Da Qiao was startled, then her face lit up with surprise and joy: “Husband, do you mean Yang Xin is now attacking you on his own, without the Marquis of Yan’s knowledge?”

She quickly sat up, “I’ll write to my sister right away, so she can inform the Marquis…”

Bi Zhi pulled his excited wife back, making her lie down again. He gazed into her pure, water-like beautiful eyes, gave a bitter smile, and shook his head.

“Did I say something wrong? Husband, you don’t need to feel troubled. If my sister knows about this, she’ll surely help us!” Da Qiao looked at her husband in confusion.

Bi Zhi lovingly stroked his wife’s hair, pondered for a moment, then said, “If I’m not mistaken, Yang Xin’s sudden change in behavior, repeatedly attacking me, is likely on the Marquis of Yan’s orders.”

Da Qiao was shocked, staring at her husband for a moment.

“My brother-in-law—” she hesitated, “Why would the Marquis want to go against you?”

Bi Zhi remained silent.

…

Since learning yesterday that Yang Xin had pledged allegiance to Wei Shao, Bi Zhi has been constantly pondering this question.

If it were about personal grudges between the two, the only thing he could think of was the fight they had outside the Hu family estate last year when he came to pick up the Lady, due to a misunderstanding.

He had suffered a minor injury to his arm at the time.

But Bi Zhi was certain that Wei Shao wouldn’t mobilize such a large force to attack him over such a small misunderstanding.

If his mind were that narrow, regardless of his high birth or the number of capable ministers and veteran generals under his command, he wouldn’t have been able to control such military power and achieve his current position at such a young age.

Since it wasn’t due to a personal grudge, it must be for considerations of the greater political landscape.

Bi Zhi was well aware of Wei Shao’s reputation as the hegemon of the north and had recently heard that he had swallowed up Feng Zhao’s territory, riding on the momentum of his western pacification.

His ambition to conquer the empire was no longer a secret.

Besides Wei Shao, other ambitious figures of the era like Xing Xun, Yuan Zhe, and Yuezheng Gong… all of these powerful men had already reached such positions, each with armies at their command. With the Han dynasty’s mandate nearing its end, which one of them didn’t want to compete for the empire?

But what puzzled Bi Zhi was why Wei Shao, having just returned from pacifying the West, immediately set his sights on him.

Although he now occupied a piece of territory and had some troops under his command, in terms of strength, he was far from comparable to those warlords from established families.

The Lingbi he held was not a strategic location like Xuzhou.

Wei Shao had left so many more worthy opponents untouched, yet he directly aimed his spear at Bi Zhi’s small Lingbi. Bi Zhi couldn’t understand what his true intentions were.

…

“Husband…”

Amidst her unease and disbelief, Da Qiao called out to her husband, seeing him lost in thought.

“Could it be that person was slandering the Marquis, intentionally trying to drive a wedge between us? The Marquis married my sister, and last time my sister told me herself that the Marquis treats her very well. You haven’t offended him, so why would he suddenly send Yang Xin to attack you?”

Da Qiao was gentle and always tried to think the best of people.

Moreover, Wei Shao was her sister’s husband. She was even more unwilling to believe such a thing could happen.

Bi Zhi said, “It’s unlikely to be wrong. I have no previous dealings with the Marquis, so there’s no need for anyone to sow discord. Perhaps the Marquis is planning to take Xuzhou, and I’m in the way.”

Da Qiao’s mind was immediately in turmoil. After a moment of shock, she murmured, “If it’s true, I wonder if my sister knows about this. If she does… I’m afraid she might get into an argument with the Marquis…”

She suddenly sat up again, grabbing her husband’s arm, “Husband, give Xiao back to Yang Xin! If you return Xiao, he shouldn’t attack again, right? I don’t want you to keep fighting!”

Bi Zhi said, “I’ve already sent a message to Yang Xin yesterday, expressing this intention. But from Yang Xin’s tone, it seems he won’t be satisfied until he takes Lingbi as well!”

Da Qiao was stunned, her face turning slightly pale.

Bi Zhi comforted her, “A Fan, I didn’t want to tell you about this to avoid worrying you. But I was afraid that if things escalated later and you found out then, you might blame me for hiding it. So I’m telling you now, so you can be prepared.”

Da Qiao stared at him blankly: “What does the husband plan to do next?”

Bi Zhi slowly sat up.

“A Fan, I married you, and now we have Li’er. In these chaotic times, my only wish is to have a place where we can settle down and ensure your and Li’er’s safety for life. If possible, I would be willing to abandon everything here right now and go into seclusion in the mountains with you, not caring about anything else. But I’m not free to do so. Having come this far, I can’t just abandon everything here and leave with you. The Marquis might have some misunderstanding about me. Since Yang Xin is acting on his behalf, I’ll communicate with him directly. I intend to send a letter, explaining that I have no intention of opposing him or hindering his plans for the empire. If there’s any misunderstanding, I hope he will reconsider after I state my position clearly. If he trusts me, that would be best. If he still sees me as an enemy, even though he’s strong, I’m not afraid. We’ll defend against whatever comes and fight back with all our might!”

He gazed at Da Qiao, gently pulling her into his embrace.

