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

"I...I really don't remember anything from last night." Her voice was squeezed out from between her teeth, trembling slightly without her even realizing it. "Your Highness, I..."

Seeing her like this, Helian Jing slowly sat up, reached out and put the mask on the pillow back on, covering most of her face and only revealing her eyes.

"Your Excellency, there's no need to blame yourself," he said. "You said you didn't regret it, and I didn't object either."

As Xi Yueli met his gaze, she suddenly felt a place in her heart gently sinking. She couldn't quite describe the feeling; it was a bittersweet sensation, like guilt, or something else entirely.

She pursed her lips, then reached out and placed her hand on the side of his hand that was resting on her waist, her palm against the back of his hand, with very light pressure.

"Your Highness," her voice suddenly became serious, "I don't remember what happened last night, but I won't deny it. I'm the one who made you stay in Beishuo, and I'm the one who allowed you to stay by my side as Doctor Lian."

She looked up at him, the morning light falling on her eyes, illuminating those usually clear, dark eyes with a solemn expression. "I will give you an explanation. Until this matter is resolved, Your Highness will be by my side, and I will not let Your Highness suffer any injustice."

Helian Jing looked at her, but did not reply immediately. Instead, he turned her hand over, intertwined his fingers, and clenched it in his palm.

"Yes, I await your recognition and recognition," he said.

Xi Yueli's ear tips turned even redder, but this time she neither pulled her hand back nor looked away.

She glanced down at their clasped hands. On the web of Helian Jing's hand was an old wound that hadn't fully healed. It was from when he fell into the water from the cliff outside Qixia Pass and was cut by a blade. Now, the edges of that wound had scabbed over.

She lightly brushed her fingertip against the fresh scab on the back of his hand. "Your Highness's injury hasn't fully healed yet."

"The Imperial Advisor can change my bandages," Helian Jing said. "That was agreed upon last night."

Xi Yueli raised an eyebrow. Was this kind of thing mentioned last night? But she didn't deny the "agreement" made last night, because she thought it was fine this way.

Footsteps approached outside the window; it was Liu San Niang knocking three times on the window frame from the corridor—the secret morning report from the secret chamber had arrived.

Xi Yueli released Helian Jing's hand, lifted the covers and got off the bed. Helian Jing took the outer robe that was draped over the back of the chair and put it on her shoulders. He then patted the back of her neck and gently pressed his fingertip on the red mark that she had accidentally scratched herself before stopping.

Xi Yueli walked behind the desk and sat down, unfolding the note that Liu Sanniang had slipped in. After reading it, she burned the note over the lamp flame and looked up at Helian Jing.

"Tuoba Lie received a visiting card last night. The person who delivered the card was a caravan from the south, claiming to be a 'fur merchant from Xijun'. Liu San Niang's people followed the caravan for half the journey and discovered that they were traveling in the direction of Ci'en Temple."

Helian Jing had already straightened his clothes and stood opposite the desk. His eyes, visible beneath the half-mask, narrowed slightly: "The Empress's men have re-entered Beishuo territory under the guise of a merchant caravan, intending to make contact with Tuoba Lie."

"He can't wait any longer." Xi Yueli shoveled the ashes of the burnt paper into the copper plate. "The gaps in the granary have been plugged by the Left Prime Minister, and his old subordinates in the three prefectures have been removed. If his last remaining line of support is also cut off, he will be completely trapped in the royal court."

She stood up, straightened her outer robe, and looked up at Helian Jing. "Doctor Lian, accompany me to the Hall of Diligent Governance. There is important business to attend to today."

The side hall to the east of the Hall of Diligent Governance was warmer than usual today, with a burning charcoal fire and windows tightly closed, keeping out the winter chill.

Xi Yueli arrived half a cup of tea earlier than the agreed time. She sat at the desk with her head to the side, and the teacup in front of her was emitting thin white steam.

Helian Jing did not go into the side hall with her today. He disguised himself as "Doctor Lian" and went to the Imperial Hospital to fetch medicine, leaving the entire side hall to a conversation that did not require the presence of a third party.

The door was pushed open from the outside.

Shen Qingya stepped in and was greeted by the warmth of the side hall. Today he was wearing a newly made uniform for a military attendant, a dark blue, narrow-sleeved, close-fitting outfit with a leather belt neatly tied around his waist, which made his figure, honed by years of riding and archery, stand out even more.

He saw Xi Yueli sitting at the side of the desk, first bowing respectfully, and was about to speak when the curtain of the side door was lifted.

Tuoba Zhao stepped out from behind the curtain. Today he was not wearing the royal robes, but only a plain blue casual dress. His hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin. He looked less imposing than he did at the court meeting. However, his composed demeanor made Shen Qingya's gaze stop for a moment.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty." Shen Qingya bowed his head, his back ramrod straight.

Tuoba Zhao sat down in the center of the desk, raised his hand, and said, "No need for formalities, sit down."

Shen Qingya sat down on the low stool opposite the desk. Across the wide desk, he was no more than three feet away from Tuoba Zhao. He could smell the faint scent of ambergris on her body, which, warmed by the charcoal fire in the side hall, lingered faintly in his nostrils.

He lowered his gaze and looked down at his knees.

Tuoba Zhao didn't beat around the bush. She pulled a scroll from under the table and pushed it in front of Shen Qingya. "Take a look at this first."

Shen Qingya took it and unfolded it. On the paper was a handwritten account list, listing all the border troop transfer documents handled by Liu Zhang, the chief clerk of the Ministry of War, in the past three months.

His gaze swept over the annotations line by line, and the further he read, the tighter his brow furrowed. When he looked up to meet Tuoba Zhao's gaze, his eyes, which had always held a gentle smile, were now filled with cautious seriousness.

"Your Majesty... have you been investigating these matters?"

Tuoba Zhao tilted his head slightly. "I have been investigating for three years."

Shen Qingya paused for a moment, his fingers gripping the scroll. For three years, he had been paying attention to the court affairs. He had seen the king approve every memorial submitted by Tuoba Lie at court meetings, assuming she knew nothing.

But the account book laid out before him proved that she had long since figured out every single thing Tuoba Lie did.

"I had no choice in the past." Tuoba Zhao's voice was calm, as if he were admitting his weakness.

"When Fu Yuan was alive, she would shield me from most of the things, but after she left, I realized how heavy the burden of what she had shielded me from all those years was."

She paused, her gaze falling on Shen Qingya's face. "But I can't keep hiding. Now that you've entered the palace to take charge of the inner guards, there's something I need you to do."

Shen Qingya closed the account file and placed it back on the table, straightening his back slightly. "Your Majesty, please speak."

Tuoba Zhao took out an iron plaque from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of him. The iron plaque was about the size of a palm, and was completely black. The words "Dark Pivot" were engraved on the front, and a very faint wolf head pattern was on the back.

"Among the spies left by Fu Yuan, there is a line responsible for intercepting private correspondence between the royal court and the outside world. In previous years, it was always in the hands of the Left Prime Minister's men, but the Left Prime Minister is getting old and has many affairs to attend to, and this line has been loosened twice in the last six months."

"I need someone energetic, quick, and unobtrusive to take over this line."