Lou Xiyue shrugged. "Let's take it down first." He flicked his wrist, and a pebble flew out, hitting the eagle squarely in the belly. With a hiss, the eagle shuddered, spread its wings, and "whoosh—" charged straight at us.
Lou Xiyue pulled me aside, twirling his fan as if to deal with the eagle.
I pointed to the note hanging on the eagle's claw and said, "It's Dafeng. The letter I asked him to deliver to Master is over there."
Lou Xiyue closed her fan and looked at the two of us with her hands clasped together.
The strong wind had subsided and was timidly inching towards us.
I gently soothed the wind, and then vividly guided it to pick the snow plum blossoms from the tree.
Lou Xiyue casually asked, "Has Xia Jingnan come to the East?"
I said, "I was right when I saw him in Wenlai that day, he really is Master."
He stroked his chin and said casually, "Oh, then let's go back to the Central Plains as soon as possible to save Uncle San."
The snow plum blossoms looked like translucent ice crystals. I couldn't resist trying one, but unexpectedly, it tasted extremely astringent, bitter, and spicy.
Lou Xiyue unfolded the letter I wrote to my master, glanced at it briefly, and casually asked, "You know how to brew pepper wine?"
I said, "Pah!"
Lou Xiyue frowned slightly. "You can also brew orchid tea?"
I said, "Pah!"
He looked at me and handed me the letter, saying, "You wrote in the letter yourself that you wanted to brew wine and make tea for your master."
I suddenly remembered that the letter was written with passionate and deeply affectionate language, and I quickly put it away.
Lou Xiyue narrowed her eyes slightly, "You, miss him terribly?"
I said, "Pah, pah, pah, Xue Mei is so bitter, it makes my mouth feel so astringent."
Lou Xiyue said, "..."
Seven days later, Lou Xiyue and I returned to Wenlai County with Dafeng and met up with Ji Jiu.
When Ji Jiu saw Lou Xiyue, she frowned and said, "Seventh Young Master, you've lost weight."
Lou Xiyue took a sip of wine and smiled modestly, "It's alright."
Ji Jiu called the waiter to bring out a stack of braised pork and placed it in front of Lou Xiyue.
I looked at Ji Jiu and said, "I've lost weight too."
Ji Jiu said to Lou Xiyue, "It's a pity that there is no hibiscus cake in the East."
Lou Xiyue used the handle of her fan to push the braised meat in front of me, and smiled at Ji Jiu, "Now that you mention it, I want to eat hibiscus cake. I've lost my appetite."
Ji Jiu said, "The princess was the emperor's younger sister, and she died a long time ago. That princess from the East is the princess's daughter."
Lou Xiyue tapped her fan and asked, "How did she die? Who was the princess's father?"
Ji Jiu shook her head. "I don't know. It seems..." She paused and whispered, "It seems to be related to the Emperor."
I took a bite of braised pork, slammed my hand on the table, and exclaimed, "No wonder the carriage is decorated with images of Nuwa and Fuxi; it turns out the Emperor and the Princess had an affair."
Lou Xiyue rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
After a moment, he said, "Let's go to the main hall."
I looked at him and asked, "Why do you want to go?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Investigate who wants to kill Third Uncle."
I buried my head and continued eating the meat.
Lou Xiyue asked Ji Jiu, "What is the name of the Eastern Princess? How old is she?"
Ji Jiu answered crisply, "Lian Ji, eighteen."
Lou Xiyue clapped her hands, "Let's go and meet her."
I glanced at him. "Actually, you wanted to take that princess home, right?"
I looked at Ji Jiu with a smile, "Ji Jiu, tell me how your Seventh Young Master picked you up back then?"
Ji Jiu was stunned for a moment, "I was a beggar, and the Seventh Young Master took pity on me and took me in."
She thought for a moment and then said, "Young master is very kind to me, making me laugh by acting as a shadow puppet."
Lou Xiyue covered her mouth and coughed lightly. "The sacrificial ceremony will take nine days. They won't return to the main hall until tomorrow. Let's stay in the hall for now."
I rubbed my hands together. "Living in the palace?"
Lou Xiyue nodded. "Mm."
I was overjoyed. "Then I want to sleep on a chaise longue, eat imperial food, and have a eunuch serve me."
Lou Xiyue glanced at me and said, "Ji Jiu and I will go. You and this bird can find an inn to stay at and prepare the antidote."
I complained, "Why? You go and eat and drink well, sleep on the emperor's bed and seduce the little princess, while Dafeng and I are far from home, here in the cold wind and sweating."
Lou Xiyue smiled and tapped my forehead with her fan. "Then I'll take you with me."
He looked at the strong wind, remained silent for a while, and said, "If it's a strong wind, it should go back to where it came from."