Zhao Shu placed a wide leaf on a dead tree and sat down to rest her feet. The rain had stopped long ago, but there were still water droplets on the leaves that had not yet fallen.
A gray rabbit was peeking through the wild grass in the distance, as if it were looking for food. Zhao Shu and Wei Tingsi both saw it. The gray rabbit realized it had been exposed and immediately hid behind the rocks.
Wei Tingsi threw a dart, which hit the tree trunk, knocking off the water droplets hanging from the tips of the green leaves and soaking the gray rabbit. The rabbit then scurried away.
Seeing how fast the little rabbit ran, Zhao Shu couldn't help but smile knowingly.
However, after running a few steps, the gray rabbit bumped into Xia Guang, who was coming to report on his work. Xia Guang was an expert and easily caught the rabbit, leading it by the ears to the two of them.
He raised his hand in a salute and said, "General, Princess."
When Wei Tingsi saw Zhao Shu's gaze fall on the rabbit, he gestured for Xia Guang to hand the rabbit to Zhao Shu. The wild rabbit was extremely fierce and even bared its teeth at Zhao Shu, kicking its legs in the air.
"I can't tame it, forget it." She had considered keeping it as a pet for a moment, but the gray rabbit was too fierce and its wild nature would be hard to get rid of. Besides, she didn't really like those difficult-to-raise animals.
Of the parrots that Prince Yong brought back from his last inspection tour of the country, one was given to Sun Yun, while the other is about to become the property of Physician Peng. This old rascal seems to take it everywhere he goes, and he teaches the parrot to curse whoever he dislikes.
Xia Guang wasn't the coy woman he was. Since Zhao Shu didn't want it, he held the rabbit tightly in his hand, thinking he would use it as a snack with his drinks later.
I was already deciding in my mind whether to braise it or stir-fry it.
"General, a letter has arrived from the capital." He took out a small bamboo tube from his bosom; it was a message sent by carrier pigeon.
Wei Tingsi didn't hide anything from Zhao Shu, which made Xia Guang secretly weigh things in his mind. It seemed that the general was going to join the Crown Prince's faction, which was not good. But it didn't matter. He was afraid of no one, since he couldn't fight anymore.
I'm afraid the Emperor won't be happy, but as long as the General is pleased, the brothers are not to be trifled with. They've seen how much the General has done for the Emperor over the years. If the Emperor is heartless, well, they're just as kind-hearted as he is.
They have even less patience.
When Zhao Shu saw Xia Guang here, she was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised, yet also felt it made sense. This place was so secluded and guarded by those gray-clad men, it must be an extremely important base of Wei Ting Si. As the leader of the Borrowing Knife Pavilion and a confidant of Wei Ting Si, it was not surprising that Xia Guang was here.
I had heard before that he went to recruit Hao's troops, but I haven't heard from him in years. I never expected that he would be training troops and manufacturing weapons here.
"His Majesty has endured all these years, but he has finally lost his patience," Wei Tingsi said after reading the letter. He crumpled the letter and stomped it into the mud, then asked Xia Guang, "What about our news?"
"Here, Chu County has been captured by King Jing. King Jing and King Shu have set up a large camp in Chu County to purge the court of corrupt officials." As he spoke, he took out the intelligence he had just received from his bosom and handed it to Wei Tingsi. "It's a pity that King Yan was killed by his own people on the very first day he raised an army. More than a hundred members of his family were killed without a single survivor."
After reading the intelligence, Wei Tingsi wanted to crumble it, but after thinking about it, he handed it to Zhao Shu instead.
"Does His Majesty know?" He asked Xia Guang.
Xia Guang shook his head. "I don't know. Prince Jing and Prince Shu have kept the news under wraps very well. The Emperor only knows that Prince Yan drove the refugees out of the city and that the refugees went to Xiliang. Prince Shu sent people to intercept the messengers. He knows nothing else."
As he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Zhao Shu, and he hesitated to speak. However, Zhao Shu had already read through the entire piece of paper the information he hadn't finished saying: Wu Ying, the leader of the Empress Dowager's secret guards, was dead!
Although it was written later that Prince Yong had returned to the capital, her heart jumped into her throat. Seeing that her face had turned cold in an instant, Xia Guang quickly explained, "Princess, don't worry, the general has sent people to follow the prince and will definitely ensure his safety."
"The second-in-command of the Borrowed Knife Pavilion has been secretly protecting you, so don't worry, nothing will happen." He originally didn't want Zhao Shu to know, but Zhao Shu was never a weak woman who needed to hide under someone's wing; she had the right to know.
He can offer her a shoulder to lean on and give her strength, but he cannot deprive her of her independence and right to know. After all, he is her only family member, and although it pains him to see her worrying.
"Thank you." Zhao Shu's eyes were slightly red. For the first time in her life, she felt that it was so good to have someone to rely on.
Sometimes I feel like I'm a terrible person, but at this moment I feel like I'm not so bad after all. At least there's someone willing to help me, not because of any benefit, status, or gain or loss, but simply because that person is me.
"Princess, please don't thank the general. He's hard to hear and can't stand it when you say thank you to him." Xia Guang recalled the last time in Guanzhou when Zhao Shu thanked him, and his general sulked for a long time, causing him to live in fear for many days. He never wanted to live that kind of life again, where everything he did was wrong and he would be blamed.
Wei Tingsi glanced at him sharply and interrupted him, "Summon everyone." The Emperor wanted him to lead his troops into the capital, and he also felt that this was a good time.
Zhao Shu chuckled and handed the paper back to Wei Tingsi, saying, "Thank you is something you should say often; it's a matter of upbringing."
She doesn't have a mother, and people often say behind her back that she has no manners. Actually, manners and whether or not to say thank you sometimes don't have much to do with each other, but it's always good to say thank you often.
Wei Tingsi crumpled the paper into pieces and stomped it into the mud, changing the subject, "Come on, I'll show you one of my trump cards."
Zhao Shu stood up, looking somewhat excited. He was finally going to see his elite troops. "Good." In his previous life, he had single-handedly swept away all the princes and was invincible. Only Prince Jing could rival him, but in the end, Prince Jing was defeated. Keep in mind that Wei Tingsi was only in his early twenties at that time.
Xia Guang led the two through a narrow path, past countless stone houses, and into a large basin. The basin was planted with many tall and straight trees, with the low branches cut off, leaving only the straight crowns reaching the sky.
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