The memorial from the Marquis of Ji Province's residence was rushed by fast horse all the way to Morning Song.
King Zhou opened it and read that Su Hu was bedridden with a serious illness and unable to lead troops into battle. He only wished for Daji to be summoned home to visit her parents and comfort the old minister's heart. At once, his royal countenance brightened with delight.
In his eyes, Su Hu was the imperial father-in-law, his loyalty beyond doubt. This request for his daughter's return was merely an old man yearning for his child while ill, and King Zhou had not the slightest suspicion.
He immediately issued an imperial decree permitting Su Daji to return to Ji Province at once to visit her family. The matter of dispatching troops would be discussed after Su Hu recovered.
When the decree reached the inner palace, Daji, who was enjoying herself in Star Plucking Tower, felt her heart tighten slightly.
She had originally been a thousand-year nine-tailed fox who had seized the body at Grace Prefecture Post Station, replacing the Su Family's legitimate daughter for many years.
When Daji first took her place, Su Hu still retained his memories. But after she arrived in Morning Song, Daji sealed Su Hu's memories for safety's sake.
And to keep him from recalling them,
she had not returned to Ji Province all these years.
But the imperial decree had been issued, and a ruler's command could not be defied. If she deliberately refused, it would instead arouse King Zhou's suspicions and invite deeper investigation.
Hu Ximei, the pheasant spirit beside her, saw through her concerns and softly advised, "Sister, return without worry. After so many years lying low in the deep palace, you have long mastered this human shell. How could ordinary mortals'