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

The welcoming banquet was held in Chongwen Hall. It was not extravagant, and only a few officials from the Court of State Ceremonies and the Ministry of Rites were invited to accompany the guests. Prince Rui came to join in the fun after hearing the news, and Xie Qinglan was also among the guests.

Ashina Yushu sat in the chief seat of the Northern Di delegation, with two personal attendants standing quietly behind him. The table was filled with delicacies from the imperial court and fresh seasonal fruits and candied fruits.

He ate very little, only occasionally picking up a piece of candied fruit to taste. His every move was gentle and reserved, completely unlike the rough and unrestrained manner of the Northern Di tribes.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, he raised his white jade wine cup and gently toasted Xie Qinglan from afar.

"I have long admired Prime Minister Xie's reputation, and it is truly my great honor to finally meet you today."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough to reach the ears of everyone around the main seat. "When I was young, I read the poems and essays written by the Prime Minister, and I especially loved the poem 'Winter Plum' - 'Snow presses down on a thousand mountains, cold and desolate, plum blossoms bloom in a tree of spring. It does not compete with the color of peach and plum, but has its own heart in the cold of winter.' In just twenty characters, its spirit is awe-inspiring, and I have long admired it in my heart."

Xie Qinglan's fingers, which were holding the wine cup, suddenly paused.

This poem was written when he was sixteen years old. At that time, he had just assisted Pei Nanchi in ascending the throne of Nanyue. The Nanyue court was turbulent with undercurrents and various forces vying for power. He was alone in the face of the crisis and wrote this poem out of his feelings.

His poems were never included in any collections and were only circulated among a few scholars in Nanyue. How could a prince from the far north possibly read them?

He remained expressionless, raised his cup in a distant toast, and said in a flat tone, "Your Highness flatters me. It was just a playful piece from my youth, not worth mentioning."

Yu Shu smiled gently, "Prime Minister, you are too modest. 'Not vying for the beauty of peaches and plums, yet possessing a heart that withstands the cold of winter,' Yu Shu often uses this phrase to encourage herself."

He paused briefly and said softly, "Peach and plum blossoms are beautiful in spring, but they cannot withstand the frost of autumn and the snow of winter. Only the plum blossom, blooming alone in the cold, embodies the noble character of a gentleman."

There seemed to be a deeper meaning behind his words.

Xie Qinglan glanced at him calmly: "Your Highness is quite well-versed in the poetry and literature of the Central Plains."

"I just read books to pass the time when I have nothing else to do." Yu Shu lowered her eyelashes, her thick lashes casting two light shadows on her pale cheeks. "I have been weak since childhood and cannot be like my brothers who are good at archery and horseback riding. So my mother hired a Han scholar to teach me. To my shame, after studying for more than ten years, I have only mastered the basics."

The banquet ended at 9 PM. Palace lanterns cast a warm glow under the eaves, and a thin layer of night dew clung to the steps, bringing a touch of coolness with each breeze.

Ashina Yushu followed the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies to the post station. Before leaving, she still bowed to Xie Qinglan from afar, her manners impeccable.

Xie Qinglan nodded slightly in return, then turned around and met Xiao Jingyuan's dark eyes.

He pretended not to notice the gloom churning in the other person's eyes, and walked straight toward the palace gate without glancing at him.

Back at Tingxue Pavilion, Xiao Jingyuan followed closely behind and stepped into the hall, slamming the carved hall door shut behind him.

Before Xie Qinglan could turn around, he reached out from behind and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in the nape of his neck, remaining silent. His arms were so tight that Xie Qinglan could barely breathe.

"What's wrong with Your Majesty's temper this time?" Xie Qinglan raised her hand and gently patted the arm wrapped around her waist, her tone tinged with helplessness.

Xiao Jingyuan remained silent, but tightened his grip on her arm even more. His teeth unconsciously brushed against the delicate skin on her neck, leaving a faint red mark.

"Your Majesty, I have important matters to discuss with you." Xie Qinglan struggled twice but failed to break free, so she went with him.

