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

Pei Jiaoran noticed that the Emperor of Wei was looking at him, as if he was waiting for an answer. He blinked, lowered his eyes, bent his body, and bowed with his sleeves together.

"I understand." Pei Jiaoran said.

Pei Jiaoran's tone was flat, without any emotional ups and downs. The Emperor of Wei narrowed his eyes and looked at her for a long time, then slowly said, "The position of prime minister is the highest among all officials, and the whole world is looking up to it. It should not be given lightly unless one has a good reputation and great achievements. Prime Minister Pei, you still need to experience more."

She could tell that the Emperor of Wei was not only trying to warn her, but also to warn her. The King of Wu wanted to drag her into the water this time, so he made a suggestion to the Emperor of Wei, but ended up getting himself involved. The King of Wu was going to be an envoy to the Uighurs, and she, the instigator, was able to reap the fruits of victory.

The Emperor of Wei, who was speaking up for his beloved son, did not intend to let her use this achievement to ascend to the position of head of the Secretariat.

After getting the answer he wanted, the Emperor of Wei slowed down his tone and said, "When the King of Wu goes on a diplomatic mission to the Uighurs this time, please pay more attention to the people accompanying him. The King of Wu is young after all and has never experienced any storms. He needs someone to guide him. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I will select carefully and live up to your Majesty's expectations." Pei Jiaoran smiled.

Hearing this, the Emperor of Wei waved his hand to signal Yuan Zhengze to send Pei Jiaoran out.

After leaving the Lizheng Hall, Yuan Zhengze raised his eyebrows and smiled, "How does it feel for Prime Minister Pei to be neglected by you?"

Hearing this, Pei Jiaoran tilted her head to look at him, her lips curled up. On the way here, she guessed that this trip might not have a good result. Now that the Emperor of Wei is shunning her, it is already the most ideal outcome. The Emperor of Wei has to give an explanation to the King of Wu, and to Concubine Zhang and Jia Gonglu, so he must give up one side.

Seeing Pei Jiaoran remained silent, Yuan Zhengze said, "The Secretary of State has received a letter, which is very ominous."

Listening to Yuan Zhengze's conversation and diverting the topic to other places, Pei Jiaoran sighed. How could she not understand what he wanted to do? The previous encounter seemed to be a good thing, but there were also huge waves behind it, and if you were not careful, you would be doomed. The current estrangement was not necessarily a bad thing.

Raising his eyebrows and chuckling, Pei Jiaoran said, "Favored or not, this is the way of the world. How can anyone in this world be able to be favored by you for a long time? I hope you are the same, Juyuan."

Without giving Yuan Zhengze a chance to react, Pei Jiaoran left in anger. When she returned to the Ministry of Central Secretariat, the imperial edict drafted by the Ministry of Central Secretariat had already been presented to her desk.

Looking at the white deer paper on the table, Pei Jiaoran's eyes showed a thoughtful look. According to the Emperor of Wei, with the qualifications of the King of Wu, the candidate for this envoy must not only be an official who can do the job, but also can cover for the King of Wu in the event of failure.

But how to choose?

Pei Jiaoran tapped the table with her fingers and curled her lips. The Emperor of Wei only told her to choose, but he didn't tell her not to let the news out. Asking the King of Wu to go on a diplomatic mission to the Uighurs was already quite suggestive. Once the bait is released, people will naturally come to scramble for it.

After making up his mind, Pei Jiaoran carefully read the draft edict. After signing his approval, he quickly sent it to the Ministry of Personnel for review and then to the Ministry of State Affairs for execution. The news that the King of Wu was going to go on a diplomatic mission to the Uighurs had spread throughout the Taiji Palace.

The lights were on in the big public room on the first floor of the Zhongshuwai Province, and candles were also lit in the public room on the second floor. Pei Jiaoran sat at the desk, bowing his head and writing a letter.

