"It's settled then." This was the first collaboration between the two, and probably the last. Even in matters of national importance, they had never cooperated like this before. Who would have thought that it would be an unknown person who brought them together? It couldn't be called fate playing tricks on people, but it was quite an interesting thing nonetheless.

  "Also, thank you, Prince Wang." Dong Qingyuan's words were completely sincere, and Pei Mingshuang had just given himself a great gift. Even if he already had new guards by his side, having or not having them made little difference in front of these two people, this was the huge gap between their powers.

  Unexpectedly, the two people who didn't distinguish between high and low in the imperial court had such a distance here. This trip was originally meant to stir up trouble, but unexpectedly ended up being stimulated like this, Dong Qingyuan himself also felt deeply helpless.

  Fortunately, there is still a Yuan Shu Huan here. I really don't know whether to thank or hate her. She easily broke the poisonous skills that she had cultivated for many years and also saved my life several times. She's truly a woman who is hard to understand. Dong Qing Yuan didn't know that Yuan Shu Huan must have had some request, otherwise she wouldn't have left him alive on purpose.

  "Thank me? No need for that." If Yuan Shu Huan wanted Dong Qingyuan's life, Dong Qingyuan wouldn't be standing here now. Since Yuan Shu Huan didn't have that intention, if one of the two walls were to fall, chaos would inevitably erupt in the imperial court, and Pei Ming Xuan really didn't have that intention for the time being.

  It's just a favor, no need to thank me. But these thoughts don't need to be shared with Dong Qingyuan, whether he misunderstands or feels grateful, it can be considered an extra gain.

  "In the midst of busy affairs in the capital, if there's nothing else to attend to, Qingyuan plans to set off soon." Negotiating with others when one is at a disadvantage is undoubtedly a very foolish thing to do, as both parties are completely unable to be on the same level. Sometimes, the strong bullying the weak doesn't need to be openly displayed; the mere existence of the strong is a kind of intimidation.

  "Is Lord Dong in such a hurry to leave? The scenery around this town is beautiful, and it would be a pity to miss it." What Pei Mingxuan said was quite broad, referring not only to the people but also to the landscape. It all depends on what Dong Qingyuan thinks in his heart. Anyway, Yuan Shuhan's side should still have some time, and the two of them chatting can pass the time.

  It's also possible that Dong Qingyuan is not a person who lets go easily. Perhaps for now, he doesn't dare to make any rash moves under the current circumstances, and it's really hard to say what will happen after returning to the capital city.

  "Prince Wang laughed and said, Qingyuan is just a troublemaker here, but Qingyuan still has some self-awareness." Did Pei Mingxuan really want Dong Qingyuan to stay? The answer was clear to both of them. In Dong Qingyuan's view, Pei Mingxuan's attempt to persuade him to stay had only two possibilities: either he was testing himself or there was some other ulterior motive.

  Dong Qingyuan has always been a man who, even if he is a small-minded person, will not give himself the opportunity to regret. Pei Mingxuan is not a gentleman, and Dong Qingyuan is not a gentleman either. The two people are very similar in some ways.

  "Governor Dong is joking, who in the world doesn't give Governor Dong three points of respect." Dong Qingyuan's reputation isn't any worse than his own, it's just that he's really being disliked here. Who made you not distinguish right from wrong back then and wanted to take action against Yuan Shuhuan? Although Yuan Shuhuan looks like a gentle and calm person, in reality, he's not easy to mess with.

  Although he had never seen Yuan Shuhuan take action against the Eastern Palace at that time, judging from the situation where corpses were scattered all over the ground, Yuan Shuhuan's anger was indeed something that not many people could withstand. In this regard, Pei Mingxuan really wanted to advise Dong Qingyuan properly, otherwise it would be difficult to end well later on.

  Although the Eastern Palace has a Gate of Ten Thousand Poisons behind it, compared to Dong Qingyuan, it's really nothing. Dong Qingyuan himself has considerable influence in and out of court, which is his most troublesome aspect. Even if there are some dark things behind him, he has indeed done many things for the country and the people.

  For these meta-books, Pei Mingxuan is naturally not afraid, but he has to consider a few more things. As the king, he must plan for his government, and as King Xuan, Pei Mingxuan has to consider some of these things.

  "In the eyes of Huan Niang, Qingyuan was probably no different from the surrounding flowers and grasses, or even more annoying than the surrounding flowers and grasses. After all, flowers and grasses wouldn't disturb Yuan Shu Huan's heart. Dong Qingyuan's heart has been a bit messy these past two days, which is also why he was in such a hurry to return."

  Adding to this, Dong Qingyuan's martial arts skills were all crippled, and he really had no ability to protect himself here. He could only return to the capital, where the person who taught him the poisonous skills was, perhaps he could find a way to recover his martial arts skills.

  Dong Qingyuan, although only a literary minister, would not have survived to this day without that set of poisonous skills. Losing the things he had always relied on made him feel somewhat panicked. Dong Qingyuan's mind was more mature and stable than others, which allowed him to calm down temporarily.

