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

As dawn broke, the morning mist drifted over the windows of Tingxuexuan Pavilion, and the iron eaves were soaked in the cool, damp air, making even the tinkling sound softer.

The first bird song outside the window drifted into the tent, and Xiao Jingyuan's eyelashes trembled as he slowly opened his eyes. What he saw was the soft hair of the person in his arms, with dark strands of hair wrapped around his wrist, gently swaying with each breath.

Xie Qinglan slept soundly, her usually tightly pursed lips slightly parted, her breathing shallow. The red marks left from last night spread from her neck to her collarbone, spreading across her porcelain-white skin like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow, dazzlingly bright.

Xiao Jingyuan held his breath, afraid of startling him. He carefully withdrew his arm from under the other's neck, then gently wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him closer to his chest.

As my fingertips brushed against the burning skin on my side, images from last night suddenly flooded back—reddened eyes, suppressed sobs as I bit my knuckles, and those misty, bewildered eyes.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his ears began to burn.

He lowered his head and placed a very light kiss on her smooth forehead, making his heart melt.

The morning bell tolls faintly, signaling that the time for court is approaching.

Xiao Jingyuan reluctantly let go of her hand and tiptoed out of bed. After putting on his court robes, he turned around and tucked the blankets in, hiding the stained marks under the covers.

He stood by the bed for a long time, until the morning bell rang again, before turning around and leaving.

Yesterday, in order to have some alone time, he had dismissed all the guards and palace servants inside and outside Tingxue Pavilion and instructed them not to disturb him. At this moment, the courtyard was so quiet that only the wind rustled through the crabapple blossoms, and a few dewy petals fell.

Xiao Jingyuan straightened his robes and was about to step out of the courtyard when a figure suddenly staggered in from the gate, knelt down at his feet, and grabbed the hem of his robe.

"Your Majesty! I beg you to do me justice!"

Xiao Jingyuan looked down and saw a face swollen and distorted. His brow furrowed, and he instinctively kicked the face away, taking two steps back. He said coldly, "Insolence! Who are you!"

The woman fell onto the blue bricks with a cry of pain, then immediately crawled over on her stomach, wailing, "Your Majesty! It's me! Yu Ning! Your Consort Ning!"

Xiao Jingyuan's brows furrowed even more. Pei Yuning? He looked closely before recognizing a resemblance to her from her swollen eyes and crooked nose. A faint sense of pleasure flickered in his heart, but his face remained as cold as an iron plate.

Seeing that he remained silent, Pei Yuning assumed he had taken pity on her and cried even harder: "Your Majesty! Xie Qinglan trespassed into Chang Le Palace and beat me like this! He has no regard for the law, assaulting a concubine; he deserves to be executed! I am Princess Nanyue, your Consort Ning, and he is just an envoy—"

As she spoke, she reached out to grab Xiao Jingyuan's boots again, but Xiao Jingyuan took a step back in disgust and said coldly, "Don't touch me."

She was howling so loudly; if she woke up Qinglan—

"Go back to Chang Le Palace and stop making a racket here."

A fierce glint flashed in Xiao Jingyuan's eyes. He reached for his waist, but found nothing. He gritted his teeth, remembering his promise to Xie Qinglan to leave her alone for the time being, and forcefully suppressed his murderous intent, cursing the palace guards at the gate a thousand times in his heart.

Pei Yuning's shrill cries made Xiao Jingyuan's temples throb. Just as he was about to call for help, the crying abruptly stopped.

Pei Yuning's gaze passed over his shoulder, her pupils suddenly shrinking to pinpoints, her anger and grievance instantly swallowed by fear. Her lips trembled, and her body involuntarily shrank back, as if something invisible was choking her.

Xiao Jingyuan's heart tightened, and he turned around abruptly.

Xie Qinglan stood at the door wearing a moon-white outer robe. The robe was loosely draped, the belt was not tied, and the collar was wide open, revealing her collarbone and a large patch of ambiguous red marks on her neck. Her long hair was scattered over her shoulders, with a few strands sticking to her forehead. There was still a trace of lingering crimson at the corner of her eyes, and her lips were slightly swollen.

She exuded a lazy, contented air, and when she casually raised her eyes, the hint of crimson at the corners of her eyes sent shivers down one's spine.

He leaned against the doorframe, his gaze passing over Xiao Jingyuan and landing on Pei Yuning. His usually aloof eyes remained utterly calm, cold and disdainful, as if he were looking at an insignificant object.

