How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

Shen Yuan was unhappy as he tightly grasped the soap box, squeezing it so hard that his finger bones turned blue and white. He tried his best to suppress the irritation in his heart, tilted his head and asked, "So you bought sulfur powder to make gunpowder."

Xie Chengze:? Why are you still bringing this up?

The atmosphere was so tense that Xie Chengze simply admitted, "Yes! I want to make gunpowder! So what!"

"Aren't you afraid of death?" Shen Yuan frowned and turned back to look at him with a complicated expression.

"I've already told you that I can make gunpowder, it won't be dangerous!" Xie Chengze suddenly realized why Shen Yuan was so stubborn, "Don't you understand what I'm saying? I'm such a coward, how could I touch something so dangerous if I didn't have full confidence? I'm not stupid!"

"Is this what I'm talking about?" Shen Yuan was also annoyed. The soap box in his hand fell to the ground. He put his hands on the wooden barrel and stared at Xie Chengze solemnly. "Xie Chengze, I find that I can't understand you any more. Are you making gunpowder for the people of Yizhou, or for yourself?"

"What?" Hearing this, Xie Chengze trembled, and a chill suddenly rushed into his heart. He looked at Shen Yuan in disbelief, "What did you say?"

He thought Shen Yuan had changed and began to understand himself, but what did he just say?

He still feels that everything he does is for power?

Sensing Xie Chengze's hurt look, Shen Yuan felt a pain in his heart. He softened his tone slightly, but still asked firmly, "I don't believe you haven't thought about what would happen to you if the emperor knew that you could make gunpowder."

The second prince, who is supported by the people and possesses lethal gunpowder, is enough to threaten the position of the crown prince.

Did Xie Chengze really think that by making gunpowder a reality in the Land of Abundance, he could gain the favor of Emperor Jian and get one step closer to the position of crown prince?

It is clearly one step closer to death.

Shen Yuan was very scared at the moment. He was not scared that Xie Chengze didn't know what his fate would be. If Xie Chengze didn't know, then he was still stupid, he deserved to be stupid and deserved to die, but at least he could give him a hand and prevent him from going to the end of his life again.

What he was afraid of was that Xie Chengze knew clearly what the outcome would be, but still chose to make gunpowder without hesitation.

If he wanted power, he could have secretly built up his forces and stockpiled gunpowder, used this weapon to kill his way through the palace, and then took the entire imperial city into his hands, changing the name of the Jian'an Dynasty.

If it was Xie Chengze in his previous life, he would definitely do the same.

But he did not do so. He just wanted to promote the Tianfu Plan, to make Yizhou a land of abundance as soon as possible, and to let the people of Yizhou have enough food to eat as soon as possible. He was determined to invent gunpowder regardless of the danger that Emperor Jian might be afraid of him and want to get rid of him.

How could he become such a...good person?

Shen Yuan felt pain in his internal organs. He bent down heavily, rubbed his fingers into the injured young man's hair, and held half of his head tightly in his palm. He said in a hoarse voice, "Xie Chengze, do you want to die..."

Have you...never thought about having a good death?

Do I want to die? Are you threatening me here now because you're afraid that I'll get in the way of the prince?

"Heh," Xie Chengze, who was forced to look up because of his action, sneered when he heard the words, with a mocking smile on his lips, "Why, are you afraid that the emperor will know that I can make gunpowder, and the emperor will favor me more instead of your prince? You like Xie Jinyu so much, think he is the best, and don't allow anyone to stand in his way? Even want to kill me?"

He raised his neck high, staring at Shen Yuan with his dark eyes. He slid his slender index finger across his throat, leaving a faint transparent water mark, as if hinting at something. "Sir Shen, I'll give you a chance. I've sent Wuhen and Wuji out on missions. If you kill me now, no one will know."

After that, he laughed at himself again, "Oh, I almost forgot, if I died, my father would definitely be suspicious. No matter if it has anything to do with you or not, you will be negligent in protecting me. With my father's love for me, the entire Shen family will be buried with you."

The reason why he rushed back because of the mistaken blood letter was probably because he was afraid of being buried with him, rather than simply worried about his safety.

He thought that he and he were already friends, but now it seems that he was just being too sentimental.

Xie Chengze sneered, "No wonder, Lord Shen just asked whether I wanted to die, not whether I should die."

"That's not what I meant." Shen Yuan frowned, trying to explain that this was not his original intention, but Xie Chengze pushed his hand away fiercely, turned his back to him, and said in an extremely cold voice, "Get out, I don't want to see you again."

"Xie Chengze..." Shen Yuan took a step forward and wanted to touch him, but saw him angrily raise his hand and smash it hard on the water, splashing the water in the wooden barrel everywhere.

Xie Chengze was almost shouting with all his might, "How dare you! Who allowed you to address me by my name? Get out!"

Shen Yuan hesitated and retracted his hand. After hesitating for a long time, he finally withdrew his hand.

Never mind. He is angry now. I will come and explain to him when he calms down.

Shen Yuan turned and left the room. Passing by the green sword stuck on the ground, he frowned slightly, pulled out the sword with a hint of annoyance, and thrust it back into the scabbard with a "swish", then pushed the door open and walked out.

In the wooden barrel, hearing the sound of the sword being sheathed, Xie Chengze subconsciously shrank his body, secretly cursed him as a bastard, and threatened him secretly.

Wasn't he doing well enough? Why did Shen Yuan still think that everything he did was for power and the throne?

He thought that as long as he behaved himself, Shen Yuan would no longer be afraid of him and want him dead.

He thought that Shen Yuan had already discovered the difference between him and the Second Prince, and might be gradually letting go of the grudges from his previous life and was willing to be friends with him.

But he was wrong, he was too naive. How could he think that a powerful official who had been in power in the court for ten years would easily trust someone?

Especially since that person was his former enemy.

The water temperature had become a little cold at some point, and Xie Chengze curled up beside the wooden barrel, secretly cursing Shen Yuan for being as stupid as a pig, while his eyes unconsciously became red.

He was homesick.

But there was no one waiting for him at home.

……

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

Hearing an anxious whisper, Xie Chengze slowly opened his eyes and realized that he had fallen asleep without knowing when.

He still stayed in the wooden barrel, but the water in the barrel had become warm again without him knowing.

Was it because he was frozen that the body's temperature perception was unbalanced? Xie Chengze moved, then remembered something and turned to look at the person who woke him up.

Zhu Xiaobiao was holding two ladles, scooping two ladles of cold water from the wooden barrel, and then scooping one ladle of hot water from the hot water bucket. He reminded quietly, "Your Highness, you can't sleep any more. If you sleep any more, you will catch a cold."

Xie Chengze rubbed his eyes and nodded. It seemed that his little fat boy was the best. "Go get my clothes..."

He paused, then he remembered that the old robe he took off was taken away by Shen Yuan, and there was only one other robe left in the room. "Go and get the other robe in the wooden cabinet."

"But Lord Shen said that he would let you wear new clothes..." Zhu Xiaobiao just opened his mouth and was glared at by Xie Chengze, "Are you mine or his?"

Zhu Xiaobiao silently took out the old robe and handed it to Xie Chengze, "Your Highness, did you have a quarrel with Lord Shen? Just now he..."

"Don't mention him to me, it's unlucky!" Xie Chengze said unhappily, as if he heard his best friend suddenly mention his ex-boyfriend, his tone was full of disgust.

"Oh..." Zhu Xiaobiao responded, silently swallowing back the words "Lord Shen was afraid that no one would serve you, so he asked me to add hot water for you."