Seeing Pei Zhiyuan and Ah Hu staring intently at the diagram of the climbing mechanism, Shen Xu blinked, put down the ceramic fragments in his hand, looked at Pei Zhiyuan's face, and said, "What do you think, Lord Pei? Do you dare to put all the chips of your Xuanjing Division on us common people?"

Pei Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows slightly, obviously not provoked by her words. He spoke very soberly: "Why? On what basis? What can I get if I win the bet? What price will I pay if I lose?"

Shen Xu analyzed the current situation of Haoyue Country, which was almost the same as what Pei Zhi had thought before.

"Given the Xuanjing Division's current position and status, I'm afraid it's not necessarily much better than us, the common people."

She continued, "Even if Imperial Master Hua truly severed the dragon vein and ascended the throne, how long could he remain there? Even if the King's Master quelled the chaos in Haoyue Kingdom, Imperial Master would rule the country for decades to come. The Xuanjing Division's behind-the-scenes actions, which were shameful, would inevitably become a stain on his reputation. If the people's grievances aren't quelled, the throne won't be secure, and someone will always have to take the blame, right?"

"Then, according to you, how can I, Pei, resolve this dilemma?" Pei Zhiyuan frowned slightly and said indifferently, "How can you guarantee that the Xiao family will be able to sit on the throne for a long time?"

"Then we have to rely on Master Hua." Shen Xu changed the subject, "Let's first talk about Dongning Prefecture, where the rebellion started."

"Dongning Prefecture relied on the Zhou Muhou clan, two generations of veterans and royal relatives. Taking advantage of the Xiao family's renewal, they dared to seize territory and claim sovereignty, raising an army to defy the majesty of heaven. The result... was a siege by numerous warlords, and their 300,000-man navy was completely devoured by various factions."

Pei Zhiyuan replied calmly, "The Dongning navy is not good at land combat, so it's normal for them to be defeated by the royal cavalry."

"Throughout history, uprisings have always required a legitimate cause. Zhou Muhou's cause was unfounded, and right now, Haoyue Kingdom hasn't suffered any disasters or famine, so who wouldn't want a peaceful life? The Dongning Army will naturally hesitate and bewildered. How can a hesitant army possibly stand up to the Imperial Tutor, who represents the King's command? Whether in Haoyue or Yanyang, there have been hundreds of peasant uprisings, both large and small, and the number of successful uprisings that have established dynasties can be counted on one hand. Since ancient times, nations have not been conquered and ended."

"The young lady's insight is quite profound."

Shen Xu changed the topic, his beautiful cat eyes swept over the two people sitting there, and said, "Let's talk about the Xue family in the north."

At this moment, Song Lin happened to walk in. When he heard her mention the Xue family in the north, he couldn't help but pause and froze in place.

Pei Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at Song Lin quickly, and asked with interest: "What do you think, young lady?"

"The Xue family is a century-old family with three dukes in four generations. They are well-versed in both civil and military affairs, and have produced many talented individuals. It's a pity that they started the rebellion too early, without any bargaining chips in their hands. They are ultimately traitors. Even if they capture the imperial city with overwhelming force, they don't claim the throne, and rush to serve the emperor with the order to purge the imperial court. They will still be overtaken by later heroes and be surrounded and attacked by other heroes."

"Then according to what the young lady said, how can we break the Xue family's current situation?"

"If I were the Xue family of the north, I would kidnap the young prince, lie dormant in the north, and wait for the empire to fall into chaos. Once the old Xiao family falls, I will use the royal army's order to restore order. Of course, the other princes can also use this method to accumulate strength and integrate."

Shen Xu sighed deeply, his gentle voice flowing through the room like a clear spring. "However, an army with unwavering faith can be invincible. But when people lose all faith, they become fearless. When starving people take up arms to survive, chaos will finally arrive. By then, no aristocratic family or king can stop it with a single word."

"War will bring disaster. Once the world is in turmoil, all the tragedies of humanity will unfold on this land. Starving people will be everywhere, corpses will pile up like mountains, plagues will rage, and not a single blade of grass will grow. Land soaked in blood will not grow any food for a long time, and no one will be willing to work in the fields, to cultivate hope for tomorrow."

Chen Xu looked at Pei Zhiyuan, his calm eyes showing neither joy nor sorrow, and he said, "The current prosperity is all a false illusion. Once troubled times arrive, everything will be shattered. Only livestock will cling to such prosperity, so when the catastrophe comes, they will be left to be slaughtered. I believe that Lord Pei is a lone wolf, disdainful of indulging in the current prosperity, and even more disdainful of licking the leftovers left under the table by the powerful."

Pei Zhiyuan pursed his lips tightly, and spoke after a while: "What do you think, young lady, is the position that the Xuan Jing Division should take to break the deadlock now?"

"There are three strategies: best, middle, and worst."

"The best strategy is for Lord Pei to fully assist me before the envoy arrives. I will purge the emperor's court, punish the traitors, and serve the king to continue the dynasty. I will seize the king's army, suppress the rebellious ministers, and make an example of him to warn the other princes."

"The middle strategy is to take the young prince and flee into exile, win over loyal ministers, and establish a new court when the time is right."

"The worst strategy is to invite the wolf into the house and then drive the tiger to devour the wolf."

Pei Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows: "Are you so sure that the Imperial Master will lose?"

"Well, because I can take action." Shen Xu explained the reason concisely and frivolously.

Pei Zhiyuan did not refute, but questioned: "In just two months, is it enough time?"

"These two months are the only time we can do this. If the people lose their faith and worship of the emperor over time, nothing can be done to restore them."

"How can I trust you?"

"It's either death or not. Lone Wolf has the belief of seeking freedom and will never regret for his belief until death. That's why he is invincible. Even if Lord Pei doesn't support us, we will make another plan. Whether he participates or not, I will not let the outcome deviate too far." Even though he was weak, his tone was still frivolous.

Chen Xu spoke indifferently and calmly, "Success means victory over thousands of people, failure means utter destruction. Lord Pei, are you willing to join me in a gamble on the fate of the Haoyue Nation?"

Pei Zhiyuan took a deep breath, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the two blueprints, as if he were weighing something. After a while, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Betting the fate of the nation with a few commoners against the Tian family is the most exciting thing I've witnessed this year. Okay, let's take the gamble. Either way, it's a matter of death. Can you make these two things? I can be responsible for collecting the materials."

Song Lin stood aside and listened to Shen Xu's analysis of the current situation, his heart in a mess. If she had not been abducted and had not lost her memory, perhaps she would have been a powerful figure in the court now, and the world would be played in the palm of her hand.

But now, she has to be buried in the mountains with me, and all I think about every day is three meals a day, family matters, and trivial matters.

When he thought about her childhood, he couldn't bear to send her back to that place, nor could he bear to tell her her life story. But all of this had to be faced, so how should he face it?

He walked over and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, his low voice full of concern, "Xiu Xiu, you're injured, you shouldn't be working so hard."

Shen Xu felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder, raised her beautiful eyes, and spoke gently: "Husband, I always feel that you have been worried lately, what's wrong?"