Emperor will still silence us. He can't possibly trust us."

“The peace I’m talking about isn’t about bestowing titles upon us, but about establishing ourselves as kings in our current territory,” Zhou Yi said, looking at his master. “Since the chances of winning by going north are slim, it’s better to lie low for now. The Emperor claims to be benevolent and righteous, so if he’s so benevolent, he shouldn’t want to waste resources and manpower. If we propose a truce, he’ll have to consider his reputation. If he still insists on attacking us, we can create a narrative that he’s the one who’s ruthless and unscrupulous, seemingly benevolent but actually cold-blooded and indifferent.”

King Cheng understood, "Even if I agree now, my second brother will still want me dead."

"Therefore, we need to take advantage of this time to win over more forces and contact other countries so that we can send troops to the capital together and take it firmly," Zhou Yi said.

King Cheng listened and thought it made a lot of sense. "It's thanks to your sharp mind that I continued north. It would indeed be bad for my reputation. But I can also spread rumors and arouse the doubts of the people. Then we'll see if my second brother, who is the most benevolent and righteous, can still send troops in the name of benevolence and righteousness."

As he spoke, King Cheng looked at Wu Yong and said, "During this time, we will have to continue to trouble the general to train the troops. We need to build up our strength first, because sooner or later we will have to fight a decisive battle with my second brother's men!"

“Alright, I’ll do as Your Highness says!” Wu Yong said.

The next day, King Cheng sent people to the front lines to negotiate peace, intending to end the war. By the time the news reached the capital, it was already two days later.

The Emperor summoned Xie Bohuai immediately.