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

When Xiao Jingyuan woke up, his arms were full.

Not a dream.

Xie Qinglan's back was pressed against his chest, her dark hair cascading into his arms, her breath even and soft. Through the thin undergarment, the other's body temperature gently warmed him.

The midday sun streamed in through the window, casting the shadows of crabapple blossoms that swayed gently on the paper. Xiao Jingyuan held him close, too afraid to move, even his breathing was extremely soft. In his past life, he often woke up holding Xie Qinglan, but rarely did he feel this secure.

He lowered his head, his nose brushing very lightly against Xie Qinglan's hair. The crisp scent of agarwood filled his nostrils, making his chest feel full. A smile curved his lips, impossible to suppress.

The person in his arms stirred. Their eyelashes fluttered, their shoulders and back tensed slightly, and they slowly awoke from their deep sleep. Xiao Jingyuan hurriedly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, but his arms tightened unconsciously.

Xie Qinglan turned over to face him, paused, and then raised her hand to push his chest.

"Your Majesty." The voice was still slightly hoarse from just waking up, clear yet with a hint of softness, "It's time to get up."

Xiao Jingyuan pretended to be woken up, his brows furrowed, his eyelids trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes—only to be met with a pair of cold, clear eyes.

Xie Qinglan lay before him. Her long hair was spread out on the pillow, her clothes slightly open, revealing a section of her collarbone and the pale red mole below it. Her eyelashes were distinct, and her lips had a pale pink hue from just waking up—a touch softer than her usual icy demeanor.

Xiao Jingyuan's gaze lingered on his lips, and his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.

Xie Qinglan lowered her eyes, withdrew her hand from his chest, and sat up, supporting herself on the bed. Her dark hair slipped down her shoulders, obscuring half of her face, revealing only the tip of her reddened ear.

"Your Majesty should go and review the memorials." His tone returned to its usual unhurried and indifferent manner, as if the person who had just snuggled into his arms and fallen asleep was not him at all.

Xiao Jingyuan stared at the bright red ear tip, feeling as if a kitten was gently patting his heart with its paws, a sensation that was both soft and itchy.

He took a deep breath, reluctantly loosened his arms, and slowly put on his outer robe—it took him three tries to tie the belt, his fingers seeming to have a mind of their own.

As he reached the door, he glanced back and saw that Xie Qinglan had already lain down again, her back to him, leaving only a slender figure and a cascade of black hair scattered on the pillow.

"Qinglan".

"Mmm." The sound from under the covers was muffled.

"I will return after I have finished approving the memorial."

After a moment of silence, a very soft voice came from under the covers: "...Who wants you back?"

Xiao Jingyuan smiled, pushed open the palace door, and walked out.

The palace doors closed behind him, and he bumped right into Gao An.

Gao An had clearly been waiting outside for a long time, pacing anxiously, his shoes almost wearing down the blue bricks of the corridor. Upon seeing Xiao Jingyuan emerge, he practically rushed forward, his voice trembling with urgency, "Your Majesty—something's happened! Something's happened at Chang Le Palace!"

Xiao Jingyuan's mood was soaring that even everything seemed a little more pleasing to the eye. As he walked towards the courtyard gate, he casually asked, "What happened?"

"Consort Ning...she's been beaten!" Gao An jogged after him, her voice extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard. "Her face is so swollen you can't even see her features, and blood is seeping from her mouth and nose. The imperial physician said she'll need at least half a month to recover. She's in Chang Le Palace, crying and screaming, saying she absolutely must see His Majesty and beg him to do her justice!"

Xiao Jingyuan abruptly stopped in his tracks. Pei Yuning had been beaten? He felt a surge of inexplicable satisfaction for a moment, but then, thinking of Xie Qinglan, his heart tightened again.

"Seal off Chang Le Palace and do not let a single word of it get out."

"Yes."

"Especially Tingxuexuan—" He paused, his brows furrowed, "We absolutely cannot let Qinglan know."

Gao An opened his mouth, a very subtle expression appearing on his face, as if he had something to say but dared not say it, his whole face scrunched up with suppressed anger.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Jingyuan frowned.

"Your Majesty," Gao An swallowed, lowering his voice even further, "Should we... ask who did it first?"

Xiao Jingyuan raised an eyebrow: "Who?"

"Yes...yes, Lord Xie."

Xiao Jingyuan's expression froze for a moment. His mouth gaped open, as if something was blocking his throat, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a syllable: "...What?"

"It was Lord Xie who did it." Gao An shrank his neck, his voice growing softer and softer. "Early this morning, Lord Xie took your golden token and entered Chang Le Palace. He kicked the palace door open, dragged Consort Ning off the bed, and slapped her more than a dozen times. All the palace servants in Chang Le Palace were terrified and ran away. When I arrived, the palace door was smashed to pieces, and Consort Ning was lying on the ground, her face so swollen—I almost didn't recognize her."

