February 13th, the Spring Equinox.
Gan Qiongying and the others were finally settled in the mountains. There was a long row of houses behind Jishi Temple, all of which were used to house the disaster victims. These disaster victims would not stay on the mountain for long; in a little over a month, they would go down the mountain to find a way to survive.
For those who had no way to survive here, the people of Jishi Temple would send someone to lead them south again.
Gan Qiongying and the others were settled in a house in the most remote part of the back mountain of Jishi Temple. Although the house was not newly built and there was not much furnishing inside, it was the place where a lay disciple of Jishi Temple used to live.
This disciple has passed away because he joined the army during the border wars and never returned.
He once sent a letter saying that he could do whatever he wanted with the things in his house, and that all his money would be donated to the temple.
He died on the battlefield, without any relatives or friends.
Now that Gan Qiongying and the others have moved in, they tidied up a bit, lit the fire again, and the house became warm and cozy.
They even built a kang (heated brick bed), which could warm the whole house simply by burning firewood.
Gan Qiongying stayed on the earthen bed every day, and the young monks from the temple delivered her food. She and Gan Lin suddenly had a lot of free time.
On the contrary, Physician Xiao was never idle, busy with various tasks every day. There were also those shadow guards, who were often borrowed by Jishi Temple to save or send people away because of their exceptional skills and speed.
This time, Gan Qiongying did not lend out everyone, but kept one person to deliver the message.
Before she left, Gan Qiongying earnestly instructed her: "Take this letter with you, but you must never let anyone know where you came from."
“Shadow Nine, I’ve heard Shadow One mention you and know that Shadow Eight is your brother, which is why I entrusted you with this mission of delivering the letter. After you’ve delivered the letter, I don’t need to teach you how to get rid of the person.”
"Don't rush back. You can go to Qinzhou instead and see your brother."
Gan Qiongying's group of shadow guards have been engaged in disaster relief efforts for some time now. Although no one has been injured, everyone has become noticeably more robust.
Gan Qiongying did not treat them as true servants, but only as a group of partners who would live and die together.
These people had no relatives from the beginning. The only brothers in the whole team were Shadow Eight and Shadow Nine, but they didn't keep in touch with each other.
Gan Qiongying didn't know much about the shadow guards around her at the time. If she had known earlier that Shadow Eight and Shadow Nine were brothers, she would never have sent Shadow Eight to Princess Huian.
This was a perfect opportunity for the brothers to reunite. Gan Qiongying sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) very seriously, looking at the tall, plain-looking man kneeling in front of her, who even exuded a kind of simple and honest temperament.
He explained, "The journey ahead is long, and no one can guarantee that we won't encounter any forces that might try to ambush us along the way."
"Remember this: your life is the most important thing. Delivering the message is important, but your life is more important."
Gan Qiongying had no way of instilling her ideas into these ancient people; they always had a loyalty completely different from that of modern people, and were always ready to give their lives for Gan Qiongying.
Even though Gan Qiongying has now fallen from a princess to an ordinary person who is hiding and living in a temple, they have never disobeyed or questioned any of her orders or commands.
But the more this happened, the more Gan Qiongying cherished these people's lives. She couldn't make everyone understand the preciousness of life, but she also didn't conform to local customs and make them her subservient.
Gan Qiongying was supposed to send the letter back a few days ago, but they were all out helping the disaster victims and had been working non-stop for many days. Gan Qiongying couldn't let them go out of the mountains to send the letter under those circumstances.
So it was delayed for a few days. Now that they had rested enough to resume their activities and he had finally settled down, he took out the letter he had been writing for a long time and prepared to give it to Ying Jiu to send out.
“I heard from Yingyi that you are best at light footwork, and your speed is extremely fast, making you a first-rate chaser.”
"I don't need you to hunt down and assassinate anyone for me. I just need you to use your skills to save your own life."
“Now that I’ve fallen to this state, I can’t lose any of you.” Gan Qiongying opened her arms frankly. She was wearing a dark blue monk’s robe and the rabbit fur hat that Gan Lin had bought for her.
Although her complexion was still rosy and her appearance remained the same, with red lips, white teeth, and beautiful eyes, she was no longer the princess who was once pampered and precious.
"Moreover, this time delivering the message is not as simple as usual, and I cannot guarantee how the other party will react."
Although Gan Qiongying firmly believed that Li Hua would never change, she always prepared for the worst.
She said to Ying Jiu, "Get up, don't kneel before me. I'm pregnant, and it's too tiring for me to talk to you with my head down. Come and sit next to me."
Although Gan Qiongying's belly wasn't showing much yet, she had been extremely careful in everything she did since she found out she was pregnant, treating herself like a woman about to give birth.
Everyone around her knew she was pregnant. Although Ying Jiu had the deep-seated belief that she must kneel when speaking to her master and never stand up when her master gave her instructions, she was still pregnant.
However, Gan Qiongying said that her stomach was not suitable for bending over. Ying Jiu's honest face showed a little hesitation, but he quickly obeyed Gan Qiongying's suggestion and stood up.
He did not sit next to Gan Qiongying, but stood in front of her.
Gan Qiongying sighed: "You're so tall, my neck is about to break from looking up. Just sit here and listen to what I have to say. These words are very important, and you must remember every single one of them."
Ying Jiu then awkwardly sat down not far from Gan Qiongying, his buttocks only half touching the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Gan Qiongying did not press the matter further. She straightened herself and said seriously, "I want you to deliver the letter to the Prince Consort. You have been by my side for so long, you must have seen that the Prince Consort's true appearance is exactly the same as that of the Jin Chuan hostage."
"But the two of them are so alike that even I can't tell them apart at a glance from a distance. I have to look at them up close to recognize my consort."
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