"I think this person just doesn't want us to know his real identity."
"Isn't it because he's afraid we won't believe him, so he came up with this method?" Wei Shuxuan turned her head and looked at Xin Zizhao beside her.
"It's not impossible..." Xin Zizhao nodded, indicating his approval of Wei Shuxuan's suggestion.
Since someone had sent him such a message, if he didn't make good use of it, wouldn't it be a disservice to the messenger?
"Xin Zizhao, do you have any ideas in mind?" Wei Shuxuan had been observing Xin Zizhao's facial expressions.
"Well, since the messenger is willing to help me, why not follow his advice and keep an eye on Minister Zhang and Grand Scholar Jin?" Xin Zizhao curled his lips slightly.
After Xin Yeheng wrote the note, he wanted to send it to the palace where Xin Zizhao and Wei Shuxuan lived. However, he thought that if he went to deliver it in person, Qi Ha'er would surely find out, which would disrupt his plan, and Qi Ha'er would then know that he had regained consciousness.
So, he vetoed the idea of delivering it himself.
Just as Xin Yeheng was thinking about how to send a message to Xin Zizhao, Qi Ha'er came back. He quickly hid the note in a secret pocket sewn into his robe to avoid being discovered by Qi Ha'er and arousing his suspicion.
"Xiao Heng, I'm back. Have you been waiting for me to come back for dinner?" Qi Ha'er put on his eye - patch again, and the smile on his lips was full of evil.
"Yes."
Xin Yeheng still remembered how he had interacted with Qi Ha'er when he was under control, so Qi Ha'er didn't notice that he had woken up.
Qi Ha'er didn't stay in Huaman Palace often and would often go out. But Xin Yeheng didn't know where he went. Based on his speculation, he thought Qi Ha'er might be going to send a message to Sima Tianhai.
One day, a tabby cat came to Xin Yeheng's palace. Seeing the small bell hanging around the cat's neck, he thought this cat must be someone's pet. And judging from its smooth and shiny fur, it should be a cat raised by one of the empresses in the palace.
At this moment, Xin Yeheng thought of a way to use this cat to send a message to Xin Zizhao. So he used dried fish to lure the tabby cat near Fenghe Hall. Then he threw the dried fish onto the eaves, making the cat climb onto the roof. The cat would jump down from the roof because of the dried fish and appear in front of Wei Shuxuan and Xin Zizhao.
Before that, he had inquired that Wei Shuxuan and Xin Zizhao would sunbathe in the backyard of Fenghe Hall in the afternoon, so he chose that time for the tabby cat to deliver the message for him.
Unconsciously, the spring flowers withered, and the tender green leaves gradually turned dark green as time passed. Summer cicadas clung to the gnarled tree trunks, making their unique summer chirping sounds. The heat in the air gradually rose, and the whole space became stuffy.
Wei Shuxuan was lying on a lounge chair. Two young maids were fanning her on the side. There was also a small plate of chilled grapes beside her. She tugged at her collar. "It's so hot."
"Xuan'er, calm your mind and you'll feel cool."
Hearing Xin Zizhao's voice, which carried a bit of coolness, Wei Shuxuan looked up and saw Xin Zizhao walking slowly towards her not far away. Today he was wearing a white robe, and the hem of his robe fluttered up and down as he walked, exuding a natural coolness.
When Xin Zizhao walked up to her, Wei Shuxuan saw that there was not a single drop of sweat on his face. He seemed completely unaffected by the stuffy weather, like an other - worldly immortal from a fairyland.
"......You're back so soon, Xin Zizhao?" Wei Shuxuan reached out to hold Xin Zizhao's hand. It was cold. When his hand touched her hot palm, it felt extremely comfortable.
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Seeing Wei Shuxuan's blushing face due to the heat, Xin Zizhao couldn't help but ask with concern.
"It's okay..." Who could blame her? She had grown up being pampered by fans and air - conditioners. In this place, not to mention air - conditioners, there were no fans either. She could only rely on maids or eunuchs to fan her on the side.
Xin Zizhao glanced at Wei Shuxuan. Her listless appearance was in sharp contrast to her usual lively self. He couldn't help but find it a bit funny. "At this time, it's quite cool on the border."
"Have Wei Wei and Ge Zian sent us any messages?" Wei Shuxuan turned to look at Xin Zizhao.
".....No. Since Zian sent us a message last time, there has been no more news."
"It's been two months..." Wei Shuxuan calculated the days in her mind. She couldn't help but start to worry about Wei Wei again. "You're back so soon today. Did those ministers give you a hard time again?"
Xin Zizhao sneered coldly. "With them? How could they ever give me a hard time? It's just that because of Minister Zhang and Grand Scholar Jin, the court is in a bit of a mess. I can only use my power to suppress them, or else remove their official positions."
Looking at the faint dark circles under Xin Zizhao's eyes, Wei Shuxuan couldn't help but feel heart - ache. Just thinking about the difficulties Xin Zizhao was facing now made her feel as if her heart was being grasped tightly. It was stuffy and hard to breathe. She reached out to stroke the dark circles under Xin Zizhao's eyes. "If anything happens, you must tell me, okay?"
".....Okay."
Since there had been no news from Ge Zian and Wei Wei, Wei Shuxuan was a bit worried. She took the initiative to write a letter. After asking Xin Zizhao for the address of Ge Zian's military camp, she sent someone to deliver the letter to the border camp at full speed.
In the border military camp, Ge Zian and Ge Long'an were dealing with military affairs. The people they had sent to infiltrate Qiangfeng Country had recently received news that Sima Tianhai, the mighty general of Qiangfeng Country, seemed to be plotting something and had transported a large amount of food and supplies into Qiangfeng Country.
Ge Zian had last met Wei Wei two and a half months ago. After that, he hadn't seen Wei Wei again. Since he was busy gathering information in Qiangfeng Country, it was inconvenient for him to exchange letters with Wei Shuxuan.
"General Ge, this subordinate has something to report."
Ge Zian's deputy general quickly walked into the military camp. Seeing Ge Zian sitting there studying the map without raising his head, he said, "Is it news from the people we sent to Qiangfeng Country?"
"Yes. They found that the people of General Sima Tianhai in Qiangfeng Country were transporting food and supplies to the outskirts."
"Transporting food and supplies? Is Sima Tianhai preparing to launch a new round of attacks?" Ge Zian didn't understand Sima Tianhai's intention.
"This subordinate is not sure, but according to our undercover agents, they were transporting them in sacks to the outskirts."