Chapter 305: A Secret Letter
While the underground prison sank into silence, far away in Xiquan City, Madam Ji’s heart suddenly clenched in pain.
Crash!
Her teacup slipped from her trembling fingers and shattered into pieces on the floor. Her brows furrowed deeply as a chill surged through her chest.
"Oh, no!" her senior maidservant cried out in shock and quickly pulled out a handkerchief.
As she wiped the hot tea from Madam Ji’s hand, the senior maidservant asked in a flustered voice, "Madam, are you hurt? Did the hot tea burn your hand?"
Madam Ji clutched her chest instead of answering the questions. Her pale fingers were trembling as she gripped the maidservant’s hand tightly.
Alarmed by her unease, the maidservant asked, "Madam, what’s wrong? You look so pale."
Her lips trembled as Madam Ji whispered, "Momo, I feel restless for no reason... as if something terrible is about to happen to this family."
The senior maidservant’s heart sank like a stone. After a brief silence, she forced a gentle tone and said, "Madam, don’t overthink it. Everything is fine."
However, Madam Ji shook her head slowly while her eyes filled with uneasiness.
As her gaze drifted to the entrance of the courtyard, where the wind rustled the leaves, she clenched her hand tightly.
"It has been so long since my husband left for Xiqiang City. Why hasn’t he returned? Why has there been no word from him..." Her voice broke slightly at the end.
Noticing the fear in her mistress’s voice, the senior maidservant quickly forced a smile to cover her own unease. "Madam, Master must be busy with government affairs. Once everything is settled there, he will surely send a letter to you."
Madam Ji pressed her lips together, then nodded faintly. "Mhm, you are right..."
It’s a pity that her tone lacked confidence.
Although the senior maidservant spoke soothing words, she didn’t believe them herself.
The distance between Xiqiang City and Xiquan City was not far by horse. For Ji Hui to be gone for so long without even a letter, something must have gone wrong.
Yet she dared not speak the truth aloud.
All the senior maidservant could do was bow her head and silently pray for Ji Hui’s safety, even as a shadow of foreboding slowly grew in her heart.
Meanwhile, after leaving the underground prison, Fan Wanming went to the western district of Xiqiang City. Since the secret passage had been blown up, the western district had yet to be rebuilt.
Walking down the dirty street filled with debris, Fan Wanming scanned his surroundings. Seeing no one around, he made his way toward a small, dilapidated house hidden inside a dark alley.
Standing before the old wooden door, he knocked lightly.
Knock, knock, knock.
Before long, the door creaked open, and a young man peeked out through the narrow gap. Recognizing Fan Wanming, he quickly opened the door and stepped aside.
After closing and locking the door, the young man clasped his fists and greeted in a low voice, "This subordinate greets General Fan."
Fan Wanming nodded in acknowledgment and asked, "How are those people?"
The young man replied, "Reporting to General Fan. The Second Prince of the Jin Empire and Imperial Teacher Shi remain in their room without leaving since they were confined here."
"As for the Seventh Princess, she demands to meet the Great General and insists that we release General Zheng of the Jin Empire."
As Fan Wanming listened calmly to the report, he thought for a moment before asking, "Any contact between them and the Jin Army?"
The young man shook his head. "Since they were confined here, not a single letter has been sent out by the Second Prince or Imperial Teacher Shi. Even when we deliberately gave them a chance to send word to the remaining Jin Army outside the city, neither the Second Prince nor Imperial Teacher Shi took action."
After saying this, he took out a small piece of paper from his sleeve.
Handing it over to Fan Wanming, the young man continued, "This is a secret letter we intercepted last night. It was sent by the Seventh Princess."
Fan Wanming’s eyes flickered in surprise when he saw the name of the recipient. After reading the letter, he folded it neatly and slipped it into his sleeve pocket.
"Well done. Keep watching them. If anything happens, report to me immediately."
"Yes, General Fan."
With his orders given, Fan Wanming quietly left the dilapidated house.
While he was on his way back to the Feng Army’s barracks, Bai Hanyun, Feng Xiyan, and Gui Ying had just left the Great General’s mansion and were heading toward the Fairy Bai’s temple.
Sitting inside the horse carriage, Feng Xiyan looked at Gui Ying and asked, "Why are you following us?"
Being asked by him, Gui Ying slowly fanned himself and lazily replied, "This young master also wishes to visit the temple. Since we are headed to the same place, this young master decided to join you two."
Glancing at Feng Xiyan, he added, "Great General Feng, you should feel honored. With this young master here, no one will dare harm Fairy Bai. Even if there is someone who dares to court death, this young master will kill him before he can spell the word ’death’."
Although Feng Xiyan disliked Gui Ying, he knew that even the weakest member of the legendary Gui Clan was as strong as his elite soldiers.
After observing Gui Ying for some time, Feng Xiyan also realized Gui Ying was stronger than he was.
With that in mind, Feng Xiyan decided to keep a close eye on Gui Ying and uncover his true motive for approaching Bai Hanyun.
Sensing his sour mood, Bai Hanyun reached out and gently patted the back of Feng Xiyan’s hand. Leaning closer, she whispered, "Don’t worry. I don’t think Gui Ying is a bad person. He is just a little strange."
While she was speaking, Bai Hanyun’s warm breath brushed against his ear, making Feng Xiyan blush slightly. He swallowed, then nodded, and gave a low hum in response. "Mhm."