It was said that Wutong trees could attract phoenixes to rest, but in reality, they liked sunlight and could not tolerate cold. Their sprouts were especially weak. It was hard to imagine that a Wutong tree could survive in a place like Beiliang. However, since it was born in His Royal Highness's private residence on Mount Qingliang, it was equivalent to being born into a good family. Not only did it survive, but it was also abnormally luxuriant. It was just that the Wutong trees in the Wutongin were growing pleasantly, but the courtyard was somewhat gloomy and miserable. Probably because the Qingming Festival was approaching, the people underground missed the people above too much. Therefore, there was a silent death in the Wutongin. It was Cucumber from the Vermilion Bamboo Forest. This second-class servant girl's name had long been forgotten. When His Royal Highness returned from his first trip to Jianghu, the eldest son of the old Prince Liang, who loved eating cucumbers, gave her the vulgar nickname of Cucumber. At that time, she had protested, but later she got used to it and accepted it with hidden bitterness. Cucumber's death was sudden and inexplicable. She died when the new Prince Liang was coincidentally not on Mount Qingliang. Many people were caught off guard. The servants of the Prince's residence outside of Wutongin did not dare to say anything. Even the people in the courtyard kept quiet out of fear. Xu Weixiong, who was in charge of all military affairs in the Wutongin, did not say anything. The funeral was simple and rushed.
Hsu Fengnian returned to the Prince's residence from the refugee area with a light carriage. He still did not go to the Wutongin that he rarely visited. Xu Weixiong, who was sitting in a wheelchair, found him at the pavilion on Tidehark Lake and handed him a suicide note written by Cucumber before she killed herself. Hsu Fengnian took it and threw it into the lake without even looking at it. A thin piece of sandalwood flowery paper landed lightly on the surface of the lake. After soaking wet, it slowly sank into the lake. It did not even cause the slightest ripple. The suicide note and the woman were the same. They floated lightly, as if they were insignificant. Xu Weixiong calmly told Hsu Fengnian that after Cucumber finished writing the letter, she used a pair of chopsticks to stab through her neck in her room. She fell over the table and died in a very strange manner. It was only at dawn the next day that she was discovered by Baijiu, who was also a second-rank maidservant and had called her to the main room. Xu Weixiong also said that in the letter, Cucumber admitted that she had been a spy planted by the imperial court in Beiliang since she was a child. She had betrayed the imperial court twice in her life. The first time was when she ventured into the refugee area on her own after returning to His Highness. The second time was when she revealed Beimang's whereabouts. At the end of the letter, she said that she hoped that His Highness would come back alive to see her will. She also said that she still wanted to serve His Highness in her next life and that she would never be like a ghost again.
Hsu Fengnian's expression was calm. It was hard to tell whether he was happy or sad. Xu Weixiong also said calmly, "When the Eagle and Falcon family in Beiliang split up, the spies in Wutongin and Chu Lushan were separated into internal and external spies. At that time, I knew that you had already discovered that there was a spy in Wutongin. I hoped that they would restrain themselves a little and stop while they were ahead. Take it as giving them a chance to live. However, you should know that since you have embarked on this path, there is no way to turn back. There is no need to talk about cherishing one's life. A woman's life is short. Moreover, she is a female spy. After all, she can still decide when and how she will die. She didn't suffer before she died. None of the female spies who were dug out from behind the flames of war in the Spring and Autumn War were as fortunate as her. "
Hsu Fengnian sighed and fiercely rubbed his cheeks. His words seeped through the gaps between his fingers. They were slightly unclear. "There is another spy who is involved with Beimang. She is hidden even deeper. Who is she? Without her leak, not to mention alerting the Orange Province's Disciplinary Magistrate, Murong Baoding, even Hong Jingyan wouldn't have rushed to Qingcang City to kill me. These two people have chosen the right time. It is obvious that they have been carefully deduced by Beimang's think tank. It seems that she is much more thick-skinned than that girl, Cucumber. "
Xu Weixiong asked in return, "Do you really not know, or are you pretending to be stupid? How many people in Wutongin can be so patient and scheming? "
Hsu Fengnian put down his hands and folded them in his sleeves. He turned his head to look at the surface of the lake and said softly, "I will go see her right now. Sister, help me prepare two cups of wine."
Xu Weixiong hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn't say anything. The second-rate maids in Wutongin all had their own private rooms, each with their own charm. Green Ant's room was the most miscellaneous. There were many strange objects in the room, but there weren't many books. She was good at playing chess, but she didn't have a chess board or a chess piece. When she played chess, she would play chess directly with His Royal Highness in the main courtyard. She was always able to beat Hsu Fengnian to the point of throwing away his helmet and armor. She never showed mercy. Even when she faced the miraculous Second Princess who created the Nineteen Paths, when their minds were connected, they could occasionally match evenly. This was enough to show that Green Ant was extremely intelligent. Perhaps it was because extreme intelligence led to injury, but Green Ant was also the weakest of the maids in Wutongin. Fortunately, Hsu Fengnian was a prodigal son who spent lavishly on the people around him. Even when the old Zhenren of Wudang Mountain, Song Zhiming, sent precious medicinal pills to the Prince's Mansion, he would regularly give them to Green Ant to nourish her body. Today, Green Ant wasn't the only one on duty in Wutongin. The door to the room wasn't closed. She sat alone by the window, looking at the green Wutongin trees outside with a smile on her face. When she heard a knock on the door, she turned around and saw His Royal Highness holding a cup of wine in each hand. She stood up with a smile. Most of the women in Wutongin still liked to see this gentle and handsome young man as His Royal Highness. Hsu Fengnian walked to the window, put down two cups of wine, and followed her line of sight to look outside the green screen window. Green Ant didn't care about seniority. In any case, Wutongin didn't pay much attention to these rules. She gently sat back in her chair, put her elbow on the armrest, leaned her body, and raised her head to look at him. It had been like this for so many years. This man had always been staring at Beiliang, the Jianghu, and the country. She could only look at his side or back. At most, she could only see his front when they were playing chess and drinking.
Green Ant smiled gently and asked, "Cucumber is a fool. Your Highness, don't you think so?"
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