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

The palace doors were pushed open, and the morning light poured in.

Xie Qinglan stood by the threshold, her steps suddenly halting.

The courtyard was filled with chests and boxes. They were piled up from under the crabapple tree all the way to the gate, and even the corridor was packed full. There were layers upon layers of carved lacquered camphor wood chests, bamboo book chests, and mahogany clothing chests, as well as several large items wrapped tightly in oilcloth, making it look like a small mountain.

Seven or eight shadow guards were carrying a heavy mahogany cabinet, so heavy it felt like it was about to fall off their shoulders, towards the side hall. The corner of the cabinet hit the door frame with a dull thud.

Gao An stood in the middle of the courtyard, one hand on his hip and the other gesturing, his voice hoarse from shouting, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead: "Gently, gently! That box is a rare book, don't chip the corner! Hey, that box can't be left there—it's a tea set, don't break it!"

Ye Qi stood expressionless beside the pillar, a thick booklet clutched in his hand, the vermilion pen twirling rapidly between his fingers. A rare hint of exhaustion, as if drained of all his energy, flickered across his perpetually icy face.

He spent almost half a month in Nanyue, turning the Prime Minister's residence upside down.

The books in the study, the writing brushes and ink on the desk, the ornaments on the antique shelf, the clothes in the wardrobe, and even the set of purple clay teapots in the secret compartment of the study were all wrapped in three layers of silk and packed into a sandalwood box by Ye Qi and brought back.

He felt that his salary should indeed be increased for being able to quietly empty an entire prime minister's mansion without being detected by the Southern Yue Imperial Guards.

Xie Qinglan stood still for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the stacks of large books sealed with oilcloth—he knew without even looking that they were rare books he had collected over ten years. He had been collecting them since he entered officialdom at the age of sixteen, filling three entire walls, not a single one missing.

This man truly uprooted his prime minister's residence.

He turned his head and met Xiao Jingyuan's smug face. His Majesty the Emperor's eyes were squinting, looking like a big wolfhound begging for a reward, just short of wagging its tail.

"Has Your Majesty emptied my Prime Minister's residence?"

"Anyway, you're not going back in the future, so it's perfect to move everything over here," Xiao Jingyuan said matter-of-factly.

Xie Qinglan glanced at him indifferently: "Why didn't you dig up that crabapple tree this time?"

Xiao Jingyuan touched the tip of his nose, his ears slightly burning: "It's because Tingxuexuan can't take it anymore."

Xie Qinglan looked at his smug yet guilty expression, and the corner of her lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

He turned around, his gaze falling on the half-open bookcase at the front.

Xiao Jingyuan leaned closer, his voice carrying a hint of flattery: "Pick out some that you can use first, and I'll have the rest put into the storeroom and slowly move them here. There's also a vacant lot behind Tingxue Pavilion; I'll have someone build you a study there another day."

Xie Qinglan didn't answer, but walked straight to the book box and squatted down. From among a pile of scrolls and inkstones, she picked up a celadon brush washer with a chipped corner.

The brush washer was small, with a coarse and simple body, and a grayish glaze. A chipped corner revealed the rough, grayish-yellow porcelain body inside. He had bought it at a secondhand shop with his last five copper coins when he first arrived in the capital at the age of thirteen. Later, when he rose to the highest position in the government and his mansion was filled with countless treasures, this brush washer remained in the most convenient place on his desk for thirteen years without being replaced.

I didn't expect them to bring this back too.

He took the brush washer in his hand, gently rubbing the chipped corner with his fingertips, then stood up and walked into the hall. He paused at the threshold, without turning back, his voice soft, carried by the breeze:

"I've used this brush washer for over ten years. Even with a chipped corner, I couldn't bear to throw it away."

He stepped across the threshold, his pale white robe disappearing behind the door.

A softer voice drifted on the wind: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

As Xiao Jingyuan watched that figure disappear, he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

Turning around, she met Ye Qi's subtle and indescribable eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Xiao Jingyuan immediately straightened his face. "Go to Ling Feng's place to collect your reward after you're done moving. I'll give you a three-month raise."

