Chapter 124

At this moment, their carriage was passing through the streets of a small county town. There were not many people on the street, but there were indeed two people on horseback following them at a distance.

Xie Shouzheng was immediately startled: "It really is! They caught up so quickly? How detestable!"

He calmly turned the carriage into the intersection ahead, and when the two people pursued, he launched a surprise attack to take them down, shouting: "Speak, who sent you?"

Both of their hands were captured by him, and they looked at each other; suddenly, black blood spilled from their mouths, and they convulsed and fell to the ground.

Xie Shouzheng was shocked, and when he hurriedly checked, both of them had already breathed their last.

"To actually hide poison in their mouths—they are truly ruthless. It looks like they were two dead soldiers, but there is nothing on them to prove their identities."

Dongfang Qi lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at them faintly: "If they can send out dead soldiers, they naturally wouldn't leave any traces. But this also shows that we have indeed been targeted."

Xie Shouzheng immediately became nervous: "This won't do; we cannot continue traveling light. If they have set an ambush, it would be bad. In another half a day, we will reach the territory of Donglin Prefecture. Duke Luo should still be there; it would be better to ask him to send troops to escort Your Highness back to Jingcheng."

Dongfang Qi nodded: "That is acceptable."

Thus, Xie Shouzheng drove the carriage at full speed and arrived at Donglin Prefecture before dark.

Duke Luo was still there, and upon learning of Dongfang Qi's situation, he was happy for his recovery on one hand, and worried about his safety on the other.

Finally, after some discussion, Duke Luo dispatched two thousand men to escort Dongfang Qi back to Jingcheng in a grand procession.

Since the Crown Prince would return to his position sooner or later, and since his identity could no longer be hidden, there was no need to hide it any longer.

They had come quietly, but they returned with great momentum.

Every prefecture and county they passed was on high alert, waiting to receive him.

But Dongfang Qi did not want to disturb the local peace; every time he reached a city, he only passed through without staying. At night, the soldiers camped nearby, while he stayed in the carriage and did not show his face easily.

Officials along the way who wished to seek an audience were all refused.

While a large number of people was indeed safer, the disadvantage was also obvious: the marching speed was slow.

Originally, traveling light would have taken just over ten days, but now it took twice as long.

This day, the Crown Prince's procession arrived in a grand manner before a canyon.

That canyon was called Yixiantian Canyon, and the road below was rugged and narrow. Only one carriage and one horse could pass at a time. Therefore, it was also known as a throat-like passage.

Once they passed this place, they would reach the territory of Jingcheng after another day and night of travel.

At this moment, twilight fell, and the distant, rolling mountains looked like a dormant giant beast ready to devour anyone at any time.

The thousand-man escort team, set against the backdrop of the mountains, looked like a line of ants moving slowly forward.

Upon reaching the front of Yixiantian Canyon, the carriages and horses stopped. The team divided into two columns; one group scouted the vicinity, while the other rested nearby.

And Dongfang Qi's carriage was protected in the very center of the team.

"Your Highness, we have arrived at Yixiantian Canyon. Please step out of the carriage." The leading young general, Luo Qing, reported.

Luo Qing was the eldest son of Duke Luo and also Dongfang Qi's cousin.

The Regional Military Governor of Qi Guo had the duty of guarding their respective regions and could not enter the capital at will. Duke Luo could not leave his post, so he sent his eldest son to lead the escort.

No one answered from inside the carriage, but Lin Qingyue responded from outside: "General Luo, wait a moment; His Highness is changing his clothes."

Luo Qing nodded and stood quietly by the carriage to wait.

A moment later, the carriage curtain stirred, and a person dressed as a soldier jumped down with their helmet pulled very low. They exchanged a glance with Luo Qing and then quickly merged into the army.

Taking advantage of the night and the uniform armor, except for a few acquaintances, no one could tell which one was Dongfang Qi.

This was the strategy Luo Qing had offered the day before to prevent an ambush while passing through the canyon.

As long as he blended into the main force, unless they annihilated all two thousand men, they would never find Dongfang Qi.

"Everyone, move out!" At Luo Qing's command, the thousand-man team quickly formed ranks and entered Yixiantian Canyon.

Lin Qingyue was also preparing to follow the team inside when she suddenly sensed something; she looked up and saw figures moving on the peak above the canyon.

"There really is an ambush!"

She leaped up, her body like a light swallow, and with a few "whooshes," she had already jumped to the canyon hundreds of meters high.

The several figures in front also sensed her and used their light-body techniques to turn and flee.

Lin Qingyue chased for a few steps, but fearing it might be a "luring the tiger away from the mountain" tactic, she was just about to retreat when she heard a familiar voice calling her: "Qingyue."

Lin Qingyue's footsteps paused, and she turned to see two teams of men flash out from behind her; orange torches suddenly flared to life.

A man in black, tight-fitting attire stepped out from the ranks; the firelight outlined his sharp-angled face, and his chill was like frost.

"Dongfang Yan?" Lin Qingyue's face immediately turned cold as well. "Leaving the capital in private, do you know your crime?"

Dongfang Yan pursed his lips, a flash of sorrow appearing in his eyes: "After many days apart, is your first sentence to question this Prince's crime?"

Lin Qingyue sneered: "Spare me the nonsense; you appear in a place like this with your troops—don't tell me you are here to enjoy the scenery."

Dongfang Yan said: "Naturally not. Qingyue, is the Crown Prince with you? You left the capital without a word for the sake of the Crown Prince; do you have nothing you wish to explain to this Prince?"

"No." Lin Qingyue answered very crisply, and after speaking, she turned to leave.

But the next moment, over a hundred guards rushed out from the surroundings, blocking her path.

Zhao An advised from the side: "Princess, please stay. For your sake, the Prince has been waiting here for several days, exposed to the sun and rain, just to take you home. You must not trample on the Prince's painstaking efforts."

"Take me home?" Lin Qingyue seemed to have heard a great joke. "His Highness, Prince Jin, is truly bored out of his mind!"

If it were before, speaking in such a tone would surely have angered Dongfang Yan.

But at this moment, Dongfang Yan was not only not angry, but his tone even carried a hint of compromise: "Qingyue, come home with me. Everything before was this Prince's fault."

Lin Qingyue looked back and sneered: "You were wrong? But what makes you think that an apology can undo everything? Do you know that the Lin Qingyue of the past is already dead—dead on the night of our wedding! Dead the moment you abandoned her to have a secret meeting with your lover!"

Dongfang Yan automatically interpreted the "dead" in her words as a death of the heart.

"This Prince was deceived by that bitch Lin Ruzhen, which is why I viewed her as my savior. From another perspective, am I not also a victim? Qingyue, both of us were played by that bitch!"