Yuxin Palace.

Central platform.

It was late at night, and after the officials of the Central Secretariat had left one after another, Yuan Li was still bent over his desk reading memorials.

A moment later, Wei You walked in.

"Your Highness, are you still busy?"

Yuan Li smiled slightly and handed a stack of neatly arranged memorials to Wei You, saying, "Lord Wei, you've come at the right time. These are memorials that I and three central ministers have prepared. Please deliver them to my brother, the Emperor."

Wei You did not take it, saying, "In the past, memorials were always delivered to His Majesty by Eunuch Lü or Eunuch Jin. It is against the rules for me to do it this way."

Yuan Li stood up and handed the memorial to Wei You, saying, "You are the person my brother trusts the most, so naturally I trust you too. There's no need for any rules or regulations."

Unable to refuse, Wei You had no choice but to accept the task, saying, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness."

Yuan Li asked, "Lord Wei, do you know how the Empress's health is lately?"

Unexpectedly, Yuan Li suddenly asked about the Empress. Wei You was taken aback for a moment, but dared not think for too long, and said, "This humble official is with His Majesty at all times. Since the completion of the Imperial Palace, His Majesty has not visited the Imperial Palace, so this humble official is not very clear about the Empress's situation. If Your Highness wants to know, this humble official can arrange for someone to ask."

"The Empress is carrying the foundation of the nation; we must take good care of her."

Yuan Li moved closer to Wei You and said, "But I asked this because I saw that my brother looked very tired at the last court meeting. I wanted to remind you, Lord Wei, that while the Empress's health is important, the Emperor's health is even more important."

Wei You's expression changed slightly, and he was about to kneel down.

Yuan Li helped him up and said, "Lord Wei, don't be nervous. I just want you to pay more attention to your brother's health. You can have fun, but you should ask the imperial physician to check on you from time to time."

Wei You said, "If His Majesty knew how much you care about him, Your Highness, His Majesty would be very pleased!"

Yuan Li said, "I feel sorry for my brother and will firmly support his ideas. He has worked hard for so many years and deserves to enjoy himself. You should stay with my brother and I will strictly oversee the affairs of state. Even if it is a bit tiring, it is fine. Of course, if you are too busy, it is also acceptable for Lord Wei to help me share some of the burden."

"Lord Wei, do you understand what I mean?"

"Your humble servant understands!"

Wei You understood that Yuan Li's words were an attempt to win him over; this was no longer a hint, but an explicit statement.

Wei You was puzzled, thinking to himself, "Aren't you afraid I'll report you to His Majesty?"

"Do you really understand?"

Seemingly sensing Wei You's doubts, Yuan Li smiled and said, "Your Majesty and I are brothers. Gaining the mutual trust of us brothers can only benefit Lord Wei."

"This humble official truly understands!"

"I spent a few years in Xuzhong County. If I remember correctly, Lord Wei is from Xuzhong County, isn't he?"

Wei nodded and said, "Yes."

Yuan Li asked, "Who else is in your family?"

"My parents are still alive, and I have several siblings."

"When I was assisting Prefect Xu Zhong in governing the region, I accumulated some abandoned wasteland. Lord Wei has served my elder brother well, so I will allocate this land to your family as a private gift to Lord Wei."

"Your Highness is too kind. I thank you on behalf of my family..."

Wei You made a move to kneel again, but Yuan Li interrupted him, saying, "You still have memorials in your hands, so don't kneel. Send a message to your family, telling them to manage the household well and not to bully men and women in the local area. If there are any capable people among them, the Central Secretariat will select the best to appoint them to official positions. Your Wei family will get better and better from now on."

Wei You said gratefully, "Your Highness is so kind to me!"

"As long as you stay with my brother, he will be in a good mood, and when he is in a good mood, his health will naturally improve. Lord Wei's contribution is considerable, and you deserve all of this. But I only have one suggestion..."

Yuan Li patted Wei You on the back and said, "There are probably no more people in the world who understand the Emperor's heart as well as Lord Wei, but there should still be some handsome men who can match Lord Wei in appearance. The Imperial Palace is so big, Lord Wei can find more people to accompany the Emperor, so that Lord Wei can be more relaxed, and the Emperor will appreciate your kindness even more."

Wei You didn't respond.

Yuan Li took in Wei You's expression and continued, "Lord Wei, you should be more magnanimous. Don't worry about being overshadowed by newcomers. As time goes by, your looks will fade and your strength will decline. What's coming will come eventually, and this will be Lord Wei's last guarantee."

Upon hearing this, Wei You didn't hesitate for long before replying, "Your Highness's words have been remembered by this humble official."

"Go ahead, and make sure you make your brother happy!" Yuan Li gave Wei You a bright smile.

"Your Highness, please take care of yourself and get some rest." Wei You bowed to Yuan Li and slowly withdrew.

After Wei You left, Yuan Li's expression turned cold, and he returned to his seat.

"Gong Xue".

A woman dressed as a male guard entered, holding a sword with both hands, the blade lying perfectly in the canyon, staring directly into Yuan Li's eyes.

Judging from their attitude towards Yuan Li, they are not ordinary bodyguards.

Yuan Li asked, "When will Chen Changyun instruct Cui Wuming to make his move?"

Gong Xue said, "Tonight."

The residence of Chen Ke, Minister of Personnel.

Since being affirmed by Yuan Li, Chen Ke was in a great mood. Seeing the Left Party faction being passively attacked and the Left Prime Minister's Mansion not making any moves, Chen Ke increasingly agreed with his decision.

The Left Prime Minister's residence is unreliable. At this time, let alone Wen Tai protecting his subordinates, he probably can't even protect himself now.

Chen Ke had dinner with his wife and children, and then called his son Chen Wei aside for a chat, giving him some words of advice.

Chen Wei was nearly thirty years old. Because Lu Zhao, the Minister of Rites, was also a member of the Left Party faction, he was placed in the Ministry of Rites as a supervising secretary. He had never participated in the affairs of the Left Prime Minister's office before and was not prominent in the Left Party faction.

After talking with his son, Chen Ke returned to his study alone and organized some materials related to the Left Prime Minister's residence.

He saw the difference between Yuan Li and Yuan Xiu: Yuan Xiu wanted to boil the frog slowly, while Yuan Li wanted to cut the Gordian knot quickly.

He needs to make some preparations so that he can help Yuan Li when she needs it. That would be a great achievement and would also help his son's future career.

The candlelight flickered.

While Chen Ke was concentrating on his work, he suddenly saw a dark figure leap in through the window.

Chen Ke was startled and was about to shout when Cui Wuming arrived in front of him and slashed his neck with his sword. The speed was so fast that Chen Ke didn't even have time to move his buttocks off the chair.

Without pausing, Cui Wuming turned around and leaped out of the window again.

Swift sword, no life.

This speed was indeed Cui Wuming's style, but the way he drew his sword was different from usual.

Normally, if he wanted to kill someone, he would simply glide his hand across the person's neck, and that would be just as effective.

But now, they've cut off Chen Ke's entire head.

The study returned to silence. A head lay on the desk, its flowing blood gradually staining the surrounding documents red.