On their journey before, whenever Wei Shuxuan reached a new town, she would always want to stay and play for a few days before moving on. But later, as she was so eager to return to the capital, now even when encountering a town she had never been to, she would resist the temptation. Moreover, after they added a fine steed, the time needed to reach the capital was reduced.
Since they were almost back in the capital, Wei Shuxuan stopped writing letters to Xin Zizhao.
Xin Shang knocked on the door of Wei Shuxuan's room. "Miss Xuan, are you in? I have something to report to you."
"Sure, come in."
Wei Shuxuan was eating. When she saw Xin Shang enter, she looked up at him. "Xin Shang, do you want to have some spicy chicken feet? By the way, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"I'll pass, thank you, Miss Xuan." Xin Shang declined Wei Shuxuan's offer. "Xin Shi said he wanted to rush back to report to the master, so he rode ahead on his horse."
"......Okay, it's fine. We'll also be back in the capital tomorrow. Is there anything else?" Wei Shuxuan lowered her head, picked up another chicken foot from the plate and continued eating.
"No, Miss Xuan. You can continue eating. I won't bother you anymore."
"Okay, go get some rest early, Xin Shang."
After Xin Shang left, Wei Shuxuan continued eating her chicken feet. Suddenly, a white pigeon appeared in front of her. She stared wide - eyed at the pigeon preening itself on the windowsill.
Looking down, she saw a bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg. Could it be a letter from Xin Zizhao? She had already retrieved the carrier pigeons and kept them with her. How did this guy still have a carrier pigeon? And Xin Shang also had two carrier pigeons in his hands. Damn it, just how many pigeons did Xin Zizhao raise in the palace? She decided that she must ask Xin Zizhao about this when she got back.
Just thinking that she would see Xin Zizhao tomorrow filled Wei Shuxuan's heart with a huge sense of surprise. She was extremely excited and full of anticipation. But for now, she should first check the letter on the pigeon's leg.
Wei Shuxuan quickly finished the chicken foot in her hand, wiped her hands casually with a handkerchief, and then rushed to the windowsill, afraid that the pigeon would fly away. Fortunately, the pigeon was very docile and didn't struggle when she grabbed it, so she easily caught the pigeon in her hand.
She took off the bamboo tube on the pigeon's leg, took out the letter inside, and put the pigeon aside. By chance, she noticed obvious oil stains on the pigeon's snow - white and shiny feathers. She felt a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, Mr. Pigeon. I'll wash you clean after I finish reading the letter. You've really gone through a lot!"
She quickly opened the letter. There were only a few words on it: "I'll be waiting for you to come back, Xuan'er."
"Humph, I'll be back tomorrow anyway. Why did he have to send a letter with Mr. Pigeon?" Wei Shuxuan pressed the letter in her hand against her left chest. This was her most precious letter. For her and Xin Zizhao, these letters were probably their tokens of love for a lifetime.
Compared to rings, bracelets, or necklaces in modern life, Wei Shuxuan actually thought that letters were quite good as a testimony of their love. Every word was filled with love for each other. She remembered that in modern times, many famous people also liked to express their feelings to their wives or husbands through letters.
Alright, she decided that she would put all the letters Xin Zizhao had written to her in a beautiful box. She would ask Xin Zizhao for a box when she got back to the palace.
After reading the letter, Wei Shuxuan put it aside, picked up the pigeon sitting on the table, and said, "Alright, dear Mr. Pigeon, I'll go give you a bath!"
After the night market, the town of Baiyang seemed especially quiet at night, giving a feeling of being away from the hustle and bustle of the world. As its name suggested, Baiyang Town was surrounded by white poplar trees. So at night, one could hear the sound of the night wind rustling the white poplar leaves, and in summer, the annoying chirping of cicadas.
Maybe because she had eaten too much just now, Wei Shuxuan couldn't fall asleep. The pigeon she had put in the nest she made was sleeping soundly. She got out of bed, opened the window, and found that there was no moonlight tonight, but she could see the bright stars. The stars, shining like diamonds, dotted the dark - blue sky and illuminated the whole sky.
She looked into the distance, as if she could see the person she missed in her heart. "I wonder what Xin Zizhao is doing. I wonder if he's already asleep?"
At the same time, Xin Zizhao had just finished reviewing the memorials. He stood up, opened the window of the imperial study, and what came into view was a beautiful starry sky, twinkling in the sky. As soon as he relaxed, the image of the person in his heart involuntarily emerged in his mind. "Xuan'er, are you already resting now? Are you looking forward to seeing me again?"
Under the same bright starry sky, two different hearts instantly got closer to each other.
The town of Baiyang was awakened by the loud crowing of roosters in the morning. Wei Shuxuan also got up early this morning. The downstairs of the inn was already bustling, and the townspeople had come out to set up stalls. A new day was about to begin.
One of the windows in Wei Shuxuan's room faced the lively street. After she finished washing up, she hugged the pigeon and lay on the windowsill, watching the noisy morning market in Baiyang Town. Although the cries of the peddlers, the bargaining voices, and the chatting voices were all mixed together, Wei Shuxuan didn't find it noisy. Instead, it gave a sense of tranquility like the earthly fireworks, making one's mind gradually calm down.
Just as Wei Shuxuan was listening to the noise outside the window in her room, she heard Wei Wei calling her outside the door. "Miss, Miss, it's time for us to set off."
"Okay, I know. I'll come out now."
Finally, they were going to reach the capital. Wei Shuxuan couldn't help but look forward to it. She had already packed her luggage. Holding the pigeon and carrying her belongings, she rushed out of the room in a hurry.
Seeing that Wei Wei and Xin Shang were already waiting for her, she showed a smile. "Okay, I'm ready. We can start our journey back."
"Sister Xuan, what's this pigeon?" Sima Yongheng looked at the pigeon in Wei Shuxuan's arms in surprise.
"This Mr. Pigeon is my treasure. Don't you guys eat it!" Wei Shuxuan seemed especially happy today.
Xin Shang looked at the mark on the pigeon's leg and understood the significance of this pigeon very well.
"Don't worry about this pigeon. It's time for us to set off."