Xia Houshu could no longer contain the surprise and curiosity in his heart. He put his hands on the small table and leaned forward, carefully observing the changes in his expression as if he were looking at a monster.
"Second brother, to be honest, have you known about this mission for a long time? Or is this mission actually assigned to me by your uncle specifically?" Xia Houshu looked at Xia Houyi with a half-smile, and lowered his voice.
Ask, "What is your intention with this arrangement? Do you want to test me, or do you think I have limited abilities and want to see my jokes?"
Faced with Xia Houshu's suddenly approaching face and a series of questions, Xia Houyi was speechless. He quietly moved back to ensure a certain safe distance, then pretended to be calm, picked up the cup and took a sip of tea, and said unhurriedly
: "It doesn't actually matter whether I know about this matter or not. It doesn't matter whether I did it intentionally or not. What matters is whether you can complete the task as scheduled. And I think the fact that you can ask these questions is enough to prove that you are not rational and that you are not rational enough."
Not suitable for this."
After saying that, he looked at his sister deeply: "How about forget it?"
Xia Houshu couldn't get a direct answer from her brother, and was questioned and ridiculed. She felt very unconvinced, but she dared not speak out in anger, so she could only curl her lips in displeasure and stare at him without speaking.
Xia Houyi glanced at her and said with a smile: "To be honest, it hurts. What's the use of looking at me so angry? If you have the time, you might as well think carefully about what I just said."
Xia Houshu snorted coldly: "You know you're hurting people, but you still say that?"
Looking back at the beginning, Xia Houyi really helped her forge an identity to sneak into the Changqing Sect because he couldn't stand her persistence. She was very grateful. But since she passed the test and became a secret agent, Xia Houyi suddenly regretted it and came to her house every now and then.
He came to persuade her to give up. But how could she give up so easily? It was no joke that she tried so hard to get into the Evergreen Sect. What she was interested in was not the spy itself, but the Evergreen Sect's intelligence network.
She wants to use it to achieve her own goals.
After all, this is also a knot in the heart of their Xiahou family.
At that time, the eldest brother Xia Houyi was deeply ambushed by the enemy. The Beiyuan Kingdom only said that Xia Houyi and his 500 elite cavalry soldiers had been ambushed. The battlefield was brutal and the bodies could not be identified. Xiahou Yi's body was never returned. Later, Xia Houyuan was ordered to return with his troops.
He only brought back the silver armor that Xiahou often wore and the silver spear with red tassels. He also built a tomb at the ancestral grave of Xiahou's family and set up a memorial tablet to enshrine it in the ancestral hall.
Because of this, there were rumors that Xia Houxi was not actually dead, but was just held hostage by the enemy. What's more, it was said that Xiahou Xi was captured because someone deliberately leaked his whereabouts to the enemy for the purpose of
It was to suppress the Xiahou clan who was in the limelight, thereby weakening the influence of the Xiahou clan in the Red Feather Army, and thus containing the offensive of the Nanqi Army.
But after so many years, there is no news proving that Xia Houxi is still alive.
Rumors are rumors, and for the people of the Xiahou family, no matter whether Xiahou Yi is alive or dead, they always want to see people when they are alive, and they want to see their bodies when they die.
Xia Houshu was born late, and after he was born, he went to Boyun Temple to practice meditation. She did not have a deep impression of her eldest brother. But in the past few years after returning home, she often saw her mother sitting in the ancestral hall and looking at Xia Houshu.
I often see my father staring at the calligraphy and paintings left by Xia Houhui when he was young and secretly feeling sad. Even the wolf hair on my father's desk that has been placed on the pen stand all year round but not allowed to be touched by anyone was from when Xia Houhui was studying.
Used...
Xia Houhui was the most outstanding child among his peers in the Xiahou family. He had been placed with high hopes since he was a child. Xiahou Shu naturally knew his importance in the hearts of his parents and his status in the entire Xiahou family. The favored son of heaven suddenly fell, and there was no body left, but rumors spread among the people.
, even ordinary people cannot accept it calmly. Therefore, her purpose of joining the Evergreen Sect and what Xia Houyi has been secretly planning over the years are all to track down Xia Houyi's whereabouts, which can be regarded as reaching the same goal by different paths.
This is the tacit secret between Xia Houshu and his second brother.
This memory was so painful that it made people sad every time I mentioned it. Xia Houshu didn't want to bring up the old conversation again, so he changed the subject and continued to ask: "Didn't you say that with my status, I should try not to have contact with Beijing officials, especially those above the third rank?"
A senior official? But Prime Minister Wang is a Beijing official or the head of the civil service, and I am just a silver ring. The affairs of the Prime Minister's Mansion are not within my scope of investigation. Why do you think my uncle asked me to investigate this matter? He
Could it be intentional?"
"I think you are overthinking." Xia Houyi did not insist on the topic he just raised, but directly dispelled her doubts, "Uncle still doesn't know that Mo Zhen is you."
Mo Zhen, to put it another way, means it is unreal and does not exist.
In order to forge this identity, Xia Houyi went to make friends with the young master of the Wen family, the Minister of Household Affairs, and then forged a household registration information for Xia Hou Shu that was fake, and then tampered with the selection of secret agents. Therefore, Xia Hou Shu could
Passed through the Changqing Gate without incident.
There were probably about ten people who passed the examination at the same time, and Mo Zhen, who was named by Xia Houshu, was neither the best nor the last, so he did not arouse Zhong Zan's suspicion.