"This sixth prince of the Northern Barbarians is no ordinary person. The Northern Barbarians revere military might, and a prince who is weak from childhood and unable to fight would have no foothold in the tribe. Yet, the Khan has sent him here as a hostage, and everyone in the delegation treats him with utmost respect, without the slightest hint of disrespect. This person either possesses extraordinary talents that others cannot match, or he carries a secret mission unknown to others. In my opinion, it would be better to place him in the palace and keep him under our watchful eye, which would make it less likely for him to cause trouble."

"No." Xiao Jingyuan's voice was muffled, filled with reluctance. "Look at him, if he were to move into the palace, he would surely come to you every day to discuss poetry and literature. I forbid it."

"Why should Your Majesty be so concerned?" Xie Qinglan said calmly. "I have no ulterior motives towards him. At the banquet just now, I merely followed etiquette and exchanged a few simple words."

"I am bothered by it." Xiao Jingyuan buried his face even deeper and said in a muffled voice, "Throughout the entire banquet, his eyes were glued to you and never left you. His intentions were crystal clear."

Xie Qinglan knew that once this person became jealous, he would act without any sense of reason. She lowered her eyes slightly, devising a plan to turn the tables on him: "Is Your Majesty suddenly jealous for no reason?"

"No!" Xiao Jingyuan immediately retorted, but his voice was muffled and guilty, muffled by his clothes. "How could I, the ruler of a nation, be jealous of a hostage?"

"If not, why did Your Majesty bite my neck?"

Xiao Jingyuan froze abruptly. He looked down and saw that he had unconsciously bitten a piece of Xie Qinglan's neck, gently grinding it with his teeth, leaving a faint red mark.

He quickly retorted, his ears turning bright red: "I...I wasn't paying attention."

Xie Qinglan turned around, raised her hand and touched the mark on the side of her neck, her fingertips touching a warm patch of flesh.

This person used to bite him when he was jealous, especially the soft flesh on his neck.

Looking at Xiao Jingyuan's evasive eyes, the sense of unease in his heart became even clearer.

This isn't the first time.

The decisiveness he occasionally uttered when responding to petitions in court, and the natural composure he displayed when meeting the hostage prince of the Northern Barbarians today, were not skills that could be acquired simply by reading a few classic texts; and that deep kiss on the dragon throne in the Xuanzheng Hall—familiar, tender, and lingering—was not at all what one would expect from someone with amnesia.

He already had a suspicion in his mind, and now was the perfect opportunity to test it and verify its truth.

The dim candlelight flickered, softening Xie Qinglan's usually aloof features.

He reached out and gently stroked Xiao Jingyuan's hair.

"Your Majesty," he deliberately lowered his voice, "if you are jealous, you can say so directly, and I will try my best to avoid it. I will not give a second glance to someone just because they are good-looking, nor will I take extra care of someone just because they are weak. There is only one person in my heart. That person is a jealous scoundrel, full of absurd ideas, and always pretends to be stupid to deceive people."

Xiao Jingyuan's eyes widened suddenly.

He stared blankly at Xie Qinglan—this man had never so frankly revealed his feelings before.

His breathing suddenly became erratic, his Adam's apple bobbed heavily, and his chest felt like it had been hit hard by something, both sore and swollen, and even his eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing his surprised and bewildered expression, Xie Qinglan smiled faintly, revealing a gentle smile.

He leaned forward, lowering his voice even further, with a hint of seduction: "If Your Majesty is truly afraid that I will be seduced by someone else, then you should remember this sooner rather than later. Once Your Majesty has remembered everything, I have so much to say to Your Majesty in person."

Xiao Jingyuan's eyes welled up with tears. These words were like a key, precisely inserted into the lock on his heart, and with a gentle turn, pried open all his defenses.

He looked into Xie Qinglan's gentle eyes, into that faint yet real smile, into the soft outline of his face illuminated by the candlelight, and a string in his mind snapped.

