After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

Xie Xing replied, "What kind of thief would dare to enter the General's Mansion and step on the eaves of the General's Mansion?"

"If that's the case, brother should tell father to strengthen the defenses of the General's Mansion."

[How terrible are these guards? It feels like the general's mansion has been riddled with holes.]

Xie Yuhe: "..."

He was deeply hurt by those words and couldn't help but clutch his chest and cough violently.

Xie Jiaojiao: "..."

She covered her lips with a handkerchief and coughed softly.

This……

That being said, Xing'er's words were a bit too...

and many more.

Xie Jiaojiao raised her eyes and looked at Xie's eldest brother with a puzzled expression. Seeing his depressed look, she had some guesses in her heart.

Since she was able to hear Xing'er's thoughts by chance, could Xie Yuhe also hear Xie Xing's thoughts?

Xie Jiaojiao pondered in her heart.

She dared not ask a question rashly.

"Big brother, what's wrong?" Xie Xing saw Xie Yuhe cough suddenly, looking at him with clear eyes, as if the thoughts she had just expressed had not come from her.

Xie Yuhe smiled and shook his head: "Xing'er is right. I will ask Father to send more people to patrol the General's Mansion. Not even a fly can get in."

Towards the end, Xie Yuhe even gritted his teeth.

[Bragging.] Xie Xing clearly didn't believe it.

[The General's Mansion already has so many guards, not even counting the secret guards, yet that masked man still managed to slip in.]

[They crawled through a dog hole again.]

Xie Yuhe felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart again.

But he quickly focused his gaze, thinking of the masked man from that night. Who exactly was he?

And what exactly is that gold token in his hand, the tiger tally?

Where is this person from?

Xie Yu was at his wits' end, wishing he could just ask directly, but there was no way to explain it all, and he couldn't alert the enemy.

The defense map was also on the masked man's body.

Xie Yuhe's mind raced for a moment before he spoke up: "You will soon be entering the palace to be the Fifth Princess's companion. I've heard that the envoy from the Southern Kingdom is also in the palace."

"For the sake of peace between the two countries, His Majesty has allowed the princess of the Southern Kingdom to attend the private school together with the princess and prince. You have already offended her at the last palace banquet, so you must be careful of her."

Hearing Xie Yuhe's caring words, Xie Xing naturally wouldn't be ungrateful.

She nodded: "I understand, thank you for your concern, brother."

Xie Yuhe waited for a while, but did not hear Xie Xing's thoughts. He paused, then sighed casually, "Yesterday, Father went to investigate and caught several traitors."

Rebel against the party?

Xie Jiaojiao looked up in surprise.

She turned to look outside the carriage curtain, and couldn't help but tug at her dress. At that moment, she wished she could get out of the carriage immediately.

Are these secrets something she can hear?

Xie Yuhe seemed to sense her helplessness, and turned his gaze to Xie Jiaojiao, saying, "Jiaojiao, listen to this too. When you enter the palace with Xing'er, you will see the princess quite often."

Hearing this, Xie Jiaojiao finally relaxed.

Xie Yuhe said, "Those traitors followed the envoys from the Southern Kingdom and stole the defense map of the Chu Kingdom."

what? !

Xie Jiaojiao's pupils widened for a moment.

Stealing the deployment map?

This is a matter of great importance. The Southern Kingdom's treacherous intentions remain undiminished. If they succeed in stealing, war between the two countries will become inevitable.

"My father said he saw someone dressed like the princess from the Southern Kingdom, but he doesn't know if it's her."

As Xie Yuhe spoke, he glanced at Xie Xing out of the corner of his eye.

Xie Xing remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he grew anxious.

He must have discovered something and is testing me, right?

Could it be that I gave myself away and he figured something out?

Xie Xing fastened her dress with her hand hidden under her sleeve.

This matter is actually related to Xing'er?

Xie Jiaojiao's eyes were filled with shock.

Did Xing'er steal the defense map and her older brother find out?

Xie Jiaojiao was feeling quite uneasy sitting in the carriage.

Is this something a cousin of hers should hear?

Xie Yuhe sighed: "The defense map is extremely important to our Chu Kingdom. Xing'er, Jiaojiao, if you two can get close to Aruo, see if you can find out any information about the defense map."

[No need to inquire; the defense map is in the masked man's hands.]

Masked man?

Xie Yuhe felt a surge of anticipation. If he could find out the masked man's true identity, he could at least confirm that the Tiger Tally and the defense map were not in the hands of the Southern Kingdom people.

However, who exactly is the master of that ghost palace in the imperial court?

[It must be someone from Jun Lanjin's mother's side, right?] the system guessed.

[At least the former queen wouldn't betray the country?]

Xie Xinghe's voice and the system's voice entered Xie Yuhe's mind word by word.

A hint of doubt flashed in Xie Yuhe's eyes.

The old princess?

Jun Lanjin's mother?

What does this have to do with Jun Lanjin's mother?

Xie Yuhe was already feeling anxious and restless. He had hoped that this test would yield results, and although the biggest weight in his heart had been lifted, hearing the intermittent doubts in Xie Xing's thoughts made Xie Yuhe want to scratch the wall again.

Why?

What is the relationship between this and Jun Lanjin's mother?

He couldn't ask any more questions now, or Xie Xingzhen might become suspicious.

Xie Xing analyzed the situation in his mind and then nodded seriously to Xie Yuhe, saying, "Big brother, I understand."

"If I have the chance, I will definitely ask for the defense map."

"So, is that defense map real or fake?" Xie Xing asked the system again.

The system stated: "In the storyline, the fake defense map was intercepted by Jun Lanjin long ago. The real defense map fell into the hands of the Southern Kingdom people, so what you intercepted should be the real one."

After this round of speculation, Xie Xing and the system fell silent again.

In the story, the defense map is handed over to the people of the South, and war is about to break out. At this time, famine caused by natural disasters and war also arrives.

The remnants of the previous dynasty began to sow discord among the people. It was at this time that your elder brother, Xie Yuhe, received the emperor's decree and began to travel south to investigate the remnants of the previous dynasty. During this process, he discovered that his beloved younger sister, Xie Mingzhu, was a princess of the previous dynasty.

Finally, he was locked in the attic by the remnants of the previous dynasty and perished in the flames. The system slowly read through the plot.

Upon hearing the details, Xie Yuhe clenched his robe tightly.

His muscles trembled all over.

It turned out to be the case.

So is the key point the defense map?

Xie Xing blinked: [But the defense map is currently in the hands of that lord of the Ghost Palace, and that lord is a person in the imperial court. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would work for the Southern Kingdom, does he?]

So, he's bugged the plot again?

The system is silent.

In this way, the plot can no longer move forward at all.

Without a defense map, would the Southerners, who were already the defeated party seeking peace, really start another war?

not necessarily.

But if war isn't started, where will the protagonist's shining moments be?

Will Luo Hanfeng be able to ascend the throne in the end, just like in the original story?

"So, does my older brother still need to die?" Xie Xing asked the question Xie Yuhe most wanted to hear.

The tragedy of the Xie family began when Xie Yuhe perished in the fire.