Upon hearing this, Xue Shen was startled and frowned in disapproval, saying, "You are already six months pregnant. How can you withstand the hardships of travel? It's too dangerous. If you are really worried, after I have arranged the affairs in Xizhou, I will personally go to Tibet to bring her back. I will make sure that my father-in-law and elder brother are not harmed in the slightest."

Shen Youying shook her head, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at him. "I know it's too impulsive to go to Tibet now, but if I don't go, I'm afraid I won't be able to eat or sleep properly." She gripped Xue Shen's hand tightly, choking back sobs. "Every time I close my eyes, I think of how if I had found my brother on the street that day and prevented him from returning to Tibet, he wouldn't have been in such a dangerous situation..."

"How can you blame yourself?"

Xue Shen tenderly cupped her face and wiped away her tears, but Shen Youying's tears seemed endless.

"I know, but I can't help it. I can only feel at ease when I see my father and my elder brother safe and sound."

Shen Youying said, "No one in Tibet will recognize me. I will disguise myself as a merchant's family member and secretly search for him. Even if my brother has injured his head and lost his memory, he might remember him when he sees someone familiar."

She frowned, tears streaming down her face, but her expression remained resolute.

Xue Shen looked at her, his mind racing with thoughts. In the end, he couldn't bear to see her looking so worried and self-reproachful, so he sighed and relented, "How could I possibly let you go to Tibet alone?"

Seeing that Shen Youying was about to speak, he finished speaking: "I'll go with you."

Shen Youying was startled and stared at him blankly.

Xue Shen took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and coaxed her, "Don't cry, it will hurt your health. If you want to go, we need to make more preparations just in case, and we may have to postpone our departure for a few days."

Shen Youying sniffed and obediently said, "Okay."

Xue Shen gently touched the corner of her red and swollen eyes: "Then don't cry anymore. Take good care of yourself these next few days. Once everything is ready, we'll set off."

Shen Youying stopped crying and smiled, leaning on his shoulder and giving a strong "Mmm".

Xue Shen escorted the person back to the courtyard and coaxed them to take a nap before summoning Pang Lai and Yuan Ye to arrange the follow-up matters.

When Pang Lai and Yuan Ye heard that Xue Shen wanted to take Shen Youying to Tibet, they both looked incredulous and tried their best to dissuade him, saying, "Although as long as the prince and princess reveal their identities, the Tibetans will not dare to do anything openly, it is hard to guarantee that they will not do something bad in secret."

“That’s right. Moreover, Emperor Cheng’an is still eyeing us covetously. Although he is far away in the capital, he has no shortage of spies and informants. He can’t find an opportunity in Xizhou City, which is like an iron barrel, but if he were to enter Tibetan territory, he might very well make a move.”

Xue Shen naturally understood what they were saying, but now that Shen Xiuyi had lost her memory and was being used by villains, and Shen Mingjiang was missing and his situation was unknown, these were Zhao Zhao's two most important relatives. If he didn't let her go now, he was afraid that if something unexpected happened in the future, she wouldn't be able to get over it.

Moreover, since Zhao Zhao became pregnant, there have been constant changes, big and small, and she has been under a lot of pressure. Now that Shen Xiuyi's matter has come up again, leaving her alone in Xizhou to wait for news, Xue Shen is honestly worried.

It would be better to keep the person by his side; even if there is danger, Xue Shen is confident enough to protect them.

“I understand your concerns, but there are reasons why the Queen and I must go.”

Pang Lai and Yuan Ye were both trusted confidants and henchmen. After Xue Shen left, they would still be needed to guard Xizhou. Therefore, he did not hide anything and said frankly, "Shen Xiuyi is still alive and is currently in Tibet."

Pang Lai and Yuan Ye were shocked, both recalling the rumors that Shen Xiuyi had defected to the enemy and betrayed the country on the battlefield.

