The stench of blood from the Blackrock Valley hunting grounds seemed to cling to everyone's robes, accompanying the procession back to the royal court. The heads of Uloran and the core members of his Blackwater tribe were hung on wooden poles at the entrance to the royal court, proclaiming the fate of the rebels in the most primitive and cruel way, and silently demonstrating Helian's unquestionable authority.

Su Nian's life was once again pushed into a new, more delicate and dangerous situation.

Helian Jue's possessive embrace and declaration in public were like a thunderclap in the royal court, definitively confirming her status as "the most special woman by the King's side." Now, as she walks through the royal court, everyone she encounters, regardless of rank or inner thoughts, displays unprecedented respect. Some even begin to address her privately as "Madam," despite Helian Jue never granting her any formal title.

She still lived in that secluded stone palace and still held the position of "Counselor of the Royal Court," but everything was different. Helian Jue's "protection" (or rather, surveillance) of her had reached an unprecedented level. The number of guards outside her palace had doubled, and they were all royal guards personally selected by Batu and absolutely loyal. If she wanted to go to the artisan workshop, four guards would accompany her every step of the way. Her food and daily life were all checked and recorded by special personnel.

This was a suffocating control. Su Nian felt like a bird carefully raised in a golden cage. Although she had the best material conditions and a certain amount of space to move around, the invisible chain called "Helian Jue" was constantly wrapped around her neck, and the tightness of the chain depended entirely on his mood.

However, Su Nian was neither discouraged nor afraid. She knew clearly that this was the price she had to pay to gain power and get close to the core. Helian Jue's obsession and possessiveness were weapons she could use, but also a double-edged sword she had to wield carefully.

She devoted more of her energy to her work as a "counselor of the royal court." Taking advantage of Helian Jue's purge of opposition forces and his rising authority, she began to try to implement some more substantial, minor reforms that touched upon the old power structure.

She began with measures that were relatively easy to implement and could directly benefit the lower-ranking soldiers and slaves. In the name of the king, she issued a new regulation on improving the treatment and compensation for wounded and sick soldiers, clarifying the treatment process, raising compensation standards, and severely punishing any withholding of compensation. At the same time, she advised Helian Jue to allow some outstanding slaves who had rendered meritorious service to escape slavery and become commoners by paying a ransom or completing specific arduous tasks.

These two decrees were like two pebbles thrown into a still lake.

The lower-ranking soldiers were naturally grateful, and their loyalty to Su Nian and the King increased. The provision allowing slaves to redeem themselves ignited a spark of hope among some of the slaves. Although the conditions were harsh, it at least provided a visible way out, greatly alleviating the stagnation and despair in some slave camps.

However, resistance also followed.

Those tribal nobles and some generals who were accustomed to using slave labor without compensation and viewing slaves as private property expressed strong dissatisfaction. They believed this undermined the foundation of the state and violated ancestral traditions. Although they dared not openly oppose it due to Helian Jue's power, instances of outward compliance but inward defiance and passive implementation were commonplace. Related documents piled up on Su Nian's desk, with various "practical difficulties" and "ancient traditions" being cited in an attempt to obstruct the implementation of the decrees.

Su Nian had anticipated this. Instead of being hasty, she chose a typical troublemaker—a general who openly resisted the policy of redeeming slaves by relying on his seniority and the power of his tribe—as her breakthrough point.

Instead of directly complaining to Helian Jue, she calmly reported the "difficulties" encountered in implementing the government's decrees to Helian Jue in a public meeting, bringing with her detailed investigation data (the number of slaves under the general's name, their working conditions, and several records of suspected deaths due to abuse), and emphasized the "special circumstances" of this general.

She spoke calmly, stating only the facts without any subjective evaluation, yet her arguments were clear and her evidence was conclusive.

After listening, Helian Jue said nothing, but gave the general, whose face was gradually turning pale, a cold look.

The next day, the general was transferred from his original post to a remote and harsh border outpost. Some of the slaves he owned, exceeding his quota, were forcibly released.

To kill the chicken as a warning to the monkey.

The effect was immediate. The remaining dissenting voices subsided instantly, and the implementation of the policies became much smoother.

Su Nian used her wisdom and Helian Jue's power to cleverly pry open a seemingly indestructible rock.

Days slip by quietly amidst busyness and invisible pressure.

With the help of the medicine secretly provided by the witch doctor and Su Nian, which was exchanged from 088, the wound on Helian Jue's arm healed quickly. He seemed to have gotten used to Su Nian's presence, used to having her organize the summary while he was reviewing documents, used to listening to her calmly analyze the pros and cons before making important decisions, and even used to walking to her stone palace late at night after finishing his official duties, listening through the door to see if there were still lights and the sound of turning pages inside.

He still rarely had intimate verbal exchanges with her, but his ever-present gaze and control, as well as the occasional glimpses of dependence that even he himself was unaware of, made Su Nian clearly feel that her importance in his heart was increasing at an unusual rate.

