"You're right. Lord Song really had no idea. He was still a child back then. After his family fell from grace and became commoners, he was sent to live with a distant relative just two years later. He was only three or four years old at the time and didn't remember much."
"I see." Tang Youyou stroked her chin thoughtfully. "When do you plan to tell him about this?"
Rong Xun replied, "There's no hurry. We'll wait until he persuades General Xu first."
Tang Youyou had no idea what was going on in Rong Xun's mind, but she knew that his plans were usually foolproof. All she had to do was trust him.
After packing their things, Song Xumo slung his bag over his shoulder and took the horse that Ye Yue had led over from the backyard.
He bowed to the people in front of him. "Madam, my lord, please stay. There's no need to see me off. I will surely live up to your trust. I will do my best to persuade General Xu."
After bidding farewell, he rode away on his horse alone. On the broad road, only his figure could be seen gradually disappearing into the distance. It made one wonder where the secret guards that Rong Xun had sent were.
Since Ye Yue, Zhuifeng, Tieshou, and Wenxue had appeared by her side, Tang Youyou had learned a lot about Rong Xun's criteria for selecting secret guards.
Those who were chosen by him were surely extraordinary.
But she couldn't figure out why he had taken a fancy to her. She considered herself smart, but in her previous lives, she had died at his hands many times.
Why had he changed this time? She had been puzzled by this question for a long time.
"What are you thinking about? You look so lost in thought." Rong Xun patted her on the shoulder and saw that her eyes were fixed on the distance.
Tang Youyou came back to her senses and shook her head. "It's nothing. I just feel that so many unexpected things have happened in the past two years."
So many major events had occurred one after another in the past two years, leaving people hardly any time to catch their breath. Tang Youyou was really exhausted. Maybe it was because she was pregnant, but she felt both physically and mentally tired.
Rong Xun noticed the tiredness in her eyes and helped her back to the room to rest.
She fell asleep soon after lying on the bed. Maybe it was because she had been thinking too much. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.
When Rong Xun saw that her breathing had become even, he slowly withdrew his arm from under her waist, covered her with the quilt, and quietly left the room.
"Master, our men have sent a message saying that they've captured one of Lin Yuan's men."
Tieshou rushed in from outside and brought the news to Rong Xun. He was also holding a name tag with a seal on it.
"We found this on the man. He's currently being held in the dungeon of the pavilion. But so far, we haven't been able to get any information about Lin Yuan's whereabouts from him."
Rong Xun knew that if Lin Yuan had managed to escape, it would be difficult to find her. The people who were out there gathering information for her were surely her loyal servants.
"Keep a close eye on him. Make sure he doesn't die."
"Yes."
Rong Xun looked into the distance. Lin Yuan held the key to his life, so she would surely not show herself easily.
But at this point, he couldn't just focus on finding the antidote.
It would be great if he could find the antidote from Lin Yuan, but the chances were slim.
"Try to get some useful information from him. That old witch Lin Yuan wouldn't dare to set foot in the Central Plains easily. Her activities are restricted. Tell our men to keep a close eye on her."
"Yes, Pavilion Master. There's another thing. I'm not sure if I should say it or not."
Rong Xun glanced down at him. "If you're not sure, then don't say it."
Tieshou quickly bowed respectfully and said, "The brothers in the Wuya Pavilion are all looking forward to your return."
Rong Xun frowned in confusion.
Tieshou continued, "Master, your birthday is coming up in a couple of days."
This left him even more puzzled.
"How did they know about my birthday?"
There was no need to ask. It must have been Tieshou and the others who had let it slip.
Tieshou scratched his head. "I accidentally let it slip. Please forgive me, Pavilion Master."
There was no need for forgiveness. Rong Xun wasn't the kind of person who would care about such things. He had experienced birthday celebrations before when he was the emperor.
Although the celebrations were lively, there were hidden dangers everywhere. The officials in the court saw his birthday as a good opportunity to advance their careers.
After experiencing one or two such celebrations, Rong Xun had become extremely averse to the power struggles that took place in the name of birthday celebrations.
"Can you really be that careless?"
Both of them knew very well that Tieshou was a very cautious person. As long as he was on the job, there was nothing he couldn't notice.
If a person like him could let something slip, then Rong Xun would be willing to quit the Wuya Pavilion.
"Let me make this clear first. I don't want to come back and see you holding such vulgar birthday celebrations."
Tieshou quickly replied. He had been with Rong Xun for many years and knew his temper well. He knew that Rong Xun thought it was inappropriate to celebrate his birthday when he wasn't that old yet.
"Okay."
Tieshou thought to himself that this was his master's 25th birthday. How could they not hold a banquet?
But if they were going to hold a birthday banquet, they had to invite the birthday boy first. But given the current situation, he wasn't sure if his master would agree.
But if they could get Tang Youyou to persuade Rong Xun, it might work.
But Tieshou looked around and didn't see Tang Youyou's figure. So he couldn't help but ask, "Where's Madam? Isn't she with you, Pavilion Master?"
When he mentioned Tang Youyou, Rong Xun's expression immediately became serious. Even those who were usually very free in front of Rong Xun couldn't help but shiver.
He knew that Tang Youyou was the apple of their Pavilion Master's eye. His blatant inquiry would surely attract Rong Xun's attention.
But that was exactly what he wanted. If Tang Youyou also persuaded Rong Xun, the effect would surely be better than his.
But it seemed that Tang Youyou wasn't around, and his plan was going to fall through.
"I was just asking casually. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
When he reached the door, he saw Ye Yue standing there, looking like an old customer.
Tieshou had written down everything on a piece of paper in advance. When he passed by Ye Yue, he quietly slipped the letter into his hand.
Ye Yue quickly hid it. They had done this kind of thing many times before.
Of course, Rong Xun had seen all this, but he never said a word. He knew that the four of them had a good relationship. Although they had quarreled with each other from time to time, they would also communicate with each other when they encountered problems that they couldn't solve.
Tang Youyou was sleeping soundly when she suddenly dreamed that she had entered a mysterious space. The place was empty, and everything was white. There was no end in sight, as if she had entered another world.
"Is there anyone here?"
She shouted at the top of her lungs, but no matter how loudly she shouted, there was no response.
"What the hell?"
She walked aimlessly. She didn't know how long she had been walking. When she felt tired, she stopped to rest.
Just then, a sudden sound came from behind her.