The prince stepped on me to get to the top, I angrily flirted with the enemy's hostage

Su Chi refused the rope handed to him by the soldiers, and climbed up inch by inch with his bare hands, holding on to the slippery and cold crevices of the rocks, like a gecko that felt no pain.

The cold wind made his clothes rustle, and the wound on his shoulder sent a tearing pain every time he exerted force, but he was completely unaware.

All his attention was focused on his eyes, which scanned every crack within his sight and every clump of dead grass growing tenaciously on the cliff.

The black-armored warriors who were looking up below had their hearts in their throats.

General, you are playing with your life!

The cliff is as steep as a knife, eroded by wind and rain all year round, and the rocks are loose and slippery. If you are not careful, you will be doomed.

Time passed slowly in suffocating tension.

Su Chi climbed very slowly and carefully.

Sometimes, he would stop for a moment for a piece of moss of a slightly different color and carefully poke at it with the tip of his knife.

Sometimes, he would stare into a bottomless crack for a long time, as if he could see through the darkness inside.

Hope is like the mist between the cliffs, ethereal and easily dissipated.

Every time he searched carefully but found nothing, it was like a blunt knife cutting into his already broken heart.

Just as he climbed to a relatively flat depression blocked by several huge rocks, his eyes suddenly focused!

In the crevice on the leeward side of the boulder, a piece of torn cloth, so faded that it almost merged with the rock, was stuck in the stone and fluttered slightly in the wind.

The color of the fabric...

It was the material of the clothes Su Rou was wearing on the day she disappeared.

Su Chi's heart suddenly stopped for a moment. Su Rou really fell from there. It seemed that Su Rou really fell from there.

But why is there no body?

Will it be washed away by the water below like before?

He almost pounced over and carefully removed the piece of cloth.

The edges of the fabric were jagged, as if they had been cut or torn by a sharp object, and were stained with stains that had long since turned dark brown.

Su Chi suddenly raised his head, his eyes sweeping across the small platform and the cliffs above and below like a sharp sword.

There were no signs of dragging, no more debris, and no... body.

Great hope and even greater fear seized him at the same time.

He carefully held the piece of cloth in his arms close to his body, as if he was holding the most precious treasure in the world.

He continued to search upwards, downwards, and further away, more frantically and meticulously than before, as if he knew no such thing as tiredness.

However, apart from the piece of cloth, nothing else was found.

As the sky darkened, the wind grew colder.

The deputy general bravely climbed up and pleaded, "General! It's getting dark, it's too dangerous! Let's look for it tomorrow!"

Su Chi looked at the bottomless abyss beneath his feet, touched the cold piece of cloth in his arms, and finally nodded very slowly.

He needed light, more men, and a more careful search of the area and any possible paths above.

When he was escorted back to the bottom of the cliff by soldiers with ropes, it was completely dark.

The torch was lit, and the flickering flames illuminated his face, which was as pale as paper but extremely hot.

He clutched the strip of cloth tightly and croaked at the approaching deputy general, "Order... mobilize the engineering battalion. Bring enough lamps, oil, and ropes. Tomorrow... drill a hole in the wall and hang ropes. Search every inch of this fifty-foot area!"

The paranoid fire in his eyes burned even more fiercely because of this tiny discovery.

The Royal Court of the Desert, Chiya City.

In the side hall, Su Rou was waiting quietly.

Time passed extremely slowly, and every breath seemed like torture.

She didn't know how Andre would react to the policy proposal that had condensed countless of her efforts.

Is it suspicion?

Or are you still dismissive?

The footsteps finally sounded outside, steady and rhythmic. It was Andre.

The curtain was lifted and Andre's tall figure appeared again.

He held the policy paper in his hand, his face showing no emotion, but his eagle eyes fixed on Su Rou with unprecedented scrutiny...

He did not speak immediately, but walked to the desk, put down the policy paper, and then sat down by himself, his eyes still on Su Rou.

"The Tarhun tribe's pasture disputes, the Hezhe tribe's marriage contracts, and even... the Wuliangha elder's favorite concubine, who came from a merchant family and loved southern silk..."

Andrei spoke slowly in a low voice, "Miss Su, you've seen a lot while 'lying in bed' and 'reading some books'."

It was hard to tell whether his tone was praise or sarcasm, but the pressure was spreading invisibly.

Su Rou met his gaze calmly.

She had anticipated this question, so she picked up her pen and calmly wrote on the paper: "The books you sent me cover a wide range of topics. I find them very interesting."

Blaming everything on books and one's own "guessing" is the most reliable excuse.

Andre stared at the words, then chuckled softly, tapping the stack of strategies. "A fallacy? No, not only is it not a fallacy, but it's terrifyingly accurate. Even more insightful and... more sinister than some of my advisors specializing in Eastern Affairs."

He used the word "sinister" with a hint of amusement on his lips.

"Divide and win over, use barbarians to control barbarians, stir up old grudges and promise new benefits. He even thought of which trade ports to open and which products would best impress those old foxes." Andre leaned forward slightly, his gaze becoming more oppressive. "Miss Su, your 'sincerity' truly impresses this king..."

Su Rou felt a little relieved, but she was still alert.

She wrote, "These are just empty words. Whether they will work or not depends on your orders and the execution of your warriors."

The posture is still very low.

"On paper?"

Andre snorted and picked up the policy paper. "If this is just empty talk, then the people I keep in my kingdom are just a bunch of losers."

He stood up, paced a few steps, and suddenly turned. "I will adopt your plan. From now on, our eastern strategy will be adjusted accordingly. I will personally send people to contact the Tarhun tribe."

He looked at Su Rou with a deep gaze. "As for you... take good care of your injuries. If you need any books, just tell A'man. I look forward to your... subsequent 'occasional gains'."

He didn't make a clear promise, nor did he let down his guard, but he recognized her value with his actions.

This is the best situation we can achieve at the moment.

Andre looked at her deeply, as if trying to see something from her calm face. Finally, he turned around and strode away.