A glint of light flashed briefly in Ye Qi's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and knelt on one knee: "Thank you for your generous reward, Your Majesty."

Xie Qinglan placed the celadon brush washer in the most conspicuous position on her desk, turned around, and faced Xiao Jingyuan, who had followed her in.

A lingering blush remained on the tips of his ears, but his tone had returned to its usual cool indifference: "Your Majesty, I vaguely recall that there were assassins last night?"

The smile in Xiao Jingyuan's eyes gradually faded. He sat down in the pear wood chair by the window, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest. After a moment of silence, he spoke:

"Yes. Seventeen assassins, all using broken blades coated with poison. Ling Feng interrogated the survivors all night; they all had poison sacs hidden in their teeth, and they only survived because their jaws were dislocated. After spending most of the night prying open two of them, they said—"

He looked up at Xie Qinglan, his voice deepening: "Sent by Pei Nanchi of Nanyue."

Xie Qinglan sat down behind his desk, his fingertips lightly tracing the notch on the brush washer. He then picked up a wolf-hair brush and slowly twirled it between his fingers. After listening, his face remained expressionless. He simply placed the brush back on the brush rest with a very soft, crisp sound.

"It wasn't him."

Xiao Jingyuan raised an eyebrow: "How do you know it wasn't him?"

"Although Pei Nanchi is muddleheaded, he's not stupid," Xie Qinglan said calmly and confidently. "He just received a secret letter from Pei Yuning, in which she said that I had instigated Your Majesty to use the power of Beishuo to launch a southward attack. If he were to send someone to assassinate me now, wouldn't that force Your Majesty to start a war immediately? Nanyue's military strength is inferior to Beishuo's, so he won't be so reckless. Even if he were to fight, he would have to wait until he has completely taken control of Nanyue and reorganized the border defenses. Taking action now would not benefit him in the slightest."

He paused, "Besides, these people confessed too readily. Real assassins, once captured, would either commit suicide by biting poison or remain silent even in the face of death. These people not only didn't die, but also so easily revealed the most obvious answer, which makes them suspicious."

Xiao Jingyuan frowned. He had been preoccupied with Pei Nanchi, that ungrateful bastard, trying to harm Xie Qinglan again, and hadn't thought much of it. But now, after Xie Qinglan pointed it out, he suddenly realized that every angle was flawed.

"Who could it be?"

"The clues are insufficient to draw a conclusion." Xie Qinglan's gaze was calm. "But this person's purpose must be to instigate a war between Beishuo and Nanyue. Whoever can profit from it is the mastermind behind it."

"To be able to sneak into the palace during the Flower Festival, know our whereabouts, and even calculate the exact time..." Xiao Jingyuan said coldly, "This person is definitely not simple."

"I have Ling Feng continue the investigation." Xiao Jingyuan stood up, walked to Xie Qinglan's side, and pushed the window open a little to let more morning light in. "Since they're after you and me, they'll eventually show their true colors."

For the next few days, the capital was unusually quiet.

The calls for war in the court were forcibly suppressed by Xiao Jingyuan, who only said that the matter of the assassin had not yet been investigated and that no military action should be discussed before a conclusion was reached. Although the ministers were dissatisfied, they dared not say anything more.

Xie Qinglan's old subordinates gradually gained a foothold in Beishuo. Although Han Zheng lost his left arm, his right hand became even more shrewd with his sword, training new recruits in the Imperial Guard camp until they cried for their parents; Zhou Huan entered the Ministry of Revenue to keep an eye on the grain supply route in the south; Li Yun was weak, so he meticulously organized the regulations in the Ministry of Rites.

The new study in the backyard of Tingxuexuan was completed. Xiao Jingyuan's initial drawings were crooked and messy, and Xie Qinglan revised them seven or eight times before they were acceptable. He still insisted that he was drawing "artistic conception".

The crabapple orchard was also fulfilled, with the entire garden of crabapple trees transplanted. The new study has bookshelves on three sides, and a large window facing the sea of ​​flowers. When the wind blows, the petals fall softly onto the desk.

Xiao Jingyuan and Xie Qinglan managed government affairs while simultaneously preparing for war, enjoying a rare period of peace.

