Reincarnated as the daughter of my mortal enemy, all I want is to ascend the throne.

As a student, Li Qingyan saw him off to the door. Watching the simple carriage drive away, Li Qingyan tilted her head and looked at Yan Xu. "Yan Xu, Mr. Shao is such a strange person."

A virtuous person does not seek fame or fortune, but only adheres to the principles in their heart.

But what if one day the path he walks deviates from the path he follows?

Li Qingyan narrowed her eyes, wondering what would become of her husband. She shook her head.

"Forget it, I don't even know my own fate, why bother guessing about others'?"

She reached out to Yan Xu, wanting him to hug her. "Yan Xu, I want to eat the meat cake you made last time."

"it is good."

Yan Xu carried the person into the mansion, and the people behind him slowly closed the gate.

A few people among the passersby glanced at the plaque of the banquet hall and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Yan Xu, Yan Xu, if I want to investigate a case, I need to find someone to help me. Do you know anyone who's really good at solving cases?"

Li Qingyan didn't trust those high-ranking officials from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice; she knew all too well what those people were thinking.

It's obvious from the court that they're a bunch of scoundrels who'll run away from anything that comes their way. Every time Li Qingyan thought of this, the corner of his mouth twitched.

"I don't know how Li Yan could tolerate them. Where's his tyrannical aura? In his previous three lives, he was a ruthless killer."

He's having some reservations now...

Fei Cha paused here before continuing his explanation.

[When your father was in power, he stirred up trouble between the old and new nobles in order to consolidate royal power as quickly as possible.]

[It looks like things have been temporarily censored.]

However, these nobles are deeply entrenched and now wield considerable power. If it weren't for Li Yan's abilities, even someone else might not have been able to secure their position.

Hearing Fei Cha's fluent and logical speech, Li Qingyan asked the crucial question, "Are you Fei Cha?"

[? ? ? ……]

"Did you level up?"

[? ? ? ……]

Flying Fork turned off the engine and muted his microphone, not intending to pay any attention to her.

Yan Xu was silent for a moment, then said, "I was unaware of these things..."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan narrowed her eyes instantly.

"Who would believe you don't know? You're Li Yan's top leader."

"You probably know more than your intelligence agency does."

"wrong……"

Li Qingyan glanced at him, her grape-like eyes narrowing into slits. "Is it because Li Yan won't let you help me?"

Yan Xu coughed guiltily and handed her the finished wooden top, saying, "Your Highness, take a look and see if it looks good."

Don't try to fool me.

That's what they said, but Li Qingyan still couldn't put the wooden top down. She was almost ready to whip it and play with it right away, especially since it had three rabbits carved on it. Her craftsmanship was much better than hers.

"Did Li Yan say anything to you?"

"Yan Xu was corrupted by Lao Deng; he even conspired with me to screw me over."

Flying Fork muttered to himself.

A general who can command hundreds of thousands of troops is probably not a simple person...

However, it dared not speak, fearing that Li Qingyan would scold it.

Yan Xu picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Although I can't do much, my brother is very familiar with the lower-ranking officials. He knows better than anyone who is good and who is bad."

Li Qingyan's eyes immediately lit up.

She had never met Yan Li, Yan Xu's younger brother, despite visiting the Yan residence many times. However, she had heard others mention him; he was highly skilled in martial arts and especially adept at horseback riding. But... he and Yan Xu had some conflicts, and they still didn't get along after all these years.

Thinking of this, Li Qingyan gasped, "Can he help me?"

Yan Li is a tough nut to crack. If you use your power to pressure him into doing things for you, who knows what kind of scheme he might pull? If you want him to help you willingly and without hesitation, then you need to win his heart.

Li Qingyan looked at Yan Xu for help, "Can you do me a favor?"

Yan Xu shook his head and removed the few bald hairs from her head. "No way. Go to the White Tiger Camp horse farm tomorrow, and you'll see him there."

Li Qingyan slammed her head on the table; she was being schemed against by Li Yan even while investigating a case.

"Old Deng...you wait."

"Achoo~"

Li Yan wrapped her cloak tighter around herself; the wind was a bit chilly.

Lai Fu brought over hot tea and placed it aside. "Your Majesty... that boy Yan Li is very stubborn. Would it be feasible to have His Highness find a way to deal with him?"

A three-year-old trying to manage a twenty-three-year-old man? Isn't that a joke?

Moreover, Yan Li doesn't give face to anyone.

Li Yan blew on the tea in his hand, "To gain a foothold in the court, besides having civil officials under your control, the most important thing is the army. Having only one general and no one else to rely on is like being isolated and helpless."

"If we can't win over Yanli, she... isn't really suitable to compete with others."

Li Yan looked at the sky outside, which was gradually darkening. He was afraid he would have a hard time sleeping tonight.

"Why does this little brat insist on living elsewhere? Where in the Yan residence is it as comfortable as the palace?"

Li Qingyan swallowed hard as she looked at the room filled with pink things.

Pink vases, pink bed curtains, pink beaded curtains—she even checked to make sure they were pearls. Pink pearls are rare and precious; Yan Xu was actually using them to string curtains.

The bed was covered with several thick layers of bedding.

The butler stood to the side and asked, "Your Highness, is there anything else you're not satisfied with?"

Li Qingyan shook her head, "Satisfied, very satisfied."

She was quite curious about just how wealthy the general's mansion was; the decorations in her room alone were incredibly valuable.

When Yan Xu entered from outside, he was wearing a black robe, looking much more imposing than usual.

However, the sight of a large, dark figure standing in a pink room seemed somewhat out of place.

"Is there anything you want to change?"

Yan Xu picked her up and let her sit directly on his shoulders, so he could have a better view of the whole room.

Li Qingyan, resting her head on his shoulder, asked wearily, "Just how wealthy is General Yan Xu's mansion?"

Hearing her ask this, Yan Xu said seriously, "How about we go check the storeroom?"

Li Qingyan quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need."

She usually found the Yan Xu and his mansion to be very ordinary, with nothing special about them, but her room was so luxurious that it was almost worth half of the general's mansion.

Yan Xu led her around the house, upstairs and downstairs. "The Yan family was considered a prominent family in the previous dynasty, and the wealth accumulated over many generations was quite considerable."

"Including business from shops and rewards for merit, it has grown somewhat over the years."

Hearing him speak so casually, Li Qingyan knew it was definitely not as simple as he made it sound. The quantity must be exceptionally large.

Li Qingyan sat on Yan Xu's shoulder and looked out from the third floor of the small building. She could see half of the General's Mansion.

One glance was enough to feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Despite being a grand mansion with lights on everywhere, there was not a soul in sight.

The Yan family is a prominent family and should have many talented people, but the entire Yan family only has Yan Xu, Yan Li, and two married younger sisters left.

All the other members of the tribe died on the battlefield.

It can be said that half of the Great Yu was built on the lives of the Yan family.

"Banquet... Isn't this huge mansion quite boring?"

"With such a large mansion, aren't you lonely living alone?"

Yan Xu was stunned, staring into the distance, unsure how to react. The loneliness that welled up from the bottom of his heart always surfaced in the dead of night.

"Fortunately, with His Highness here, it's not boring."

-----------------

"Squeak"

The side gate behind the academy was opened, and a person sneaked in furtively.

"Master, the person has come out."

A person not far away was writing at a desk. "Just keep an eye on things, don't move for now."

"Yes, Master."

After saying that, the man quietly left.

The dim candlelight illuminated the paper on the table; the character "忍" (patience/endurance) occupied a whole sheet of Xuan paper.