Ye Zhen returned to his Duke of North Sea Prefecture's Mansion, only to find not Duke of Xinning Prefecture Gu Yan himself, but a personal guard from Gu Tieqi Mansion—also an active-duty soldier of the Zhenhai Army.
This personal guard from Gu Tieqi Mansion had arrived at Ye Zhen's residence under the pretense of delivering seasonal gifts from Gu Tieqi.
Yet after arriving at Ye Zhen's residence, he told Wang Baimu that he had been ordered by both Duke of Xinning Prefecture Gu Yan and Gu Tieqi to meet the Marshal, and that he carried a handwritten letter from Duke of Xinning Prefecture Gu Yan.
Such roundabout concealment merely to deliver a letter immediately made Ye Zhen realize the gravity of the situation.
With a flick of his hand, Ye Zhen sent Niu Er a jade slip.
"How is the situation around my residence now?"
Niu Er replied swiftly. "Marshal, the situation is basically normal. It is just that there are more of our own brothers in the surrounding area, and the Imperial Guards' patrol frequency is about twice what it was before."
This answer could not have sounded more normal, but as the Second Route Wind Patrol Office's Western Patrol Envoy of the Heavenly Patrol Division, Ye Zhen immediately read the unusual signals beneath it.
There were only so many Heavenly Patrol Division brothers under Ye Zhen's command, yet now there were more of their own people.
Where had these additional men come from?
The answer was obvious. They still came from the Heavenly Patrol Division, but very likely from the Central Patrol Commander, or even the Grand Celestial Master's personal guards and the like.
Clearly, Ye Zhen might be under surveillance.
Of course, even the doubled patrol frequency of the Imperial Guards could be explained as protection for