Copying secret letters
The day when 625 reappeared was not too late, it was the day after Su Manyan and his companions returned to the palace from Ci'en Temple.
At that time, Su Manyan received a secret letter from the prince's party. As soon as Xiao Lin came back, they could no longer hold back.
Before this, Xiao Lin went to Ci'en Temple immediately after recovering from his illness. They didn't even see Xiao Lin's shadow, and didn't know whether the rumors were true or not.
After waiting for a long time, Xiao Lin finally came back, so they naturally had to find out more about him.
During the day, Su Manyan received the small paper ball and was planning for the evening when 625 suddenly appeared.
The round figure appeared in the air again, but Su Manyan always felt that 625 was not as bright as before. He wondered if it was his illusion.
"Where have you been?"
"Host, I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you the whole time last time. Fortunately, you're safe and sound." 625's eyes were filled with tears. "I ran out of power at that time and was forcibly recalled to the space station."
Su Manyan didn't really understand any of this, but she knew 625 had no choice, so she reached out and gently stroked 625 to comfort him: "Thank you for your hard work. It's okay. Look, I'm fine, aren't I?"
"By the way, why do I feel like you seem to have become darker?"
"...How could that be? It must be because it's daytime and the light is too bright, so it obscured some of my light."
625's tone was somewhat unnatural, he was evasive when speaking, and his hands were swaying slightly in the air - corresponding to human behavior, it was probably the small movements made when lying.
Su Manyan noticed something was wrong with 625, but didn't point it out.
625 thought quickly and caught sight of the small note in Su Manyan's hand. He abruptly changed the subject: "Host, what are you holding in your hand? Could it be that the prince is asking you to meet him privately again?"
Su Manyan choked when he heard the word "secret meeting". What secret meeting? The word was so ambiguous, as if he and the prince were inextricably linked.
"It was a secret meeting! I was just conscientiously completing my spy mission. Don't make it sound like I'm close to the Crown Prince..."
625 interrupted with a smile: "My fault, my fault, after all, you are with the King of Mobei now, hehe~"
Su Manyan:?!
"How did you know?" Su Manyan was still slowly adapting to the changes in their relationship these days. He felt a little uncomfortable in front of Yunque and others. He didn't know how to face it and always felt embarrassed.
After all, she is just thin-skinned.
But 625 said it so bluntly. The "ball" was clearly missing a few days ago. How could he know all this?
"Because Xiao Lin's dark energy has dropped a lot! And I looked at the host's emotional observation panel in the background. Your emotions have been jumping back and forth between shyness and sweetness these days, so I naturally guessed it."
Su Manyan's face turned red instantly. Knowing that she couldn't win the argument with 625, she quickly shook the note, walked up to 625, and brought the subject back.
The paper read: "Meet at the usual place tonight at midnight. Don't let Xiao Lin know."
The message on the note was concise and to the point, and it even deliberately mentioned "Xiao Lin." 625 read it and exclaimed, "Could it be that the prince's followers have also discovered that you two are together?"
Su Manyan frowned and nodded: "Almost right." But this was also expected.
She and Xiao Lin had been acting like an ordinary couple these past few days, not trying to hide their feelings. The fact that a proton was with a same-sex eunuch was shocking enough, and it would only attract more discussion and make more people aware of it sooner.
"What should we do?" 625 was extremely anxious.
Su Manyan chuckled and threw the note into the fire beside her, where it instantly burned up. She had already made all the necessary preparations, intending to play along, waiting only for tonight.
At midnight, the person who came was once again Shadow Owl. He was masked and remained silent, only throwing a secret letter in front of Su Manyan.
Su Manyan unfolded the letter and found it was a torn secret letter: "...Xiao Lin has been very active recently, and seems to be on guard against us. We plan to put 'Crane's Beak Red' in the ink stick he often uses, so that he will be poisoned when he is reviewing the hostage's letter. Then you will spread the rumor that he surrendered to the Southern Kingdom and committed suicide out of fear of punishment after working as a Southern Kingdom spy, so as to eliminate future troubles. After this is accomplished, you and I will work together to help the Second Prince ascend the throne. Naturally, you should also abide by your promise..."
Before he finished writing the rest of the content, Su Manyan felt a chill running up his spine to the top of his head.
"This is the letter the Crown Prince sent to the Hu Kingdom a few days ago, but it was intercepted along the way. During the scramble, the secret letter was torn up, leaving only this half. The other half is missing. The Crown Prince suspects that someone close to Xiao Lin intercepted it and took the other half."
Shadow Owl changed the subject, raised his eyelids, and asked coldly, "Do you remember this? I heard that you were inseparable in Ci'en Temple, and your behavior was intimate, just like..."
Before he could finish the rest of his words, Shadow Owl suddenly stopped for some reason.
Perhaps he was thinking of his unclear relationship with Xie Jingyuan. Two men being together was not tolerated by the world in the South Country. Even if there was a "good south wind", they could only do it secretly.
He looked at Su Manyan, but the scene of himself and Xie Jingyuan spending time together day and night emerged involuntarily in his mind.
He carefully observed Su Manyan's reaction, but he didn't believe that Su Manyan was really in love with Xiao Lin.
