They said she was "on the way back to the manor," but upon asking closely, he learned that Xiao Jinghong had only just set out from Guangyuan in northern Shuzhou and was expected to arrive in five days.
As for the birthday gift she had prepared, it came as a surprise to Chen Yi. He had not expected that she, like Xiao Wan'er, would be so thoughtful.
With the utmost caution, Yan Hong had his subordinates carry the chest into Chunhe Garden and introduced it, saying:
"It was specially carved from a Giant Tortoise Shell found in Guangyue Prefecture, named 'Fu Lu Shou San Yuan Qi Hui.'"
On the back of the nearly ten-foot-long tortoise shell were three hollow-carved figures, each with a different bearing: one held a peach, one cradled a gold ingot, and one held a sheet bearing the character for fortune.
The inside of the tortoise shell had been filled with some crystalline substance resembling resin.
One glance was enough to show that it was worth a fortune, and that it could not have been completed in a day or two. It must have been a lavish gift Xiao Jinghong had prepared months, or even one or two years, in advance.
After Chen Yi finished looking, he closed the chest again.
After thinking for a moment, he instructed Xiao Die to find the mounting master from before and ask about the progress of that Birthday Ode.
Ten days had already passed. Even if it had been inlaid with gold and jade, it should have been finished by now.
Then Chen Yi returned to the pavilion with Xiao Wuge, took out his fishing rod, and began today's great fishing endeavor.
He refused to believe he could not catch a single fish from this pond. Were he and fish simply born to clash?
Watching his retreating figure, Yan Hong froze slightly before lowering his voice to ask Wang Lixing beside him:
"Is the son-in-law always like this?"
Wang Lixing did not answer at once. He waved a hand, signaling that they should speak outside.
After arriving outside Chunhe Garden and meeting up with Ge Laosan and the others, Wang Lixing looked around. "Where is Fourth Brother?"
Ge Laosan said, "Fourth Brother said he had something to take care of and went back. He should be returning soon."
Wang Lixing frowned slightly, then quickly smoothed his expression and said to Yan Hong beside him:
"The son-in-law has been much more settled lately. At first, he stayed in his side chamber all day reading and copying the Family Rules."
"Later, Eldest Miss had him remain in the garden, so the son-in-law spent every day fishing and drinking tea, occasionally practicing calligraphy or reading. Only after Second Miss's letter arrived was he allowed to Leave the Mansion."
When Wang Lixing mentioned Chen Yi's two outings from the manor, his expression became slightly awkward. The rest was truly hard to say aloud.
The first time, Chen Yi had gone to Yanhuaxiang South of the City. Because he had taken the Young Marquis along, he incurred Second Master's punishment.
The second time was even more bizarre. He had claimed he was going to watch the Third Place Scholar Parade.
Yet in order to help Li Huaigu and Yunniang, he had actually pretended to be a villain and Forcibly Seized a Woman, nearly getting dragged off by the Disciplinary Hall for a beating.
After hearing this, Yan Hong said thoughtfully, "The son-in-law seems to have changed a great deal compared with before."
"Oh?" Wang Lixing thought back for a moment. "I had forgotten. After the son-in-law came to Shuzhou before, you were the one responsible for accompanying him."
Yan Hong nodded, a trace of emotion surfacing on his face. "The son-in-law's fleeing marriage nearly ruined me that time."
Wang Lixing looked deeply sympathetic. "When we heard that he had fled the marriage, Fourth Brother and I were guarding the manor. We truly never saw it coming."
Yan Hong gave a bitter smile. "Strange, really. That day, the wedding procession set out from Fengchun Tower in the North City. Before it had gone far, it ran into another wedding procession. While both sides kept yielding to one another, the son-in-law ran away."
"Fortunately, Second Miss later led us to find him. That gave us a chance to redeem our faults through merit. Otherwise, the other brothers and I would all have lost our heads."
Wang Lixing patted his shoulder, offered a few words of comfort, then asked, "Did Second Miss discover anything during this inspection of the Three Towns?"
Yan Hong glanced at him and shook his head. "Nothing for now."
Seeing how guarded he was, Wang Lixing did not ask further. Matters involving military affairs were often confidential.
Being told that nothing had happened was already enough.
Xiao Manor's front courtyard.
Liu Si'er wore a full suit of armor, his helmet clasped tight and his neck guard pulled low, nearly hiding half his face.
Unhurried and unflustered, he went to the Inverted Seat Room on the right side of the main gate and knocked on the door of the innermost room.
Before the person inside could speak, he flicked a yellowed slip of paper inside and said in a low voice, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Do not blame me for breaking the rules."
"This is the last letter for the time being. Second Miss will soon return to the manor."
With that, Liu Si'er reached out and took the dipper hanging inside the door. He called out a loud word of thanks as he retraced his steps.
Uncle Gui watched him leave with a blank expression. Only then did he open the Secret Letter in his hand and glance over it.
