Prince Qi had done this sort of thing before. Since the two princes could not attend court discussions every time, there were stretches when they did not see each other for ten days or half a month. If their subordinates had minor friction, that was one thing, but once it truly touched the other side's interests, given Prince Qi's fiery temper, though he could not storm directly to the door, it was commonplace for him to send someone bearing a letter full of barbed sarcasm.
Prince Shu took the letter and immediately unfolded it. Yet after reading only two lines, he softly said, "Oh," as though he had come across something that surprised him somewhat.
Ma Youliang sat nearby. Seeing this, his heart felt as if a little claw were scratching at it, but he did not dare lean over on his own initiative. He could only wait for Prince Shu to finish reading the letter and ask him about it.
Given Prince Shu's temperament, whenever matters concerning Prince Qi arose, he had always liked to discuss them with his advisers.
Yet he had not expected that Prince Shu would spend such a long time reading the contents of those mere two thin sheets of paper. No—after finishing them, he remained silent for a long while.
Prince Shu did not even hand the letter directly to Ma Youliang. Instead, he had a servant outside bring in a brazier, then tossed the letter into it, contents and envelope alike. Only after watching the tongues of flame devour the thin missive did he stop. Then, as if recalling something, he gave a snort of laughter.
"I never thought that my elder brother would be somewhat afraid as well." Prince Shu shook his head with a smile. After laughing for a while, he