Guo Song has already arranged for someone to secretly monitor the Crown Prince, trying to gather information about the Eastern Palace on the condition of never revealing their tracks.
Thus, the days started to slow down.
Fu Zhen had also become accustomed to Liang Xuan, who clung to her like the sticky candy.
When the sun leaned westward and the heat wasn’t as intense, she took the young rascal to fish by the lake. Zhang Cheng and Yang Tong, ignoring the fact they might scare away the fish, ran over in a hurry:
"Young Madam! Jiang Lin is back!"
Upon hearing this name, Fu Zhen was stunned, then tossed the fishing rod and rushed outside the door.
Liang Xuan had just caught a chubby carp and didn’t know whether to grab the fish first or run after her. In the end, he also tossed the fishing rod, letting the servant catch the fish, and ran after her!
Jiang Lin and his party were dusty and weary from days of traveling, with sunken eyes from fatigue.
After seeing Fu Zhen, they first knelt down, but Fu Zhen helped them up and first ordered tea and snacks, letting them eat and drink to their fill and catch their breath before asking:
Jiang Lin nodded, taking out all of what he brought back: "We’ve reaped no little harvest, but Young Madam needs to hear me recount in detail."
Fu Zhen first picked up that carved copper token.
Before Jiang Lin could start speaking, upon seeing the carvings on the token, she was already astonished...
"Young Madam must have recognized it too." Jiang Lin gazed deeply at her.
"This, it’s the same as the carvings on the handle of my dagger!" Fu Zhen raised her head, "Where did this come from? How was this obtained?"
Jiang Lin took a deep breath: "Young Madam, let me explain the whole story in detail. This token, I obtained from the side of the person named Zhou Yi whom Young Madam instructed me to find..."
Liang Xuan followed to the courtyard gate, yet before the guards stationed there could make way, Yang Tong rushed out from the yard:
"Someone quick! Go deliver a message to General Liang, the Young Madam invites him to come to the manor immediately for a discussion!"
Liang Xuan, seeing them in such a hurry, was immensely curious, chased them but lost sight of them, and then turned back, only to find the courtyard door slamming shut!
He hurriedly knocked on the door, shouting for his Aunt, and this time the door did open, with Zhang Cheng and Yang Tong coming out, escorting him to Mrs. Pei’s courtyard...
When Liang Zhi arrived at the Pei family, Fu Zhen had just finished listening to Jiang Lin recount the story. Upon seeing Liang Zhi, she placed the token in front of him as well:
"Do you recognize this?"
After looking, Liang Zhi immediately recognized it: "The pattern on this is the exact match to the one on the dagger in Baiyu Lane!"
Upon that, he was instantly shocked: "Prince Yi Mansion of Dayue! Does the Xu family have a connection with the Prince Yi Mansion?"
Previously, Pei Zhan relied on the pattern on the dagger to obtain its origin from Grand Preceptor Gu, which was originally from the Prince Yi Mansion of Dayue Country, eliminated in a royal power struggle!
Now, the token Zhou Yi holds, while not identical, has all the necessary markings, it’s evident it’s from the same place, isn’t it?
However, Zhou Yi is Xu Yin’s man, how could he have something from the Prince Yi Mansion?
If he has it, does Xu Yin have one too?
In other words, does Xu Yin know all of this?
"The edges of this copper token are polished very bright, indicating frequent use. Judging by the fine holes below used for hanging a tassel, this should be a token used for issuing commands or verifying identities.
"That person surnamed Zhou strangely appeared one year in the Northwest Town, claiming to have met Xu Yin unexpectedly. But a few years later, Xu Yin became a commissioner, yet he was directly assigned to Tanzhou, managing his ancestral home for him!
"With Xu being so suspicious, yet entrusting him heavily, that person must be Xu Yin’s confidant!
"Regardless of what Xu’s identity is, he certainly knows about this token first!
"And nine times out of ten, this token is used for communication or dispatching assignments between the two locations!"
Liang Zhi quickly expressed his speculations.
Fu Zhen agreed with his every word, though the turbulent waves in her chest prevented her from saying anything appropriate at the moment.
Upon first sight of this token, her mind went blank, she would never forget the circumstances in which she was killed by Xu Yin, it was when he was demanding the dagger from her and silenced her!
The night before that, Xu Yin was persistently demanding that dagger, Liang Ning insisted on not giving it, finally he asked no more, and just directly struck!
If this token Zhou Yi possesses is used for commanding subordinates’ tasks, it can only mean that both Zhou Yi and Xu Yin are connected with the Prince Yi Mansion of Dayue Country.