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

"In the past half month, 400 shi of grain were transferred out of the Bing-class warehouse outside Shuofeng Pass. The person in charge was Liu Qian, the deputy commissioner of the military supplies department. He did not follow the usual procedure when transferring the grain, but only handed over a note."

Xi Yueli took out a folded piece of paper from her sleeve and unfolded it. Sunlight fell on the paper, illuminating the handwritten words clearly. When Tuoba Lie's gaze swept over the paper, his pupils contracted rapidly.

Xiao Yanzhi stood in the row of the envoys from Da Ying, his gaze shifting from Xi Yueli's face to the direction of that tall window.

He hadn't missed the sight of those three faint beams of light reflected on the gold bricks. He turned his head slightly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the direction outside the west window of the Hall of Diligent Governance.

A figure in a moon-white robe stood in the shadow of a pillar, holding a small bronze mirror in his hand. Sunlight reflected from the mirror onto the window paper, the angle precise and the movement clean and precise.

After Xi Yueli finished speaking, the figure put away the bronze mirror and retreated into the shadows behind the pillars, moving as quickly as a wisp of smoke blown away by the wind.

Xiao Yanzhi withdrew his gaze and focused it back on Xi Yueli's face.

She was folding the paper and putting it back in her sleeve, her posture calm and composed. The silence just now lasted only seven or eight breaths, but in those seven or eight breaths, she almost gave herself away.

He had just patched up the gap in the window paper for her.

Xiao Yanzhi lowered his eyes, a very shallow curve forming at the corner of his mouth. There was no smile in that curve, only an indescribable understanding.

After the court session ended, Xi Yueli stood up from the Imperial Preceptor's seat, her expression as usual. However, she walked down the steps a beat faster than usual, and after passing through the moon gate, she almost ran to push open the door of the Imperial Preceptor's bedroom.

The moment the door closed behind her, she leaned against the door and closed her eyes for a moment.

She caught Tuoba Lie in the court assembly just now thanks to the light shining in from the window by Helian Jing. But if he hadn't stood there and filled that gap for her, she would have revealed her amnesia in front of all the officials today.

She walked behind the desk, sat down, reached into a hidden compartment, took out a stack of blank paper, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

"The mole planted by Fu Yuan is the chief clerk of the military supplies department, who has been keeping accounts for ten years and can access all the reconciliation records for the past three years. There are three granaries outside Shuofeng Pass. The night watchman of the Bing-class granary is surnamed Chen, who once delivered three secret letters for Fu Yuan."

"Under the second blue brick at the west corner gate of the Left Prime Minister's residence, there is a spare letterbox, which is replaced every seven days. The accountant at the Prefectural Governor's Office of Xijun is surnamed Zhou, a woman of fifty years old, who has served as Fu Yuan's secret accountant for six years..."

When she reached the eleventh line, her temples began to throb. She didn't stop, but continued writing, the pen tip scraping against the paper with a soft, scratching sound.

"At the end of the third fork in the road on the east side of the Ci'en Temple underground palace, there is another register left by Fu Yuan, hidden in a tin box. The bottom of the box has a hidden mark of the character '酉' (you). In the secret correspondence between Bei Shuo and the Empress, Tuoba Lie personally signed three letters. The second letter mentions the words 'substitute'..."

When Helian Jing pushed open the door, he was carrying the bowl of medicine for the day.

He changed into an indigo long robe and a half-silver-gray mask, covering only the upper half of his face. After entering the room, he first placed the medicine bowl on the corner of the table, then walked up to her and glanced down at the open pages of paper on her table.

The paper contained twenty-three lines of text, from the list of secret agents to the date of the secret letter, each line clearly listed. However, the handwriting became increasingly illegible in the latter half, as if something was drawing strength away from the person holding the pen.

Helian Jing squatted down beside her, reached out and placed his hand over the one that was still clutching the pen, gently pulled the pen from between her fingers and placed it on the pen holder.

She looked up at him, and in those eyes, which were usually clear and dark like ink, floated a layer of subtle unease that had been suppressed for a long time. "Your Highness, I'm afraid I won't be able to attend court."

