After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

For the next month, Xie Qinglan devoted most of her attention to helping Xiao Jingyuan regain his memories.

He first took Xiao Jingyuan to Lanyue Pavilion.

He had never set foot in this palace since his rebirth. The vermilion doors were tightly locked, and the bronze door knockers and locks were covered with a thin, uneven layer of dust. With just a light touch of his fingertip, he could leave a faint white mark in the dust.

Pushing open the door, one sees a courtyard several times more spacious than Tingxue Pavilion, with a magnificent main hall and pillars and windows covered in a thin layer of dust. The surroundings are quiet, exuding a solemn atmosphere of long-abandoned residence.

No crabapple trees were moved into the courtyard in this lifetime; only a few old locust trees stood in the corner, their branches gnarled and twisted, casting a dense shade over half the courtyard.

Xie Qinglan took Xiao Jingyuan's hand and led him through the corridors and halls, showing him around the entire palace. From the pear wood table in the outer hall to the carved bed pillars in the inner hall, she pointed out each place to him and slowly told him about the past.

He raised his hand and pointed to the carved window on the west side, a faint smile spreading across his brow: "You used to love sneaking in through the window in the middle of the night. Once, your jade belt accidentally got caught on the window hook, and you were hanging in mid-air, swaying back and forth. In your panic, you kicked over the precious clivia plant under the windowsill, and soil and broken roots rolled all over the ground. When you saw me coming, you stiffened your cold, hard imperial face and stubbornly said, 'I've come to check if the window is secure.'"

She lowered her gaze again, pointing to the carved wooden bed, her voice softening slightly: "There was another chilly night when you sneaked into the palace with a hand warmer, shoving the scalding hand warmer right at my feet. You then squatted on the edge of the bed, quietly watching me sleep. As you watched, you fell asleep on the edge of the bed, waking me up with your snoring. It even startled the guards outside, who thought an assassin had entered the palace and burst open the door with their knives."

Finally, he stepped onto the open ground in the courtyard, looked at the bluestone slabs under his feet, and said softly, "One winter solstice, when it snowed, you built two snowmen here, saying with certainty that this was Qinglan and that was me, and that we would be together for all eternity. But the next day, after the snow cleared and the sun shone, the two snowmen melted into a puddle of snow water. You were sad for a long time, and you never built a snowman again after that."

Xiao Jingyuan's ears burned as he listened, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face: "Why do you keep bringing up embarrassing things about me..."

"Has Your Majesty remembered anything?"

Xiao Jingyuan remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

Several days later, on a clear night, the bright moon hung in the sky, and a gentle breeze blew.

Xie Qinglan took the Guilan Sword and stood alone under the crabapple tree.

The silvery moonlight poured down, coating the cold, sharp blade with a frosty gleam. The sword swept through the air, tearing through the evening wind and producing a clear, sharp whistling sound. The crabapple leaves on the branches were swept up by the sword energy, fluttering down and landing on his shoulders and wide sleeves.

He clearly remembered that at the beginning of his rebirth, it was also a moonlit night like this. He was practicing his sword here when Xiao Jingyuan was secretly watching from the courtyard wall. He was so engrossed in watching that he slipped and fell straight down the high wall, landing awkwardly in the waist-high weeds, covered in broken leaves and grass clippings.

After finishing his sword dance, he sheathed his sword and turned to look down the corridor—Xiao Jingyuan was leaning against a vermilion pillar, his black brocade robe bathed in the soft moonlight, his eyes shining brightly. Seeing him look over, he immediately clapped his hands lightly and laughed loudly, "Beautiful!"

Xie Qinglan stood for a moment, but when no one spoke, a fine sense of loss spread through her heart. Her long eyelashes drooped to conceal the sadness in her eyes. Her fingertips brushed over the scabbard, and she placed the Guilan Sword steadily on the sword rack under the corridor. Without saying a word, she turned and entered the hall.

In addition, he searched through all the medical classics from past dynasties that filled half a library, and every night before going to bed, he would massage Xiao Jingyuan's acupoints on his head.

Medical books record that blockages in the meridians of the head are most likely to cause amnesia. Pressing major acupoints such as Baihui, Taiyang, and Fengchi every day may clear blockages and restore memories.

He then let Xiao Jingyuan rest his head on his lap, and with his fingertips he probed into the man's black hair, gently and skillfully pressing the acupoints in circular motions.

