You're the one who wants to marry a mistress, and I'm marrying someone else, yet you still

“Lord Shen! We can investigate who he is slowly. The princess means that you should also be more careful, especially since you moved out of the Shen family this time, which makes you more vulnerable to trouble. As for Xiao Zhuang, we also need to find a way to rescue him, but the Simons haven’t arrived in Xuancheng yet, so we can’t lose our composure.”

Dongzhu couldn't stand Shen Cong'an's deep thought any longer and interrupted his muttering to himself.

"Take your time to think about it. You've heard clearly what I wanted to say, right? Well, I'll be going now."

Shen Cong'an snapped out of his daze and nodded.

“I remember everything you said. Go back and tell the princess to be careful. This man in white is quite cunning and not easy to deal with. He knows it’s not Mo’er, but he didn’t panic and continued to threaten me, which shows that he has a very strong mentality.”

Dongzhu responded and was about to turn and leave when Shen Cong'an called her back.

“Wait, tell the princess that I will act as they ask, pretending to be coerced to save Xiao Zhuang’s life, but I will never let Simon and Xiao Yan’s conspiracy succeed. Xiao Yan has not shown up and sent the man in white back to Xuancheng first, so he must want to keep himself out of trouble and not get involved if the plan is exposed. We need to find evidence that he can’t deny.”

Dongzhu had already pushed open the door and walked out. "Yes, Lord Shen, I will definitely convey your message."

She felt that Lord Shen had become quite verbose. He didn't seem to talk this much before; he was quite aloof.

However, Dongzhu thought again that perhaps it was because the current situation was too complicated and Lord Shen was too worried that he acted this way.

She covered her face with a veil, disappeared into the night, and passed through several rooftops before finally returning to the Princess's residence.

Xie Wanru was still awake. She was waiting for Dongzhu's report and was also concerned about Xiaozhuang's well-being.

Dongzhu reported Shen Cong'an's response in detail, including his somewhat verbose but meaningful admonition.

“Princess, Lord Shen deduces that this was done by the white-clad man who suddenly appeared beside the Third Prince. He said he would pretend to be coerced to ensure Xiao Zhuang’s safety, but he would never let the Simons’ plan succeed.”

Dongzhu relayed the message truthfully, adding her own observation at the end: "This servant feels that Lord Shen seems unusually talkative lately, which is different from his usual aloofness."

Xie Wanru smiled slightly, a smile that showed both her trust in Shen Cong'an and her approval of his work.

"People always show different sides under pressure. He has always been calm and composed in his actions, so his deduction should be correct. Xiao Yan thought we didn't know the identity of the man in white. When he came back, he would definitely say that this matter had nothing to do with him, because the letter that Lord Shen received did not point to Xiao Yan as the one who gave the order."

Xie Wanru read the letter over and over again. It wasn't long, and she could finish reading it in a short time.

"It seems that I still need to trouble my eldest and third senior brothers to find a way to obtain evidence of Xiao Yan's collusion with the Simons. He will definitely try to pin this matter on the white-robed man, so I need to be extra careful."

Dongzhu nodded, secretly admiring Xie Wanru's foresight.

Her princess was not only exceptionally beautiful, but also possessed extraordinary wisdom and courage. Her deductions were almost identical to Lord Shen's, a truly remarkable understanding.

"Yes, Your Highness, I will keep an eye on it."

Dongzhu responded.

Xie Wanru knew that this battle was not only about her personal honor and disgrace, but also about the fate of the entire Xie family and the safety of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

She wouldn't let these people bring that thing back to the land of Da Zhou to harm the people. However, she needed to explain this thing to Shen Cong'an face to face, as it was impossible to explain it through messengers.

Even if Shen Cong'an didn't know the specifics of the conspiracy, he knew that the Simons were definitely up to no good.

Xie Yanting was unaware that the Simons had brought a terrifying type of leaf, so he simply followed the usual escort procedures, taking the Fourth Prince to pick up the people and then continuing his journey towards Xuancheng.

Xiao Lin was very curious about the border affairs, so he kept sticking to Xie Yanting to tell him stories, ignoring Princess Simon's overtures.

This time, the Simons brought not only leaves that could generate huge profits and deceive people, but also a princess, hoping to marry into the Great Zhou royal family and have her give birth to a member of the Great Zhou royal family.

Emperor Qinyong had already taken precautions against the Xie family, so how could he possibly give Simone this opportunity? He had already instructed the Fourth Prince, who obviously had no interest in this Princess Simone.

Princess Simon, on the other hand, was quite satisfied with the young and handsome fourth prince, completely forgetting her initial reluctance to come to the Great Zhou.

"Your Highness, Fourth Prince."

Princess Simon moved gracefully, her skirt swaying gently, exuding an exotic charm, as she slowly approached Xie Yanting and Xiao Lin, who were currently entangled with her.

How much longer until we arrive?

Her delicate, flower-like skin was indeed beautiful in the sunlight, but neither Xie Yanting, a simpleton who had spent too long on the border, nor Xiao Lin, who had grown up in the palace surrounded by beauties, had any interest in her.

So much so that her deliberately cute appearance seemed particularly awkward to both men.

The two men mounted their horses almost simultaneously, clearly not welcoming the princess's arrival.

Xiao Lin turned around impatiently, "Didn't we just say that we'd set off once we'd rested enough? It'll take another hour to get to the city gate. You've been traveling for so many days since you came from Simon, what's the rush? Don't bother us. Third Brother Xie, please continue. Where were we?"

When he turned to face Xie Yanting, he was once again that well-behaved and honest young man.

His words left Princess Simon feeling both warm and cold.

But she didn't seem to care. "Third Brother Xie, I want to hear what you're saying."

Xie Yanting frowned slightly. He was not used to talking to people who approached him with such obvious motives, but out of politeness, he replied briefly, "We were talking about some interesting things at the border. If the princess doesn't mind, you can listen in."

They had just arrived, and he and Xiao Lin had already given them attitude and angered them. It would be difficult to explain to the Emperor when they arrived in Xuancheng.

Moreover, he was ultimately just a subject, and in matters between nations, the greater good must be prioritized; personal emotions are not important.

A hint of joy flashed in Princess Simon's eyes. She quickly had her horse brought over, mounted it with a carefree air, and tried to get closer, seemingly also filled with curiosity about the story from the border.

Xiao Lin was somewhat disgusted, but he knew Xie Yanting was sensible and wouldn't reveal anything he shouldn't say, and he didn't want to miss out on anything interesting, so he didn't say anything more.

The team then continued on its way without being affected.