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

"Let me in! I want to see the princess, let me in!" Bai Lu shouted outside Cao Yuan's palace.

"The princess is resting. The crown prince said you should not disturb her."

Xuanfeng blocked the doorway, preventing Bailu from entering.

"I've been here for days, and the Crown Prince keeps using this excuse to fob me off!" Bai Lu persisted.

Hearing the commotion outside, Cao Yuan got out of bed.

"Get up! I have something very important to tell the princess." Bai Lu clutched the letter in her hand and tried to squeeze it inside.

Suddenly the palace doors were pulled open from the inside.

"Bai Lu, what are you arguing about?"

"Did the princess disturb you?" Xuanfeng turned his head away.

"Princess!" Bai Lu exclaimed joyfully, pushing Xuan Feng aside.

“Princess, I’m so glad to finally see you! The Crown Prince wouldn’t let me see you.”

"I didn't have a chance to ask you last time, what brings you to the Shu Kingdom?"

Bai Lu took her hand and said earnestly, "His Majesty is seriously ill!"

"Really? It's not ready yet!" Cao Yuan casually smoothed her hair, a wry smile on her face.

She thought that there were still a few years before Cao Ji ascended the throne, and the emperor would be fine.

"Princess, aren't you worried?"

Cao Yuan smiled calmly, "Father is in his prime, he'll be fine!"

"How could nothing be wrong! The Second Prince has already placed His Majesty under house arrest."

Cao Yuan's body trembled. "Confinement? How could this be... It's not time yet."

"What day is it?" Bai Lu asked, puzzled.

Cao Yuan snapped out of her daze. "Oh, nothing? Did you come all this way specifically for this?"

Bai Lu took out a letter from her bosom. "His Majesty asked me to give this to you."

Cao Yuan hesitated, looking at the letter Bai Lu handed her, wondering whether to accept it.

"Is the princess still angry with His Majesty about the marriage alliance?"

"The Second Prince currently possesses half of the tiger tally, but he has searched the entire capital without finding the other half! Does the princess know where it is?"

Cao Yuan shook her head. Half a piece? When did the tiger tally become divided into two pieces?

"I've never seen him. I've already come to Shu to marry a foreign ruler, so I can no longer interfere in the affairs of Wei's court."

"The tiger tally in my possession was taken back by my father long ago and is no longer with me."

Cao Yuan turned to go back inside, but Bai Lu stopped her, "Princess, I have a letter!"

Bai Lu shoved the letter directly into Cao Yuan's hand. "Princess, once you've made your decision, remember to tell me. I'll be waiting for you at the East Palace."

Cao Yuan entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze falling on the letter. Jin Zhu pushed open the door and walked in. "Your Highness, have you read the letter His Majesty sent with Bai Lu?"

"This is a letter that His Majesty entrusted to you by the Second Prince when he came to arrange the marriage, but you still haven't said you wanted to see it."

Jinzhu also took out a letter from her sleeve, stepped forward, and placed it next to Cao Yuan.

"The letter was nothing more than words of advice for me to go and rescue him or words of comfort for me to marry him. Why should I read it and make myself feel upset?"

“I have already come to marry into the Wei Kingdom. According to the laws of the Wei Kingdom, a woman must obey her husband after marriage. I am no longer a person of the Wei Kingdom. I have no legitimate reason to send troops and no military force available.”

"Even if I had that half of the tiger tally, the power in the court has long since shifted to my second brother. What difference would it make whether I have it or not?"

Jinzhu sighed in relief. "Regardless, Your Highness should think it through carefully. Shall I take the letter?"

Jinzhu reached out her hand to Cao Yuan, and before Cao Yuan could react, Jinzhu snatched the letter from her hand, saying, "I'll keep it for Your Highness for now."

“Jin…”

Cao Yuan opened her mouth slightly, wanting to stop Jinzhu, but before she could shout, Jinzhu ran out.

It was getting dark.

Dinner had just been served, and Cao Yuan hadn't even had a chance to eat when Chu Yan pushed open the door and came in.

Eunuch Li untied Chu Yan's cloak by the door and hung it on the clothes rack next to him.

Chu Yan walked straight to the table and sat down next to Cao Yuan.

"I came all this way to have dinner with you today, why are you unhappy?" Chu Yan looked at her cold face and guessed that she was worried about the affairs of Wei.

"What are your plans regarding what Bailu mentioned? Didn't you want to go home?"

"Isn't this the perfect time to go back?"

Cao Yuan sighed softly, "I never intended to return to the palace. If things are like this now, I wouldn't feel at ease even if I went to the border."

"Chu Yan, I'd like to go back a little later. Let me think about it."

Normally, Chu Yan would be happy to hear this, but this time he just couldn't feel happy at all.

"That's not like you at all."

Cao Yuan calmed down and said, "I don't think this matter is that simple. He is the only adult prince in the palace. There is no need for the second prince to be in such a hurry to seize power now."

Chu Yan said earnestly, "I once heard my father say that he actually intended to promote the Second Prince, but for some reason His Majesty sent him away instead. Has His Majesty brought any new concubines into his harem?"

"It seems so!" Cao Yuan stroked her chin. She remembered that in her previous life, after Cao Ji ascended the throne, Xue Xinian stole her tiger tally and presented it to her, and she was then sentenced to death.

Did Cao Ji usurp the throne ahead of schedule because she changed her course of action?

It's all her fault for dying so hastily; she didn't have time to think about anything. Now that she thinks about it, it was probably just Xue Xinian's idea for Cao Ji to give her wine.

If Cao Ji, who had just ascended the throne, killed himself, wouldn't that give others something to talk about?

"Before I came to marry into the royal family, my father had just issued an imperial decree, and my maternal grandfather led troops to order me to flee. I thought my second brother would stop me..."

“But he didn’t.” Chu Yan finished the sentence for her.

"Since you know the truth, why don't you dare to read the letter?"

"I met Miss Mu in Liucheng! She said... the person she was communicating with was someone else."

"Are you afraid it's the Second Prince?"

Chu Yan took out the two letters. "In that case, why don't I take a look at them for you?"

Seeing that Cao Yuan remained silent, Chu Yan opened the letter, glanced at it, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"What did you write?"

Cao Yuan snatched the letter. "The mountains and rivers are shattered, the phoenix is ​​above, and the plum blossoms fall at the foot of the setting sun."

"Does A-Yuan understand the meaning behind this?"

"Plum blossoms fall on the clouds? Plum blossoms were my mother's favorite flower. Why is Father suddenly bringing this up?"

Chu Yan hurriedly opened another letter: "The kite is the phoenix, the phoenix is ​​the sky. The spring breeze regrets returning to its nest."

Cao Yuan read the letter several times, but still didn't understand the emperor's meaning.

"I just heard Bai Lu say that the half of the tiger tally hasn't been found yet, and it's very likely it was given to you!" Chu Yan analyzed for her.

"If the Second Prince truly harbors rebellious intentions, what he needs most is the Imperial Seal!"

"Will Father really give me that half of the tiger tally? Didn't he push me to marry into a foreign power? Am I that important to him?"

"Isn't the imperial seal in the palace either?"

"No matter what, you must go back this time, A-Yuan." Chu Yan grasped Cao Yuan's hand. "How can a traitor be the ruler of a country?"

"I never intended to return to the palace. In what capacity should I go back?"

Chu Yan stood up. "Since we're going to go back openly and honestly, we need to have a legitimate identity."