Early winter is approaching, and the cold wind is biting.
Inside the East Palace, Pei Xuan stood under the inner courtyard corridor, taking the letter that had just arrived from the carrier pigeon's leg.
Behind him knelt a black-clad guard, his posture respectful; it was Shen Ci.
"Brother, please spare Guard Shen."
Pei Tang pouted and couldn't help but plead for mercy.
"If he hadn't come down the mountain to deliver the message that night, I would have been surrounded by snakes and died on Qiyun Mountain."
Pei Xuan said coldly, "His actions were not for your sake."
"I am guilty and willing to accept punishment."
Shen Ci lowered his head, his back stiff and rigid, bloodstains seeping through his clothes, leaving mottled dark marks.
Those are the marks of fifty strokes of the cane.
As a shadow guard, obeying orders is my duty.
He disregarded orders to save Jiang Wan, which was already a lenient punishment from Pei Xuan.
"What are you still kneeling here for?" Pei Xuan glanced at Chen Ci. "You've been missing for seven days. Are you waiting for the Song family to become suspicious?"
Shen Ci breathed a sigh of relief, immediately agreed, and was about to leave.
"If it happens again, the Secret Guard will not tolerate you."
Pei Xuan's warning came from behind him, making him tremble and quickly retreat.
Pei Xuan unfolded the note in his hand.
It was a reply from Linglong Pavilion.
Qingwu finally returned to the capital and kept her promise to meet him at Wangchun Tower on the day of the Beginning of Winter.
He closed the note, a hint of a smile appearing in his beautiful dark eyes.
He scooped up the lazy cat from the side and patted its little head.
"Soon, you will meet your master."
Pei Tang leaned closer curiously: "Brother, who sent the message?"
Mind your own business.
Pei Xuan stood up and put on his dark fox fur coat. "I need to go to the palace."
With the Donglai tribe eyeing them covetously, Song Tingyue secretly plotted and schemed, and recently he had to keep a close eye on Pei Feng.
“It’s cold outside, brother, take this with you.”
Pei Tang took the hand warmer from the couch, placed it in Pei Xuan's hands, and said with a smile, "This is from Sister Jiang..."
Before he finished speaking, Pei Xuan's figure had already disappeared under the corridor.
Shen Ci returned to the General's Mansion.
Just as I stepped through the side gate, I bumped into Biluo, who was about to leave.
"Guard Shen, you're back?" Biluo's eyes were full of surprise. "Where did you go? Madam was very worried about you."
"I have caught a cold and need to take a few days off."
Shen Ci remained calm and composed.
"I will pay my respects to Madam after I have fully recovered."
Jiang Wan was very observant; he had injuries on his body, and she was afraid that she would notice something amiss.
Biluo didn't think much of it and just said, "Oh, then you should take good care of yourself."
Now that Shen Ci has returned, there's no need to search for any traces of the timeline investigation.
Biluo turned around and quickly returned to Xingzhi Courtyard.
In the main hall of Xingzhi Academy, Jiang Wan was sitting opposite Er Gou.
"I heard from Lord He that you visited me in prison. Thank you for your concern," Jiang Wan said.
Er Gou shook his head.
In just a few days, the innocence and frankness in his eyes faded, replaced by a more profound look.
He had always admired Song Ziyu, but seeing through his cruel and hypocritical true nature was a great blow to him.
Jiang Wan sighed inwardly.
Everyone experiences disappointment, and some emotions need to be processed on your own.
In her past life, she had also harbored ridiculous fantasies about the Song family, only to end up with a tragic death.
It's not too late for Er Gou to see things clearly now.
Jiang Wan took a sip of tea.
She needs Er Gou's help to do what she wants to do in the Song family army in the future, and she wants to recruit him to her side.
But now... judging from his somber expression, perhaps bringing it up now would make him feel resistant.
Jiang Wan decided to give him some time.
Er Gou spoke first: "The general has ordered me to temporarily take command of the elite troops and promoted me to Lieutenant General."
"I lost both my parents when I was young. The name Er Gou was given to me by the village chief. I didn't think much of it before, but now that I'm in charge of dozens of people, it feels more and more awkward to call him that."
He looked at Jiang Wan and spoke in a low voice.
"I have no living relatives, please give me a name, madam."
Jiang Wan was slightly startled, and her heart was moved.
Putting aside any scheming or self-interest, Er Gou was frank and simple, and she treated him like a younger brother.
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then picked up her pen and wrote on the paper: Mu Feng.
Free and open, as free as the wind.
That was also her wish.
Upon hearing the implied meaning, Er Gou's wheat-colored cheeks flushed slightly, and he grinned.
Biluo, who was guarding the door, covered her mouth and laughed: "Brother Ergou, from now on you will be General Mufeng."
After exchanging a few jokes, Er Gou's expression softened, and he took his leave to return to the military camp.
Before leaving, he said, "The general favors Young Master Lin and is preparing to hand over the elite troops to him. You should be prepared for this."
After Er Gou left, Bi Luo finally had a chance to tell Jiang Wan about Shen Ci.
"A cold?" Jiang Wan frowned. "I'll go check on him."
Biluo: "Guard Shen is afraid of infecting you, so he said he will come to see you after he recovers."
"Alright, it's been a bit chilly lately." Jiang Wan gave up on her plan. "Send someone to send him some medicine."
She then called Cai Die over and wrote a few lines: "Give this to Aunt Ru."
Song Ziyu currently favors Song Lin and plans everything for him, but what if one day he has another child?
He is in his prime, a good time to have children and prolific offspring.
Aunt Ru wouldn't refuse; she also needed a child to rely on.
That night, Song Ziyu stayed in Aunt Ru's room and was constantly bothered by her pillow talk.
He originally planned to hand over the elite troops directly to Song Lin, but Aru's words made sense. He would have many descendants in the future, and the Song family's resources could not be entirely poured into him.
He decided to keep Song Lin in check and ordered Song Yu to train together for fair competition.
When the news reached Gu Yurong, she was already disappointed about Song Lin's decision to become his disciple.
"Ji Jiu said that Master Chenyi took in a prized disciple a couple of years ago, and has already made him his last disciple, and will no longer take in anyone."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com