Xiao Jingyuan closed his eyes, humming contentedly, and occasionally rubbed against his knee, like a big dog whose fur had been stroked.

Xie Qinglan massaged him for half an hour, then looked down and asked him if he felt anything. Xiao Jingyuan opened his eyes and replied seriously, "Comfortable, I want to sleep."

Xie Qinglan was so angry that she almost pushed him off her knees, her fingertips pressing against his forehead.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and Xiao Jingyuan's amnesia showed no improvement whatsoever. Xie Qinglan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was already suppressing a deep-seated anxiety.

During the day, he had to review mountains of memorials in his study—although Xiao Jingyuan had returned to the palace, his amnesia had not yet been cured, and he still needed to handle important state affairs.

Although the Western Rong were pacified, after being incorporated into the Northern Shuo territory, it was necessary to re-divide the prefectures and counties, appoint officials, investigate household registrations, reorganize taxes, and station troops for defense. Each of these tasks was a massive undertaking.

Xiao Zhaoyue stayed in Zhenxi to oversee defense, Shen Hanzhou commanded troops, and Wanyan Lie governed the people. Every day, a thick stack of documents arrived by carrier pigeon, and Xie Qinglan annotated and replied to each one, often working until the dead of night.

In addition, the daily affairs of the capital—memorials from the Six Ministries, remonstrances from officials, expenses of the imperial family, and military reports from the border—all fell on his shoulders.

In contrast, Xiao Jingyuan was leisurely and carefree. Every day, he would move a carved armchair to sit opposite him, occasionally pretending to flip through a couple of pages of memorials, but most of the time he would just prop his elbows up and stare at him intently.

Seeing that he looked tired after working at his desk for a long time, she went up to him and gently advised him to take a break. She went around behind him and raised her hand to massage his stiff shoulders and neck. The pressure was just right, and he was much more obedient than before.

That afternoon, Ling Feng entered to deliver a secret report. The seal was intact; it was a message relayed by a spy from Nanyue.

Xie Qinglan removed the seal and glanced at the densely packed coded translations on the paper, her brows furrowing slightly.

The secret report stated that Pei Nanchi had sent a secret envoy to Dongqi, where they held secret talks for more than half a month. Recently, Dongqi also sent an envoy to Nanyue in return, indicating frequent exchanges between the two countries, seemingly in the process of concluding an alliance.

He placed the secret report on the table, tapping the paper lightly with his knuckles as he pondered the situation.

Although the Eastern Qi was located in a remote corner of the sea and its national strength was not as great as that of the Northern Shuo, it possessed the strongest navy among the five kingdoms. Its ships roamed the sea routes and no one could rival them.

If Nanyue allies with Dongqi and secretly wins over Beidi, the three parties will form a united front, and Beishuo will inevitably fall into a dangerous situation of being attacked from both sides.

As he was secretly plotting a solution, Gao An jogged into the hall, bowing, and presented a scroll of bright yellow official letter with both hands: "Thank you, Your Excellency. The Northern Barbarians have sent another envoy with an official letter."

Xie Qinglan unfolded the letter and read it carefully, word by word, to the end. The Northern Khan's words this time were several times more respectful than when he had proposed marriage last time. He did not mention the marriage at all, but only earnestly stated that he was willing to send the sixth prince to the Northern Frontier as a hostage, to form an eternal alliance, and that neither side would send troops to invade the other's territory.

He slowly closed the letter, his fingertips lightly touching the yellowed cover, his thoughts racing.

He slowly closed the letter, his fingertips lightly touching the yellowed cover, his mind racing.

News of the Western Rong's annexation of the Northern Shuo territory had already spread throughout the four kingdoms and nine provinces. The Northern Shuo's territory expanded rapidly, and its military might intimidated all sides, causing fear among the other kingdoms. The Southern Yue, Eastern Qi, and Northern Di sensed the threat and it was inevitable that they would join forces to counterbalance it; this situation was by no means what he desired.

Now that the Northern Barbarians have sent hostages, no matter what sinister intentions they may have, we must first stabilize the Northern Barbarians and ensure peace and tranquility in the northern border before we can free up our resources to dismantle the alliance between Nanyue and Dongqi and avoid the crisis of fighting on three fronts.

Having weighed his options, he picked up his pen and began drafting an imperial edict, agreeing to allow the sixth prince of the Northern Barbarians to enter the capital as a hostage, and instructing the Court of State Ceremonial to make proper arrangements for him.

