Time passing with nothing to do always passes very slowly, and people can't help but recall the past. Now the history in their memories has flown far away, and they have to do the current things non-stop.
Xia Houshu looked at the incense burning on the table. It was already the second incense stick, but there was still no trace of Xia Houyi, and he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
The Duke of Yue's mansion is so big that even the second uncle's family cannot live in the capital. It is not easy to find a remote place to talk with no one. Why did Xia Houyi choose to meet here?
Yunxi was a glutton and did not notice that Xiahou Shu's mind was constantly changing. After she made tea, she went to the old man to find out where there were fun and delicious places nearby.
Xia Houshu sat alone in the cabin, holding the tea cup and looking outside for a long time, lost in thought. He always felt that there was a small boat floating in the misty rain, and there was a figure on the boat looming, which was very much like his dream, hazy, but
I can't see clearly.
After finishing a cup of tea, Xia Houshu added another cup to herself. Just as she took a sip, she suddenly saw a figure on the lake coming into view. She ran to the bow of the boat by accident and looked at the figure standing on the bow from a distance.
Like a banished immortal, like a ghost, as if the mist and rain all over the lake can't soak him in.
Xia Houshu was not a person who often committed nymphomaniacs, but looking at that figure from a distance, he vaguely felt that the man in the misty rain had beautiful features.
Just when Xia Houshu was lost in thought, the figure suddenly disappeared in the thick fog, as if everything before was just an illusion and she had seen it wrong. She was not convinced, opened her eyes and searched carefully, searching the entire lake.
But found nothing.
"Shu'er."
The boat suddenly shook slightly, and Xia Houyi fell behind Xia Houshu like a feather. His snow-white clothes made him look as elegant as a god descending to earth.
Xia Houshu turned around and looked at Xia Houyi, then looked behind him, then looked around him. There was only water but fog, so he asked anxiously: "Are you the only one just now?"
"Why, you made an appointment with someone else?" Xia Houyi was stunned for a moment and looked into the cabin.
"Of course not." Xia Houshu replied, but felt a little disappointed in his heart.
It turns out that my brother didn't notice anyone else on the lake, maybe he was just blinded.
After Xia Houshu comforted himself, he looked at Xia Houyi again with a teasing smile in his eyes and said, "I just want to see if there are any people with noble interests like us in this world who still go out to swim in the lake in heavy rain and wind.
, the spirit is commendable!”
Xia Houyi ignored his sister's cynicism and walked straight into the cabin, pouring himself a cup of tea. His hair, which was soaked by the rain, fell quietly on his shoulders, looking a bit messy, but he didn't care at all.
, and then reached out to select the snacks that Yunxi put on the white porcelain plate. It seemed that he was not satisfied, and finally he reluctantly picked a piece and put it in his mouth to taste it.
Xia Houshu followed him in, sat cross-legged opposite him, and asked, "How are things going?"
Xia Houyi drank tea calmly, and after a while he said: "It's a bit tricky."
Xia Houshu's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he immediately cheered up, staring at his brother with burning eyes. Xia Houyi, who usually seemed to be omnipotent, would not change his expression when meeting beautiful women. To show such an expression, he must have encountered a particularly difficult situation.
What could it be?
Perhaps it was because both of his brothers were well-known and too good. Under such a halo, Xia Houyi could not help but be a little curious and gloating about things that gave Xia Houyi a headache. But thinking that Xia Houyi had never treated her well.
Bo, she didn't want to be too obvious, so she cleared her throat and pretended to be casual and asked: "Can I help you?"
"You? Want to help me?" Xia Houyi looked at his sister in disbelief, as if he had been greatly frightened. His mind immediately recalled the situation when Xia Houshu was incompetent but kept forcing him to submit. He calmed down.
God, waved his hand and said without mercy: "That's not necessary, you will only help more and more."
"Don't mistake your good intentions for donkey's liver and lungs!" Xia Houshu gave him a hard look. Although she only asked politely, with a bit of joking, but after receiving such a reply, she felt somewhat unconvinced and said angrily:
"Don't underestimate me. Even though I forged my identity through you, I still passed the test based on my true ability."