“But this might make things difficult for you. In the future, your interactions with the Lady might not be as convenient as before.”

Da Qiao leaned into her husband’s strong embrace, remaining silent for a long time before suddenly saying, “Husband, I’ll also write a letter to my sister. Please ask the messenger to take it along. If the misunderstanding between you and the Marquis can be cleared up, that would be best. If the misunderstanding persists, we can only seek my sister’s help.”

“I don’t want you to be at odds with the Marquis. I believe my sister would feel the same way. I didn’t want to trouble her either. But thinking about what you just said, I feel it’s better to let her know early, to prevent things from getting out of hand. Last time she came to see me, from her tone, I could tell the Marquis dotes on her very much. If she tries to persuade him, the Marquis should be willing to listen to some extent if there’s any misunderstanding.”

Da Qiao said finally.

…

Another half month passed in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Qiao was still in Xindu, but she had not received a reply from Da Qiao.

On this day, Wei Shao left early, and Xiao Qiao had nothing to do. Thinking about the letter again, she sought out Jia Si to inquire once more.

She had asked before, and Jia Si had only said it should be soon, asking the Lady to wait patiently.

Today, the response was the same.

“General Jia, if there’s any letter, please forward it to me immediately.”

Xiao Qiao said, suppressing her disappointment.

Jia Si nodded hurriedly, barely able to look at the Lady.

Even if it killed him, Jia Si wouldn’t dare let the Lady know that the letter she had entrusted him to send earlier had never actually left the palace gates.

As Wei Shao’s personal guard captain, besides being responsible for security, he usually handled all correspondence first.

That day, he had forwarded the Lady’s letter to the Marquis.

It wasn’t on his initiative but on orders.

On the day the Marquis decided to stay in Xindu for a few more days, he had instructed Jia Si that if the Lady had any letters to send to Lingbi, or if anyone sent her letters, they should all be forwarded to him first.

He also added that the Lady didn’t need to know about this.

How could Jia Si dare disobey the Marquis’s orders?

He dared not tell the Lady that just yesterday, a messenger had come from Lingbi with a letter.

That letter was from Bi Zhi to the Marquis.

Naturally, Jia Si didn’t know what Bi Zhi had written to the Marquis.

He only witnessed that when he delivered the letter to the study, the Marquis took it without even raising an eyebrow and casually tossed it into a nearby basket.

The basket contained discarded or damaged bamboo slips and silk scrolls.

They would be collected periodically and burned together.

Jia Si didn’t ask at the time.

But he knew this meant the Marquis wouldn’t be replying.

Considering that he had personally escorted the Lady to Lingbi before and had seen her close relationship with Bi Zhi and his wife, he had carefully chosen his words when he came out, gently expressing that the Marquis had no reply, and sent the messenger away.

“General Jia, thank you for your trouble,” Xiao Qiao said again.

Jia Si hurriedly shook his head: “Not at all. It’s my duty.”

The Lady’s nature was truly gentle. Although it was clear she was anxiously waiting, she never showed the slightest dissatisfaction or blame towards him. Those beautiful eyes only revealed disappointment, followed by a request for him to pay extra attention and immediately forward any reply to her if one came.

Faced with such a Lady, Jia Si felt increasingly guilty.

So much so that he couldn’t even look her in the eye when speaking to her now.

Xiao Qiao didn’t notice Jia Si’s unusual demeanor. She smiled and nodded at him before turning to leave. Back in her room, moments later, Chun Niang entered and said, “My Lady, guess who has come here?”

“Who?” Xiao Qiao saw a slight joy on her face and felt puzzled.

Chun Niang didn’t keep her in suspense.

“The Young Master Zong from before!”

Xiao Qiao was slightly startled.

“Just now, I heard a message from outside saying someone was looking for me, waiting at the side gate. I was curious about who would be looking for me here, so I went to take a look. Unexpectedly, it was him! Young Master Zong said he was here on behalf of your sister to deliver a letter to you.”

She then handed over the letter.

Xiao Qiao was overjoyed, quickly taking it and opening it.

Chun Niang knew Xiao Qiao had been waiting for Da Qiao’s reply. She was also very happy that Zong Ji had personally come to deliver the letter.

While Xiao Qiao was reading the letter, Chun Niang smiled and said, “What does the letter say? Does it mention the baby? He must be about six or seven months old now…”

Xiao Qiao’s face was initially full of smiles, but before she finished reading, her expression changed dramatically, almost unable to believe her eyes.

She quickly read through it again from beginning to end, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

Chun Niang noticed her unusual reaction and saw her face suddenly turn pale white, her lips losing color. Alarmed, she hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong? What does the letter say?”

“Has Young Master Zong left?” Xiao Qiao asked, not waiting for Chun Niang’s answer before heading out.

Her emotions were in such turmoil that her hands and feet were shaking. As she lifted her foot to step over the threshold, her toe caught, and she nearly fell to the ground. Fortunately, Chun Niang was quick to catch her from behind, even more panicked: “What’s happened? Walk slowly, let me support you.”

Xiao Qiao closed her eyes briefly, barely managing to steady herself. Without a word, she quickly made her way to the side gate of the palace.