Clusters of tents stood on the mountaintop.
The Eighth Prince shook his shoulders, shaking all the mud, sand, and loose stones off his back, then ran a hand through his bloodstained hair.
He looked into the distance at the towering peaks and dense trees. This spot offered the broadest view of the scenery.
The occasional cries of eagles and wild birds reminded them that this natural habitat did not belong to humans alone.
"Eagles?"
The Eighth Prince raised his brows and hurried down from the tree. He kept feeling that he ought to do something, like raid a nest for an egg and raise a little blue bird like his imperial brother's.
Having just found a nest of newly hatched birds, he leaped down from the tall tree and raced toward the tent. He knew how they could send a message!
Thud, thud...
The Eighth Prince swept aside the tent flap and stepped inside, reporting his idea to his imperial brother. "Brother, I know how we can get a message out!"
Chu Xuanzhen, who was handling confidential documents, raised his head and glanced at him calmly.
The Eighth Prince explained his idea in full. "Brother, if we can't use people to deliver our secret letters, we can consider something else capable of carrying messages."
"Our messenger pigeons are shot down because their size and appearance make them recognizable. If we switched to another species, wouldn't that let us evade the enemy's expectations entirely?"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his eyes fixed on Shen Yangge as though they could see through anything.
Though he was a bird himself, Shen Yangge initially had no idea what the Eighth Prince was getting at. But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
And the Eighth Prince