Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

The bearded man's pupils contracted sharply. He turned abruptly to look at Xi Yueli by the doorframe, his face drained of all color. His lips trembled, and he forced out a few words through gritted teeth: "You... how do you know about the military secrets of Beishuo!"

Xi Yueli leaned against the door frame, sunlight streaming in from behind her, casting her in a backlit silhouette, her expression hidden in the shadows.

"I just guessed."

The bearded man's neck was still pressed against Helian Jing's blade, but his gaze was no longer on the blade. He stared at Xi Yueli, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

The things that came out of the mouth of a girl who looked even younger than her own daughter were the secret sentry posts that the garrison of Beishuo Shuofeng Pass had been laying out for more than half a year.

Seeing his reaction, Helian Jing already understood seven or eight parts of the situation.

Xi Yueli's words were accurate, so accurate that the Northern Shuo scout didn't even care about his own life and immediately rebuked her.

Helian Jing sheathed his short blade and slashed the back of the man's neck with a backhand. The man's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. The guards came in and dragged him away, leaving only Helian Jing and Xi Yueli in the warehouse.

Xi Yueli was still leaning against the door frame, the casual expression on her face had disappeared, revealing a hint of fatigue beneath.

Helian Jing looked at her, the probing look in his eyes more intense than before. He took two steps toward her, stopped in front of her, and looked down at her face, half of which was illuminated by the sunlight.

"How did you know the changeover time for the sentries at Shuofeng Pass?" he asked.

"When I'm having an episode, I'm convinced I have a high-ranking position in Beishuo."

Helian Jing leaned forward, reducing the distance between them to only half an arm's length. "You'd better not be testing my patience."

Xi Yueli remained silent for three breaths, then turned her head to avoid his gaze, and walked out. "The guards have taken the person away. Isn't Your Highness going to check on them?"

Helian Jing stood there watching her walk out of the warehouse, clenched his fist, and followed after her.

That night, the best room in the inn was reserved for Xi Yueli.

The guards had planted hidden stakes inside and outside the courtyard. Helian Jing sat in a round chair in the outer room of the guest room, holding a scroll of unopened documents in his hand, but his gaze was fixed on the half-closed curtain of the inner room.

Xi Yueli had just changed her clothes and gone to bed. Through the curtain, you could hear the soft rustling of the bedding as she turned over.

Helian Jing didn't sleep. He leaned back in his chair and went through the events of the day from beginning to end. She was able to accurately pinpoint the winter pattern on the horseshoes of the Northern Shuo Army, the Shuoyue brand, and even the rotation time of the sentries at Shuofeng Pass.

The identity of that Bei Shuo was not simple. He already had a general idea in his mind. The only person whose true identity the Tian Shu Division could not find was the Bei Shuo Grand Preceptor, who was also the one who saved him.

A moment later, Xi Yueli's voice came from behind the curtain, slurred with sleepiness: "Your Highness is still awake?"

Helian Jing sat up straighter: "I can't sleep."

The curtain was lifted slightly, and Xi Yueli peeked out, revealing half her face. She looked at the two obvious dark circles under Helian Jing's eyes and tilted her head: "Did Your Highness get dust in your eyes?"

"……without."

"Then why are you two shades darker?"

Helian Jing looked at her; her expression was utterly innocent, as if she were asking a friend who had stayed up all night.

He put down the documents, stood up, walked to the curtain, and looked down at her through the thin fabric.

"Xi Yueli," he began, his voice low, "how many secrets do you still hold?"

The room was quiet for a few moments. Xi Yueli pulled her head back, and the sound of the blankets turning over was heard. She turned over so that her back was to the curtain and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"There are so many." Her voice came muffled from under the covers, tinged with drowsiness. "Your Highness, take your time to guess."

The curtain fell again, and Helian Jing retreated to his armchair. This time, he didn't flip through the scroll of documents again. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the direction of the curtain, listening to the steady, long breathing sounds from inside. He hadn't slept a wink all night.

As dawn broke, Xi Yueli lifted the curtain and came out, only to see Helian Jing still sitting in that armchair with his eyes closed.

He opened his eyes upon hearing footsteps, his pupils showing fine red veins, and the dark circles under his eyes were even deeper than the night before.

Xi Yueli stood in front of the curtain, her outer robe loosely draped, her hair casually tied in a bun, her expression clear and innocent.

"Didn't Your Highness sleep well?"

Helian Jing looked at her, a nerve throbbed in his temple, and a thousand words swirled in his throat before he swallowed them back down.

"...I slept well," he said.

Xi Yueli nodded, turned around and went to the table to pour herself some water, leaving him with a thin and frail back view.

Three days later, the carriage crossed the northern border.

The scenery along the official road changes from the humid hills of the south to the vast yellow earth of the north, with a high sky and wide clouds, and the wind carrying the dry scent of grass and trees.

The clothing of pedestrians on the road has also changed; there are now more merchants wearing fur coats, headscarves, and carrying short knives at their waists.

Helian Jing and Xi Yueli changed their clothes in the border town.

Xi Yueli changed into an indigo dress commonly seen on women from the north, and her hair was braided into a thick braid that hung down to her shoulder, with a red string tied to the end of the braid.

Helian Jing changed into a fur coat and sheepskin boots, with a plain-looking curved knife hanging at his waist, making him look like an ordinary merchant from the north.

As planned, the two were to pose as brother and sister, merchant siblings from the south, to enter the territory of Beishuo to buy furs and dried fruits. They checked their identities three times on the way, and even the fake travel permit handed over by the secret guards read "Brother Xi Yuan, Sister Xi Yue".

After entering Shuofeng Pass, the carriage stopped in front of an inn in the town.

As the waiter came out to take the horse reins, his gaze swept over the two men, and he greeted them with a smile, "Where are you two gentlemen from? Are you here for a stay or a meal?"

When Helian Jing dismounted, he casually helped Xi Yueli up, the movement so natural, as if he had done it a thousand times before. He looked down at the waiter and said, "A superior room. My wife is weak and needs a quiet one."

Xi Yueli's fingers, which were resting on his arm, suddenly withdrew.

The waiter nodded in response and briskly led the two inside, muttering to himself, "The best room is the one at the very back on the second floor. It's very quiet, the window faces the back mountain, and you can hear the sound of the stream at night..."

Helian Jing followed the waiter inside with a calm expression, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Xi Yueli loosened her grip on his arm for a moment, then lowered her head slightly, like a young wife blushing after her husband casually called her "wife".

The waiter didn't suspect anything and led the two upstairs, opening the door to the innermost room.

After the door closed, Xi Yueli released his arm and took a half step back.

She looked up at him, the shyness in her eyes completely gone, revealing a slightly raised brow.

"Your Highness, we agreed to be siblings."

Helian Jing had already walked to the window and opened it. Sure enough, the sound of the stream from the back mountain rushed in with the wind. He turned his head to look at her. Sunlight cut in from the window and fell on half of his face, making the faint smile in his eyes shine brightly.

"After thinking about it, I realized that it is common for brothers and sisters to travel together in the north, but it is not common for them to share a room. If they share two rooms, it will be difficult to divide the manpower to protect you. It would be better to pretend to be husband and wife, which would save others from gossip and make it easier to take care of each other at night."