Now that Xia Houyi claimed that he didn't know his uncle's intention of asking her to investigate the cause of Yi Wu's death, Xia Houshu was sensible and didn't ask any more questions. She knew Xia Houyi, and as long as he didn't want to say anything, she would hold a knife to his neck.
Even if someone forces him to do it, he won't say even a word easily.
No matter who gave the order to investigate the cause of Yi Wu's death, or what was the secret behind Yi Wu's death, as the Silver Ring Secret Agent of the Evergreen Sect, she had no right to question it.
Since it was necessary to investigate, she would not be timid.
Xia Houyi saw that his sister's thoughts were flying to nowhere, and suddenly said: "You have been in a state of affairs in the house recently, and your mother is also very concerned about your affairs. I suggest you restrain yourself a little. Our mother is a smart person.
Man, if she knew these things, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to afford it."
Xia Houshu nodded and said that he would act more cautiously. However, after his reminder, Xia Houshu really remembered that he had something to ask him, so he said: "I went to Huguo Temple with my mother a while ago, and encountered a strange thing.
, I had never thought about how to tell you before, but today I suddenly remembered this matter and thought it would be better to speak up and listen to your opinion. "
Xia Houyi glanced at her thoughtfully and asked, "Are you talking about your injury?"
"You already know?" Xia Houshu was very surprised, and immediately put on a puzzled look, "Have your eyes been soaked in Hedinghong? It's so poisonous!"
She thought she hid it well and no one else would know except herself, Yun Xi and Pei Lang, but after all, she still didn't escape Xia Houyi's eyes.
Xia Houyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and explained: "I saw you going to Pei Lang to ask for medicine, so I guessed that you were injured, and it was not a minor injury. As for what happened to you in Huguo Temple, I am actually also very curious."
It was rare to find someone who could listen to her seriously without being too exaggerated. Xia Houshu immediately felt the desire to talk. So she recounted her thrilling experience at Huguo Temple.
After saying it, Xia Houshu finally felt a lot more relaxed.
Xia Houyi was not so relaxed. He thought about his sister's words, pondered for a moment, and then said: "The Huguo Temple is extraordinary. Even for me, it is difficult to find out the news inside. As for the two people you mentioned, according to reports
As far as I know, no similar person has appeared in the capital in the past year. Of course, it does not rule out that I don’t have enough information, so I will pay more attention. This matter is definitely not that simple, and you should be more careful.
Don’t get involved again.”
Xia Houshu quickly nodded in agreement, and said with lingering fear: "You don't know how dangerous that day was. If it weren't for that cold-faced man in green, I might never have seen the sun the next day again. I'll think about it later.
When I got up, I felt that the two men were even scarier. Thinking about it carefully, during that period it rained heavily every once in a while. We finally went up the mountain, but few of us dared to go down. However, they came down within a dozen hours.
It’s incredible how clean the scene was.”
"Since you don't understand, then stop thinking about it for now. I have everything with you." Xia Houyi said, raising his chin and motioning for her to look outside the cabin.
Xia Houshu followed his instructions and looked outside.
Just as the rain stopped, the sun shined through the thick clouds, leaving a gleam of light and wrapping the earth warmly. The thick fog on the lake slowly dissipated, revealing the beautiful mountains on both sides and the small towns built on the mountains.
Pavilions and water pavilions.
Xia Houshu was obviously affected by such a scenery, and the sadness she had been lingering on for many days disappeared in an instant. She turned to look at her brother and said happily: "How did the second brother find such a good place?"
Xia Houyi smiled and said, "You will know later."
Xia Houshu immediately pouted and said angrily: "Why do you care at this time?"
Then they asked the boatman to find a ferry to disembark.
It had just rained heavily, and there were very few people in the town. Occasionally, a few people came out of their homes, or went to the fields to tend fruits and vegetables, open canals to release water, or check whether the nets cast early on the shore had caught any fish.
As he got closer, Xia Houshu saw clearly the three words "Taoxi Town" written on the plaque at the entrance of the town. The handwriting was vigorous and flying, but it was full of traces of wind and rain erosion due to its age.
She couldn't help but sigh: "It is indeed a paradise!"
Xia Houyuan nodded and said: "It is said that they originally built it after the Taoyuan Village in the book, so they planted peach trees on the mountain behind."
As he said this, he pointed to the mountain behind the town. However, it was already April, and the peach blossoms on the mountain had already faded away, producing fluffy green peaches.
Although he came at the wrong time, Xia Houshu was still very happy, so he took Yunxi and walked along the plank road by the lake for a long time before meeting Xia Houyi at the pavilion near the water.
There is food in the pavilion that Xia Houyi had people prepare in advance.
Only then did Xia Houshu understand that Xia Houyi's invitation to her to go out for a lake tour was not just a pretense. It turned out that he had actually made arrangements for it. She was curious again: "How did you find this place?"
Xia Houyi pointed to the lake and said: "Last time, I rented a boat to think about something, and ended up floating here. At that time, the peach blossoms had not yet faded, and the mountains were covered with clouds. It was really beautiful."
Xia Houshu imagined that kind of scenery and couldn't help but nodded and said: "It's not bad now."
The brother and sister sat down, and the innkeeper who delivered the food hurriedly introduced the dishes, with a hint of sophistication in his pride.
After being out for a long time, Xia Houshu really felt a little hungry now. He didn't have time to care whether his fish was caught just that morning and whether the vegetables were freshly picked. He just tasted them with chopsticks and found that they were indeed delicious.
Only then did Yun Xi take the money and reward him.
The shopkeeper accepted the money and wisely exited the pavilion, leaving the two of them to feast in the pavilion.