Late that night, Su Nian had just finished processing a batch of documents regarding the allocation of spring planting seeds. She rubbed her sore eyes and prepared to rest.

The palace door was gently pushed open, and Helian Jue walked in. He was still wearing his daytime clothes, and his body carried the coolness of the night breeze, as if he had just returned from an inspection outside.

He didn't light a lamp, but walked to Su Nian's desk by the dim moonlight streaming in from the window. His gaze swept over the parchment covered with writing, finally settling on her slightly pale face, made up of exhaustion.

"Still not asleep?" he asked, his voice low in the quiet hall.

"It's time to sleep." Su Nian stood up.

Helian Jue didn't speak, but simply reached out and picked up the nearly empty box of wound medicine she had placed on the corner of the table. He ran his fingertips along the cold lid, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

“Your medicine is very good,” he suddenly said.

Su Nian's heart tightened slightly, but she remained calm on the surface: "The witch doctor's prescription is better."

Helian Jue raised his eyes and looked at her, the moonlight casting flickering shadows in his deep eyes: "Is that so?"

He didn't press further, but his gaze seemed to pierce through all pretense. Su Nian knew that he had probably already sensed the unusual nature of this medicine, but... he chose to remain silent.

This is a dangerous tacit understanding.

He put down the medicine box and took a step forward. His tall figure cast a long shadow in the moonlight, completely enveloping Su Nian.

Su Nian subconsciously took half a step back, her back pressed against the cold bookshelf.

Helian Jue reached out, but instead of touching her, he pulled a scroll from the bookshelf containing sketches she had recently been studying about improving irrigation canals. He unfolded it, glanced at it, and frowned slightly.

"This kind of thing is time-consuming and laborious," he commented, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Su Nian steadied herself and replied, "If we succeed, we can ensure that some of the farmland is protected from drought and flood, which will greatly benefit our grain reserves."

Helian Jue stared at the sketch for a moment, then looked up at her with a complicated expression: "What exactly are you doing all this for?"

He asked the same question again. But this time, his tone was less inquisitive and more... a desire to truly understand, a desire he himself was unaware of.

Su Nian met his gaze, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She knew she couldn't use the same high-sounding excuse as before.

She took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound sincere: "So that... the people living on this land can live a little better. At least... less unnecessary hunger and death."

She paused, then added, "It will also make the king's kingdom more stable and last longer."

Under the moonlight, her eyes were clear and firm, carrying a pure light that was different from the power struggles of others.

Helian Jue was stunned. He looked at her, as if seeing the woman he had forcibly imprisoned beside him for the first time truly. What she wanted seemed to be different from everyone he knew. Not power, not wealth, not vanity... but a kind of... something he couldn't understand, yet which inexplicably touched him, a simple yet grand desire about "survival" and "continuation".

He remained silent for a very long time.

Only the soft breathing of the two people and the gentle sound of the wind outside the window remained in the hall.

In the end, Helian Jue said nothing. He slowly rolled up the sketch and put it back in its place.

Then, he reached out, this time not to put his arm around her waist or grab her wrist, but to gently brush away a stray lock of hair from her forehead with his calloused, slightly cool fingertips.

The movement carried a kind of almost clumsy tenderness that was completely contrary to his nature.

Su Nian froze, her heart seemingly stopping at that moment.

His fingertips lingered on her forehead for a moment before quickly withdrawing.

"It's getting late, let's rest."

He left those words behind, turned around, and strode away from the stone hall, disappearing into the night outside, as if the tenderness he had felt just moments before was merely an illusion under the moonlight.

Su Nian stood there alone, the cool, rough touch of his fingertips still lingering on her forehead. She stared blankly in the direction he had left, her heart filled with turmoil.

He just now...

What does that mean?

Is it another form of marking? Or... some kind of... attraction that even he himself has never understood?

[Host! The target's emotions are fluctuating wildly! A deep emotional connection beyond possessiveness seems to have formed! Mission completion rate has greatly increased!] 088 excitedly reported, [But host, your answer just now was too sincere! This system was almost moved! Are you going to take the route of exchanging sincerity for sincerity?]

Su Nian ignored the system's incessant chatter. She slowly walked to the window, looking at the cool moonlight outside and the flickering torches of the royal patrol soldiers in the distance.

Helian Jue...

This violent, suspicious, and extremely controlling man, this king who treated her as his possession...

What exactly are her feelings for him?

Is it exploitation? Is it a mission? Or...? In the face of life-and-death situations and in the daily interactions, something has quietly changed?

She didn't know.

All she knew was that the invisible chain, while quietly tightening, also seemed to... entangle something soft that she couldn't control.

Just then, a guard appeared silently outside the hall and whispered a report:

"Councilor Su, General Batu sent word that there is news about Modo, who escaped earlier..."

Su Nian's eyes sharpened instantly.

Modo... that old fox who escaped from the White Mountain tribe's lair and has been secretly watching all along!

He's finally... shown his tracks again!

(End of Chapter 116)