And it was in this still, deep water that Shen Hanzhou returned.

That afternoon, Xie Qinglan was organizing the books brought from Nanyue in his new study when Xiao Jingyuan leaned over the desk and watched him, occasionally making a few comments on the memorials.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard, followed by Gao An's panicked shout: "General Shen! General Shen, please slow down—His Majesty and Lord Xie are discussing matters—"

"What is it we're discussing? I have great news to report to Your Majesty!"

Before he could finish speaking, the palace doors were suddenly pushed open.

Shen Hanzhou strode in, still wearing the military uniform he had worn on his journey back from the Western Frontier. He was covered in dust, and his face was a shade darker from the sandstorms of the Western Frontier, but he was radiant and beaming, as if he had won the lottery.

He knelt on one knee and saluted, and before Xiao Jingyuan could speak, he jumped up from the ground with a smile so bright it could blind anyone.

"Your Majesty! Your humble servant has returned!"

"I see." Xiao Jingyuan put down his vermilion pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked him over. "The sandstorms of the Western Frontier haven't worn away your roughness; instead, they've made you even more spirited."

"Your Majesty, I have brought back someone with me this time!" Shen Hanzhou completely ignored his teasing, took a big step forward, placed his hands on the desk, and his eyes shone brightly. "A beauty! A beauty as beautiful as a celestial being! I can hardly believe that such a person could come from that harsh and cold land of the Western Regions!"

Xiao Jingyuan raised an eyebrow.

"beauty?"

"Yes!" Shen Hanzhou nodded vigorously, a hint of awkwardness appearing on his face. "I rescued her while patrolling the Gobi Desert. She was unconscious by the roadside, covered in blood, so I took her back to treat her wounds. She was so beautiful—completely different from us Central Plains people, with light gold eyes and curly hair. In my thirty years of life, I have never seen such a beautiful person."

"In two days, I will marry her. She has already accepted my proposal. I have come here to invite Your Majesty to join me for our wedding feast. I have no relatives or friends here, and besides Your Majesty, I have no one else to invite."

The study fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Jingyuan was puzzled—in his previous life, Shen Hanzhou never married until his death, so how come a celestial beauty suddenly appeared in this life?

Could it be that fate took such a turn because I let him stay in the Western Territory for two more months?

"What's her name? Which family does she come from?" Xiao Jingyuan asked.

"This humble general doesn't know." Shen Hanzhou scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly. "She has never spoken a word, so she must be a mute. But it doesn't matter, being mute is fine, this humble general doesn't mind. This humble general called her A-Yue, and she responded."

"You don't even know her name, yet you want to marry her?"

"What does a name matter!" Shen Hanzhou said matter-of-factly. "What matters is that we love each other!"

"Alright." Xiao Jingyuan couldn't help but laugh at his silly look. "Tell me when the date is set, and Qinglan and I will definitely go."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Shen Hanzhou was overjoyed and cupped his hands in thanks to Xie Qinglan. "Thank you for your honor, Prime Minister! I will go back and prepare immediately! By the way, Your Majesty—may I borrow a chef from the Imperial Kitchen? The food prepared by the chefs in my household is really terrible. I'm afraid I'll offend Your Majesty and the Prime Minister, and I'm also afraid that A-Yue will find it unpalatable—"

"Go ahead, go ahead." Xiao Jingyuan waved his hand.

Shen Hanzhou ran off excitedly, forgetting to even close the door.

A few crabapple petals drifted in on the wind and landed on the open folding paper.

Xiao Jingyuan leaned back in his chair, tapped his knuckles lightly on the table twice, and muttered to himself, "This didn't happen in my previous life."

"His Majesty allowed him to stay for two more months, so naturally there will be changes." Xie Qinglan turned a page of his book, his tone calm. "However, the arrival of this Miss A Yue is suspicious—the Gobi Desert on the western border is not a place that ordinary women would pass through."

"Shen Hanzhou is simple-minded; don't let anyone take advantage of this."

He raised his eyes, his gaze shifting from the pages of the book to Xiao Jingyuan's face, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Your Majesty might as well investigate. Lest someone lose their composure upon seeing something interesting."