He then found a playbook, used it as a reference to rewrite the Secret Letter, destroyed the one Liu Si'er had provided, and rose to stroll leisurely out of Xiao Manor.
An hour later, a carrier pigeon flew out from the Tailor Shop in East Market.
One day later, the carrier pigeon landed in a residence somewhere within the small northern Shuzhou city named Guangyuan.
Less than the time it took to burn an incense stick later, an eagle falcon several times larger than the carrier pigeon spread its wings and flew out of that residence, soaring straight up into the clouds.
Another two days passed.
Amid its rises and descents, the eagle falcon crossed tens of thousands of li, flying from Shuzhou to the Capital Prefecture.
The grand and vast Capital Prefecture was no more than drifting clouds in its eyes. It flew swiftly and straight toward the Imperial City in the north, landing atop the five-story cloud tower known as Fengyue Tower, south of the Imperial City.
It was clearly not its first visit. After landing, it pecked at the insects and snakes in the food box, swallowing them whole like a date gobbled down without chewing.
Soon, a man in black robes hurried over. His face was covered by a plain white mask that revealed only his eyes.
After removing the Letter Box from the eagle falcon's leg, he hurried downstairs, pushed open a redwood door, ignored the masked person inside who sat quietly at a desk, and went straight to the bookshelf at the side to retrieve a volume of Capital Tune.
He carefully checked and deciphered it. Only after confirming that there were no omissions did he breathe a sigh of relief and hand the translation to a Red Robe figure who had long been waiting outside.
"My lord, a letter from Shuzhou. Class B, top priority."
"Wait here."
The person in Red Robe also wore a mask, though this one bore additional patterns, like tiger stripes.
Holding the deciphered letter, he made his way to the deepest part of the third floor and lightly knocked twice on a wooden door with latticework.
"Pavilion Master, a letter from Shuzhou."
Though no sound came from within, he did not speak again. He remained slightly bent at the waist, as motionless as a wooden man.
Only after roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick did a somewhat hoarse voice emerge. "Come in."
The man in Red Robe bowed again, gently pushed open the wooden door, shut it behind him, and immediately knelt on the floor without raising his head.
This was an exceptionally spacious room, open from north to south. Sunlight and cool breezes streamed through the windows, falling upon the golden-red floor and illuminating everything within.
Yet the surroundings were entirely bare. There was only a desk, a chair, and a figure sitting upright before the desk.
He wore plain white robes, the voluminous garment making his waist and back appear broad and solid. His face was covered by a white mask patterned in black, and the character for king was clearly visible upon its brow—a striking White Tiger Head Pattern.
"Read it."
The man in Red Robe carefully unfolded the paper in his hand. "Xiao Jinghong will soon return to Shuzhou to celebrate Marquis Dingyuan's birthday. The cup bestowed upon Marquis Dingyuan by His Majesty has shattered. The Fledgling has befriended Tanhua Li Huaigu."
After reading, he closed the paper and knelt again.
The White Robe figure before the desk looked at a sheet of paper on the table. On the right were written the words Shui Diao Ge Tou: Celebrating Marquis Xiao, while the signature in the lower left read—Year 21 of Anhe, Chen Qingzhou congratulates Marquis Dingyuan on his sixtieth birthday.
As he looked at it, the White Robe figure softly asked, "Have you found out who helped the Fledgling flee the marriage that day?"
The man in Red Robe paused. "No news has arrived yet. The Harrier Eagle only said that someone had arranged it."
The White Robe figure gave a soft hum and said unhurriedly, "It is nothing more than those great clans and aristocratic families of Shuzhou. They simply do not wish to see the Xiao Family rise again."
"Pavilion Master means the Liu Family?"
"Who it was is unimportant. Send word to the Harrier Eagle. Add a little bait for the Fledgling. It is time to let him taste the flavor of power."
"Also, have someone report to the palace and ask whether His Majesty intends to bestow another Seven-Colored Glass Cup upon the Old Marquis as a birthday gift."
"Yes."
The man in Red Robe did not dare say more. He bent at the waist, withdrew from the room, closed the door, then straightened and hurried away.
After a long while.
The White Robe figure raised the Yunsong Paper before him and carefully scanned it once.
"The force pierces through the back of the paper, the strokes follow the heart, the Artistic Conception drifts afar... fine writing, fine writing."
After saying "fine writing" twice in succession, he sighed. "What a pity. The ambition and hatred between the lines are gone."
As he spoke, he pinched the Yunsong Paper between his fingers and lightly shook it twice.
The entire sheet of Yunsong Paper turned into tiny fragments, which drifted out the window on a breeze from nowhere.
The White Robe figure rubbed his fingertips together. A faint ripple flickered through his eyes, still as an ancient well, as he murmured to himself:
"Pressed down for five years—do you not hate it?"
Before you continue