After finishing writing, he handed the imperial edict to Gao An, ordering him to immediately send it to the Court of State Ceremonial for supervision.

Suddenly, a warm sensation enveloped him from behind. Xiao Jingyuan had moved behind him without him noticing, and his palms were pressed against his stiff shoulders and neck, massaging them with just the right amount of force.

"Take a break." His voice was very low, close to Xie Qinglan's ear. "Your eyes have been dark circles these past few days."

Xie Qinglan paused slightly with her fingers holding the pen, and said calmly, "If Your Majesty truly cares, you should have remembered sooner."

Xiao Jingyuan's hand suddenly stopped. Then he lowered his head and placed a light kiss on Xie Qinglan's hair.

Seven days later, the carriage of the sixth prince of the Northern Barbarians arrived in the capital.

Xie Qinglan arranged for an audience in the Xuanzheng Hall according to protocol. Xiao Jingyuan sat upright on the dragon throne, standing to one side of the steps, with officials in their assigned ranks, and the hall was completely silent.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies received the imperial decree and left the palace. A moment later, he led the Northern Barbarian delegation into the palace.

The person walking at the very front was a young boy.

He was slender and wore an indigo Northern Di robe with silver thread wolf patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs. A silver chain hung from his waist, adorned with a few lustrous turquoise stones.

His skin was pale from being deprived of sunlight for a long time, which made his lips look pale as well. However, his eyebrows and eyes were extremely delicate—he had a high nose bridge, slightly sunken eye sockets, thick, long, and curled eyelashes, and a pair of light brown pupils that looked like glass soaked in cold water. When he looked up, he naturally had a bit of timid gentleness.

He stood in the hall and performed the Northern Di salute to the throne—kneeling on his right knee, placing his left palm on his heart, and bowing his head, saying, "Ashina Yushu, the sixth son of the Northern Di Khan, pays his respects to His Majesty of the Northern Di."

His voice was clear and gentle, a clean tone unique to young people. However, due to a lack of breath control, his voice drifted into the empty and solemn hall, revealing a pitiful and endearing quality.

All eyes in the hall, both civil and military, were on him.

The generals were full of caution: This young man was frail and weak, unlike the rugged and strong people of the Northern Di tribe. He had the appearance of a sickly beauty. The Northern Di Khan had specially sent him as a hostage. Was it a sincere gesture of goodwill or a hidden scheme?

The civil officials carefully observed his demeanor: his bows were impeccable, and his posture was dignified and composed, showing no trace of a barbarian prince who had grown up on the vast grasslands.

Xiao Jingyuan glanced at him indifferently from his superior position, then looked away and said calmly, "Rise."

Ashina Yushu slowly rose, then bowed slightly, his voice still gentle: "Your subject has been ordered by my father, the Khan, to bring the annual tribute and the treaty to the capital, wishing that the Northern Shuo and the Northern Di will forever form an alliance and refrain from aggression against each other. Your subject is willing to remain in the Northern Shuo as a hostage to show your sincerity."

Having said that, he took out a scroll of document wrapped in bright yellow silk from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. Gao An stepped forward, took it, and presented it to the emperor's desk.

Xiao Jingyuan unfolded the alliance document and glanced at it. The contents were exactly the same as those previously reported—the Northern Barbarians would become vassals, their annual tribute would be doubled, trade would be opened, and neither side would invade the other's territory. At the end was stamped the golden seal of the Northern Barbarian Khan, the ink deep and heavy, not perfunctory.

He closed the alliance document and placed it on the corner of the table, his tone calm: "Since the Northern Barbarians are so sincere, I am naturally willing to make peace with you. The Sixth Prince has come from afar and must be tired from his journey. Please settle in the palace first, and I will host a royal banquet tonight to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."

Xie Qinglan stood below the steps, glancing at Xiao Jingyuan's profile out of the corner of her eye. A slight thought stirred within her, and a trace of doubt flashed through her mind.

Ashina Yushu bowed again: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

As he straightened up, his gaze subtly shifted from the dragon throne, slowly sweeping over the civil and military officials on the steps, finally settling steadily on the figure in the crimson official robe at the very front of the line.

In an instant, he naturally withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and retreated to the side of the delegation, waiting for the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial to lead him away from the hall.