Xiao Jingyuan stood there, as if struck by lightning, his brain racing.

The events of this morning flashed through his mind—Xie Qinglan took his golden token and left after hearing his question, and returned with a normal expression, telling him, "He did not commit suicide nor leave a final note."

He recalled Pei Yuning's words when she advised him to dismiss the shadow guards of Lan Yue Pavilion in his previous life. "If Your Majesty wants to please Consort Xie, you must not let her feel that she is being monitored." "A proud person like her does not like to be treated like a prisoner."

He believed it. He actually believed it. He personally removed the protection around Xie Qinglan, putting him right in Pei Yuning's clutches.

A surge of anger rushed to his head, making his temples throb. Forget about the princess sent for a political marriage, forget about diplomatic relations, forget about dignity—all of that was beneath him. All he wanted now was to grab a knife, storm into Chang Le Palace, and chop Pei Yuning into mincemeat.

Then he heard a soft sound behind him.

The palace doors were pushed open from the inside.

Xie Qinglan stood at the entrance of Tingxue Pavilion, wearing a moon-white outer robe. Her long hair was unbound and cascaded down her back, fluttering slightly in the afternoon breeze.

"It was I who struck him." His voice wasn't loud, but it reached Xiao Jingyuan's ears clearly. "What does Your Majesty intend to do?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Jingyuan had already turned and strode back. Before Gao An could react, he heard a loud "bang"—the palace door had been kicked shut by His Majesty.

Gao An silently took a few steps back, waved his hand to send the little eunuchs sweeping the courtyard out, and considerately closed the courtyard gate.

Inside the hall, Xie Qinglan leaned against the door, looking up at Xiao Jingyuan who was now within arm's reach.

The man's hands braced against his ears, trapping him between the door and his chest. His breathing was heavy and rapid, his chest heaving violently.

Xie Qinglan saw endless anger and heartache in his eyes.

He clenched his fingers, which hung limply at his sides, his nails digging into his palms, causing a slight pain. His expression remained indifferent and composed, but his heart was already racing uncontrollably.

Last night he said he liked him, and this morning he snuggled into his arms and fell asleep peacefully. He thought everything was settled.

But at this moment, Xiao Jingyuan's face was frighteningly dark, his eyes fixed on him. Was he angry? Angry that he had hit Pei Yuning?

Xie Qinglan lowered her eyes, suppressing the bitterness deep within them. She straightened her back a little more, and slightly raised her chin, revealing the distinct lines of her neck, like a drawn sword, cold, sharp, and unassailable.

He waited for Xiao Jingyuan to speak.

"You hit her?" Xiao Jingyuan's voice was extremely low, so low it sounded like it was being ground out from the depths of his throat.

"Yes." Xie Qinglan's tone was as hard as iron, without the slightest hint of backing down.

"Slapped more than a dozen times?"

"Yes."

"They even kicked the palace gates down?"

"Yes."

"Does your hand hurt?"

Xie Qinglan was stunned.

There was silence for a moment.

"Your Majesty isn't angry?" His voice was a little tense, with a hint of caution that even he himself didn't realize.

Xiao Jingyuan raised his head, his eyes filled with obvious heartache and self-reproach: "Why was I angry?"

He paused, his voice lowering further, as if squeezed out between clenched teeth, "She harmed you, she's the one who harmed you, isn't she? I wish I could skin her alive right now."

Xie Qinglan lowered her eyes, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly turned her face away.

"His Majesty held her." His voice was muffled, with a hint of awkwardness.

Xiao Jingyuan's mind went blank for a moment.

He'd held her? Who had he held? Pei Yuning? When? He frantically searched his memory, and a long-forgotten image surfaced from some obscure corner.

"Let me explain." Xiao Jingyuan hurriedly spoke, his words coming out in rapid succession. He cupped Xie Qinglan's face in his hands, preventing him from turning his head away. "At the time, all I could think about was you—you cut your wrists, the gauze was covered in blood, and the imperial physician said you almost damaged your pulse points. I wanted to cheer you up, so I let her see you. I didn't know at the time—I saw how angry you were, and I just wanted to get her away as quickly as possible. Once she was out the door, I dumped her on Gao An."

"That's still a hug."

"That doesn't count as a hug!"

"Calculate."

Xiao Jingyuan stared at Xie Qinglan's icy face and his tightly pursed lips, when suddenly a thought struck him.

"You're jealous," he blurted out.

Xie Qinglan's body stiffened slightly.

"You're jealous." Xiao Jingyuan's eyes suddenly lit up. "You hit her today to vent your anger for me, didn't you? You really like me!"

"...I hate you." Xie Qinglan turned her face away, her ears burning red, her voice cold and hard, but beneath that coldness lay a hint of embarrassment at having her thoughts exposed.