Shao Mingyuan sat on the grass beside the bamboo grove as a gray carrier pigeon fluttered down and hopped around his feet.

He extended his hand and pursed his lips to make a sound with a peculiar tune. The carrier pigeon spread its wings and landed on his hand.

Qiao Zhao walked over and sat down beside him, asking curiously: “Is this a specially trained carrier pigeon?”

“Yes.” Shao Mingyuan rolled the prepared intelligence into a thin strip of paper, placed it in the copper tube on the pigeon’s leg, and with a flick of his hand, released the pigeon into flight.

Qiao Zhao stared at the sky where the pigeon had disappeared, lost in thought.

“Does Miss Li like pigeons?” Shao Mingyuan turned his head to ask the young woman beside him.

Qiao Zhao came back to her senses: “I wouldn’t say I particularly like pigeons, but I do like all birds that can fly. By the way, I just learned some old stories from Master Jingxi. I wonder if they might be related to Master Wumei’s disappearance.”

“Please tell me about it, Miss Li.”

“Master Jingxi said that in all the years since Master Wumei came to Shuying Nunnery, she only went down the mountain once, but that was twenty years ago.”

“The fifth year of Mingkang?”

“Yes, exactly the fifth year of Mingkang. General Shao had just been born then, hadn’t you?”

She and Shao Mingyuan were the same age, both born in the fifth year of Mingkang.

What special event could have occurred that year for Master Wumei?

Hearing a girl eight years younger than himself speak in such an aged tone, Shao Mingyuan couldn’t help but find it amusing: “That’s right, I had just been born then.”

In the fifth year of Mingkang, he was still a baby in swaddling clothes. His father said his birth mother died in childbirth, and then he was brought back to the Marquis Jing’an residence as the legitimate second son.

He had asked his father where his birth mother was buried. His father said she was buried as a servant in the estate fields outside the marquis’ residence. When he went to look, he saw only a small mound without a tombstone.

Kneeling before that small burial mound almost buried by wild grass, he couldn’t help thinking: Was the mother who gave him life buried here? All these years, had she ever blamed him and his father for never coming to see her?

The fifth year of Mingkang – wasn’t that also a special year for him?

“Master Jingxi said that after Master Wumei returned from her descent that year, she suffered from insomnia for some time. Unfortunately, it was too long ago, and Shuying Nunnery is so isolated from the world that trying to discover what Master Wumei did when she went down the mountain would be like a fool’s dream.” Qiao Zhao sighed.

Shao Mingyuan supported himself with his hands on the grass, looking up at the azure sky. The warm sunshine made him feel much more comfortable: “Things from so long ago are indeed very difficult to investigate.”

If only he could know what kind of woman his birth mother was, what her background was, whether she still had relatives in this world.

Unfortunately, his father never mentioned any of this.

“However, there’s one matter that perhaps can be investigated.” Qiao Zhao also supported herself with her hands on the grass, casually playing with the green blades.

Shao Mingyuan turned his head to look at her.

“Master Jingxi said she once showed kindness by giving food to someone who was nearly fainting from hunger at the foot of Luoxia Mountain. Assuming Master Jingxi isn’t hiding anything, we could try to investigate whether that person later had any connection to Dafu Temple.” Qiao Zhao glanced at the bamboo house and said in a low voice: “If the culprits have any weakness, then leaving only Master Jingxi alive is their biggest weakness. What does General Shao think?”

Shao Mingyuan smiled: “In the absence of more clues, we indeed cannot overlook any subtle possibility.”

The gray carrier pigeon flew over the blocked mountain roads and landed in Shao Zhi’s hands.

Jiang Shiyi silently walked to Shao Zhi’s side.

Shao Zhi glanced at him and turned around to remove the copper tube carried by the pigeon, extracting the paper strip from within.

Jiang Shiyi circled to face Shao Zhi and asked coldly: “What news has Marquis Guanjun sent?”

Shao Zhi cursed silently in his heart.

Now everyone knew that only their general was the sole person who could send news out from the mountains, so all information had become transparent.

However, why was this person so annoying? Even if he wanted to make the general’s messages public, was it necessary to watch so closely like a lapdog? Weren’t the Jinlin Guards supposed to be very capable? If they were so capable, why didn’t they go in themselves?

Shao Zhi unfolded the paper strip, and his expression suddenly changed.

“What is it?” Jiang Shiyi reached out to take the paper strip.

How rude! Shao Zhi secretly twitched the corner of his mouth and handed the paper strip to Jiang Shiyi.

Jiang Shiyi unfolded it and looked, and his cold expression showed surprise.

“If Marquis Guanjun sends any other messages, please notify me.” Jiang Shiyi quickly walked aside, called over a Jinlin Guard, and gave quiet instructions.

That Jinlin Guard immediately mounted his horse and rode away in a cloud of dust.

When Jiang Tang received news of Master Wumei’s disappearance, he was sitting in a reclining chair under a tree in his home garden, enjoying the cool air. He was so startled that the palm fan in his hand fell: “Are you certain this is news sent from the mountains by Marquis Guanjun?”

“In response to Grand Commander, Lord Eleven personally watched as Marquis Guanjun’s guard took the intelligence from the carrier pigeon’s leg.”

Jiang Tang stood up, smiled bitterly, and shook his head. As he walked outside, he said, “Things haven’t been peaceful lately. By the way, Third Miss Li is safe and sound, isn’t she?”

“Lord Eleven didn’t mention that.”

Jiang Tang breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Since Marquis Guanjun didn’t mention it, it proved that the little girl was safe and sound.

Speaking of which, why was it that wherever this girl went, disasters seemed to follow?

This thought flashed by, and Jiang Tang smiled, thinking to himself: As long as that girl is fine, it’s good. These days, ever since taking the detoxification pills, his whole person has felt much more comfortable.

“Father, where are you going?” Jiang Shiran came walking toward him.

“Father needs to change clothes and make a trip to the palace.”

“You’re going to the palace at this hour?”

“There’s urgent business. Ran Ran should eat well at home by yourself.”

Jiang Shiran pouted: “Eating alone is so boring. Father is going to the palace, and Thirteenth Brother doesn’t live at home anymore. Father, why don’t I accompany you to the palace?”

Jiang Tang’s face darkened: “Nonsense! Father is going to the palace on official business to see His Majesty. What would you go there for?”

“I’m going to see Zhenzhen. Didn’t Zhenzhen encounter a landslide when she went to Shuying Nunnery? The day before yesterday, when I went to the palace to see her, she happened to be resting, and I didn’t get to see her.”

“You can visit the Ninth Princess anytime. Why must you tag along with Father to cause trouble?” Jiang Tang frowned.

His daughter had indeed been spoiled by him. Since childhood, she seemed to have no close friends, only the Ninth Princess had a good relationship with his daughter.

“Father, let’s just go together. Going together and returning together would be quite nice.” Jiang Shiran linked arms with Jiang Tang and pleaded softly.

“Fine, but if you come out first, don’t wait for Father. Take the carriage home by yourself, remember?”

“I know.”

Father and daughter went to the palace together. Jiang Shiran went to the princess’s quarters to visit Princess Zhenzhen, while Jiang Tang went directly to have an audience with the emperor.

“Grand Commander has arrived. Please wait a moment – His Majesty is busy.” Chief Eunuch Wei Wuxie said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tang secretly sighed.

Terrible – he had arrived just when the “immortal pills” were being produced again!