"Ha!" Su Manyan snorted coldly, his eyelids half closed, revealing a look of impatience. "I never thought that Xiao Lin would be so good as Nan Feng. I was just playing along to lure out more information. Lord Yingxiao, rest assured. I swear to be loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince until death."
Yingxiao thought that what Su Manyan said was nice, but he still believed it first - after all, he was just a little eunuch and didn't dare to do too many small things, and he really didn't believe that the two were truly in love.
"Oh! Lord Ying, look, there is a secret hidden in this letter!" Su Manyan suddenly said in surprise, while staring at the secret letter, pretending to have made a major discovery.
Shadow Owl frowned and moved forward to check.
Su Manyan seized the opportunity and immediately took out the truth serum that he had hidden in his sleeve and poured it into Shadow Owl's mouth.
This item was obtained a long time ago, and now it finally comes in handy.
She spread out the secret letter again - there were missing parts at the front and back of the letter, and it was even possible that the entire letter was forged, so she had to ask carefully to find out.
She looked at the motionless Shadow Owl in front of her, only to see that his dark pupils were staring straight ahead without any focus, and he looked a little dazed.
Su Manyan tentatively waved his palm in front of Yingxiao, but the other party did not react.
This truth serum is actually so magical that it has already taken effect?
"May I have your name?"
"Shadow Owl."
"Who are you loyal to?"
"Xie Jingyuan."
After asking two simple questions, Su Manyan was completely relieved. He took out the pen and paper he had prepared and began to record the interrogation content.
"Is this secret letter genuine?"
"yes."
"Who is it for?"
"Prime Minister Sun of the Hu Kingdom."
Prime Minister Sun? Su Manyan instantly broke out in a cold sweat. The Prime Minister was a position second only to the emperor. When on earth had Xie Jingyuan won over the core figures of the Hu Kingdom to such an extent that he could control everything with one hand?
"Where are the top and bottom halves of the letter?"
"The upper part has been taken away by Xiao Lin and others, and the lower part is still in our hands."
"What does the second half say?"
"After the Second Prince Xiao Ye ascends the throne, he must cede the eight territories of Ninghe as agreed, never invade the territory of the Southern Kingdom, and pay tribute to the Hu Kingdom annually. Naturally, the secrets between the Southern and Hu Kingdoms must also be strictly observed..."
"Ding! The truth serum has expired! It will be effective in ten seconds. Please be prepared!"
Su Manyan cursed inwardly, hurriedly put away the paper and pen, and resumed the posture of holding the letter paper as before.
Shadow Owl's consciousness gradually regained consciousness, his memory of the Veritaserum he had just taken erased. He continued with the unfinished topic and asked, "What's the problem with this secret letter?"
Su Manyan swallowed and made up a story, "I feel like the lower half of this secret letter seems to have been erased?"
Shadow Owl snatched the letter directly, folded it slowly and put it in his pocket, and sneered: "Of course, how could I show you all the information?"
Su Manyan: I’m so angry!
Shadow Owl did not stay any longer. He only instructed "report promptly after finding the other half of the secret letter" and quickly disappeared into the night.
At midnight, everything was silent, and the moon itself was hidden behind thick clouds, reluctant to shed a single drop of cool air. Only the rustling of leaves in the wind added a touch of sound to the still night, preventing one from feeling completely swallowed by the darkness.
In the small room in the west wing, a candle burned, seemingly burning a large hole in the darkness. Su Manyan hunched over his desk, rapidly scribbling a long string of words with a sharpened charcoal pencil.
She was trying hard to recall and record the contents of the secret letter, as well as the information she had extracted from Ying Xiao, intending to hand them over to Xiao Lin later.
She herself didn't know much about the situation in Hu State, but if Xiao Lin knew this information, combined with the information he already had, he would surely gain a lot. However, time was too urgent at the time, so she still missed some information.
For example, what is the "secret" between the two countries of Nanhu?
The next day, Su Manyan got up early in the morning. While Xiao Lin was practicing swordsmanship, he sneaked into his bedroom and quietly put the copied letter under his pillow.
I was afraid that any heavy movements would leave traces and arouse suspicion.
But in the end, her efforts were in vain. Xiao Lin never returned to his room to rest after taking a bath, and the secret letter hidden under the pillow was naturally not discovered.
After lunch, Su Manyan asked casually, "Are you tired from practicing swords today? Do you want to go back to your room and take a rest?"
Xiao Lin held the teacup between his fingers and took a sip of hot tea. He said calmly, "Not bad, not too tired. I'll accompany you this afternoon. You said a few days ago that you wanted to learn painting, so I can teach you."
"Ah... I don't seem to be very interested in studying today." Su Manyan's eyes dodged for a moment, and then he added, "I see that you haven't had a good rest these days. Why don't you go back to your room and lie down for a while?"
"It's okay." Xiao Lin said, reaching out to take Su Manyan's hand, lowering his head and gently kissing the back of her hand. The warmth of his fingertips came through the fabric, with a soothing meaning, "Let's go."
No matter how Su Manyan tried to insinuate himself, Xiao Lin never mentioned going back to his room, saying only that he wanted to spend more time with her. Su Manyan had no choice but to put on a bitter face and follow Xiao Lin to the study to learn painting.
She didn't notice that Xiao Lin, who was walking in front of her, clenched his hands hanging by his side quietly, but the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
The smile was hidden in his eyes, with a hint of understanding and tenderness.
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