"I saw it."

"I've forgotten what happened a few days ago. I promised Xiao Yanzhi a few days ago that I would block Tuoba Lie's last trade route before winter, but today I can't remember the name of the contact person on that trade route."

Her voice grew softer and softer until the last few words were almost audible only to herself.

Helian Jing held her hand, taking her still slightly trembling hand into his own palm, their fingers intertwined.

"Your soul is being reorganized. The absorption of the fragments by the main soul only temporarily alleviates the memory confusion. Your symptoms of separation from your body have started again."

He looked at her lowered eyelashes and lowered his voice even further, "But if you can't remember, I will remember for you."

Xi Yueli looked up at him. "Does Your Highness know who else is among the fragments?"

"The Dark Pavilion Master, Ye Lan, has disappeared and is currently unaccounted for. You have already merged with the Northern Shuo National Preceptor, Fu Yuan; you will need to find the others yourself."

He reached out and tucked the stray hairs that had fallen across her forehead behind her ear. "If you want to completely cure this and prevent your memory from fading further, you have to find all the remaining fragments."

Xi Yueli leaned back in her chair. "I can't leave. The King can't hold on alone. The Left Prime Minister is getting old, and the envoy from Daying is still here. If I leave now to find the fragments, the Northern Shuo Royal Court will truly be left with only the King to carry the burden."

Helian Jing squatted down beside her, his thumb slowly stroking the back of her hand. "Then let's speed things up and crush Tuoba Lie completely before winter."

"He's fallen. The Empress's mole has been cut off in Beishuo. With the Left Prime Minister and Shen Qingya holding the reins, the political situation in Beishuo can be stable for at least three months. Three months is enough time for you to find the remaining fragments."

Xi Yueli was silent for a moment, then she looked down at their clasped hands. "How did Your Highness know what I was thinking?"

Helian Jing chuckled softly, his voice carrying a gentle warmth like the thin mist of a winter morning.

"When you were writing those twenty-three lines, your pen stopped in three places. Those three were the ones you planned to deal with first. You scheduled them in your mind, and I saw that."

Footsteps echoed from the corridor, and Liu San Niang's voice came from outside the door, hushed: "Master, people from the Regent's Palace have arrived. They say that the Regent heard that the Imperial Preceptor has been unwell recently, so he specially sent a box of ginseng and deer antler tonics to inquire about his health."

Xi Yueli released Helian Jing's hand, sat up straight, and refocused her gaze. Helian Jing stood up and straightened the collar of his indigo robe. Instead of retreating to the side hall, he walked directly to the door and opened it.

Liu San Niang stood outside the door, and three steps behind her stood a steward of the Prince's mansion wearing a dark gray brocade robe, holding a gilded lacquer box in his hands.

Helian Jing stood at the door, his eyes, visible beneath half of a silver-gray mask, gentle and harmless. He bowed slightly to the steward, his voice calm and composed.

"The Imperial Preceptor has just rested and taken some calming medicine. He is not in a position to receive guests right now. I have accepted the ginseng and tonic on his behalf. Please ask the steward to inform the Regent that the Imperial Preceptor is grateful for the Regent's concern and will express his gratitude in person when he is feeling better."

He reached out and took the gilded lacquer box. His bowed head and demure demeanor made him look like a frail doctor left behind by the imperial advisor, simply helping his master by blocking doors and accepting gifts—nothing more than that.

The steward of the Prince's mansion stood at the door, glancing over Helian Jing's shoulder and into the room. He saw a figure reclining behind the desk. It was Xi Yueli, half-leaning against the back of the chair, her eyes closed, a scroll of documents resting in her hand.

The steward withdrew his gaze, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and turned to leave.

Helian Jing closed the door, turned around, and the eyes under the half-mask curved slightly as he looked at the figure behind the desk who had just been resting with his eyes closed.

Xi Yueli had already sat up straight, holding the scroll of documents upside down in her hand. She put the documents back on the table, glanced at him, and her lips curved slightly before flattening them again.

"Even Doctor Lian is quite adept at blocking guests for me."