The Moonlight cruise ship sailed in Manchester Bay. Zhang Fan sat at the bow, playing with a violet badge in his hand. This was his second time visiting Moonlight Island.

The violet badge was given to him by Mr. Qiu Qingquan before he left. Not many people knew of the existence of this badge; including Mr. Qiu, there were no more than ten people.

The Qiu family cannot leave Xiliang Star, but over the past thousand years, a very small number of individuals have managed to leave Xiliang through various channels. The most open example is Qiu Wanyan marrying Marquis Charles, while the more clandestine ones are hard to say.

The hidden members of the Qiu family will unconditionally obey the commands of the owner of this violet badge.

Zhang Fan put the badge away, and the roof of the Marquis's mansion on Moon Island was now clearly visible.

As the "Moonlight" approached the harbor, Zhang Fan covered his forehead with a helpless expression.

A row of black cars was parked on the dock, with a group of men in black wearing sunglasses standing on both sides, surrounding a girl in the middle who was wearing a light yellow wide-brimmed sun hat and a bright green floral sundress.

Alice's butler, Ralph, and the chief guard, William, also stood on either side, but this setup didn't look like a welcoming ceremony at all.

"Alice, it's been a long time!" Zhang Fan said, waving and greeting Alice as he walked down the gangway of the Moonlight.

Whatever she wants to do, just bring up the title of "classmate" to get closer to her; it can't hurt.

"I thought you'd already been fed to the turtles in the sea." Alice raised her head slightly, pulled her sunglasses down a little, and stared at Zhang Fan with a half-smile.

"I left in a hurry last time, so I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to the princess. I'm truly sorry." Zhang Fan sensed the resentment in her voice and quickly chuckled to smooth things over. "Butler Ralph, Captain Xia, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

"Thanks to the general, I am still in good health." Ralph bowed to Zhang Fan.

"Good day, sir." William Xia gave a formal military salute with a serious expression.

Zhang Fan is currently a major general. Although William Xia is not his subordinate, the two belong to the same organization of the Ryan National Army. In terms of rank, Zhang Fan is undoubtedly his superior.

Alice was taken aback when she saw her captain of the guard salute Zhang Fan, then became somewhat annoyed.

"Why are you saluting him? There are tons of people like him. If you had to salute everyone, your arms would break!"

Alice was right. Every day, nobles flocked to the Marquis's mansion, and it had become a trend for nobles to gain experience in the military. You could grab any nobleman here and they might be a major general, lieutenant general, or even a general.

However, most of these major generals, lieutenant generals, and generals are civilian honorary titles and cannot command troops, while Zhang Fan is a major general with a real position and currently has a regiment under his command.

Besides this, William also knew that Zhang Fan was recommended to Prince Reinhard by Marquis Charles, which is why he showed him respect.

Otherwise, on Moon Island, even if he encountered an officer of higher rank, William Xia could simply ignore him and pretend not to see him; the officer might even nod and salute him instead.

"Haha, Princess Alice is right. I'm not wearing my uniform today, so I don't need to worry about those rules and regulations in the military." Zhang Fan knew that William Xia belonged to Marquis Charles's personal guard. Although they were organized into the Ryan National Army, in a sense, they were already the Marquis's private army.

“Even though I’m not wearing a uniform, my duty as a soldier remains the same.” William Xia lowered his hand after saluting.

"Get in the car!" Alice pointed to a long black sedan next to her, and without saying much, she got in first, clearly not wanting to give Zhang Fan a friendly look.

Zhang Fan scratched his head and could only get into the car.

The driver was the butler, Ralph, with William Sharon leading the way in the lead car, followed by a row of black sedans.

"It's just picking up one person, is it really necessary to have so many people?" Zhang Fan sat on the sofa near the back of the car, looking out the window with a hint of exasperation.

A group of people came to block the dock, was it just to intimidate us?

"It's none of your business if I like it!" Alice sat at the other end of the sofa, legs together in front of her, and glared at Zhang Fan. "You think I wanted to come pick you up? My mother made me come!"

"Oh, really?" Zhang Fan nodded and asked, "But I'm here to report to Marquis Charlie..."