He blurted out, "Actually, I remembered it a long time ago."

The entire hall suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

The candlelight on the desk flickered slightly, casting interplay of light and shadow that made Xie Qinglan's expression appear and disappear.

He slowly withdrew his hand from Xiao Jingyuan's head. In his usually cold and indifferent eyes, all the tenderness and affection just now vanished in an instant, replaced by a layer of piercing and cold anger.

He took a step back, forcefully widening the distance between the two who were pressed together.

"Just as I expected." His voice was as cold as ice. "You lied to me again."

Before Xiao Jingyuan could realize what he had let slip, he saw Xie Qinglan's face turn cold.

He belatedly realized—oh no, he'd been tricked.

He opened his mouth, his mind blank, and after a long pause, he hurriedly squeezed out, "You were deliberately trying to trick me!"

"If Your Majesty has done nothing wrong, why should you fear my testing?"

Xie Qinglan's voice was extremely low, his teeth clenched, each word seemingly ground out from between his teeth, "I tried every means to help you regain your memory, took you to Lan Yue Pavilion, performed a sword dance for you, massaged your head, and even took time out of my busy schedule to tell you some old stories."

"But you've already regained your memories, yet you've deliberately concealed them!"

Xiao Jingyuan panicked completely and hurriedly stepped forward to grab Xie Qinglan's wrist, but she slapped his hand away forcefully. He reached out again, only to be forcefully pushed away once more.

The third time, he gripped Xie Qinglan's slender wrist tightly, his knuckles clenched so firmly he wouldn't let go, and said urgently, "I didn't mean to deceive you! Let me explain—"

Xie Qinglan looked at him coldly: "Speak. When did you remember?"

"...That day in Xuanzheng Hall, when I kissed you on the dragon throne."

Xiao Jingyuan's voice trailed off, clearly lacking confidence. "When I kissed you then, a flood of images suddenly rushed into my mind. Later, I dared not confess because—because—when you took back the zither, you said that once I regained my memories, you would settle accounts with me properly. I was terrified and dared not confess. Moreover…"

His ears burned red again, and his Adam's apple bobbed several times before he said softly, "Moreover, you treated me exceptionally gently after I lost my memory, and I was very attached to it, so... I haven't been able to bring myself to say it."

"You are truly... utterly despicable!"

"In the past, how I treated Your Majesty, could it not be considered tolerant and considerate?" Xie Qinglan raised his eyes and glared at him, his cold eyes surging with intense anger, mixed with a trace of barely perceptible grievance.

Xiao Jingyuan subconsciously shrank his neck, his tone timid and ingratiating: "Please calm down, I know I was wrong."

Xie Qinglan remained silent for a long time, then suddenly turned and called out loudly towards the outside of the hall, "Gao An!"

Gao An was taking a nap in a corner of the courtyard when he was startled by the cold shout. He scrambled into the hall, bowing deeply, and said, "This servant is here! What are your orders, Lord Xie?"

"Go to the Imperial Kitchen and stew a pot of nourishing chicken soup for His Majesty," Xie Qinglan said, her voice still icy cold, "to properly nourish His Majesty's muddled brain."

Gao An glanced at Xie Qinglan's cold face, then at Xiao Jingyuan's guilty face, and dared not ask anything. He simply gave a reply and quickly slipped away.

Xie Qinglan abruptly pulled her wrist away from his grasp, turned and walked towards the inner hall. She paused at the threshold, without looking back, and left behind only a cold and heartless sentence, "For the next month, His Majesty will move to the side hall to rest."

"A month?!" Xiao Jingyuan felt as if struck by lightning. He quickly caught up with him, grabbed his sleeve, and pleaded frantically, "No! Absolutely not! I know I was wrong, it was my fault. I'm willing to apologize to you. I'll grant you whatever you ask for. A month is just too long—"

"You dare to haggle?" Xie Qinglan finally turned around slowly, her cold eyes narrowing slightly, the chill intensifying. "If you don't want one month, then change it to two months."