After rebirth, I joined forces with my mortal enemy to seek revenge.

When coming out of the Council of State, Pei Jiaoran looked at Cen Xi meaningfully. The two smiled at each other and went to the gate together.

"I thought you would be cruel to Zhang Rang." Cen Xi stroked his beard and spoke with a smile.

"Lord Cen." Pei Jiaoran looked away and pursed his lips with some sarcasm, "Your Majesty is nostalgic. As subjects, why should we go against his wishes? Moreover..."

She understood what the Emperor of Wei meant. Zhang Rang was an old man who had been with him for many years. Not to mention the friendship they had had over the years, he had also led the Northern Department to fight against the Southern Department for many years. He had made contributions and worked hard. But he had made a mistake after all. All the ministers were watching him, so he could only be convicted. The master and servant were demoted to the imperial mausoleum to repair the tomb. This was the greatest mercy of the king.

"Mr. Cen, do you think Zhang Rang can really have a good life when he goes to build Chongling?" Pei Jiaoran smiled meaningfully, "I'm afraid there are more than one person in Taiji Palace who is hoping for his death."

Judging from the current situation, Yuan Zhengze now controls the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Privy Council, and is deeply trusted by the Emperor of Wei. This means that he has completely taken over Zhang Rang's power and become the new Guirong. He is also on good terms with Cui Shao, Wang Guolao, and Su Jinghui. Not only can he get news from the Southern Court through them, but he can also pass on news from the inner court. So, when he is already so popular, how can he let a boss who once had the power to call the shots continue to exist?

Stroking his sleeves, Pei Jiaoran said, "Why don't we make a bet? I bet Zhang Rang won't live in the imperial mausoleum for less than a month."

An old eunuch who committed a crime and was disliked by the emperor. With enemies around, living one more day was torture.

Before they knew it, they had arrived in front of the government office of the Ministry of Personnel. Without saying much, Pei Jiaoran followed Cen Xi into the public house.

"Prime Minister Pei." Cen Xi looked at her with a sharp gaze, "I thought you would move to the public housing of the Secretariat."

Hearing this, Pei Jiaoran took a sip of tea slowly, looked at the rising white mist and said, "No, it's not time yet."

"Why did you choose that day to do it?" Cen Xi asked in confusion.

"Your Majesty's Thousand Years Festival, all nations come to pay homage, and all the governors of various regions are present. To show the king's benevolence and love for the people, Your Majesty will certainly agree to Xu Yan's request." Pei Jiaoran's eyes were as sharp as a knife, as if they could see through everything. "All the people heard Xu Yan beating the drum to complain, and this matter must have a reasonable result. As for me... I think with His Majesty's mind, he probably doesn't want me to be promoted to the position of Zhongshu Ling so soon. He wants to wait until the prince succeeds to the throne, and then let me succeed by the prince. By then, I will be loyal to the prince because of this favor. This is a favor bestowed on me. Now he lets the prince and I share the Zhongshu Province. If I move to the public housing of the Zhongshu Province now, even if I become the Zhongshu Ling in the future, I'm afraid I will be in a precarious situation."

"When you reach this position, you need to leave yourself enough room for maneuver and accumulate strength. Only in this way can you treat each other with respect."

Listening to her words, Cen Xi couldn't help but sigh. After all, she was still young, or rather, there were too few people as young as her who could control their desires.

Seeing Cen Xi shift his eyes, Pei Jiaoran smiled meaninglessly.

In fact, she had deeper considerations for not moving to the Secretariat.

At present, the Secretariat was leaderless, and she and the Crown Prince shared the power. Although the Crown Prince had no obvious intention to interfere with the power of the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince's Secretary Wei Shulin would definitely occupy a position in the three ministries in the future. If she competed with the Crown Prince for power at this time, it would be tantamount to offending the new emperor, and it would be the same in the future. If she wanted to continue to hold the power of the Secretariat after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, she had to avoid competing with the Crown Prince for power.

Moreover, she thought that the prince was not willing to grant her favor in the future, but wanted to ensure that she could take charge of the Secretariat as soon as possible. Therefore, the prince would most likely reject the emperor's proposal, and instead promote her to the position of the Minister of the Secretariat during the emperor's reign. In this way, she would certainly help the prince to succeed to the throne out of gratitude, and the prince would be like a nail embedded in the Secretariat.

After collecting his thoughts, Pei Jiaoran said, "I have asked Tian Zizhan to send people to the Cui family to dissuade Cui Shao from rescuing Su Jinghui. The three courts are already trying Su Jinghui, so it doesn't matter if he refuses to admit it. If he doesn't open his mouth, what about others? Someone will be the first to be opened. In order to avoid getting into trouble, the Cui and Wang families must abandon the Su family."

This is the background of the aristocratic family. Without this background, how can the family tradition be passed down? Only by judging the situation can one preserve strength. Otherwise, when the chariot of war is crushed in the troubled times, being able to survive is a blessing.

"What's the matter with Xu Yan?" Cen Xi asked suddenly.

"Although the Xu family is not a noble family, they have some ancestral property in Wuwei to support their livelihood and have a certain degree of peace. The Su family framed and murdered, and the whole family was killed. How could they not fight with their lives?" Pei Jiaoran smiled faintly, rubbing the rim of the cup with his thumb, "I showed her a way, and she is willing to work for me. She wants fairness, but she always wants it in exchange for a suitable price. Only the emperor can give her the fairness she wants. Prime Minister Cen, Su Jinghui is already a spent force. If you and I continue to work together, I would like to make you the prime minister in the future."

Hearing this, Cen Xi stroked his beard and smiled, "I am already old and frail, I will not compete with you youngsters."

Pei Jiaoran raised his eyebrows and looked at Cen Xi meaningfully, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised. He bowed, turned around and pushed the door open to leave.

Stepping out of the public housing estate, the sun fell on her. Pei Jiaoran stood there with his hands behind his back, took a deep breath, and then turned and left.

When she returned to the official residence of the Secretariat in the outer province, several officials from the Secretariat and the prince were already standing at the door waiting to see her.

Squinting his eyes and sizing up the prince in front of him, Pei Jiaoran stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Highness, Pei Jiaoran, greets His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Pei Qing is back? I have something to discuss with you." After saying this, the prince turned his sleeves and went into her public room.

The prince sat down in the main seat and looked around. "Mr. Pei's study is really elegant."

"I've been here day and night. If everything is in a mess, it will affect my mood." Raising his hand to signal the servant to make tea, Pei Jiaoran smiled and said, "Your Highness, are you here to report on the success of the King of Wu's mission?"

"Yes. With his achievements, I think there will be many officials from humble families who want to join him. I..." The prince frowned and spoke.

Hearing this, Pei Jiaoran bowed his head and said nothing. The prince's worries were not without reason, but the success of the King of Wu's mission and the Uighurs' agreement to send troops to harass Tubo were not entirely a good thing.

After thinking for a while, Pei Jiaoran said, "Your Highness, do you think it is a good thing that the King of Wu has achieved this feat?"

"Your Majesty has always hated the Uighurs. The King of Wu went on a diplomatic mission to the Uighurs on behalf of the emperor and returned victoriously. Isn't that a good thing?" said the prince.

"It is true that he has made great contributions, but it is also because of this that the King of Wu probably cannot stay in Chang'an. He should go to his fiefdom immediately." Pei Jiaoran curled his lips, "Only in this way can the King of Wu's ability be demonstrated."