Xiao Jingyuan froze for a moment, then quickly walked over, pulled her into his arms, and with his back to the courtyard gate, shielded Xie Qinglan completely with his body. He hurriedly gathered her clothes, hiding the marks of her eroticism, his movements as anxious as if he were afraid someone would steal his precious treasure.

"Did I wake you up?" His voice was extremely soft, completely different from before. "Go back to sleep for a while, I'll handle it."

Xie Qinglan neither spoke nor moved. His gaze passed over Xiao Jingyuan's shoulder, remaining fixed on Pei Yuning, before he gently rested his chin on Xiao Jingyuan's shoulder.

The movement was very light and slow, silent, yet more provocative than any words.

Pei Yuning watched this scene, her heart feeling as if pierced by a sharp sword. The man she had always dreamed of was now carefully adjusting another man's clothes, his voice so gentle it could melt hearts. And that man was none other than Xie Qinglan. Xie Qinglan, whom she had been jealous of since childhood and had schemed to get rid of.

Why is it always like this? Whenever Xie Qinglan stands there, all eyes will only be on him.

Why? Why can he get everything she desires without doing anything?

Jealousy and despair, like two venomous snakes, tightly coiled around Pei Yuning's heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

She suddenly scrambled to her feet, pointed at Xie Qinglan, and her voice pierced with a sharp edge: "Xie Qinglan! You shameless slut! The dignified Prime Minister of Nanyue, a man, actually stands here disheveled, trying to seduce His Majesty! Have all your Confucian classics gone to waste?! You—"

"Shut up." Xiao Jingyuan's voice was as cold as ice.

He turned around, shielding Xie Qinglan behind him, his gaze piercing Pei Yuning like a knife. His previous gentleness and patience vanished completely, leaving only imperial majesty and chilling killing intent.

Pei Yuning felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and took a half-step back. But she had nothing left, so what was there to be afraid of?

"Your Majesty!" She fell to her knees with a thud, crawling forward two steps on her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Don't be fooled by him! He's all pretending! He always acted aloof and cunning when he was in Nanyue! He's only close to you for the sake of Nanyue's empire! He's the Prime Minister of Nanyue, how could he possibly be sincere to you! Your Majesty, wake up!"

Hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. Gao An arrived in a rush with several imperial guards, panting heavily. He had come to remind the emperor to attend court, but as soon as he turned the corner of the palace road, he heard a scream and turned tail to run. He rushed into the courtyard, glanced at Pei Yuning on the ground and the fierce look on the emperor's face, and instantly understood.

"Your Majesty, this servant is late in escorting you! Please forgive me!"

"Take this madman away," Xiao Jingyuan said coldly.

Gao An responded and turned to wave to the imperial guards behind him. Two guards stepped forward to grab Pei Yuning, who struggled desperately, kicking and biting, screaming hoarsely, "I won't leave! Who dares touch me! I am the princess of Nanyue! I am Consort Ning of Beishuo! You dog slaves—"

Gao An flicked his sleeves and said coldly, "From this day forward, it is no longer so. By His Majesty's decree: Consort Ning, Pei, has offended His Majesty and behaved inappropriately. She is hereby stripped of her title as Consort and banished to the Cold Palace, never to be recalled again."

Pei Yuning's cries gradually faded into the distance. Gao An led his men to retreat outside the courtyard and gently closed the gate.

The courtyard finally fell silent. A gust of wind rustled through the crabapple trees, causing a few petals to fall softly.

Xiao Jingyuan turned around and met Xie Qinglan's cold eyes. The man was still leaning against the door frame, looking at him expressionlessly.

Xiao Jingyuan suddenly felt guilty—he had kept him up until the wee hours of the morning last night, and now he was woken up again this morning; he was probably going to be angry.

He quickly leaned over and took Xie Qinglan's hand, his voice incredibly soft: "Qinglan, I didn't know she would barge in. Don't be angry, go back to sleep for a while, okay?"

Xie Qinglan didn't speak, but simply raised her eyebrows slightly.

Looking at his languid appearance, Xiao Jingyuan felt a mix of tenderness and longing in his heart. He leaned down and planted a kiss on the man's forehead, then kissed his way down his brow, nose, cheek, and finally lingered on his lips before straightening up.

"I will come to have breakfast with you after court."

Xie Qinglan raised her hand and gently pushed his chest, her voice still slightly hoarse from just waking up, clear yet soft: "If Your Majesty doesn't leave soon, the morning court will really be late."