Qinghe whispered, "Now that the General is about to return to the capital, why doesn't His Majesty visit him and ask him questions in person?"
Tong Su's eyes lit up, then slowly dimmed again. She shook her head and said, "That man surnamed Yun will definitely not let me go. He wishes he could lock me up in the palace and prevent me from associating with any ministers. How could he possibly agree to let me visit that general?"
Qinghe said, "The general will be back in a few days. I heard that this Mid-Autumn Festival banquet will be a celebration banquet for General Xi. Why don't you find an opportunity to meet General Xi privately at the banquet?"
Tongsu bit her lip, feeling a surge of attraction, yet also hesitant: "But what if that general harbors ill intentions, or is like Yun Zong, plotting to kill me..."
"No way! Why would the general think of killing you—"
Qinghe blurted out, but seeing Tongsu's questioning look, she quickly swallowed the rest of the words back, and said casually:
"General Xi is your senior brother from your childhood. The Xi family has always been loyal to the emperor, and they will certainly be loyal to you. Now that General Xi has returned with 300,000 troops to protect His Majesty, even the Ninth Prince is filled with fear and worry. This is a perfect opportunity for you!"
Tong Su seemed oblivious, and after thinking carefully, she slowly nodded.
“What you say makes sense… Very well, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is only a few days away, and when he returns in a few days, I will definitely go to the city gate to welcome him personally. That way, I can see what he looks like. I’ve heard that those generals who lead troops are all big and burly, with protruding bellies and faces full of fat. They can all look fierce and ugly!”
Qinghe said urgently, "General Xi is only twenty-four years old now. He was once the most handsome man in the capital. He was gentle and kind, with a stern and handsome appearance and a beautiful voice. In addition, he had made great achievements in battle. People praised him as the 'Little Champion Marquis'! How could he be... ugly and fierce?"
Tong Su waved her hand dismissively: "You said it yourself, it's all just rumors. He's been in the frontier for years, he's probably tanned to a crisp by now, what kind of handsome man is he? Alright, you go out and guard the door for me, I'll read a book here for a while."
Qinghe flattened her lips and took her leave, heading to the outer hall.
Tongsu was engrossed in reading in the inner palace, while the other palace maids had long been ushered away. With no one around, Qinghe looked around, quietly went to the window, and whistled softly.
A gray, inconspicuous sparrow silently landed in front of the window.
Qinghe wrote a note, stuck it to the sparrow's feathers with wax, fed the sparrow a few grains of grain, and the sparrow spread its wings and flew away from the palace.
The sparrow flew slowly and not very high. It flew and stopped for a long time before finally leaving the palace and landing in an inconspicuous little courtyard. A moment later, a nimble carrier pigeon took off from the courtyard and spread its wings to leave the capital.
People at that time used pigeons or falcons to deliver messages, but these things would be too conspicuous in the palace and would definitely be discovered by Yun Zong. Therefore, the messenger that Qing He received was a sparrow that no one would suspect.
Using sparrows to avoid Yun Zong's gaze, the secret letter was sent out of the palace, then switched to pigeons to deliver the message. If the message was to be sent to the Northwest, the pigeons would stop in some inconspicuous county town and then be replaced by hawks to continue the delivery.
Fortunately, the recipient has already left the Northwest and is on his way back to the capital, so there's no need to change the falcon.
That night, at the temporary encampment of the Northwest Army returning to Beijing, a pigeon flew into the general's tent in the very center.
The lieutenant was discussing business with Xi when he glanced at the pigeon and burst out laughing, "General, you've received another letter? Just tell the truth, have you found someone you love in the capital? Otherwise, why are you receiving letters every few days!"
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