Before Ling Hua left Caojun, she cut off all supplies to Ling Mountain, not just the military pay, but many other essentials as well.
Half a month after she left Caojun, Ye Rui sent three consecutive letters. According to Ling Hua's instructions before she left, Cui Yanshu did not accept them and returned them unopened. Another half month passed, and Ye Rui sent someone, but Cui Yanshu still refused to meet them as per Ling Hua's orders. Then, for a whole month, no more letters came from Ling Mountain, nor did anyone come, and there was no further movement.
After informing Ling Hua about this matter, Cui Yanshu said to her, "Ling Mountain is very strange. There's been no movement for a month. I'm afraid they're plotting something big."
Ling Hua nodded, "My cousin is very clever; he certainly won't just let the matter drop."
