The spy was so frightened that his body trembled. He knelt on the ground and hurriedly clasped his fists, "I have failed you!"
"Marquis Mu Houchu’s machinations in Yu State are nothing more than his current bullishness. If I had not visited Yu State today, I would not have known that the entire state recognizes only Prince Pingyang and not the Emperor in the capital city," Duan Lan sneered. "If you didn’t know better, you might think that Yu State is about to undergo a regime change."
The spy was trembling slightly, but he didn’t dare to breathe loudly.
Duan Lan’s eyes sharpened slightly, "The only thing that can embolden him so much is military power!"
"But, but Prince Pingyang doesn’t have any military power..."
Duan Lan said sternly, "That’s why I asked you to investigate! Dig out the troops he is fostering in Yu State for me!"
"Yes..."
"Although Yu State is large, it’s not too expansive. Search thoroughly, especially in remote areas. Military drills create a lot of noise. How well can so many people be hidden? Find them for me no matter what! If Marquis Mu Houchu loses these troops, it will be as if he has broken half of his wings. I would like to see what he can do then," said Duan Lan, his eyes cold.
"Yes."
——
"This character is written like this and it is pronounced ’Song’." Song Xi was teaching Ah Guai how to write by demonstrating on the desk.
Ah Guai, with her small head propped up, was holding a brush and following along very seriously. She looked up and asked him, "Is it the same ’Song’ in big brother Song Xi’s name?"
"Yes, it’s my ’Song’. Ah Guai, you must learn well. If you want to write me a letter in the future, you will need this character," Song Xi seriously advised.
Ah Guai nodded repeatedly, "Yes."
Then she leaned over the desk again and began to write attentively.
Xin He who was watching from the side, found it amusing, "Ah Guai, do you know how to write your mother’s name? What if mother wants to write a letter to you in the future?"
Ah Guai scratched her head, "Ah Guai knows how to write ’Mother’!"
"Names are written on the envelope." Xin He pretended to be saddened, "It seems that Ah Guai doesn’t plan to write letters to mother in the future. I am so heartbroken."
"Mother, don’t be sad. Ah Guai will learn to write your name now."
Xin He smiled, and didn’t tease her anymore.
Even Shulan couldn’t help laughing, "Our little princess is so cute. Her temperament is not at all like either His Highness or the princess."
Xin He stroked Ah Guai’s head and laughed, "She doesn’t have to be like anyone else. As long as she lives her life well, that is enough."
Shulan smiled, "The princess is right."
Just as they were speaking, Xiao Bei and Xiao Chaihu came in. When Xiao Bei saw Ah Guai, he leaned in and exclaimed, "Ah, Ah Guai can write now?"
Ah Guai quickly covered her characters, blushing and declaring, "Ah Guai’s handwriting is too ugly. I won’t let you see!"
Xiao Bei ruffled her hair, laughing, "Ah Guai even knows how to be shy now? Our Ah Guai has grown into a young lady."
But Xin He looked at Xiao Bei with amusement, "Ah Guai is still far from being a young lady, but I fear that our little boy has already grown into a young man?"
Xiao Bei was stunned, "Huh?"
Xin He curled up her lips and laughed, "On Ah Guai’s birthday feast, you were on the Pingque Terrace..."
Xiao Bei nearly choked on Ji Xinhe’s remark, his eyes growing wide as he looked at Ah Guai.
Ah Guai looked wronged, "Mother made me say it."
Xin He laughed, "It’s not a bad thing. Why don’t you tell me about it? If you don’t speak, no one else will know, right?"
The moment Xiao Bei heard this, he started making faces at Ji Xinhe, "Ah ha ha ha. We should talk about this later. I don’t think it’s the right time..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Song Xi. If this kid found out, he would certainly tease him!
Who would have guessed that Song Xi just stared at Xiao Bei, "Why do we need to discuss it later? Are you afraid I’ll know about you peeping outside the wall of the Pingque Terrace on that day?"
Xiao Bei nearly spit out his saliva, "You, you, you..."
Immediately, he turned his head towards a certain dumbfounded little girl. Ah Guai, terrified, quickly hid behind Song Xi, "I didn’t mean to!"
A blush spread across Xiao Bei’s face. He met Ji Xinhe’s meaningful gaze and managed to stammer, "I, I, I didn’t do it on purpose..."
Song Xi raised an eyebrow, "You didn’t climb the wall intentionally?"
Xiao Bei gritted his teeth, summoned his courage, and dragged Xiao Chaihu out, "Xiao Chaihu and I were both watching!"
As he spoke, he looked at Xiao Chaihu pleadingly, "Right?" He also made a few facial expressions.
This incident was beyond embarrassing! It would be a little better if he had someone to share the humiliation with him.
A brother should lend a hand, right?
However, the usually reliable Xiao Chaihu shook off his hand without any expression, decisively distancing himself from the situation, "I didn’t."
Xiao Bei widened his eyes, his face crumpled like a bun, "Is this how you treat a brother?"
Xin He burst out laughing, "You deserved it. Being your brother is really hard work! Don’t drag him into this, is he that kind of person?"
Xiao Bei felt wronged, "I didn’t want to either, sister. You know how embarrassing this is, right?"
Xin He glanced at him, "If you knew it was embarrassing, why would you do it? Thankfully, no one found out. If someone had, you would have really lost face!"
"Sister..."
Finally, Xin He laughed, "Alright, alright. It’s not a bad thing. At least it shows that our Xiao Bei has grown up; it’s time for him to get married. Tell me, which girl have you taken a liking to? I’ll propose marriage for you."
Xiao Bei’s face turned red, "She, she might not even like me."
"If you don’t give it a try, how would you know?" Xin He lightly glared at him, "Alright, alright, hurry up and speak. Or else, ’as the saying goes, ’you’ll have missed this village and there won’t be another shop’, I won’t be bothered to arrange for it. When that girl is engaged to someone else, even if you beg me, I won’t help you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Bei immediately became anxious and hastily replied, "Yes ..."
"Which girl is it?" Xin He asked with amusement, "You’re a grown man; why are you so hesitant over such a trivial matter?"
Xiao Bei glanced at Song Xi, gritted his teeth and said, "It’s the sixth daughter of the Song family."
Xin He was taken aback, "The Song family?"
Song Xi didn’t have much of a reaction, "It’s the second branch."
His relationship with the Song family in Yu State was very distant, to the point they barely knew each other. So essentially, there was not much connection between him and the Yu State Song family.
Xin He laughed, "I see. Let me inquire about the girl’s personality and background. If I find them suitable, I’ll propose marriage for you."
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