Watching the servants coming in and out to deliver things to the room, Shen Xu and Pei Zhiyuan simply stood in a corner of the garden to watch the fun.

"I thought you were only capable of marching, fighting, and governing the court. I didn't expect you could do this kind of thing. You really can do everything." Pei Zhiyuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the chaotic crowd from afar.

The king of a country jumped into the pond in the garden of Guangcheng Marquis Mansion in the middle of winter to save someone. Who wouldn't panic?

"My aunt is the Empress Xigong of the previous dynasty, and I have been influenced by her since I was a child."

Shen Xu had a faint smile on his face, "Compared to the bloody battles on the battlefield, this backyard fight is no less brutal.

The little tricks and schemes in the young ladies' minds are even more brilliant and rich than the strategies in military books."

"I strongly agree with this." Pei Zhiyuan nodded, and thought of his aunt's hideous appearance before her death, and sighed slightly.

"It's done." Shen Xu shook his head, and a jade token with a dark copper border appeared in his hand.

"What's this?"

"The Secret Guard Order belongs to my brother Yan. With it, I can mobilize all the secret guards in the imperial city. After my brother Yan gave it to Ye Wanqing, she kept it in the secret compartment of my cabinet.

This time when I came back, I took it away. Luckily, when they searched the house, they only took the things in the cabinet. They didn't move the cabinet, and they didn't find the secret compartment in the cabinet. "

Shen Xu rummaged through his sleeves, took out a long brocade box, and handed it to Pei Zhiyuan, "By the way, this is for you."

Pei Zhiyuan flipped through the brocade box and opened it to reveal a jade fan. The ribs were delicately carved, and the leaf was clad in rich silk satin. The calligraphy on one side was powerful and majestic, while the painting on the other was beautiful and vivid.

He frowned slightly, "Why are you still stealing their things?"

"Please, this is my thing. The words on it were written by Brother Yan, and the flowers were carved by Jiang Yu. The painting is amazing."

"You drew it?"

"No, the painting was done by Liu Yan, the painting saint of our Yanyang Nation. I spent a fortune to get it. I've kept it in a secret compartment and never wanted to use it. But now I don't need it anymore, and I don't want to let them get away with it, so I'm giving it to you."

Pei Zhiyuan smiled as he picked up the fan and examined it carefully, saying with interest, "I thought you made it yourself."

"Of course I made it myself. I pieced the fan bones together myself, and I mounted the fan myself. I studied the gold sprinkling technique for a long time." Shen Xu smiled warmly at him with an expression that said, "Praise me!"

Pei Zhiyuan put the fan in his pocket, gently pinched the tip of her nose, and said in a gentle and doting tone, "You really can do everything."

"Of course. I originally thought that if Brother Yan became the emperor, I could at least get a job as a doctor in the Ministry of Works with my skills, and receive a salary of 100 taels a year. Add to that the 500 taels of pocket money my family gives me every month, and I'll just tinker with my research at home with my brother Jiang Yu. I don't think about anything else."

She sighed softly, "What a shame, people are never satisfied. Power is so tempting, everyone yearns for it and fights for it until it's bloody."

Pei Zhiyuan was silent. What kind of young lady from a good family would have 500 taels of pocket money a month? He finally understood why the emperor of Yanyang Kingdom was so eager to conquer the southern border.

Shen Xu took Pei Zhiyuan's hand and walked to the rockery in the small garden. She wiped the smooth stone with a handkerchief and let Pei Zhiyuan sit in it.

She fished out a fist-sized night-shining pearl from a crevice in the rock, held it in her hand, and the green fluorescence illuminated the excitement on her face.

"Your Highness, this is my secret base. Whenever the Great Demon King returns from the southern border, I will hide here."

"The Great Devil?"

"Oh, the big devil is my brother, Fu Yi."

"Why is your brother's surname Fu? According to the system of Yanyang Kingdom, can kings and princes inherit their titles? Doesn't your brother also have to inherit the title?"

Shen Xu lowered his head and spoke slowly, "Well...it's a long story. My father and mother divorced when I was very young. My maternal grandfather's business in the Southern Territory was very big, and my uncle disappeared, so my brother became the heir to the Fu family in the Southern Territory.

My mother made me dress as a boy since I was a child, so I am the eldest son of the Tingnan Marquisate. If this accident had not happened, I would probably have inherited the title and become the next Tingnan Marquis.

Now the war has begun, and everything is shattered. If the South loses, my entire family will become criminals and prisoners. The victor is the king, the loser the bandit, and neither of us will be buried.

The hardships I endured disguising myself as a boy since childhood, the blood my father shed on the battlefield, the prosperity my mother and brother built in the southern border—all would be reduced to ashes, and my brother Jiang Yu's hard work would be wasted. The southern border of Yanyang Nation would also return to barrenness.

Although I don't like the Big Devil, I really don't want him to lose."

"Don't worry, I will help you." Pei Zhiyuan held her hand and comforted her softly, "We will definitely buy time for your brother."

Shen Xu said with a hint of trepidation, "I'm not very familiar with Liu Zhang, but he's incredibly intelligent. He entered the government at the age of fifteen, and in his first battle, he apprehended the culprits of a major robbery of government silver. He was later promoted to the position of Dali Temple Minister. He later solved countless unsolved cases, and his promotion was unattainable. I'm a little uneasy about him becoming part of our plan."

"Your brother and Brother Yan trust him so much. It's a good thing that such an outstanding person can be used by the Southern Territory."

"Your Highness, I don't think you have the airs of a regent at all. You are very approachable. I think I'm starting to like you."

Pei Zhiyuan smiled gently and put his arm around her shoulders. "How much do you like it? Kiss me and let me feel it."

Shen Xu flinched slightly, "Since we are starting over, we should spend some time getting to know each other before committing to each other for life."

"But you are my princess, we have been through four years."

"I'm sorry, I really can't remember what we went through together. I know this is unfair to you, but I don't want to leave any regrets for either of us. I will try my best to find the me who loves you deeply and find the feeling of liking you.

But I always feel that the person you are describing is not me. I am not that brave, nor that smart. "

Pei Zhiyuan frowned slightly. Every time he wanted to take a step further with her, her defensiveness made him feel frustrated.

But he still comforted her in a gentle tone, "How could that be? Aren't we venturing into a dangerous place right now?"

"Perhaps now that I've regained my past memories and become the cowardly and unsuccessful me again, my hesitant judgment will probably drag you down."

Chen Xu handed the jade token of Murong Yan to Pei Zhiyuan and said solemnly: "You are the regent of Haoyue Kingdom and are of great importance to Haoyue Kingdom. If you encounter any danger, don't worry about me. Saving your own life is the most important thing."

"I'll take you back to Haoyue Country when the war is over."

"Okay, let's go back together alive." Shen Xu stood up slightly and kissed him on the cheek lightly.

Pei Zhiyuan was caught off guard and took a while to react. He wanted to kiss her back, but she said softly, "I always feel that you are not like my husband, but more like a..."

She thought for a long time, and finally came up with a word, "Trustworthy comrade."