"You've come too early. My father won't be back until tonight."

The car turned a corner in front of the Marquis's mansion and headed towards the gate, while the other cars stopped in the square in front of the mansion.

Zhang Fan knew that Marquis Charles was not at the Marquis's mansion during the day, so he deliberately arrived early.

The person he really wanted to see on Moon Island was Qiu Wanyan, but it was really unreasonable for a man to casually go to see the Marquis's wife.

Although Madam Qiu seems to have already regarded Zhang Fan as her future son-in-law, outsiders don't think so. Not to mention that he doesn't have the approval of Alice herself and Marquis Charles, what do you take Prince Reinhardt for? Is this the kind of thing that's already preparing a cuckold's hat before the marriage even begins?

Therefore, Zhang Fan had no reason to see Madam Qiu. He used the pretext of seeing Marquis Charles to "incidentally" greet Madam Charles, which would make things more reasonable.

Madam Qiu naturally had no reason to see Zhang Fan, but it would be perfectly legitimate for Alice, who had been her classmate, to invite Zhang Fan to her home.

Zhang Fan followed Alice to the Marquis's room on the second floor, and Alice pushed open the door and went in.

"Mother, I'm back."

Everything in the room was familiar. Zhang Fan remembered hiding in the closet in the bedroom and swimming in the bathtub.

"You're back. Have a seat." Qiu Wanyan came out of the room carrying a plate of washed fruit and smiled as she invited the two of them to sit on the sofa opposite her in the living room.

Zhang Fan sat down, while Alice sat down several seats away from him on the same sofa, giving the impression of children having a fight and trying to draw a line.

"Why sit so far away? It's hard to even talk." Qiu Wanyan glared at her daughter, then smiled at Zhang Fan and said, "Alice is shy, you should take the initiative to get closer to her in the future."

"She's just stubborn and proud. She might seem indifferent to you on the surface, but she actually cares a lot. Take the time you fell into the sea, for example; she worried about you all night and didn't sleep a wink..."

"Ugh, this is so annoying!" Alice stood up and interrupted Qiu Wanyan, throwing a tantrum and refusing to let her continue. "I'm not talking anymore! I'm going back to my room to catch up on some sleep!"

After Alice finished speaking, she stormed off; she couldn't stand staying there any longer.

Watching Alice leave, Zhang Fan couldn't help but nod in admiration. She had subtly and effortlessly sent his daughter away, and it was Alice who had chosen to leave on her own initiative.

"How's Xiliang? Is it fun?" Qiu Wanyan picked up a piece of fruit, took a bite, and looked at Zhang Fan with a smile.

“It’s a magical place.” Zhang Fan turned to look at Qiu Wanyan. “I never imagined that there would be an independent, secluded matriarchal society within Ryan’s territory, and that it would maintain such an ancient way of life.”

“This detached lifestyle is hard to maintain.” Qiu Wanyan chewed on the fruit in her mouth, as if talking about a trivial matter, “The Ryan royal family, Prince Ryanhart, Marquis Ferlinan, including the Charlie family, every single one of them is plotting against Xiliang.”

"You accompany me back to Xiliang to visit my relatives every year, do you really think we're a loving couple? Hehehe—"

Qiu Wanyan suddenly laughed, and Zhang Fan couldn't help but frown. It's fine to talk about others, but is it really appropriate to talk about your husband in front of outsiders like this?

"You've been to the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum, right?" Qiu Wanyan changed the subject, leaning forward and asking with great interest, "Could you tell me what it's like inside?"

So Zhang Fan recounted in detail everything he saw inside the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum, including his conversation with the Tang Emperor. He felt there was nothing to hide, especially since Qiu Wanlan was also present at the time. As her older sister, she would find out sooner or later, or she already did.

“Qiandeng Lake… I used to go boating there often when I was a child,” Qiu Wanyan said. “I never imagined that the entrance to the Tang Dynasty Mausoleum was once only a dozen meters away from me. I really want to go and see it.”

“We can’t go.” Zhang Fan shook his head. “The royal tomb has completely collapsed. The original location is now an underground lake, and it’s impossible to go in.”

