A Couple's Plot

Maple Leaf Palace.

These few days were enough for rumors to spread. The palace was the place where news spread the fastest, and even the most ordinary servants knew about the disputes and conflicts between the Dragon of Cathay and the nobles.

Of course, we also know that Princess Tina chose to stand on her fiancé's side.

This means that Goth's little princess betrayed the Taidariel Family, betrayed the glorious and sacred Goth noble alliance, abandoned the interests of her motherland, and forgot her noble status as a noblewoman.

Slander and criticism in the shadows can form a torrent of passive-aggressive behavior, and may even escalate into overt actions under the direction of certain individuals, creating a relentless and hostile atmosphere.

"Today's breakfast, the cheese bread tasted coarser than the day before, as if the flour hadn't been sifted many times, and there was more lemon juice residue than usual. You could taste it right away."

In the garden, Tina took Kang De's arm and they strolled together in the afternoon sun. Amidst the enchanting fragrance of flowers, the princess's voice was soft and melodious as she spoke.

Kang De frowned. This had nothing to do with being pampered or living a life of aristocratic luxury; it was a targeted, petty act, bordering on obnoxious. "I'll go teach them a lesson..."

He was interrupted by Tina's soft laughter before he could finish speaking.

His nominal fiancée looked up, her azure eyes narrowing, a smile both happy and smug on her face, "Kang De, of course I'm happy to have you stand up for me, but I prefer to do it myself—don't treat me like a weak little girl who only cries in bed when she's wronged."

"Hmm? It sounds like the valiant and strong princess has already defended her dignity."

Yes, that's right.

Tina's features were exquisite in the sunlight, and her melodious voice was as clear as a lark's. "After I discovered it, I immediately took A Xing to my father's and second sister's dining room and intercepted their breakfasts. After comparing and tasting them separately, only my breakfast was relatively poor."

"Then I went straight to the palace kitchen and obtained the evidence that hadn't been destroyed yet. The evidence was irrefutable, and no one could say anything. I ordered the steward in charge of the daily food supply to be beaten to death. He was dragged to the garden and whipped to death in front of the servants. My father wanted to say something, but I said directly, if the court knights are unwilling to defend the honor and dignity of Teldrassil, then I will personally end it with an axe."

"Those involved were punished according to the severity of the offense and their rank, with punishments ranging from flogging and dismissal to forfeiture of wages and confinement. I know you sympathize with the common people, and you also know that the cooks and servants could not refuse the orders of the supervisors, so I only imposed confinement as punishment... What do you think?"

As she said this, she pursed her lips, her eyes shimmering, and looked at Kang De with a mixture of pride and inquiry, like a child seeking praise.

Kang De smiled slightly, "Well-reasoned and decisive, you've already reached about one-third of my level."

"Only three points?" Tina said disappointedly. "Then I'll have to keep trying."

"But compared to this..." Kang De said, "I don't see any point in you staying at the Maple Leaf Palace. Why don't you come to Distant Harbor as well? Public opinion here has already started to turn against you."

Tina shook her head with a smile, "This is my home. Teldrassil is part of my life too. Why should I slink away? Besides, Danfeng Lucerne is the capital of Goth. Your voice and will must be heard here. The core leaders of this country must always be aware that you are here."

Before Kang De could speak, Tina looked at him with a smile, "If I don't do this, who else can I ask? Second sister?"

"..."

Kang De stared in disbelief and asked, "What does this have to do with her?"

Tina chuckled a few times, "My second sister has been acting really strange since she came back. She doesn't come to see me anymore. If you're saying our relationship has deteriorated, then today she was really angry about the bread at breakfast, but when I thanked her and chatted with her, she was a bit perfunctory. But when I talked about you, she secretly pricked up her ears... Kang De, what do you think is going on?"

Kang De looked thoughtful, thought for a moment, then scratched his head and said, "I think she might have some complicated feelings for me..."

