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

It was Xie Chengze's voice.

Shen Yuan turned around quickly, only to see Xie Chengze folding his arms across his chest, looking at him with dissatisfaction on his face, "It seems that Lord Shen didn't take my words to heart at all."

For some reason, Shen Yuan felt like laughing.

"Does this mean that I am even with Your Highness?" Shen Yuan took a step forward, his eyes fell on his sunburned face, and he couldn't help but said helplessly, "Hide the things if you want to, but didn't I tell Your Highness to remember to bring an umbrella when you go out?"

"It's too heavy." Xie Chengze looked away, raised his head and said proudly, "I don't want to touch the things you gave me, it's unlucky."

"Is that so..." Shen Yuan raised his hand and held his chin slightly, looking thoughtful, "There are many sweet cakes in the box I gave you. If they are left for too long, they may no longer be edible. Since Your Highness disdains to touch the things I gave you, I will take them away."

Xie Chengze: ...

Xie Chengze: "I didn't eat it."

Shen Yuan nodded happily, expressing his agreement, "Of course I know Your Highness didn't eat it. Your Highness hates me so much, how could he eat something I personally gave him?"

Xie Chengze's fist hardened: "...So why did you come to see me? You didn't just want to tease me, did you?"

"Of course not." Shen Yuan smiled and turned sideways, compromising and making way for the entrance to the house. "There are so many people here, Your Highness, let's go in and talk in detail."

Xie Chengze snorted heavily, then walked around him from a distance and strode in.

Shen Yuan followed closely, and after closing the door, he turned and walked towards Xie Chengze who was already sitting at the table, and said in a deep voice, "Regarding the incident during the day, I want to explain. My original intention was definitely not what Your Highness thought."

"Oh, it doesn't matter. I don't care." Xie Chengze was too lazy to listen to his explanation. He didn't want to hold on to empty expectations and then be disappointed, just like every year on his birthday he thought his parents would come back, but he was always the one who lit the candles late at night.

Birthday wishes don't come true at all.

"Your Highness, once you make gunpowder, it will definitely not be the emperor's special regard for you, but fear and calculation." Shen Yuan got straight to the point and expressed his opinion, "The emperor only recognizes the crown prince. If you stand in the way of the crown prince, no matter how much he loves you, he will never let you go."

"Besides, Your Highness must know how powerful and intimidating this gunpowder that can explode and injure people would be if used in a war, right?" Shen Yuan looked at him solemnly, "Even if Your Highness the Crown Prince wasn't here, His Majesty is in his prime now. How could he tolerate someone who could seriously threaten his position? He would always be wary of you and test you..."

He looked at Xie Chengze with complicated eyes, "If you can't hide your thoughts, the only outcome will be death."

Xie Chengze was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyes and glanced at Shen Yuan suspiciously, "Sir Shen, what you said... sounds a bit like asking me to secretly hide my thoughts of rebellion and develop in secret?"

Shen Yuan:?

Shen Yuan didn't quite understand what he said. He frowned and said, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. I have no intention of asking you to rebel. Please don't tell others about this."

Xie Chengze snorted and said sarcastically, "But if I die, shouldn't you, Lord Shen, be the one who should be the happiest? Lord Shen, why don't you just stand by and let me perish?"

Shen Yuan was stunned for a moment. He raised his eyes and stared at Xie Chengze with complicated eyes, as if he wanted to see through his skin. But in the end, he clenched his fists and said in a low and obscure voice, "Your Majesty...will not be happy."

Xie Chengze's pupils flickered and he sat up straighter.

He said he wouldn't be happy.

He also said that if he showed any sign of rebellious thoughts, his only end would be death.

So when he asked himself during the day if he wanted to die, it wasn't a threat to him, but a genuine concern for him?

His heart beat rapidly, and Xie Chengze could not help but lower his eyes. He pinched his fingers under the cover of his long sleeves, trying hard to control the curve of the corners of his lips.

It turned out that he had misunderstood Shen Yuan.

But Shen Yuan was right. He knew that if he made gunpowder, Emperor Jian would be wary of him, fearing that he would threaten his and the prince's status.

But this question is not unsolvable.

As long as he handed over the gunpowder formula to Emperor Jian, Emperor Jian would at most be wary of him and would not really do anything to him. He might even send people to research and improve the formula of gunpowder. As for the reputation of this land of abundance, it would also fall on the heads of Shen Yuan and Liang Wanda, who came forward, and had nothing to do with him.

He was still the incompetent and mediocre Second Prince, the Second Prince who only knew how to enjoy himself.

As long as his reputation remains bad, no one can shake the prince's position.

"Actually, I..." Xie Chengze started to speak. However, just as he said three words, Shen Yuan beside him also spoke at the same time, "But if Your Highness is willing to take the initiative to hand over the gunpowder formula to His Majesty, there may be room for a turnaround. Even if His Majesty is afraid, he will not really do anything to Your Highness."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Xie Chengze and signaled with his eyes, "What did your highness want to say just now?"

"..." Xie Chengze clenched his fists, took back everything he wanted to say, and raised a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, "Nothing, thank you very much for your teaching, Lord Shen. I am very grateful."

He called him Lord Shen... Shen Yuan keenly noticed that Xie Chengze seemed to be angry again.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?" Shen Yuan didn't want to have any unnecessary misunderstandings or grudges with him. "What did I say wrong just now?"

Xie Chengze pulled the corner of his mouth, "No, how could it be? Lord Shen is very smart and I have benefited a lot from him. I can't thank him enough!"

But his expression clearly showed that he was unhappy. Shen Yuan didn't know why, but he couldn't stand seeing him like this. It was as if he had suffered a great injustice. It made him feel uneasy, but he couldn't ignore him.

He couldn't help but reach out to grab the young man's shoulder, "Xie Chengze, please speak properly. If you make that expression, isn't it because I said something wrong again?"

"Don't touch me!" Xie Chengze quickly retracted his shoulders. When he was angry, he was as nimble as a rabbit. He cursed at Shen Yuan without any hesitation, "You want me to hand over the formula of gunpowder? Why, you always thought that I would not be willing to hand over the formula, so you thought I was courting death before? You think from the bottom of your heart that I will rebel, um——!"

The unfinished words were blocked by Shen Yuan's hand. Shen Yuan said angrily, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words!"

How could he say the word "rebellion" so casually? If he kept this habit, he would probably cause trouble again when he returned to Beijing! Did he really care about his own safety?

Shen Yuan used to think that Xie Chengze disregarded human lives, but now he realized that Xie Chengze disregarded not only other people's lives, but also his own life!

Xie Chengze lowered his eyes to look at the big hand covering his mouth, then looked at the man's frowning and annoyed expression. He couldn't help but get so angry that his head was dizzy. The most vicious method he could think of at the moment was to stick out his tongue and lick Shen Yuan's palm fiercely.

What's wrong with him? How dare he cover his mouth when he was talking? Doesn't he know what his status is?