“That’s good too. The Tang King and Queen have been separated for a thousand years, and now they are finally together. No one can disturb them anymore.” Qiu Wanyan exhaled the fruit pit in her mouth and sat up straight. “So, since the old gentleman asked you to come to me, what do you want to ask?”

"Well……"

Although it was Mr. Qiu Qingquan who asked Zhang Fan to find Qiu Wanyan, Zhang Fan really didn't know where to begin when Qiu Wanyan suddenly said those words.

"Mrs. Qiu, you..." Zhang Fan thought for a moment before asking, "Why did you marry into the Charlie family?"

"Hahaha—" Qiu Wanyan covered her mouth and laughed. "I didn't expect you to ask this, but I can tell you, because it's fun."

"Fun?" Zhang Fan was stunned. No matter how hard he tried, he never expected to get this answer.

“Yes, don’t you think this is the best way to infiltrate the ‘enemy’?” Qiu Wanyan laughed easily. “Simple, effective, and low-cost.”

"Don't be surprised. The Charlie family is marrying me. Do you really think it's because of love? They're only after the Qiu family."

"This..." Zhang Fan didn't know how to respond for a moment. Wasn't this treating his marriage as a transaction?

Moreover, Zhang Fan noticed that Qiu Wanyan was referring to the Charlie family marrying her, not the Marquis Charlie.

"Do you believe it or not?" Qiu Wanyan took off her shoes and squatted barefoot on the sofa with a mischievous look on her face. "We've been husband and wife for 20 years, but we've never spent a single night in the same room."

Zhang Fan didn't dare to respond.

You know what, he actually believed it to some extent.

Because Qiu Wanyan's overall demeanor and state of mind didn't resemble that of a young mother at all; when she stood next to Alice, they looked more like sisters.

"He and I are nothing more than a nominal couple in name only." Qiu Wanyan rested her chin on her knees, looking at the ground. "You don't believe me?"

Zhang Fan shook his head. Of course he didn't believe it. Otherwise, where did Alice come from? Did she spring out of a stone?

"Alice is indeed my daughter, and she is my biological daughter. There is no doubt about that."

“It’s too complicated to explain, and now is not the time to tell you…” Qiu Wanyan scratched her head, looked up with some distress, and then tilted her head to look at Zhang Fan with a half-smile, “Why don’t you come and check it out?”

"Cough! Cough!"

Zhang Fan choked on the fruit in his mouth and immediately pounded his chest.

An inspection? How else can you inspect something?

"Haha, I was just teasing you." Qiu Wanyan laughed. "Since I've been so open with you, shouldn't you also reveal your true identity?"

"Identity?" Zhang Fan was a little confused. He had many identities, and he really didn't know which one Qiu Wanyan was referring to.

“You were recommended to Prince Reinhard by the Marquis,” Qiu Wanyan said slowly, looking at Zhang Fan. “Then, who are you loyal to, the Marquis or the Prince?”

“Of course I am loyal to you, Madam,” Zhang Fan replied.

"Really?" Qiu Wanyan smiled. "Isn't it Dean Erwin?"

Zhang Fan stiffened for a moment, then took a big bite of the fruit, not intending to argue:

"Now that Madam knows, please stop joking with me."

"Hehe, knowing is one thing, saying it out loud is another," Qiu Wanyan said with a smile, leaning back on the sofa. "Don't worry, I didn't mean anything by it."

“There is no conflict of interest between me and Dean Erwin; in fact, our interests align in many areas. So I do not object to you helping Dean Erwin.”

“My focus remains on Reinhard,” Qiu Wanyan said. “There’s not much time left this year, and I can’t let Alice be ruined by him.”

“Does Madam mean…” Zhang Fan looked directly into Qiu Wanyan’s eyes, “that I find a way to prevent Reinhard from ascending the throne? Or rather, to abolish his status as crown prince?”

If Prince Reinhard loses his right to the throne, then without a doubt, his political marriage to Alice will most likely be automatically cancelled, and the nobles will not say a word about it.

Ultimately, it all comes down to self-interest – the victor is king and the loser is villain.

