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  Ming Xuan sat at the head of the bed, supporting Pei Jingchen's body against her own, and only then took over the bowl of soup, feeding him spoonful by spoonful. "Shifu said that after just waking up, your body is weak, so for these few days, you can only drink light broth. When you're better, tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you."

  She was used to living independently in her previous life, and her culinary skills were quite good. After becoming Gu Mingxuan, although she had some setbacks, she still ended up as a noble lady with a high social status. Having never been involved in household chores before, after marrying into the Pei family, she owned her own small courtyard and could occasionally enter the kitchen, but only to make simple dishes like soups.

  A young lady from a wealthy family, skilled in making desserts and sweet soups, but not in cooking. As the pampered daughter of the Yongning Marquis's estate, if she were to cook or make congee, it would be seen as suspicious and shameful.

  But at this moment, she suddenly had such a thought that if he could escape this calamity, she would be willing to wash her hands and make soup for him from now on, living with him like husband and wife in their past life.

  Pei Jingchen leaned into Ming Xuan's arms, greedily inhaling the fragrance on her body, listening to her gentle voice filled with deep emotions, and couldn't help but curve his lips upwards slightly. "Alright. When I'm better, whatever I want to eat, you'll make it for me."

  Although appearing calm on the surface, in reality they are actually concerned, no one wants to be unable to stand or walk.

  At this moment, the door curtain swayed gently, and Changgeng, who had just left, came in again. He said to Mingyu, "Madam, Yan Laolao has arrived, and Yuanhui Shifu asked her to wait in the outer main hall."

  Ming Xuan nodded, "I'll be right there."

  She put Pei Jingchen on the pillow, smiling and saying. "I left Auntie in the mansion to take care of the house, every few days she would come over and bring me some things, and also report on the matters of the mansion, rest first. I'll be right back."

  The courtyard is quiet and clean, Yu Zhen Shitai has her own rules, so Ming Xuan came alone. Yan Niangniang and Dan Hong stayed in Jingyi Temple, first to take care of the temple, lest it be taken advantage of when she was not there, and secondly to stay and investigate the movements within the mansion.

  Yan's mother-in-law paced back and forth in the main hall, looking very anxious. Seeing Ming Xuan coming over, she hastily went forward to say, "Big Madam, something's wrong!"

  She looked anxious, seemed to be in a hurry, and didn't care about etiquette anymore. She went straight up and grasped Ming Xuan's arm. "Today I received a letter from the wife of Jian'an Bo, and the people at the gate didn't dare to make any moves. When I received it, the seal hadn't been opened yet. You had instructed me that when you're not around, all these ordinary matters would be handled by me, so I thought it was just an ordinary greeting and opened it. Who would have expected..."

  Ming Xuan furrowed her brow deeply. "Wu Jie would be delighted to never see me again, she wouldn't write to me, this must be a letter sent by Jian'an Bo under her name. Could it be..."

  Her face changed greatly, "Could it be that something has happened to He Guiren in Western Xia?"

  She was afraid, not only because Xi Xia's party was Pei Jingchen's only hope, but also because He Gui was Xue Su's husband. He was her subordinate who she cared about, and if He Gui made any mistakes, it would not only be hopeless for Pei Jingchen to recover from his leg injury, but also a fatal blow to Xue Su.

  She nodded slowly, "It's said that the northwest has started a war again. The Western Xia country has detained all the officials of the Yishi government, big and small, in a large prison. This is to prepare for a head-on confrontation when they will be used as hostages! The letter didn't confirm whether those people were also imprisoned, but even if not, at this time they are in the territory of Western Xia, it's extremely dangerous, I'm afraid this medicine can't be retrieved!"

  She paused, suddenly thought of something, and hastily took out a letter from her bosom and handed it over, "The letter is here, take a look!"

  Ming Xuan hastily opened it, only to see that inside the envelope with the name and title of the wife of Jian'an Bo was a handwritten copy of a report, written in a bold and stiff hand, which looked like Liang Jun's handwriting. It said that there had been a mutiny among the Western Xia soldiers, the five cities in the northwest were in urgent need of help, the Zhou Dynasty's envoy had been detained at the border, and they requested the imperial court to send troops to reinforce them.

  It seems that the rumors I heard earlier about the Western Xia army mutiny are true after all.

  She let her hands fall weakly, and after a long time, she said to Sheng Jiang, "I want to go see Jian'an Bo myself, ask him about this matter clearly, otherwise... there's no way to explain it to Xue Su."

  He Gui and Xue Su had been married for some time, but due to He Gui's need to handle many matters on behalf of Ming Huan, the newlywed couple was often apart. Just as things were finally settling down, Xue Su returned home saying that they were planning to have a baby. But now that He Gui has left, if something really happens, what will Xue Su do?

  "Then I'll wait for you here!"

  Ming Xuan shook her head, patted Yan's shoulder and said, "The people of the Pei family are staring at you, you can't stay outside for long, it's better to go back to the mansion first. At this time, there is no need to do anything, just quietly take care of Jingyi Institute for me and Master. I will bring Changgeng to see Jian'an Bo, don't worry."

  She waved her hand at Nanny severely, "Nanny, go back!"

