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

As Xiao Jingyuan stepped out of the vermilion threshold of Tingxue Pavilion, the iron eaves were rattling in the afternoon wind.

Gao An stood with his head bowed under the eaves, his eyes quickly scanning his emperor's face, secretly marveling at the sight.

Just a moment ago he looked like he was about to kill someone, but after only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he came out beaming. The joy in his eyes and brows was so intense that he could hardly contain himself; it was as if he were a completely different person.

What method did Lord Xie use to tame His Majesty, who is so capricious?

"Your Majesty, what about Chang Le Palace—" Gao An suppressed his surprise and bowed to ask for instructions.

"The lockdown is lifted." Xiao Jingyuan continued walking, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of lightness. "The guards have all been removed."

Gao An stumbled: "...Unlocked?"

"Hmm." Xiao Jingyuan responded softly, his slender fingertips gently caressing the edge of his sleeve, where a clear, cool fragrance lingered—the unique scent of Xie Qinglan, persistent and lingering.

"Your Majesty," Gao An hesitated slightly before speaking carefully, "should I go and send a message to Consort Ning to appease her? After all, she is seriously injured, and if things escalate—"

"Let her make a scene."

The gentle warmth that had just lingered in his eyes vanished abruptly, and Xiao Jingyuan's tone turned icy, chilling to the bone, "The bigger the commotion, the better. I'm just looking for a legitimate reason to depose her."

Gao An promptly shut his mouth. He understood now—His Majesty practically wanted Consort Ning to walk into the line of fire herself. He silently lit incense for Consort Ning in his heart and quickly followed.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Imperial Study, Gao An jogged forward and pushed open the palace door. Xiao Jingyuan stepped inside, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of memorials piled on the imperial desk, categorized and stacked layer upon layer: vermilion-covered remonstrances from officials, gray-blue account books from the Ministry of Revenue, military reports from the Ministry of War wrapped in oilcloth, and regulations from the Ministry of Rites with gold lettering. Seven or eight stacks of documents were piled high, the tallest one already crooked, as if it would collapse with a gust of wind.

He paused slightly, then sat down behind his desk, picked up his vermilion pen, and opened the first volume of the book.

It was a memorial from the Minister of Rites, a lengthy document of three thousand characters, citing classical texts from the Rites of Zhou to the Book of Rites, all conveying the same message: the harem cannot be without a mistress, and an empress should be selected and established as soon as possible to secure the court and the country.

Xiao Jingyuan skimmed through the text, then wrote two words at the end without any expression: No rush.

Turning to the second book, it was still from the Ministry of Rites, but with a different Vice Minister's signature, and the focus had shifted from "the foundation of the state" to "offspring." The words were full of earnestness, saying that His Majesty had been on the throne for ten years without an heir, and that the dynasty was without successors. He earnestly requested His Majesty to establish an empress as soon as possible, to take in many concubines, and to ensure the continuation of the royal family.

Xiao Jingyuan's brows furrowed instantly, and he picked up his vermilion brush, drew a cross on the four characters "broadly accept concubines," and wrote two words: No.

Gao An was grinding ink beside him when he caught a glimpse of the sharp strokes of the brush and silently felt a pang of worry for the officials of the Ministry of Rites.

The third document is a memorial from an imperial censor of the Censorate, impeaching General Shen Hanzhou for misappropriating military rations during disaster relief efforts in the western border region. Although the purpose was to help the disaster victims, it was against regulations, and the censor requested His Majesty to deal with the matter according to the law.

Xiao Jingyuan frowned—he already knew about Shen Hanzhou's matter. The snow disaster in the western border was urgent, and that kid's preemptive action was to save time. He wrote at the end of the letter: "Urgent matters require expediency; this should not be repeated."

"Your Majesty," a young eunuch guarding the door tiptoed in and whispered, "Minister Zhang from the Ministry of War requests an audience outside the hall, saying he has urgent military matters to discuss in person."

"Let him in."

Minister of War Zhang Jian hurried in, but when he looked up and saw the smile on Xiao Jingyuan's face, he stopped abruptly and almost twisted his ankle. He subconsciously glanced at Gao An, his eyes full of doubt as if to say, "Has His Majesty taken the wrong medicine today?"

Gao An quickly shook his head at him and mouthed "Don't ask, let's get down to business."

Zhang Jian composed himself, composed his expression, and presented the military report with both hands: "Your Majesty, an urgent dispatch from the western border. The snow disaster has been resolved, and all the relief supplies have been distributed. However, recently, Western Rong cavalry have been frequently appearing on the northwestern border, robbing more than ten households of our border residents and killing three of our garrison soldiers."

He detailed the strength, routes, and unusual movements of the Western Rong cavalry, his tone growing increasingly grave. The Western Rong had been lying low for thirteen years, and now their sudden stirrings suggested a large-scale invasion.

