Wei Yi had undeniably become more intelligent. In the past, he could barely write a character without an extra or missing stroke. Now, looking at her neatly written name, Ji Yunshu was rather proud of Wei Yi as she continued to read the letter carefully.
Despite the slightly disorderly characters, most of the words were written correctly and recognisable. The entire letter was basically Wei Yi reminding her to take good care of herself, eat healthy food, drink more water and have fun.
In addition, Wei Yi had also briefly mentioned Jing Rong but nothing he said was positive. At the end of the letter, he wrote, "Shu"er, I"m waiting for the day when you return to pick me up!" Upon reading this, Ji Yunshu"s eyes brimmed with tears as she reflexively clenched her fist.
To be honest, she was still conflicted over whether she should bring him back to the Capital, even though she was already certain of Wei Yi"s ident.i.ty. After all, he was the Imperial Duke"s only surviving heir.
However, the Capital was as dangerous as a tiger"s den. She did not want to put Wei Yi"s safety at risk. If Qizhen Emperor were not the mastermind behind the Lin Capital Case, when his ident.i.ty as the Imperial Duke"s youngest son was revealed, Wei Yi might be able to become a part of the royal family and receive a t.i.tle, and thus live the rest of his life peacefully and happily. However, if the Lin Capital Case was really Qizhen Emperor"s work, Wei Yi would definitely not be spared. After all, one should always remove every last root when pulling out weeds to prevent it from flouris.h.i.+ng again in the future.
There were only two possible results. Wei Yi would either live a prosperous and joyful life or face a death sentence.
She did not dare to gamble with Wei Yi"s life at stake. Therefore, she could only hide and protect his ident.i.ty, hoping that Wei Yi would never find out the truth of his family background. Thinking about this, the overwhelming care and affection that were explicitly expressed in the letter felt like a heavy millstone pressing down on her. However, looking at it from a different angle, she could just be thinking too much and worrying unnecessarily.
She gently shook her head before she s.h.i.+fted her attention back to the letter in her hands again. She chuckled as she was reminded of the rather adorable way Wei Yi always wrote with his left hand.
Just as she was about to put away the letter, her finger glided past a certain character that was written on the edge of the paper and she felt a chill down her spine.
She stared at the letter for a very long time as the letter left behind by Guo He flashed in her mind"s eye. All of a sudden, realisation hit her.
That"s right! The timelines do not match!
Suddenly, all her doubts and questions were resolved. She folded the letter neatly and left her room.
Meanwhile, s.h.i.+ Ziran dragged the protesting Tang Si out of Teacher Yu"s room. Enraged, Tang Si pushed s.h.i.+ Ziran fiercely. "Aren"t you done yet? Why are you still following me around like some toady?"
s.h.i.+ Ziran crossed his arms across his chest. "Would I have to follow you around if you were not so stubborn and unreasonable? Moreover, I"m doing this under the Prince"s command. That is also to prevent you from creating more trouble and hysterics."
"You"re the hysterical one, not me."
"Look at you now. Do you not look like a hysterical woman?" He pointed at her with his chin judgmentally.
Tang Si glared at s.h.i.+ Ziran, wanting to snap back at him. However, she rolled her eyes and let out an abrupt disdainful laugh. Then, she sat on the stool at the side and teased s.h.i.+ Ziran in a provocative tone. "However hysterical I may be, at least I"m not like some a.s.s-kissing toadies that I know, who always follows Our Highness around obsequiously and obeys all of the prince"s commands in a servile manner. When the prince tells him to stand, he wouldn"t have the audacity to squat. The coward even stammers when he speaks to the prince, fearful that the prince might behead him for speaking a wrong phrase. Being hysterical is, after all, better than being a sycophant living with his tail between his legs."
"What are you saying?" s.h.i.+ Ziran was infuriated.
"Hey, hey, hey. Why are you triggered? I"m not talking about you. So, are you saying that you"re that lickspittle who constantly follows Our Highness around?" Her sarcastic words were like countless tiny barbs p.r.i.c.king at s.h.i.+ Ziran. He clenched the sword in his hand so tight and the veins on his forehead bulged as he tried to rein in his anger.
However, Tang Si was an audacious girl who loved to pull at the tigers" whiskers. Upon seeing s.h.i.+ Ziran"s bloodshot and raging eyes, Tang Si was even more pleased with the outcome of her trick. She toyed with the red belt around her waist as she paced back and forth before she approached s.h.i.+ Ziran and continued, "Hey, hey, hey. Someone seems to be furious. Why are you so angry? It"s only a couple of causal statements - did I say it was you? Why are you so angry? Indeed, you men of the Central Plains are so easily disgruntled over every little thing, unlike the bold and great-hearted Hou Liao men. In Hou Liao, we have a saying - don"t waste your spittle if you can move your fists."
She had barely spoken her last syllable when… riiiing!
s.h.i.+ Ziran had already pulled out his sword.
Tang Si had long been waiting for this. Almost simultaneously, she pulled out the silver whip that was wrapped around her waist.
"Wild brat, it seems like you haven"t learned your lesson. Since you"re asking for it, I"ll let you know how it feels like to be walloped."
Tang Si replied, "Quit the nonsense then. If you"re capable, we"ll find out who"s the real winner soon enough." Before long, the two came to blows.
Although Tang Si was adept with her silver whip, s.h.i.+ Ziran was a skilful fighter too. The sound of clanking and whipping resonated across the courtyard, making such a commotion that it sounded like someone was playing with firecrackers in the courtyard.
Mo Ruo heard the sounds of a whip cracking after he delivered the letter to Teacher Yu. Therefore, he took a detour along the corridor to find out what was going on, only to see that Tang Si and s.h.i.+ Ziran were fighting furiously. However, Tang Si was obviously at a disadvantage because her physical strength was absolutely not on par with s.h.i.+ Ziran"s.
They continued fighting for a long while; one attacking, the other defending. Eventually, s.h.i.+ Ziran decided to end the fight when he grabbed the silver whip with one hand and pulled it with strenuous effort. Consequently, Tang Si lost her balance and fell forward as s.h.i.+ Ziran jabbed the hilt of his sword mercilessly at her chest.
She staggered backwards.
Being kind, Mo Ruo caught her from behind.
"Ouch!" she cried, overwhelmed by the pain that came from her chest. She realised that she was lying in Mo Ruo arms and instantly pushed him away. "How dare you touch me?"
I"m only trying to help her and she"s not being grateful at all!
Mo Ruo was fl.u.s.tered. Yes, I"m wrong. I shouldn"t have helped you and should"ve let you hit the ground!
Surprisingly, the girl was still not ready to admit defeat. She yelled at s.h.i.+ Ziran, "That"s not fair! Let"s do it again!" She held her silver whip and got ready to strike again.
However, s.h.i.+ Ziran said coldly, "I"m not interested in a rematch. I never compete a second time with those I"ve already defeated, especially someone like you." Then, he turned to Mo Ruo. "Young Master Mo, His Highness told you to control your lady. So I"ll pa.s.s her back to you now." He then left with his sword in his arms.
Urgh! She"s not my lady!
"Hey, don"t leave yet!" Tang Si yelled, intending to chase after him. But when she saw that Mo Ruo was walking in the opposite direction, Tang Si decided to follow Mo Ruo instead.
"Wait for me!"
Mo Ruo ignored her. He was still nursing a grudge at her "accusation" after he tried to help her.