A hint of surprise flashed in Tina's eyes.

Then her lover said, "It's like this, I think your second sister is a very intelligent, clear-headed, enlightened noblewoman, a reformist leaning to the right. She clearly understands the reasons for the country's weakness and is eager to change the status quo. However, she still has her own class limitations. When reforming the country inevitably harms the interests of her class, she feels lost and pained..."

"For this reason, she initially supported us regarding the Paradox Element, but as events unfolded, her own contradictions became apparent, leading to a significant conflict with me. Deep down, she still agreed with me, but her loyalty and obsession with her own class caused her pain. Ultimately, in the Battle of Distant Harbor, she chose to remain neutral, but still relinquished command of the Survey Corps..."

"So her feelings towards me are very complex. She feels an instinctive unease about my drastic changes to the country, stemming from her deeply ingrained aristocratic mindset accumulated over the years, yet subconsciously she expects me to make the country better. This complex emotion manifests itself in her feelings towards you..."

Tina suddenly let out a heavy sigh.

Kang De was forced to end his analysis of the contradictory duality of Goth's second princess, Stella, and her progressive and backward aspects amidst the turbulent tide of national change.

He even planned to write a paper and then instruct Horus to create a character model so that he could later win over and educate progressive Goth aristocratic youths like Stella.

He wondered, "What's wrong? Your sister's character and behavior are quite typical..."

Tina said helplessly, "I feel both happy and sad."

"... Do you think I misspoke?" Kang De asked, puzzled. "If it's not that reason, what else could it be? It can't be that she's taken a liking to me, can it? Are you kidding me? It's only been a few days, we haven't talked much, nothing's happened, we even had a big fight..."

He paused, a look of realization dawning on his face, then chuckled and tapped Tina's forehead, "You're not jealous, are you? There's no such thing as love at first sight... Your second sister is an independent and intelligent woman, with love and responsibility for this country and nation. Don't try to understand her with simplistic notions of romantic love."

Tina made a face and snorted, "Yes, yes, whatever you say goes."

That's fine, isn't it?

Kang De shook his head, banishing the romantic thoughts—though that's what he said, the thought of Stella's intellectual face, similar to Tina's but with a completely different temperament, still stirred his heart. Men are all big pigs, with particularly amazing imaginations, but thinking about it isn't illegal.

He changed the subject. "Since you don't want to leave... then I'll take care of your three meals a day?"

This time, Tina certainly wouldn't refuse.

She smiled and said, "Okay."

The two exchanged a smile, likely thinking of the past of the Holy Seal Archipelago.

Even after their reunion, when Tina ate the long-missed Earth food, it didn't feel the same as before.

Honestly, even now, she has never tasted those delicious potato chips again, nor has she ever drunk that refreshing and sweet cola again.

But the memories we share are still the sweetest.

They met, were separated, but are now reunited, and are so happy and content.

Amidst the flowers, Tina smiled shyly and lowered her head slightly, "I want to kiss you."

Kang De gazed at her radiant hair, her shy and beautiful face, her slender shoulders, her delicate neck like a swan's, and the glimpse of skin and exquisite collarbone that were exposed. The stunningly beautiful girl was right in front of him, and he felt a surge of love for her. He remembered what had happened a few days ago, and how he had thought about it for the past few nights.

He swallowed hard and whispered, "I want to too."

"... Well, you can only dream about it then."

Tina revealed a sly and smug smile, "A Xing might be spying, but even if he isn't, I made a promise with her... and a promise is a promise."

That day, A Xing stumbled upon their good deed, which was very embarrassing. Afterwards, busy with the Distant Harbor incident, A Xing stayed in the Maple Leaf Palace to protect Tina's safety. These past few days, they've been spending every day together, which is quite a headache. It wouldn't be surprising if they came up with something funny—now it seems that a secret negotiation is quietly taking place.