Seeing the slight change in their expressions, Xue Shen shook his head and said, "This matter is complicated, and I am not entirely clear about many aspects of it. The purpose of this trip to Tibet is to verify this matter and bring the person back."

Pang Lai and Yuan Ye understood and did not try to persuade him further. They simply said, "We will guard Xizhou well and wait for the Prince and Princess to return."

Xue Shen nodded and began to discuss with the two how to handle the affairs of Xizhou after his absence.

*

Three days later, Xue Shen had everything arranged.

The affairs of Xizhou were all entrusted to Pang Lai and Yuan Ye, while he and Shen Youying, under the pretext that Shen Youying was about to give birth and wanted to pray for blessings, went to a very famous Taoist temple in Qingzhou to pray for blessings.

Qingzhou is about three or four days' journey from Xizhou, so it's perfectly reasonable for the two of them to be away from Xizhou for ten days or so.

To avoid attracting attention, Xue Shen brought only his elite troops with him on this trip. In addition to the fifteen guards who accompanied him and disguised themselves as servants, Xue Shen also secretly arranged for one hundred elite soldiers to protect him, as well as more than twenty spies who had been sent to Tibet as a vanguard.

After arranging everything, Xue Shen chose a clear morning and left Xizhou with Shen Youying in a carriage.

Because this trip might involve suspicion, Shen Youying did not bring Bai Luodanzhu with her, but instead brought Fu Cui and Wen Rao.

Fu Cui and Wen Rao were originally spies; one was skilled in appearance and ventriloquism, and the other was exceptionally skilled in martial arts. Add to that the Fire Cave Master, a man knowledgeable in medicine and navigating the streets and alleys, and they were more than capable of eliminating any potential dangers.

After leaving Xizhou, the group changed carriages and disguised themselves again.

Xue Shen had already instructed his spies to prepare a new set of identity documents for everyone. Xue Shen disguised himself as a Tibetan, while Shen Youying was the wife of the other party who had married into the Great Wei.

Compared to the Northern Rong, although the Great Wei and the Tubo often had friction, their relationship was generally peaceful, especially among the border people, as merchants often secretly traded and intermarried.

In particular, many Tibetans who did not have high social status in Tibet but made their fortunes by doing business between the two countries mostly preferred to marry a gentle and beautiful woman from Wei. Even if they did not marry, they would have several concubines who were women from Wei.

Fu Cui was skilled in disguise. She re-dressed and made up Shen Youying's face. Shen Youying's face was too outstanding and would attract too much attention if she went out, so she needed to be disguised a little.

Fu Cui applied makeup to Shen Youying's face, and after a moment handed her a mirror, smiling and saying, "All done."

When Shen Youying took the mirror and looked at herself, she almost didn't recognize herself.

Her complexion was much more sallow than before, her eyes drooped at the corners, and she had several more wrinkles. Her eyebrows were deliberately drawn thicker, her nose bridge was wider and flatter, and even her lips were thinned. Upon closer inspection, her facial features hadn't changed much; she was still a beauty.

At first glance, however, her once exquisite beauty is gone, replaced by a haggard and harsh appearance. Her looks are only average to above average and not particularly striking.

Shen Youying put away the mirror, touched her hair which was styled into a common woman's bun, and exclaimed in surprise, "Fu Cui actually has such skills, I almost don't recognize myself anymore."

At this moment, Xue Shen had also finished his disguise. He leaned closer and examined Shen Youying for a long time before saying, "Zhao Zhao has such a good foundation. No matter how she tries to make herself look ugly, she is still a beauty."

Shen Youying bit her lip and glared at him, but was stunned by his appearance, and exclaimed in disbelief, "Why are you dressed like this?"

Xue Shen changed into a robe commonly worn by Tibetan men, tied his long hair high into many braids, painted his face black, added a thick beard, and deliberately lowered the corners of his naturally noble phoenix eyes. His entire demeanor changed drastically; his previous aloofness was gone, replaced by a more unapproachable, bandit-like air.