The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 280 I will lift her up.

It seems that those in power have not yet grasped the current situation.

The empress dowager remained indifferent and aloof.

Pei Du's cold words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the Empress Dowager's head.

My limbs instantly felt cold.

Pei Du's words made her, and the two in high positions, suddenly understand—

If no one can stop the Black-Armored Cavalry and the Northern Locust Army from entering the city, then their imperial status will be in jeopardy!

The Empress Dowager frowned, but in the end she could only let out a cold snort, her tone still harsh: "Even Lord Pei couldn't resist the Black Armor Cavalry and the Northern Locust Army, what can Zhaoming, a mere woman, do!?"

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager glanced at the curved sword in Jiang Jinshuang's hand, which seemed disproportionate to her size, and scoffed, "With her paltry skills?"

Pei Du said coldly, "If you all refuse to believe Her Highness the Princess, then let the Black Armor Cavalry trample Chang'an to the ground."

From his high position, Jiang Huayan said in a deep voice, "Minister Pei, is there really no other way?"

Pei Du stared intently at Jiang Huayan, his tone cold: "Yes."

Jiang Huayan's eyes lit up: "Is there any other way!"

Pei Du stood among ten thousand people.

The emperor on the high throne, and the civil and military officials below.

Everyone was standing on the opposite side.

He was the only one standing beside Jiang Jinshuang.

His gaze swept over everyone present.

In the end, he could only bow to the emperor in the Mingtang Hall and say, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is the only solution I can offer."

"Pei Du!" Jiang Huayan slammed his fist on the table, his eyes wide with anger. "What exactly do you mean by this!?"

"Could it be that you're still angry with me, the capital, and the common people because I imprisoned you?!"

Pei Du stood beside Jiang Jinshuang, his voice clear and resonant, as if the heavens and earth were at peace.

"Your Majesty, I have no anger towards you."

He raised his head, his gaze steady, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Your Majesty, I want to elevate her to a higher position. I want Jiang Jinshuang to be the center of attention and admired by all."

Jiang Huayan's eyes widened in astonishment: "Pei Du, are you crazy?"

"You entered officialdom at the age of twenty-one, you are well-versed in the classics, and your future is limitless! Yet you, for your own selfish desires—"

“What I have always relied on is this selfish desire.”

Pei Du's spine was straight.

Her clothes fluttered in the wind.

His gaze was unwavering, and his tone was clear and upright: "Your Majesty, my wife Jinshuang, in order to maintain peace in the court and balance the situation, has been a wicked and unruly person for more than ten years, and has been scorned and hated by the world. She has survived no less than a hundred assassination attempts."

"The world is unaware of Your Highness's suffering and blindly follows suit in scorning and condemning you. Does Your Majesty not understand this as well?"

"Jiang Jinshuang was wronged."

"The world did not see it, His Majesty did not see it, and none of the civil and military officials saw it."

"Your Majesty, I have seen it."

"Your humble servant is not convinced."

"Your Majesty, I cannot bear to see this."

He bowed again: "Therefore, I will lift her up."

"No one can drag her down into this mess again."
-
When is it?

If Pei Du himself were to answer, he wouldn't actually remember.

He only remembered that day when the girl sat high on the sedan chair, lifted the fiery red silk curtain, and looked up at him.

"You're Pei Du?"

She smiled, more dazzling than the peach blossoms in the capital in March: "From now on, you will live in my princess's residence."

In fact, Pei Du was not stupid. He knew very well that when he stood out at that debate, some people were restless and wanted to kill him before he could participate in the imperial examination.

Just as he knew, when Jiang Jinshuang came looking for him that day, just one alley ahead was a place where countless servants carrying daggers and swords were ready to kill him at any moment.

He naturally had a backup plan, but her appearance easily resolved all his predicaments and sheltered him under her wings.

She said she liked him.

He believed it.

