Wen Jiu gave no thought to what had happened in the Imperial Palace. Taking advantage of a moment when she was granted permission to relieve herself, she slipped into her private space. She quickly ate a meal, retrieved the letter Zhao Keke had given her, and scanned it, her mind racing. After organizing some provisions and quickly finishing her food, she returned, stepping back into the light empty-handed.
She made her way to the spot where her grandfather and the others were resting—a secluded area, just as she had instructed her brothers and uncle to find each time. She knelt before the Old General, fed him a draught of spirit spring water, and produced some appetizing food. She made sure the elders ate first, while her two brothers and Uncle Zhao kept watch.
They operated in turns, and her family never asked where Wen Jiu procured these things; they simply assumed they were gifts from her close friends from back home, left at the Ten Mile Pavilion.
Chapter 436