  Yuan Shu's move was really ruthless, but Dong Qingyuan could only endure it. Dong Qingyuan was fortunate that he had been a civil official from the beginning, so losing his martial arts skills would not affect his position. The only drawback was that he lacked some self-defense capabilities, but under the protection of the guards, this weakness was negligible.

  "This is probably something that Lord Dong himself should ask. Yuan Shu Huan was the same to anyone, and at first, there was no personal preference or dislike. What Dong Qingyuan did made Yuan Shu Huan unhappy, so it ended up like this. When Yuan Shu Huan had a bad feeling about Dong Qingyuan, it became very difficult to change."

  "What Qingyuan did was indeed unlikable." Pei Mingxuan accurately hit Dong Qingyuan's sore spot. If one were to say what Dong Qingyuan regretted the most now, it would be choosing to lay hands on Yuan Shuhan yesterday. If one were to go further back, it would be easily abandoning Fei Jian, and if not for that, he wouldn't have invited this disaster upon himself.

  But things have come to this, and there's no use regretting it now. It's better to think about what should be done in the future. Taking advantage of Pei Mingxuan being far away from the capital and Si Kongzi Hong needing to guard the border, returning to the capital to make arrangements is the right thing to do. Otherwise, who knows if there will still be a place for oneself in the future? It's better to make arrangements early on.

  Even if Yuan Shuhong doesn't have that many considerations, Pei Mingxuan and Si Kong Zihong still need to consider the top three parts. They are officials of the same dynasty, and sometimes it's a matter of shared honor or shared loss. This can also be seen as adding some chips for oneself, even if it's useless for Yuan Shuhong.

  "The capital is still a thousand miles away, and I will bid farewell to Lord Dong here. This journey will not be peaceful, those people's goal is Dong Qingyuan, they will not let him return to the capital safely. Pei Mingxuan was testing the waters with this stone, but the weight of this stone is indeed not light in others' eyes."

  "Thank you." Was Pei Mingxuan's tone of schadenfreude a reminder to himself of the bumpy road ahead? Dong Qingyuan still thanked Pei Mingxuan. It was always making Pei Mingxuan feel like he didn't have good intentions, but also reminded himself that the journey would be rough. Those people hadn't taken his life, and it seemed they wouldn't give up easily.

  These people in the city are also chaotic, but Yuan Shu Han is sitting in the middle, and those people are somewhat threatened. Moreover, there is another Pei Ming Xuan next to him, and those people can't do anything even if they want to, but this time they just gave them a target. Staying is a disaster, leaving is also a disaster, it seems that staying in the capital is still better.

  It's rare to come out once, but it's turned into this state. However, if planned well, it may not be impossible to turn disaster into fortune. A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Dong Qingyuan's eyes. This life is not said to be worth a lot of money, but it's not something that anyone can take away just because they want to. Let's see who's stronger between us, and as for other things, there's still time to deal with them when we return to the capital.

  "Please take care, Your Excellency. I, the king, have an old injury that has not healed yet, so I won't be able to see you off in person." Pei Mingxuan said this with a light tone, anyway it wasn't him who was going to risk his life, whether he could survive or not depended on Dong Qingyuan's abilities. That person was still a troublemaker after all, and it was unknown if Yuan Shuhuan had been too trusting.

  Just from the fact that Yan Yunjin once saved Fei Jian's life, even if Yan Yunjin really killed someone in Yuan Shuhuan's eyes, it wouldn't be a big deal. At most, it would just be giving Yan Yunjin a favor, and he himself would also be more vigilant about that person making a move. First was himself, then Dong Qingyuan, the target of that person's attack was too obvious.

  Pei Mingxuan was unwilling to impose these things on Yuan Shuheng, and he also knew that Yuan Shuheng would not bother with these things. In Yuan Shuheng's eyes, these things were as light as a feather. After all, it was easy to be carefree when one had no official position, unlike the two of them who had to enjoy the benefits and bear the worries of their positions. Thinking about this, Pei Mingxuan didn't know whether he should praise Yuan Shuheng for being clever, having avoided these messy things early on.

  Bai Mingxuan only then somewhat understood Yuan Shuhong, although he was a bit ruthless, but also a very rational choice. It's just that now that he has embarked on this path, there is probably no turning back.

  "Prince Wang also needs to take care of himself." This is another kind of greeting, although it's hard to see that Pei Mingxuan's body is not suitable. However, when I first heard that Pei Mingxuan was going to die, it probably wasn't an empty rumor. After all, at that time, Yu Shu, who was by Pei Mingxuan's side, had left to find medicine, and it must have been extremely serious.

  Being able to stand here now, it's probably also related to Yuan Shuhuan. Yuan Shuhuan's medical skills are unprecedented in his life, even the renowned divine doctor Yu Shu has fallen behind. Dong Qingyuan feels that he too has learned a lesson and paid a considerable price for it.

  "Now thinking about it, Huan'er is the truly clever one. Compared to our hard work and worries, this carefree Huan'er is actually extremely leisurely." Pei Mingxuan sighed out loud, but couldn't help laughing at his own inability to extricate himself. How many people can escape the entanglements of fame and wealth, let alone someone with such a complex background like theirs?

  "It's just that you and I can only be envious, after all, one has to pay a price to get something. They have paid too much to get to where they are today, how easy is it to give up?"