  When they returned to the house, Pei Jingchen was leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed. Ming Xuan smiled and said, "Shifu said that you just woke up and your spirit is not enough, it's better to rest more, go lie down quickly."

  She gently and carefully helped him into bed, then leaned down to rest her head on his chest, rubbing against him for a while before standing up. "I have something to attend to with Changgeng, Yuanhui Shifu is already brewing medicine, you must drink it obediently later, if there's anything you need, just call out and I'll ask the masters to keep an eye on things here."

  Pei Jingchen gently held her hand and didn't ask where she was going, but solemnly said, "Come back early."

  Some things don't need to be asked about, he just needs to believe in her.

  Ming Xuan showed the letter from Jian'an Bo to Zhanggeng, then dressed as a man and went out.

  The horse carriage sped along, and Chang Geng sat at the front driving the horses. His expression seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to speak but finally couldn't help saying, "When we arrive at the Ministry of Rites, it's better for you to wait in the carriage, Madame. The Duke of Jian'an, Liang, is also your cousin, and I've had dealings with him a few times. Although he has a bad reputation outside, he's actually a straightforward and honest man who isn't difficult to get along with."

  His eyes were sincere, and he analyzed carefully, "I only ask him to inform the truth about Western Xia's hostage, this matter is simple, it doesn't need Madam to go in person. In any case, you are a woman after all, and there have been rumors between you and Duke Jian'an, if someone sees you going, they might gossip."

  There is no wall that doesn't let wind through, Jian'an Bo Liang Kun originally wanted to be engaged with the seventh miss of Yongning Houfu, but later chose the ninth miss instead. Although this matter wasn't widely publicized, there were still people in Shengjing City who knew about it. Ming Xuan was a woman from the inner courtyard, her husband was recuperating in Qingliang Temple, yet she secretly met with her brother-in-law; if this got out, it would definitely invite extremely unpleasant gossip.

  A gentleman does not stand under a precarious wall; she knows the risks that this trip may undertake, and it is right to avoid them.

  Ming Xuan shook her head, "Just going to gather information is enough, but our trip isn't just that. According to He Gui's plan at the time, after entering Western Xia territory, they would split up and act separately. I want to ask Jian'an Bo to help us find out if He Gui and his group are on the wanted list."

  She let out a long sigh, "Although Jian'an Bo is a cousin of our grandfather's, this relationship doesn't count as close relatives. The two haven't had contact for many years. If it were just a small favor, he would lend a hand without hesitation, but this time coincidentally Western Xia has an incident, I'm afraid we won't be able to keep the fact that we've planted someone inside hidden."

  "Although Jian'an Bo is the emperor's trusted minister, the real power still lies in the hands of Pei Xiang and Yang You Cheng. If someone were to take advantage of this situation, Jian'an Bo might end up taking the blame for us. I'll go personally to clarify things with him and discuss what to do next. Regardless of the outcome, we need to make sure our story is consistent in case anyone asks. Secondly, I want to show our sincerity."

  She changed her appearance and attire, also considering public opinion and reputation, but since the matter was urgent, she had no other choice.

  Chang Geng nodded slightly and said, "That's also reasonable."

  The Ministry of Rites, Jian'an Bo Liang Kun was talking to Ping Zhang Zheng about government affairs when a young boy suddenly handed him a letter. The strong and elegant handwriting on the letter caught his attention, and he felt a sudden movement in his heart. He opened it and saw that it was an invitation from Pei Jingxun to meet at the Junyue Building on East Street.

  The strokes were sharp and soft, with a hint of impatience, as if written in haste. He lowered his head to think, and guessed who the owner of this letter was, and roughly understood her intentions. Subconsciously, he raised his head to glance at Han Xiu, who was calmly discussing with him how to deal with the Western Xia situation next, whether to fight or make peace, the emperor needed someone to give him a decisive opinion.

  Liang Kun thought that the owner of this letter might be able to get help from Han Xiu, but thinking about their relationship and some recent rumors, he didn't say much. After all, although he had a good impression of Ming Xuan, his main reason for helping her this time was still because of Pei Jingzhen's sake. Before the master's thoughts were clear, he was unwilling to get involved in these messy emotional affairs, especially as an outsider who shouldn't make random comments.

  He looked up to see Han Xiu's gaze drifting elsewhere, seemingly not having noticed the words on the letter, and suppressed his concerns, only smiling as he said, "Brother Han, it's a bit inconvenient, but I have some urgent matters to attend to temporarily, so today's discussion will end here. If His Majesty has any other instructions, we can discuss them further later, how about that?"

  Han Xi's eyes moved slightly, but his face remained calm and peaceful. He also smiled and nodded, saying, "Then Han Mou will not bother Liang Xiong again. The Western Xia war can be discussed tomorrow, it doesn't matter."

  He stood up briskly and bid farewell before leaving.

  Liang Jun gazed at his back, furrowed his brow, then looked down at the words on the letter again. Only then did he compose himself and leave with his personal attendant. They walked without stopping until they reached the Quiet Room on the third floor of the Junyue Building on East Street. The doorman had already recognized him and led him upstairs. "Sir, your friend is waiting for you!"

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