Thinking of their sinister intentions, Heyue wished she could rush to the yamen immediately and stab Pinggu to death with a sword.

This woman truly lives up to the description of being venomous; she doesn't even spare children.

She showed no mercy to the Twelfth Prince's offspring back then, and now she's going to exterminate He Yue, killing one child and now she wants to kill her second child too.

If such a person were to continue living in this world, it would truly be an injustice to Heaven.

Ever since the loss of her child, it was destined that Heyue and Pinggu would be locked in a life-or-death struggle. How could Heyue be willing to let Pinggu escape so easily?

Even if we can't catch the others, killing Pinggu is still a win.

If I had known this would happen, perhaps I shouldn't have waited for the government officials to arrive and should have just killed Pinggu directly.

But she also knew that this was a last resort. If she really did it, she and Thirteen would definitely be embroiled in a murder case and endless trouble.

The hard-won peace will also be shattered.

Only then did Heyue realize the importance of power. Without power, no amount of indignation or resentment would help; all she could do was watch helplessly as the government dealt with the situation. She and Thirteen were completely powerless to intervene.

This is the principle of "you can't have everything." All arrogance and pride require a foundation.

Heyue stroked her swollen belly and smiled bitterly. "Child, your mother is really useless. I don't even have the ability to avenge your brother or sister."

He sat in his room for an entire afternoon, feeling sullen, and didn't return until after dark.

Seeing her sitting alone on the tatami by the window, Thirteen hugged her from behind: "What are you thinking about?"

He Yue looked up at him and asked with a smile, "Is it resolved?"

Thirteen nodded, unable to hide the smile in his eyes, like bright, scattered starlight in the night sky, dazzling and radiant.

He Yue stroked his eyes and sighed inwardly, "What beautiful eyes." From the first time they met, He Yue was captivated by such eyes—bright, clear, and making one feel as if they possessed the entire starry sky.

Perhaps, from their first meeting, despite the unpleasantness, their fate was already sealed, and it couldn't be determined by a simple red thread.

"What did the prefect say?" Although she had anticipated the outcome, Heyue still couldn't help but ask.

Thirteen grasped her hand and smiled as he squeezed the back of her hand: "The prefect said he would handle the matter impartially."

He Yue gave a faint "oh," not holding out much hope but not wanting to discourage him, and said nothing more.

Thirteen noticed her disappointment, picked her up and placed her on his lap, one arm around her waist and the other stroking her lower abdomen, as he whispered in her ear, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

Heyue, tickled, flinched and scolded, "What are you doing?"

Thirteen sighed and complained, "I'm out, why aren't you happy? How can I be happy if you're not happy?"

He Yue was amused by his shameless behavior.

Thirteen lifted her chin with one finger, looking at the smile that had just appeared on her face, and smiled with satisfaction: "That's how it should be. I have some good news for you. I know you've been thinking about it, so I won't hide it from you. But you're not allowed to keep that sour face on my face, lest the baby in your belly complain."

Heyue looked at him with suspicion. What good news?

Thirteen was seen rummaging through his clothes, and Heyue stared wide-eyed, not blinking, only to find that his outstretched hand was empty.

Looking up and meeting the mockery in his eyes, He Yue was instantly enraged, and her fist slammed into his chest: "You tricked me! You're despicable!"

Thirteen leaned back on the couch, smiling as he held her waist, letting her hit him.

When Heyue was tired from fighting, she lay on him panting. Thirteen then carefully turned her over and sat up, gently stroking her back and softly comforting her: "Okay, okay, don't be angry anymore. I won't coax you. There's a real surprise."

Heyue turned her head away, "I don't believe it! Humph!"

Thirteen rummaged in his clothes again, pulled out something, and handed it to Heyue: "Look, what's this?"

He Yue glanced down unintentionally, then her eyes widened immediately. She snatched the item from his hand and examined the golden plaque from all angles.

When Heyue saw the four characters “如朕亲临” (As if the Emperor were personally present) carved between the golden dragon and auspicious clouds on the front, her mouth immediately opened as wide as an egg.

"What... what's going on?" He Yue stammered, as if she were dreaming. She rubbed her eyes, opened them, and looked at the sign in front of her again.

"When did you get this?" Heyue asked him unhappily.

Damn it! He didn't even tell her about this amazing thing!

Thirteen pulled her into his arms and chuckled softly, "Wasn't this a surprise for you?"

He Yue snorted. She was indeed quite surprised, but she was also somewhat pleased.

Suddenly, she raised her eyes and looked directly at him with a gentle smile: "By the way! You used this?"

He took it out for me at this moment, which wasn't simply for my appreciation, but rather...

He Yue was overjoyed. With this, the prefect would surely not dare to be perfunctory.

"You showed him to the prefect?" Heyue asked, her eyes shining.

Thirteen shook his head.

He Yue asked, puzzled, "Why not give it to him?"

Thirteen tapped her nose: "Silly girl, how could a prefect like him have the ability to deal with those people? They're all fearless."

"So what are you planning to do?" He Yue seemed to have guessed his plan, but still asked.

Sure enough, Thirteen smiled smugly: "Naturally, I'll find a higher-ranking official."

"Which official is the higher-ranking one?" Heyue tugged at his sleeve, asking curiously.

"Hmm, guess!" Thirteen stopped talking, but curled his lips into a smug smile.

He Yue angrily punched him, saying, "You bastard!"

Thirteen Smiles held her hand: "I will be going out in person tomorrow. In case the prefect doesn't take this seriously, I need to ask my father-in-law to step in and keep things under control. Make sure the prefect keeps a close watch on Pinggu. You know, it's best not to let too many people know about the gold medal."

He nodded in agreement.

Although Ama resigned from his official post, his reputation still remains.

A man like the prefect certainly wouldn't dare offend Father.

No wonder Thirteen was so confident; he had some trump cards up his sleeve.

"Was it given to you by Father Emperor before you left the capital?" Thinking of this, Heyue became even angrier.

I've been so considerate of his feelings, afraid he'd be unhappy, but he's kept this from me and pretended to be so dejected. I've even been fooled by him.

"How could that be? This was given to me by my mother-in-law when she came last year." Thirteen quickly smiled ingratiatingly, afraid that Heyue would be angry.

"It seems Father Emperor doesn't blame you." He Yue was overjoyed; this was much better than in history.

Kangxi did not despise the thirteenth prince. Although he was outwardly exiled, he always cared about him. The thirteenth prince must have been excited when he first learned of this.

"Father Emperor wants me to wipe out all the rebels in Jiangnan, or at least weaken them."

"Ever since the incident with Prince Zhu the Third, their rebellious intentions remain unchanged, and they will likely become even more ruthless. If we allow them to develop unchecked, it will definitely affect the stability of Jiangnan," Thirteen murmured as he explained.