After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

When Cao Yuan arrived at the Ministry of Justice prison, there was no one guarding the entrance.

She tiptoed into the room and found that there seemed to be two people inside.

"My lord! How can I save you, how can I save Prime Minister Chu!"

"This matter arose because of me. I can't see the emperor, so I have no choice but to rely on the princess!"

"What are you two plotting now?" Cao Yuan asked, pushing the door open as soon as she heard the call.

The moment Cao Yuan stepped inside, the sight of Chu Yan's numerous injuries shocked her.

Their eyes met, and neither of them knew what to say.

"What happened to you?!"

Although I knew that I would suffer some physical pain after entering the Ministry of Justice, I did not expect Cao Ji to be so ruthless!

He was, after all, the crown prince of Shu. How could he explain such torture to Shu?

Xuanfeng saw Cao Yuan kneel down and hugged her legs, pleading, "Princess, please save Prime Minister Chu! Prime Minister Chu was implicated, please save him!"

"You saved Prime Minister Chu, that's why the young master will come with me!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Yuan's anger flared, and she kicked Xuan Feng, "Who do you think you are, daring to speak to me like that in the Ministry of Justice! Even if Prime Minister Chu is released, do you think you can come and go freely in the Ministry of Justice?"

Xuanfeng bent over, clutching his chest; the kick had struck the wound on his chest.

"Ah Feng! How are you!"

Chu Yan looked at Xuan Feng nervously, while Xuan Feng slowly stood up, clutching his chest in pain.

"Ah Yuan, Ah Feng's injuries from being beaten by the Second Prince haven't healed yet. I know you're angry, so take it out on me!"

Cao Yuan turned her back, "Don't call me Prince Xiao like that! We're not that close!"

Chu Yan lowered his head, knowing that Cao Yuan was angry. "Princess! I know you're angry with me, I just want you to save my father."

"What did you mean by having Luo Jiulan pass on a message to me during the day, saying that you owe Prime Minister Chu?"

"Princess, have you forgotten? You owe Prime Minister Chu's son a life!" Chu Yan said slowly.

"What do you mean? I don't know the Prime Minister Chu's son!"

Cao Yuan asked in confusion, "Does the Prime Minister of Chu have any sons?"

"The Chu Prime Minister's own son didn't even survive your battle with the Chen Kingdom!"

"What? The Prime Minister of Chu's own son died in the battle against Chen!"

This was the first time Cao Yuan had heard about the son of the Chu Prime Minister.

"I've never heard of the Chu Prime Minister's son! There's no one with the surname Chu in the army!"

"His name is Yuan Chu! Does the princess remember him?"

A fragmented memory rushed into her mind.

They lost their first battle against the State of Chen that year.

When they were cleaning up the enemy corpses after the war.

There was a survivor under one of the corpses. He shot a hidden arrow at Cao Yuan from behind. At that critical moment, a soldier rushed towards her without hesitation.

"Princess, be careful!" the soldier shouted with all his might.

By the time Cao Yuan realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. A soldier rushed forward without hesitation and shoved her aside.

The hidden arrow shot straight into his chest and pierced through it instantly.

He groaned and fell heavily to the ground, but his hand still gripped Cao Yuan's clothes tightly.

Cao Yuan stared in horror at the soldier before her, her eyes filled with gratitude and sorrow. Tears blurred her vision, and she blinked desperately, trying to see the man who had risked his life to save her.

"Why...why did you take the arrow for me?" she asked, her voice choked with sobs, filled with self-blame and pain.

He leaned weakly against Cao Yuan's chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"The Great Wei cannot be without the princess... The princess will surely win this battle..." The soldier managed a weak smile, his eyes firm yet gentle.

Cao Yuan felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She held Xiaobing's hand tightly, feeling his body temperature gradually cooling down.

"What's your name? I don't even know your name yet. I'll take care of your family!" she asked anxiously.

"My name is Yuan Chu! Don't tell my father..." The soldier managed to speak, but before he could finish, he breathed his last.

He protected the princess with his life, and although he did not live to see the final victory, he died a worthy death.

Tears streamed down her face, her heart filled with respect and gratitude for the young soldier. Although he was just an ordinary soldier, his courage and loyalty deeply moved her.

Later, carrying this gratitude, she launched a surprise attack on the second prince of Chen and won the battle.

Later, when her elder brother also died in the Eastern Palace, Cao Yuan didn't take it to heart at all. She simply told her maternal grandfather to give them a proper burial.

But as time went by, she almost forgot about the soldier named Yuan Chu.

She recalled the day her grandfather wiped away tears in his tent. Could it be because he was the son of the Chu prime minister?

She had absolutely no idea.

"Yuan Chu, Chu Yuan!"

"Father always had high hopes for his son. Chu Yuan didn't want to live in the shadow of Chu Xiang, so he secretly changed his name and joined the army, but he never made it!"

"Cao Ji is going to take action against the Prime Minister of Chu, and the princess cannot stand idly by! This is something you owe the Prime Minister of Chu!"

Xuanfeng added, "Princess, besides saving Prime Minister Chu, you also have to save my young master. If it weren't for saving your young master, we would have already left the city!"

"Ah Feng, stop talking!"

Xuanfeng, eager to save Chu Yan, blurted out everything Chu Yan had done behind the scenes: "Young Master is even giving up his position as Crown Prince of Shu for you, wanting to stay in Wei, and even asked me to write a letter to the Emperor of Shu. Are you really going to ignore him going to such lengths for you?"

"Ah Feng! I told you to stop talking!" Chu Yan said angrily.

Cao Yuan looked at him calmly, "But you still lied to me!"

Just as they took two steps out of the cell, a group of soldiers surrounded Cao Yuan and Xuan Feng.

"Royal sister, you actually defied the imperial decree for a man! Is he more important to you than Xue Xinian?"

Cao Ji stood in front of the prison cell door, staring straight at her.

"If you hadn't told me, none of this would have happened!"

"Since you've already seen it, you can arrest me if you want, no need for all this nonsense."

Cao Ji curled the corners of his lips. "Royal sister, I am still your elder brother, how dare you speak to me like this? Did you speak to the late Crown Prince like this?"

Why did he suddenly bring up his elder brother?

Cao Yuan was puzzled.

"Compared to Cao Shang, you and I aren't actually that close, are we?"

After the late empress passed away, Cao Yuan went to the border. Although they had childhood friendships, they had been broken up over the years.

Compared to Cao Shang, who was loved by everyone in the palace all year round, how could Cao Ji and Cao Yuan possibly be close?

Seeing that he didn't speak, Cao Yuan continued, "If you don't arrest me, I'm leaving."

As Cao Yuan passed by him, Cao Ji suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

Cao Yuan looked at him warily.

“I was thinking that it wouldn’t be safe for you to go back by yourself, so I’d like to take you home!” Cao Ji said softly.

"No need! With you here, I'll feel even more unsafe," Cao Yuan retorted sarcastically.

"Xuanfeng, go!"

Cao Ji watched Cao Yuan's retreating figure from afar, his expression intriguing.