"I don't dare to underestimate you. As for your ability..." Xia Houyi tried hard to think of what words to use to describe it. After thinking for a while, he said the four words "different people have different opinions", and did not forget to remind him, "It's important."
Don't forget your identity."
Xia Houyi's words just now have two meanings. The first is to let Xia Houshu not forget that she is a girl and a noble girl from the Xiahou family. Behind her, the Duke of Yue's Palace and Prince Gong's Palace are implicated. Every move is attracting attention.
, don’t forget your identity when you get carried away and put yourself in danger. The other level is to tactfully remind Xia Houshu not to overstep his rank. After all, Yin Jie is only the lowest-level spy in the Evergreen Sect, but he, Xia Houyi, is
It is self-evident who has more say in the future successor of Evergreen Sect.
Xia Houshu was noncommittal about the first meaning, but she just wanted to laugh when she heard Xia Houyi's advice not to leapfrog her rank. In fact, Xia Houyi himself didn't abide by this rule very much. To be precise, he often demoted himself.
For example, he often secretly assisted her in investigating cases or gathering intelligence, paving a bright road for her to gain a foothold in the Evergreens.
Of course, Xia Houshu was not an ignorant person. She had no way to refute her brother's warning, and she did not want to make a meaningless argument, so she put aside Xia Houyi's doubts about her strength and nodded obediently.
"If I'm not wrong, you have another mission." Xia Houyi took a sip of tea and suddenly changed the topic, looking like he understood everything.
Xia Houshu was stunned for a moment, feeling suspicious in his heart. Although Xia Houyi had begun to take over some of the affairs of the Evergreen Sect with the support of his uncle Zhong Zan, the person who was really in charge was still Zhong Zan, so not everything in the Evergreen Sect was
Xia Houyi knew everything.
"Can you read minds?" Xia Houshu said as he took out a piece of cloth from his sleeve and handed it to Xia Houyi, intending to test whether he really knew.
This is a new mission sent by the carrier pigeon yesterday. It only says "Prime Minister's Mansion Yi Wu" in five small characters.
The way Evergreen Gate assigns tasks is like guessing the Chinese charade during the Lantern Festival. It gives you a puzzle, and then you must find the answer within the specified time. It doesn’t matter about the process, only the result.
Xia Houyi took the cloth and was startled when he saw the small words on it. The familiar handwriting was indeed written by their uncle Zhong Zan, but the meaning behind these five words surprised him. If his uncle knew that he was the one who took on this task,
Will your niece regret it?
Xia Houyi quickly returned to calm and returned the cloth casually.
Xia Houshu took in all the subtle expressions of his brother and was sure that this mission was sent by his uncle Zhong Zan, and Xia Houyi probably didn't know about it either.
In fact, after receiving this task, Xia Houshu had already thought about it carefully, but so far she had no clue. She was thinking that the then Prime Minister Wang Chonghou was a Beijing official and the head of the civil service, and had close relations with the vassal kings, while Xia Houyi and others
She has been paying attention to the movements of feudal kings in various places for many years, and she will definitely know something. After making up her mind, she asked tentatively: "In these years, you have been exposed to many people and things related to the Prime Minister's Mansion. What do you know about the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
how many?"
"No more, no more." Xia Houyi said modestly, "I heard that a concubine died not long ago."
"Concubine?" Xia Houshu became more and more puzzled. The death of a concubine in such a large prime minister's palace is not a big deal at all. Now not only the Changqing Sect wants to investigate, but even Xia Houyi has noticed it. There must be something fishy.
Thinking of this, Xia Houshu suddenly had an idea and asked: "What is the name of that concubine?"
"What a coincidence." Xia Houyi pointed to the piece of cloth in her hand, "It happens to be called Yi Wu."
Xia Houshu could no longer hold back the surprise and curiosity in his heart, and suddenly approached Xia Houyi, carefully observing the changes in his expression as if he were looking at a monster, and asked forcefully: "Second brother, to be honest, did you know this a long time ago?"
Is this the mission this time? It’s not the mission you asked your uncle to give me, right?”
Xia Houyi was dumbfounded, but pretended to be calm, picked up the cup, took a sip of tea, and said unhurriedly: "It doesn't matter whether I know or not, what matters is whether you can do it. I think you can ask this
This question is enough to prove that you are indeed not suitable to be a secret agent. Otherwise, let’s forget it?”