The end of the year is approaching, and all the letters should be written. She wrote one letter to the governor of Weizhou, and the other to Shen Yunzhou, to recount the friendship between Weizhou and Zhejiang. After all, they assisted her in all the policies she proposed, and she also spared no effort to protect them, so that the two places were under control. Pei Jiaoran understood that this not only accumulated political prestige for her, but also allowed Zuo Zang to accumulate wealth and increase strength. Its significance was immeasurable.

Pei Jiaoran had already had an idea about Shen Yunzhou's arrangement. Originally, after the Yanziku was left without a master, he planned to build momentum for him in Chang'an, and after this year's examination, he would transfer Shen Yunzhou to Chang'an. With the participation of the gentry from the south of the Yangtze River in the Guanlong situation, it would inevitably make the politicians in Chang'an who were living on salaries wary. You guys have been fighting each other, and the Jianghuai area has been working hard for so many years to supply the court, and it is time to reap the rewards.

Whether these politicians in Chang'an are willing to divide the interests in their hands is a question they need to think about.

Politically, Tian Zizhan, who had already achieved the status of Jiedushi of Weizhou, was the hub between Chang'an and Hebei. He was still young, and the two sides were now on good terms. Whether he was qualified to be transferred to Chang'an to serve as prime minister depended on how much effort he was willing to make. He should make more friends with the ministers in the central government, get information, and build up his reputation. It would be a waste if he didn't seize this opportunity.

When she finished writing the last word, the bell on the tower rang. Pei Jiaoran breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor of Wei said that he could not give her the position of Zhongshu Ling for the time being, but she had never intended to take over the power of the Zhongshu Province directly through the Emperor of Wei. She intended to take over the power from Su Jinghui.

Pei Jiaoran slept in the public room that night. The next day, at dawn, he continued to deal with the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry of Personnel was also efficient, and the imperial edict was drafted and presented to the emperor that night. The King of Wu and his court officials were sent to the Uighurs as envoys.

Pei Jiaoran also roughly selected a few people from the Zhongshu Yamen. Almost all of them were children of high-ranking families in Chang'an, with a few low-ranking officials from commoner families interspersed occasionally. When she submitted the list, the Emperor of Wei only took a glance at it and sent her back to select again.

After guessing what the Emperor of Wei meant, Pei Jiaoran deleted a few high-ranking officials and replaced them with a few commoners. There is no doubt that the Emperor of Wei was still not satisfied with this list.

But it was no longer up to the Emperor of Wei to decide on this matter.

On that day, the King of Wu opened the gates of his mansion to welcome guests and invited the courtiers who were willing to accompany him on the mission to the Uighurs to come to the mansion for a banquet. The front of the King of Wu's mansion was bustling with activity, but the scene in the Jia Mansion was quite different.

People in the Prince of Wu's mansion could ask for a bowl of hot tea to ward off the cold and enjoy fine wine and delicious food, but those who went to Jia Gonglu's mansion could only wait to be summoned in the biting cold wind.

Sitting in a window seat on the second floor of the restaurant, Pei Jiaoran looked at the officials standing in the wind and snow with great interest, and curled his lips.

"You can actually laugh. His Majesty is not appreciative of you. If it were anyone else, they would have thought about how to save themselves." Wu Lingjia shook her head and sighed, "But you are so good. You even have the leisure to come to the door of your political enemy to watch the fun."

"Alas. Things change. Your Majesty hasn't deprived me of my official position, so don't worry about it." Pei Jiaoran said indifferently.

As the two were talking, the people queuing below slowly walked into the mansion. At the same time, some people walked out dejectedly.

Wu Lingjia chuckled, "Since the King of Wu opened his palace, he seems to have become increasingly distant from Jia Gonglu. This time, it seems to be the King of Wu's idea alone."

"It's not surprising that the King of Wu would do such a thing." Pei Jiaoran raised his eyebrows. "Next year, Jiannan's two taxes will be exempted to make up for the money owed to him by the court. Now make a rough estimate of how much the court will earn next year, excluding the money from Jiannan."