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

Xie Qinglan sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the gauze wrapped around her wrist. The gauze was white, neatly and gently wrapped, and exuded a faint scent of wound medicine.

Over the past few days, his internal energy had been slowly recovering—the toxicity of the binding silk had gradually subsided after the activation period of the medicinal catalyst, and a faint wisp of energy had once again gathered in his dantian. However, the door of Tingxuexuan was still locked, the windows were still sealed, and two black-armored guards were still standing at the courtyard gate.

He had been awake for three days, and Xiao Jingyuan had not come again. But the bandaging of the wound was too meticulous; it was not the work of an imperial physician.

He recognized the bandage—once in his past life, he had broken a teacup in the Lan Yue Pavilion, and the shards had cut the back of his hand. Xiao Jingyuan had bandaged him in the same way, with the same clumsy yet meticulous touch and the same crooked knot.

That person came. At night, while he was asleep, he came stealthily and left stealthily.

He clearly still loved him, otherwise why would he have given him that jade pendant? Why would he have kept him around? Why would he have secretly come over at night to change his dressing?

If you love him, why avoid him?

He didn't think about this problem for long. Because the next day, Gao An came to deliver a message, saying that Consort Ning had come to visit him on His Majesty's orders.

The courtyard gate opened, and a figure in a red crabapple blossom robe walked in carrying a food box. Pei Yuning was dressed simply today, with only a plain silver hairpin in her hair. Her face showed just the right amount of worry and heartache. As soon as she entered, she walked quickly to the bedside, her eyes reddening.

"Brother Qinglan, why are you so foolish?" She placed the food box on the table, her voice carrying a perfect balance of heartache and reproach. "If you have any grievances, just tell me. Why take it out on yourself?"

Xie Qinglan looked at her without saying a word.

In the days leading up to his poisoning, he had only visited one place: the Imperial Garden.

In the Imperial Garden, only one palace maid brushed past him. The fragrance emanating from the maid's sleeve was quite unusual; now he realized it must have been the "Moonscale Fragrance," the medicinal ingredient for the "Entangling Silk" technique.

Entangling Silk, a slow-acting poison with an extremely long incubation period, is triggered by the Dragon's "Moonscale Fragrance." It causes complete loss of internal energy and organ failure. In the Northern Shuo Imperial Palace, only Pei Yuning knew he had been poisoned by "Entangling Silk," and that "Moonscale Fragrance" was a specialty of Southern Yue. He didn't believe it was just a coincidence; how could there be so many coincidences in this world?

"Brother Qinglan," Pei Yuning took out a bowl of hot soup from the food box. The soup was clear and bright, and the bird's nest strands were distinct. "This is snow frog and bird's nest soup that I stewed myself. It's the best for replenishing qi and blood. You're weak, so drink it while it's hot."

Xie Qinglan looked down at the bowl of soup. In his previous life, although he was imprisoned for three years, Pei Yuning always managed to send this soup to Lanyue Pavilion. He drank every single bowl, and every single one was completely clean.

But in the end, she brought him a cup of "Midnight Moon." After swallowing that tea, his internal organs burned, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he died watching her turn and leave. Now she brought him soup.

Pei Yuning pushed the bowl towards him and said softly, "Brother Qinglan, drink it."

Xie Qinglan didn't answer. He slowly raised his head and looked at Pei Yuning's gentle smiling face.

All the events of the past and present lives, Pei Nanchi's farewell wine, the assassins at Yingchoujian, the ambergris, more than twenty days of imprisonment, and countless phrases like "His Majesty has gone to Changle Palace again"—all the anger and grievances burst forth like a flood at this moment.

He raised his hand and slapped Pei Yuning across the face with all his might.

He hadn't held back any strength in that slap. Pei Yuning was sent flying, crashing into the wall with a dull thud. Before she could even scream, her body slid down the wall, her forehead hitting a pillar, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, and she passed out.

The food box overturned on the ground, spilling the bowl of snow frog and bird's nest soup all over the floor. The porcelain bowl shattered, and the soup seeped into the cracks of the blue bricks, mixing with the shards of the teacup that Pei Yuning had knocked over.

Hearing the commotion, the palace maid outside the hall screamed and scrambled to report the news.

When Xiao Jingyuan arrived, this was the scene he saw—Pei Yuning lay against the wall, blood seeping from her forehead, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth, her clothes disheveled, unconscious. A food box lay overturned on the floor, and soup bowls were shattered everywhere. Xie Qinglan stood by the bed, her face pale, fresh blood seeping from the gauze on her wrist. Her usually cold eyes were now burning with raging anger, and her chest heaved violently.

Xiao Jingyuan was stunned for a moment. He had never seen Xie Qinglan like this before.

That person in my past life was always cold, indifferent, and indifferent to joy or sorrow. Even on those nights when I was forcibly taken by him, I just gritted my teeth and remained silent.

At this moment, the man was like a powder keg that had been lit, trembling all over.

He blurted out instinctively, "What happened?"

These four words were like a knife, precisely stabbing into the softest spot in Xie Qinglan's heart.

What happened? He asked me what happened? He locked me up here for more than twenty days without asking about me, while he went to Chang Le Palace every night to pamper your Consort Ning. He was poisoned but didn't investigate, and when he cut his wrists, the first thing he said when he woke up was to threaten him. Now his Consort Ning is lying in his room, and the first thing he said when he came in was to ask him what happened.

"Are you questioning me? You feel sorry for me after I hit your beloved concubine?"

Before Xiao Jingyuan could answer, all the anger, grievances, jealousy, and heartbreak exploded in that instant.

Xie Qinglan raised her hand and slapped Xiao Jingyuan across the face with all her might.

This slap was even heavier than the one he had given Pei Yuning earlier, using up all the anger and grievances he had suppressed beneath his cold exterior these past few days.

Xiao Jingyuan was knocked to the side, and five bright red finger marks appeared on his face.

"Get out." Xie Qinglan's voice wasn't choked with sobs, but it was more broken than crying, shattered into a thousand pieces, each one piercing Xiao Jingyuan's heart. "Take your woman and get out."

Xiao Jingyuan was completely dumbfounded.

He slowly turned his head and stared blankly at Xie Qinglan—the person he had known in two lifetimes, the person who was always aloof and composed, always calm and collected, who was now staring at him with an almost hysterical gaze.

The coldness and aloofness of the past were gone from those eyes; he had never seen Xie Qinglan like this before. In his past life, no matter how hard he tried to force her, she would only ignore him with a cold face.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say that's not what he meant, that he had never favored Consort Ning, and that he didn't care what Consort Ning was like.

But he didn't say anything.

He thought Xie Qinglan hated him so much that even Pei Yuning couldn't persuade him to stay and live a good life.

He bent down and picked up the unconscious Pei Yuning, then turned and walked towards the door. His back was stiff and disheveled, like a dog soaked in the rain.

The courtyard gate closed behind him. Xie Qinglan stood alone amidst the mess—overturned food boxes, shattered bowls, and spilled snow frog and bird's nest.

He slowly squatted down and buried his face in his palms.

My palms are burning hot, but my face feels cool.

He didn't cry; Xie Qinglan never cries.