This might sound arrogant, but Pei Du considered himself to be fairly good-looking, so it was reasonable for her to like him. She treated him well, in every little detail, and even when she was mischievous and teasing him, he never felt offended.

People say that Princess Zhaoming committed many evils and was hated by everyone.

But he has eyes, he will see for himself.

As countless refugees poured into the capital, she suddenly had the idea to build a cold spring. What should have been a project that could have been completed in a few days took her a whole month to finish.

There were spies from Bei Huai in the capital. She killed several spies disguised as ordinary people in the street as a warning to others and uncovered Bei Huai's entire secret network in Wan Jin.

She would often say she was going to Baiyujing to escape the summer heat, but she never took him with her.

Baiyujing is cold all year round and is not a good place to escape the summer heat.

That time, she had been injured by an assassin attack the night before, and the next day she packed her bags and went to Baiyujing.

—Supposedly to escape the summer heat, but in reality, they were going to fight on the front lines in place of Prince Ruiyang.

That same time, he and she had a cold war for several days, until she got drunk and he coaxed her with sweet words, and then he forgave her without thinking.

Sometimes he would wonder when she would tell him those secrets.

Although he had already guessed the general idea based on his abilities, if she had told him on her own initiative, he would probably have cooperated and shown some surprise.

But he never imagined that she never intended to tell him.

She left decisively.

Just as decisively as when she said "I like you" to him back then.

It was probably the Cold War.

He and she were probably locked in a three-year-long cold war.

Later, when the emperor was unwell, he went to the Imperial Observatory.

Afterwards, the Imperial Advisor Zhao Yun returned and issued an edict ordering Princess Zhaoming to return to the capital to attend to the emperor's illness, so that the emperor could recover soon.

The emperor naturally had his own selfish motives. At that time, the relationship between Beihuai and Wanjin was unstable, and the emperor wanted to send his only princess to Beihuai for a marriage alliance.

Pei Du took advantage of the emperor's intentions and summoned her back to Chang'an.

Pei Du never denied that he had used any improper means.

— He never hesitates to use any means to achieve his goals.
-
Prince Ruiyang's Mansion.

Jiang Jinshuang returned to this place and entered the former study of Prince Ruiyang.

Pei Du stayed by her side, letting her do as she pleased.

The emperor ordered Princess Zhaoming, Jiang Jinshuang, to take full charge of the army's siege of the city. After receiving the order, Jiang Jinshuang did not immediately go to the city gate.

She arrived at the Prince Ruiyang's residence.

They entered the study.

She is waiting for someone.

Or wait for a message.

Before long, a carrier pigeon flew in through the window and landed right on the window frame of the study.

Jiang Jinshuang took down the letter and saw the contents of the note.

Sure enough, she was right.

It's Lu Xiao.

Only the deputy general beside Prince Ruiyang had the ability to lead the Black Armor Cavalry away from Baiyujing and into Chang'an.

The letter was left to her by Lu Xiao, and the contents of the letter were very simple.

He brought his black-armored cavalry not to rebel, but to demand an explanation.

Among the 300,000 black-armored cavalry, not a single one believed that Prince Ruiyang was a traitorous minister. Lu Xiao could not wait any longer, so he gathered the black-armored cavalry and headed straight for Chang'an City.

In his letter, Lu Xiao said that if the emperor's answer did not satisfy them, he would not care if the charge of treason was confirmed.

Jiang Jinshuang finished reading the envelope and gave a bitter smile.

When she asked Lu Xiao to wait, it was clear that Lu Xiao didn't fully trust her.

He must have spoken with the ruler of Beihuai this time. Beihuai is now severely weakened, and these regrouped Beihuai troops are at their last gasp.

Lu Xiao demanded an explanation.

But Jiang Jinshuang knew that the Empress Dowager's statement alone, even if she committed suicide, would not be enough to quell the anger of the 300,000 Black Armor Cavalry.

There must be something else.

Uncle Wang must have left something else behind.