Even if he didn't get a positive answer, he was despised and ridiculed again. Xia Houshu dared not speak out in anger, so he could only curl his lips in displeasure.
It was true that Xia Houyi couldn't stand her persistent pursuit, so he helped her forge an identity and sneak into the Evergreen Sect. However, after she passed the test and became a secret agent, Xia Houyi suddenly regretted it and came to persuade her to give up every now and then.
Xia Houshu is not someone who gives up so easily. It's no joke that she goes to great lengths to become a spy. After all, this is also a knot in the heart of the Xiahou family.
When 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 so tragic that it was impossible to identify. Xia Houyi's body was never returned. Later, Xiahou Yuan was ordered to return to the court.
, they only brought back the silver armor that Xiahou Xi often wore, and built a tomb at the ancestral grave of Xiahou's family, and set up a tablet to enshrine it in the ancestral hall. Because of this, there are still rumors that Xiahou Xi was not dead, but was just killed.
The enemy was imprisoned as a hostage. What's more, it was said that Xiahou Xi was captured because someone deliberately leaked his whereabouts to the enemy in order to suppress the Xiahou family who were in the spotlight...
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 she went to Boyun Temple for almost eight years after she was born. She did not have a deep impression of her eldest brother. However, in the past few years, she often saw her mother sitting in the ancestral hall and looking at Xia Houshu.
I would sit in a daze or cry silently at the memorial tablet, and I would often catch my father looking at the calligraphy and paintings left by Xia Houhui when he was young and secretly feeling sad. Even the pen on my father's desk that had been placed on the pen stand all year round but not allowed to be touched by anyone was also used by Xia Houhui back then.
…
Xiahou Xi 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 trace Xia Houyi's whereabouts, which can be regarded as reaching the same goal by different paths.
In order not to repeat the old conversation, Xia Houshu changed the topic and continued to ask: "Prime Minister Wang is a Beijing official, and I am just a silver ring secret agent. Why do you think my uncle asked me to investigate this case?"
"I think you are thinking too much. My uncle still doesn't know that Mo Zhen is you." Xia Houyi did not stick to the topic he just raised, but directly dispelled her doubts. Seeing that Xia Houshu seemed to be angry, he was busy and busy.
Changing the subject, he said: "My father came back from patrolling the camp today. He seems to be in a bad mood. You should be careful when you go back and don't get into trouble with him."
Xia Houshu understands Xia Houyi. As long as there is something he doesn't want to say, even if he puts a knife to his neck and forces him, he will not reveal a word easily. It is a blessing, not a curse, and it is a curse that cannot be avoided. No matter who gives the order
As the silver ring secret agent of the Evergreen Sect, she had no right to question whether there was an order to investigate this case, or there was some secret behind this case.
Since it was necessary to investigate, she would not be timid.
Just as the rain outside 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 of the bank and the small villages built on the mountains.
Zhenhe Pavilion Water Pavilion.
Mountains and rivers are full of doubts and there is no way out, and willows and flowers are bright in another village. Xiahou Shu was obviously infected by such a surprise, and the sadness he had been lingering on for many days disappeared in an instant. He found a docking point and was about 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, or to check whether the nets cast early on the shore had caught any fish.
Xia Houshu took Yunxi and walked along the plank road by the lake for a long time before walking to the pavilion near the water to meet Xia Houyi.
There was food in the pavilion that Xia Houyi had asked her to prepare in advance. Only then did Xia Houshu understand that Xia Houyi's invitation to her to go out to the lake was not just a pretense. It had already been arranged.
After being out for a long time, Xia Houshu was really hungry 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. Xia Houshu had no time to care whether his fish had been caught just that morning, so he just tasted it with chopsticks.
, found that the taste was really delicious, so Yun Xi took the money to reward it.
The shopkeeper accepted the money and wisely exited the pavilion, leaving the two of them to feast in the pavilion.
After having enough wine and food, Xia Houshu brought up the case of Yi Wu in the Prime Minister's Mansion to Xia Houyi.
Xia Houyi did not refuse this time, but smiled helplessly. This chapter has been completed!