The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 55 I misspoke.

"My father entrusted me with handling the assassination attempt. I thought the archives should have some clues, so I came to take a look."

Shen Huaihe glanced at the file shelf not far away: "The files related to that assassination case are here. Your humble servant will go and fetch them."

As he spoke, Shen Huaihe walked towards the shelf.

For a moment, only Pei Du remained in front of Jiang Jinshuang.

The desk faces the main entrance to the archives.

Jiang Jinshuang stood in front of the table. The man, dressed in a moon-white robe, stood in the light and shadow. The rectangular door frame framed him against the light, making him look like a traditional Chinese ink painting.

He stood upright, looking straight ahead, like a tall pine or bamboo, without looking at her.

Jiang Jinshuang didn't really want to be with him either.

She's still angry about what happened last time.

Since the Grand Secretary looks down on her so much, she doesn't need to rush to please him.

"I'll help you, Lord Shaoqing."

Jiang Jinshuang raised her voice a few decibels and turned to help Shen Huaihe find the case file.

Shen Huaihe was very familiar with the archives in the Archives Pavilion.

Before Jiang Jinshuang could take two steps, Shen Huaihe had already placed several stacks of files on the table.

"The files related to the assassination are all here," Shen Huaihe said slowly after a pause. "The assassin I interrogated committed suicide by biting poison. The coroner was worried that his poison would be contagious, so I ordered him to be buried."

Jiang Jinshuang nodded.

She walked to the desk and flipped through the files a few times.

She raised her eyes again and looked at Pei Du standing in front of her.

"Does Lord Pei have anything else to say?"

The man had a sparse and indifferent expression. Only when he heard Jiang Jinshuang's voice did his cold gaze meet hers.

He didn't answer.

Jiang Jinshuang continued with a smile: "If Lord Pei is alright, why don't you go back and rest early? I would like to discuss the details of the assassination with Lord Shaoqing privately."

The meaning of "drive people away" is quite clear.

The fingers tucked into the cuffs paused slightly.

Pei Du's voice was cold and indifferent: "Your Majesty has requested that I assist Her Highness the Princess, and I must fulfill my duty."

Jiang Jinshuang nodded.

She took out a few files and slowly rose from the table: "In that case, let the Grand Secretary review the remaining files."

As she spoke, she looked at Shen Huaihe and said, "I took these documents back to my residence and read them. Lord Shen, please come to my residence tomorrow. I have something to say to the Junior Minister."

She had to find an opportunity to ask Shen Huaihe alone about the case of Prince Ruiyang's rebellion back then.

Shen Huaihe remained calm and bowed slightly: "Your humble servant obeys."

After saying that, Jiang Jinshuang looked at Pei Du and smiled wickedly: "When will the Grand Secretary finish reading the rest of the files before he comes to assist me?"

Without looking at Pei Du's expression again, Jiang Jinshuang turned and left.

Shen Huaihe stood in front of the door, watching Jiang Jinshuang's departing figure, lost in thought.

Hearing a sound behind him, Shen Huaihe turned around.

Before anyone knew it, Pei Du was already sitting at the table, neatly stacking the remaining few thick volumes on the corner of the table.

He calmly picked up the top file, slowly turned the pages, and began to examine it one by one.

Upon seeing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Shen Huaihe's eyes.

Shen Huaihe held this Grand Secretary in high esteem and respect.

Although he entered officialdom many years later than Shen Huaihe, he rose rapidly through the ranks thanks to his talent and literary skills, and in just three years he became a powerful minister.

Seeing him examining the files so intently, Shen Huaihe frowned slightly: "Your Excellency, please forgive my bluntness, but His Highness just took away three files, leaving six files here, totaling 1,321 pages."

"If an adult wants to watch it alone, it will probably take more than three days."

In fact, both of them understood what Jiang Jinshuang meant.

She did not want Pei Du to be involved in this assassination attempt.

“I know.” The man lowered his eyes slightly, pointing to the words on the file with one finger as he calmly replied. Although he said this, he did not stop flipping through the file.

He lowered his eyes slightly, and a few strands of long hair fell to one side of his shoulder.

The man, dressed in a moon-white robe, sat at the table with a handsome face, his brows and eyes exuding an innate noble and aloof air.

Even a simple profile can be breathtaking and stunning.

It was a face blessed by heaven, so perfect that it was flawless.

Shen Huaihe looked at Pei Du in front of his desk, his thoughts drifting away.

The story of Princess Zhaoming's persistent pursuit of this poor scholar was known to everyone in Chang'an, and rumors about it were rampant.

That day in the Thousand Gold Pavilion, Shen Huaihe witnessed Princess Zhaoming, who was high and mighty, spending a fortune to make the scholar smile.

They bought the official tablet of Xu Kaishan, the first Grand Secretary who held a high position a century ago and was granted permission by the royal family to be buried in the imperial mausoleum.

Shen Huaihe still remembers how Princess Zhaoming smiled as she handed the priceless and significant imperial tablet to the scholar, her smile gentle: "Pei Du, this tablet is for you. When you rise to the position of Grand Secretary, use this tablet to guide the nation."

That was the first time Shen Huaihe saw Princess Zhaoming's true feelings.

It just felt a bit too bright.

Now, looking at Pei Du hunched over his desk, flipping through files, he always felt that something was amiss.

—This Grand Secretary is not the type to passively accept his fate.

He would have refused such an unreasonable request outright under normal circumstances.

A conjecture emerged in Shen Huaihe's mind.

Shen Huaihe looked at the man and slowly said, "Grand Chancellor...aren't you being a little too lenient with His Highness?"

He then felt that his conjecture was absurd.

Everyone in Chang'an knew that this Grand Secretary had been forced into a corner by Princess Zhaoming for three years, and he must have hated her to the core.

Shen Huaihe himself wasn't quite sure what kind of answer he wanted from the question he asked.

He felt as if something was blocking his throat, which made him feel uncomfortable.

He paused slightly as he looked at the case file.

The man's finger stopped on a line of text in the file, and he slightly raised his eyes to look at Shen Huaihe.

His long eyelashes trembled slightly.

His calm, indifferent eyes held a hint of... bewilderment.

His voice was cold, and he spoke slowly: "She's angry."

It seemed as if they were explaining her "rudeness" on her behalf.

Frowning, Pei Du added, "Because I said the wrong thing."

A strange feeling rose in Shen Huaihe's heart.

For a moment, he even thought that the Grand Secretary had agreed to Princess Zhaoming's unreasonable request simply to appease her.

This absurd idea only appeared for a moment before he rejected it himself.

Shen Huaihe opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Before he could speak, the man at the table said calmly, "Tonight, I, Pei, will be staying at the Archives Pavilion. I hope you will grant me permission, Lord Shaoqing."

Shen Huaihe paused for a moment, then nodded stiffly: "I understand."
-
When Jiang Jinshuang returned to the princess's residence, she learned that Si Ning and Qian Yao had gone out on business.

She asked Chun Tao what business she had left the manor for, and Chun Tao scratched her head: "The master didn't say. I only saw that when Master Si Ning left, his face looked a little pale and he left in a hurry."

"Strange," Jiang Jinshuang muttered.

I haven't heard of anything recently that would warrant Si Ning's personal involvement.

However, since Si Ning didn't tell Chun Tao, it means it's not a big deal and he can handle it himself.

This put her mind at ease.

Night falls.

After Jiang Jinshuang took a bath, she returned to her bedchamber. Before she could even get into bed to rest, there was a rapid knocking on the door!

"Your Highness! Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Mr. Si Ning is in trouble!"

(End of this chapter)