Xiao Jingyuan tapped his fingertips lightly on the imperial desk, making a soft, rhythmic sound. He gazed at the sycamore tree outside the window, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

In his previous life, the Western Rong launched a major military campaign the following spring. At that time, he was obsessed with Xie Qinglan and ignored the border probing, indulging her step by step, which eventually led to a border war that was only quelled when he personally led the expedition.

In this life, given a second chance, he would certainly not repeat the same mistakes.

Suppressing his turbulent emotions, he issued three imperial edicts with clear logic and resounding force: "First, order General Qi Yu to lead 20,000 iron cavalry to reinforce Yumen Pass and garrison the western frontier fortress; second, issue an edict to all border prefectures and counties, ordering them to immediately implement a scorched-earth policy and relocate all border residents from outside the pass to avoid their advance; third, instruct the Ministry of Works to expedite the forging of 30,000 suits of armor, which must be transported to the northwest military camps within five days."

Finally, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his voice was filled with murderous intent: "If the Western Rong dare to cross the border and cause trouble again, there is no need to ask for permission. We will directly engage them in battle and utterly crush them."

"Your subject obeys!" Zhang Jian bowed and accepted the order, secretly relieved. Thankfully, His Majesty was still the same decisive and ruthless emperor; his radiant demeanor just now was clearly just his imagination.

The palace doors closed, and the Imperial Study returned to silence.

Xiao Jingyuan lowered his head and continued to annotate the memorials, but he couldn't calm his mind. After annotating three or five memorials, his gaze would unconsciously drift to the window to check the position of the sun, then quickly return to his writing, and his writing speed would increase.

Gao An served the emperor with writing brush and ink, taking in all of this. He silently counted in his mind that from the time His Majesty sat down until now, only an hour and a half had passed, and he had already looked out the window seventeen times. Each time he looked out, the vermilion brush seemed to fly, and even the characters he wrote became a bit messy.

Suddenly, Xiao Jingyuan stopped writing and called out, "Gao An."

"Your servant is here."

"Go and retrieve the newly arrived agarwood from Nanyue and send a box to Tingxuexuan." He paused, then added, "Also, take the best few of the snow ginseng from the Western Regions that were presented as tribute a few days ago and send them there as well. Also, have the chef prepare a serving of the Osmanthus Sticky Rice Lotus Root dish that the Imperial Kitchen has just developed and send it to Tingxuexuan before dinner."

"This servant will take care of it immediately." Gao An bowed and withdrew, secretly chuckling to himself. His Majesty wasn't just sending gifts; he was sending his heart to Tingxuexuan.

Xiao Jingyuan only ate a couple of bites of dinner before sitting back down at his desk. As dusk settled, the palace lanterns lit up one by one, casting an orange glow on him and elongating his tall figure.

When the last volume was closed, the sky outside the window was filled with stars.

Xiao Jingyuan placed the vermilion brush on the brush holder, let out a long sigh, and could no longer hide the smile on his lips.

"Gao An."

"Your servant is here."

"Qinglan invited me to stay overnight at Tingxue Pavilion today." When he said this, his voice was filled with undisguised pride, and the end of his sentence was slightly raised. His eyes and brows were full of joy.

Gao An was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! This servant knew that Lord Xie had Your Majesty in his heart!"

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense for so long, finally settled down. This ancestor had dragged things out for so long, but finally, the clouds had parted and the moon was shining. From now on, his duties in the palace would be much easier.

"You may leave. I will go myself." Xiao Jingyuan stood up, straightened his robes, and his steps were slightly unsteady.

"Your Majesty, please wait!" Gao An quickly stopped him. "This is Your Majesty's first time staying at Tingxue Pavilion tonight. If you want to completely win over Lord Xie's heart, you must not be so hasty."

Xiao Jingyuan raised an eyebrow: "Then what's your opinion?"

"It would be better to take a proper bath and dress properly, and change into some comfortable everyday clothes. His Majesty is always dressed in his dragon robes, which is too imposing and may make Lord Xie feel distant."

Xiao Jingyuan stroked his chin and thought for a moment, finding it quite reasonable. He gave Gao An a rare approving look, "Well said. Your monthly allowance will double this month."

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!" Gao An happily accepted the decree and hurriedly went to prepare the bath water.

Half an hour later, Xiao Jingyuan finished his bath and changed into a moon-white brocade robe with a dark dragon pattern, which accentuated his tall and straight figure. His black hair was not bound by a crown, but loosely tied up with a plain jade crown, with stray hairs falling beside his temples. This softened his overbearing imperial majesty, adding a touch of gentle elegance and refined gentlemanly charm. The five-clawed dragon pattern on the brocade robe was hidden in the light and shadow, neither ostentatious nor fierce, yet exuding an innate supreme nobility.

"How do I look in this outfit?" he asked, turning around in front of the bronze mirror.

"Your Majesty is exceptionally brave and handsome, and will surely win Lord Xie's heart!" Gao An flattered.

Xiao Jingyuan coughed lightly, a hint of unease flashing across his face: "Stop talking nonsense and flattering me."

"Yes, yes, yes, this servant was too talkative." Gao An suppressed a laugh and bowed as he saw him out.