The fact that Kang De can now walk with Tina in the garden is one of the initial results of the negotiations, so as to prevent the A Xing from being wary and confrontational in clinging to Kang De's other arm, making all three of them uncomfortable.

In exchange, Kang De also had to spend the same amount of time alone with the A Xing.

The additional clause was that, overwhelmed by the Big Goldie's beauty and extremely sophisticated flirtatiousness, A Xing stipulated that she was not allowed to do anything shameless with Kang De when they were alone for the time being. Otherwise, if she found out, she would tie Tina up and forcibly take Kang De's virginity in front of her.

This penalty for breach of contract seems absurd from every angle, but because it was proposed by A Xing, Tina was still intimidated... after all, it was A Xing.

An agreement is an agreement.

Tina saw Kant's luck mentality from his eyes. It is a man's nature to exploit loopholes.

She smiled slightly, loosely holding Kang De's arm, and leaned forward slightly. Due to gravity, the front of her dress drooped, leaving the neckline hanging open, revealing a deep valley and snow-white peaks.

Under Kang De's gaze, the princess swayed slightly, and then the waves began to surge.

Her face flushed, and she pointed to the deep cleavage, or even deeper into the valley.

"A Xing has a very sensitive nose, you know. If she smells your saliva here, something terrible might happen afterward—are you sure?"

"..."

Kang De's gaze revealed a sense of indignant condemnation.

The complexities of human nature were once again vividly displayed in him. On one hand, he was restless and eager, on the other hand, he had reservations. On one hand, he resented Tina for using this method to seduce him, and on the other hand, he cried out for more of this temptation... In short, ah, men.

He pursed his lips and said, "Does this have to go on forever?"

"Of course not," Tina said with a smile, "I also had a hard time holding back."

"That..."

"I'm trying to figure something out, but my method is to take it one step at a time." The princess's eyes sparkled like twinkling stars as she tapped her lips with her finger. "If Kang De can't wait, he can find a way to speed things up himself... See, isn't that fair?"

Kang De said fiercely, "You just wait!"

Tina laughed heartily, nodding vigorously like a little girl. "Mmm! What is Kang De planning to do? Can you tell me?"

"Things must be done step by step!" Kang De seemed to have made a grand vow. "It's time to refine our skills and pinpoint the Power of the Fire Thief to the molecular level!"

In conclusion

It's impossible to move your mouth, because that would leave saliva, which would leave a strong odor that the A Xing would be able to smell—but physical contact is unavoidable.

Since it's unavoidable, we can make good use of it.

Exploiting loopholes is in a man's nature.

After a period of clandestine and romantic encounters, Kang De managed to gain a slight advantage, but that was enough; he needed to shift his focus... now was not the time to indulge in such pleasures.

What is the best way to quell the Flame of desire?

Let's get down to business.

The most important matters of state are killing and Cao Cao. I don't want to talk about Cao Cao, so I can only talk about killing.

Tina listened attentively as Kang De recounted the events that had transpired in the Distant Harbor.

Her Highness gradually frowned.

As a member of the Goth family and the most noble of the nobles, she certainly understood the workings and current state of the country better than Kang De. Not only Goth, but even the entire human world and the Dusk Moon Dynasty, the vast class of nobles controlled the vast majority of wealth and power.

This implies a significant advantage in certain aspects.

Just like the powerful and wealthy in the Distant Harbor.

If you let them confront Kang De head-on, no matter how large an army they hire or assemble, or how many warships they deploy, Kang De could crush them all with a single stone.

Even without Forbidden Spell, high-speed fighter jets, ground firepower, and the Knight Astolfo completed the final piece of the war map for Kang De, and conventional deterrence is gradually being established.

War was already Kang De's absolute advantage.

However, if the powerful and wealthy in the Distant Harbor were to fight Kang De on issues such as people's livelihood and prices, then on a battlefield with equal conditions, it would be these nobles who would have an absolute advantage.