“No, you’re wrong.” Qiu Wanyan shook her head and said seriously, “I want you to do the exact opposite. I want you to help Reinhard ascend the throne as much as possible.”

"Why?" Zhang Fan asked, somewhat surprised.

You didn't want Alice to marry him, did you? And you still want to help him ascend the throne?

"Removing Reinhardt's title as crown prince does not guarantee the annulment of his verbal engagement with Alice," Qiu Wanyan said calmly. "Only by condemning him to utter ruin can we ensure that he and Alice will never have any further relationship."

“Reinhard is nearly 40 years old, and he is becoming increasingly impatient. So I need you to give him a push from behind and help him ascend the throne sooner.”

"Madam, you... actually look down on Reinhard from the bottom of your heart, and believe that even with my help, he has no ability to inherit the throne, is that right?"

Qiu Wanyan smiled and said, "He is not good enough for my daughter."

Zhang Fan understood, and he looked intently at the gentle and virtuous Mrs. Qiu before him.

Reinhard could not inherit the throne in a short time; if he had to, he would have no choice but to seize power.

But this path, if it fails, will lead to utter ruin. What Qiu Wanyan wanted him to do was to push Reinhardt onto this path.

Zhang Fan's gaze toward Qiu Wanyan had completely changed. He realized that he had made a common-sense mistake from the very beginning. How could he have regarded the current first in line to the throne of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom as an ordinary woman who would be good at supporting her husband and raising children?

"Since you believe Prince Reinhardt is unlikely to inherit the throne, then who do you think will succeed him?" Zhang Fan looked into Qiu Wanyan's eyes. "Will it be the Marquis of Ferlinan, or..."

"Marquis Charles?"

"Why can't it be you? If you're interested, I can help you ascend the throne." Qiu Wanyan looked at Zhang Fan with a smile. "How about it? Want to consider it?"

“I’m not interested.” Zhang Fan shook his head.

Qiu Wanyan leaned over and stared at Zhang Fan for a long while, finally letting out a helpless sigh:

"It seems you really have no interest."

“Then Madam should know what I’m interested in, right?” Zhang Fan also leaned forward, his eyes fixed intently on Qiu Wanyan. “What I want!”

Qiu Wanyan's face flushed red to her ears instantly, and she felt a surge of panic under Zhang Fan's aggressive gaze.

"This won't do." Qiu Wanyan waved her hands frantically. "I'm Alice's mother! What if she finds out?"

What is that?

Zhang Fan was stunned for a moment. What does wanting the "Star Core" have to do with whether you are Alice's mother?

Zhang Fan was a little confused for a moment. Seeing Qiu Wanyan's flushed face, he suddenly realized that she had misunderstood him.

"No, no, no! It's the star core, I mean the star core, not 'want a husband'... that's not what I meant." Zhang Fan panicked and quickly explained.

But what does that mean? What if Alice finds out? Is it okay if she doesn't find out?

"A star core?" Qiu Wanyan seemed a little disappointed after calming down. "What do you need that for?"

"The significance of the Star Core is very important to me, extremely important." Zhang Fan realized that he couldn't use the typical woman's way of thinking to understand the thought process of a woman from Xiliang. "Does Madam know where the Star Core is?"

“I don’t know.” Qiu Wanyan shook her head. “Although I have lived in Charlie’s family for twenty years, I have no clue where the Star Core is.”

“I think he’s probably the only one in the entire Charlie family who knows where the Star Core is.” Even someone as close as Qiu Wanyan has no clue where the Star Core is, so asking others won’t help. “Why don’t you just ask him tonight?”

“Okay, I will ask.” Zhang Fan nodded.

“It’s still early before he gets back.” Qiu Wanyan stood up. “Let’s go for a walk in the garden. I think you still have a lot of questions to ask me. Let’s talk as we walk.”

Zhang Fan naturally still has many questions.

However, it was indeed inappropriate for a man to stay in the Marquis's room for too long, and she was certainly more thoughtful in this regard.

The Marquis's garden was bustling with people, and servants frequently passed through it. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the two could speak openly and honestly without arousing suspicion.