Shen Quan’s remark was purely meant as a joke, but unexpectedly, Su Fengyi instantly found a soulmate and slapped the table, rising to her feet!
Indeed, a general is truly a general!
He was truly the man who dared at eighteen to lead a lone army deep into the northern deserts, strike directly at the heart, eliminate the previous Northern Barbarian king, and end the war prematurely.
This broad and expansive thinking, this grand and magnificent vision, this unique approach, this all-encompassing tolerance—it completely aligned with her own thoughts!
What kind of divine teammate was this, so attuned? She hadn’t even laid any groundwork, painted any grand visions, brewed any motivational speeches, or utilized any worker’s skills yet!
The general had directly skipped the problem-solving process and matched her answer.
What was innate tacit understanding? This was it!
She exclaimed joyfully:
“Heroes share similar views—this is exactly how it should be! For military officers to earn money, naturally, they must rely on plundering! Come with me to look at the map.”
Su Fengyi went to the desk, took the map and unfolded it, preparing to discuss with Shen Quan how to plunder enough for one million silver taels within three months.
If Xie Xuan were here at this moment, feasibility plans would have already run through his mind eight hundred times.
But General Shen was different. Even though General Shen repeatedly lowered his own operational standards, the speed of this decline still fell far short of the Grand Princess’s level of absurdity and mischief.
Plundering—he was joking.
But judging by the Grand Princess’s expression, plundering—she was serious.
She had even brought out the map. This wasn’t just casual plundering; she wanted to plunder extensively, make a big haul.
Shen Quan’s heart was so shocked it felt like it was crackling and nearly burning, but as a man accustomed to life and death on the battlefield, the more tumultuous his inner emotions, the more he must appear calm and composed on the surface, maintaining the composure and dignity befitting a general.
Stay steady, this is just a minor scene.
Shen Quan wanted to see which unfortunate powerful family the Grand Princess had targeted.
Those capable of producing one million silver taels at once within the entire Great Mu Dynasty were only a few prominent clans.
The foremost, naturally, was the largest and most renowned aristocratic clan, the Jiangnan Pei Clan.
However, the Pei Clan was powerful, deeply rooted, and had stood firm through multiple dynastic changes over centuries. Even when the Grand Ancestor fought to establish the empire, he relied on the Pei Clan’s support. Trying to forcibly plunder one million silver taels from the Pei Clan would likely be difficult.
But the Grand Princess’s fiancé was precisely the eldest grandson of the Pei Clan’s patriarch, Pei Yu. Without reason, why would she oppose her own fiancé?
Therefore, the Grand Princess’s target wasn’t the Pei Clan, but the Pei Clan’s rivals!
That made sense! This way, it all fit logically.
In the few short steps pushing his wheelchair to the desk, Shen Quan, with his top-tier imagination, experienced grand waves in his mind, conducting a profound analysis of the Grand Princess’s motives and perfectly achieving logical self-consistency.
Su Fengyi had no idea what Shen Quan was thinking. She only saw her divine teammate calmly push his wheelchair to the desk, his gaze lightly falling on the southern part of the map, then casually asking:
“Which family does Your Highness wish to plunder?”
His tone was so casual, as if asking Su Fengyi what she wanted to eat tomorrow.
Such grandeur!
Su Fengyi admired the general’s composed demeanor, as if breaking through the heavens was merely a trivial matter, nothing worth mentioning.
Su Fengyi excitedly pointed her finger northward:
“Here!”
Shen Quan shifted his gaze from the southernmost point to the northernmost, his brow not even twitching:
“Hmm? The northern desert?”
Shen Quan remained calm, but someone else could not stay composed.
Su Fengyi suddenly heard a clear, youthful voice from above:
“The northern desert! Are you going to raid the Northern Barbarians?!”
Su Fengyi was startled and looked up to see a figure leap down from the rafters—it was none other than the missing young general of the Shen family, Shen He.
What in the world? Wasn’t Shen He just hiding in her bedchamber, drinking tea with Shen Quan?
With Xie Xuan not in the residence, she couldn’t discern any footwork or breathing techniques, nor did she even know when Shen He had entered.
Su Fengyi glanced left at the closed door, right at the tightly shut window, up at the intact ceiling, and then at Wutong standing guard outside the window, completely unaware. Puzzled, she asked:
“How did you get in? Did you tunnel through the ground?”
Shen He swaggered over to the desk and said smugly:
“When you opened the door, I just slipped in.
Your princess residence’s defenses are really, hmph, practically nonexistent. They can’t even keep out a mouse, so who could they possibly guard against?
I’ve wandered in and out eight hundred times without anyone noticing.
By the way, the lotus pastry from your kitchen at noon was quite good. Why didn’t they make it for dinner?”
Shen Quan coughed lightly:
“Shen He, mind your manners. Address her as Your Highness.”
Then, turning to Su Fengyi, he said:
“This is my younger brother, Shen He, courtesy name Kezheng.”
Shen He scoffed:
“Brother, there’s no need for introductions. We met ages ago, Your Highness and I, and we talked about everything. Her Highness told me not to let formalities ruin our rapport, to address each other casually. Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”
In the original book, the Grand Princess had said a bunch of nonsense and done a bunch of outrageous things with Shen He. Now that the person involved was bringing it up on the spot, Su Fengyi let out two awkward chuckles:
“Indeed, no need for formalities.”
It was truly difficult to manage a grown child. While Shen Quan could remain unshaken by other major matters, he often found himself at a loss with his younger brother. A few words from Shen He were enough to strip away his composure and throw everything into chaos.
Shen Quan clasped his hands in apology:
“My younger brother is unruly and childish. I have failed in disciplining him. Please forgive him, Your Highness.”
Su Fengyi chuckled again:
“Children are meant to be lively. I understand, I understand.”
Shen He snorted and couldn’t resist mocking:
“Children? I’m a year older than you. Who’s the child here?
Besides, now you’re bringing up ‘children.’
Why didn’t you talk about ‘children’ when you were getting handsy? Or when you were spouting nonsense?…”
Shen He’s voice rose slightly, and Wutong outside the door immediately grew alert and asked:
“Your Highness, is everything all right?”
Su Fengyi replied:
“Everything’s fine. Have someone go to the kitchen and order some late-night snacks, including… lotus pastries…”
As soon as Su Fengyi mentioned late-night snacks, Shen He fell silent. He stopped mocking and scoffing, his eyes lighting up as he leaned in eagerly, whispering in Su Fengyi’s ear:
“Does your cook know how to make osmanthus cakes?”
Seeing Shen He pushing his luck without restraint and acting too presumptuously toward the Grand Princess, Shen Quan’s face darkened:
“Shen Kezheng! That’s enough!”
Shen He snorted at Shen Quan:
“I won’t stop. I want osmanthus cakes, and you can’t stop me.”
Seeing that the two were about to argue, Su Fengyi quickly mediated:
“It’s just a plate of osmanthus cakes. It’s no trouble. Does the young general have a sweet tooth?”
A man skilled with swords and spears who enjoys sweet treats—Shen He felt no embarrassment about it. He nodded vigorously and admitted it openly, even boldly making a request:
“And that rose syrup your kitchen keeps hidden is also excellent. Where did you find this chef? He’s truly remarkable.”
Even the rose syrup treasured by Chef Gui had been discovered. It seemed that every time Shen He wandered around the Eldest Princess’s Residence, seven out of eight trips were spent wreaking havoc in the kitchen.
As for the chef, in the original story, the Grand Princess had specially hired him from Jiangnan to please her prospective consort, Pei Yu.