Because they controlled almost all the means and tools of production, they forced the vast majority of commoners to work for them directly or indirectly. This was the source of the nobles' confidence and power.

"... Kang De, this is not war, but it is more dangerous than war. I suggest you use force appropriately, in conjunction with economic measures, to better counter them."

Kang De shook his head and said, "No, we must treat this as a purely economic problem. Only by overwhelmingly winning in their most prized areas, under their own rules, can we truly deter and strike them—only when we achieve a resounding victory in the economic sphere should we deploy military and political forces."

Tina frowned and pondered for a moment, but ultimately shook her head.

"I must say..." she sighed, "Kang De, given the current situation, we can't expect Goth to provide you with much food support. The estates Father transferred to my name mostly produce wine and textile raw materials. I can try to ask my older siblings for help, but apart from that..."

That day, Kang De pointed his finger at all the members of Goth's upper echelons of power in the audience hall and berated them. For the nobles who valued dignity and honor, this was the ultimate humiliation. His hostility was so obvious and his declaration of war so resolute that there was absolutely no room for maneuver.

News of the trials and executions in the Distant Harbor also reached Danfeng Lucerne and spread rapidly among the nobility—stripping the involved nobles of all titles and honors and killing them with the cruel tortures used to execute thieves and robbers. Such practices can only evoke the image of the most cruel tyrants of antiquity.

What crimes did the nobles of the Distant Harbor commit?

--Inciting riots, betraying Kang De.

What charges did the nobles face during the audience that day?

--Inciting riots, betraying Kang De.

So, the nobles of the Distant Harbor have already been stripped of their titles and honors, and subjected to punishments such as strangulation by wheels and iron cages for rats. What does he intend to do with the nobles of Danfeng Lucerne?

The answer is obvious.

Therefore, it would be an extremely strange thing if the powerful and wealthy in Goth's capital were willing to lend a helping hand.

They'll just watch the show, and might even secretly cooperate with the officials in the Distant Harbor.

Tina said helplessly, "The fastest and most likely way to get food is to borrow it from the elves and the Council. Kang De, you won the Battle of Distant Harbor, captured the navies of three nations, and possess the secret of the Paradox Element. You can use these as leverage to buy food from them..."

Kang De shook his head and said, "Negotiation with them is about getting a piece of the pie. How can we waste our bargaining chips on such a matter? Seeking their help is not only a sign of weakness, but also detrimental to our next move. The Council and the elves will surely realize my predicament and will definitely try to raise their price..."

As he said this, a smile appeared on his face, and he pinched Tina's worried expression.

"Don't worry, dear girl. I'm not telling you this to ask how to gather food and win this battle—I'm asking you first, assuming there's an absolute surplus of food, do you think my plan will definitely succeed, will it be a sure victory?"

Upon hearing this, Tina nodded decisively. "Of course we'll win! With abundant food and overwhelming military superiority, even the gods can't change the outcome."

"Then..." Kang De laughed, "I can tell you now, we've already won."

"So, the issue now isn't how to win, but how to seize this opportunity to make further plans, broaden the scope of our attack, and reap even greater rewards—do you understand?"

Tina paused for a moment, then looked at Kang De.

Then a smile slowly appeared on her face.

The meaning of "sweetheart" is that he can get enough food.

As for where he got it from, Kang De didn't say, which means he didn't want to say for the time being.

If you don't want to talk about it, then don't ask.

Faced with Kang De's words and affirmation, Tina believed him without hesitation.

"Understood."

She naturally grasped Kang De's intention.

"It seems..."

Her Highness said, "It seems I'll have to write many, many letters, asking the wealthy and respectable Danfeng Lucerne to lend a helping hand to a starving city, and then..."

She gave a sly, mischievous smile.

Then, he prayed that there would be no reply whatsoever.

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PS1:... Anyway, it's earlier than yesterday! (Runs away)