Shen Xu stared blankly at the bloody silver needle. A bright red bead of blood emerged from between her eyebrows, like a ruby ​​flower inlaid on her forehead.

"Miss...how do you feel?" Jiang Ran waved his hand tentatively in front of her eyes, and then wanted to grab her wrist to take her pulse.

Shen Xu subconsciously retracted his hand and came back to his senses, "I'm fine, I remembered something, later..."

"Afterwards, you had a nightmare, didn't you?"

Shen Xu sighed and nodded.

Jiang Ran removed the needles from the other acupuncture points on her head and said, "This is the first time I've seen someone break free from consciousness and remove the needles I applied in their sleep. Pei Zhiyuan, this has had a profound impact on you."

Shen Xu shifted his gaze to the hand warmer emitting curls of incense, raised his hand and gently stroked the blood on his forehead, his eyes becoming cold, "You are rummaging through my memories and interfering with my consciousness."

"Why do you say that, Miss?"

"Doctor Jiang lit the sea lance incense used by the Dali Temple to interrogate prisoners. Sea lance incense, like datura seeds, produces toxic fumes when burned. It can cause a person to become hyperactive and hallucinate. You tampered with my memory."

Jiang Ran spread his hands. "I'm not that amazing. Those are just your innermost thoughts. If you don't trust me, you can stop the treatment at any time. After all, doing so is very risky. But how did you know I used Sea Lengxiang?"

"It was only when I saw the red gauze maze in my memory that I remembered this fragrance."

"Miss, you have a really good sense of smell."

Chen Xu lowered his eyes and said calmly, "The Qimen Four Phases Formation was jointly researched and designed by Jiang Yu and me. I am very familiar with every mechanism in it. Doctor Jiang doesn't believe my identity and is afraid that I am someone sent by Murong Yao?"

Jiang Ran raised his eyebrows slightly and said with interest, "I've heard that my prince is very talented. He is not only proficient in mathematics, but also well versed in history, Mohism, Yishu and military strategy. He is a rare genius."

"Before I got this body, they always called me trash." Shen Xu was silent for a moment, then forced a smile. "It wasn't Fu Yi who sent you here, it was my mother who sent you to test me?"

A trace of panic flashed across Jiang Ran's face. He said nothing and tacitly agreed with her guess.

Shen Xu looked at the silent Jiang Ran, her nose felt sore, and her beautiful cat eyes were covered with a layer of mist. She rubbed her forehead as if in pain and wiped away the tears that were rolling down.

After a while, he squeezed out a word from his dry throat, "It hurts, Second Brother Jiang."

"Master Shen, Madam..." Hearing her call him the second brother of the Jiang family, Jiang Ran was slightly stunned. He was sure that the person in front of him was Master Shen, the daughter of Madam Fu.

He wanted to open his mouth to explain for Madam Fu, but she raised her hand to stop him.

"I know what my mother thinks. She's the one who funded the Western Freedom Army of the North Sea Kingdom, right?"

"Well, Uncle Ling and the others are all good friends of Madam and the Marquis, after all."

Shen Xu chuckled, "It seems that she has accepted Brother Yan as her son-in-law."

Jiang Ran understood her implication, touched his nose with a guilty look, and explained, "Prince, you are the pride of the Marquis and his wife. They have always hoped that the war would end soon so that your family can be reunited."

"Home?" Shen Xu's eyes suddenly turned red, and some childhood memories suddenly popped up in his mind.

She would never forget how cold and disgusted Mrs. Fu looked at her when she was wearing women's clothes and was pushed onto the sharp stones by Fu Yi.

Does she really have a home?

Now, that body of Master Shen belongs to someone else. Now, Pei Zhiyuan is dead...

Will she still have a home?

Shen Xu buried his face in his hands, took a deep breath for a while, sniffed back his snot, and changed the subject, "Did you do what I asked you to do before?"

Jiang Ran lowered his eyes, avoiding her gaze, and promised: "Don't worry, Prince, we will definitely complete the tasks you assign."

Chen Xu sneered with red eyes: "Oh, go back and ask my mother, if I still stand on the side of Haoyue Country and kill these people for the benefit of Haoyue Country, will she stop me?"

"Sir, the eldest young master is now in charge. He has long ago ordered us to cooperate with your actions unconditionally. If you have any instructions, please feel free to ask."

Shen Xu said with a cold face: "Then why don't you obey orders and test me on behalf of my mother?"

"It wasn't Madam's intention to test me, I just had some doubts..."

"I'm wondering if my current mental state will doom the Southern Territory. I'm wondering why I asked Fu Yi to build another city. I'm wondering why I asked Liu Zhang to present a defense map for the siege."

"I acted on my own initiative. Please punish me, Your Highness."

Shen Xu was silent for a moment, sighed slightly, and said: "Forget it, all your doubts will be solved soon. Anyway, whether this is done or not, I will not be the one affected."

"Don't worry, Prince. The eldest young master and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince trust you with all their heart."

Chen Xu frowned and looked at Jiang Ran mischievously, "You are like A Rao, following your mother. But right now, there is indeed a very important matter that needs to be completed by you."

"Prince, please give your orders."

......

Liu Zhang, with his familiarity with Nanguancheng's military defenses, quickly captured the city. Before the news of the victory reached the imperial court, someone, claiming that Liu Zhang had not captured Nanguancheng, submitted a memorial to Murong Yao.

The commander of the Black Sail Army originally reported the fact that Fu Yi had built another fortress to the court, but Jiang Yulou was unwilling to defend Liu Zhang. He withheld the military report and allowed the court to send officials to arrest Liu Zhang.

This action immediately angered the deputy generals who followed Liu Zhang to attack the city. They all obeyed the orders of Prime Minister Liu. Since the eldest young master had conquered Nanguan City with great merit, the court went back on its word and still wanted to punish him, and also wiped out the merits of the soldiers.

Liu Zhang claimed that he believed his father would handle the affairs of the court. He asked the military officer who was watching him to go back and tell Prime Minister Liu that he had successfully captured Nanguan City and was now stationed in Zhancheng, waiting for his father to send troops for support. Soon they would be able to strangle Fengming City, the throat of the southern border.

Upon receiving this news, Prime Minister Liu could no longer sit still and declared that Liu Zhang's capture of Nanguan City was already a fact, and that they only needed to send troops to support them and they could take Fengming City directly. However, in order to contain the Liu family, the Xu Party had wantonly smeared his son, calling a black cat a white cat, and confusing right and wrong.

The court was divided into two groups. Censor Xu's group claimed that Liu Zhang failed to capture Nanguan City, reported military intelligence in a panic, refused to be arrested and resisted the court. His crimes were extremely serious and his military power should be confiscated. The Black Sail Army should be sent to take over military affairs and a new siege plan should be formulated.

Murong Yao sat on the dragon throne, watching the two factions fighting each other indifferently. He wanted to quickly take over the southern border and reap a large amount of land and resources, but he also didn't want to let the Liu family grow wildly and dominate the court.