“Nu-er, rest well. You will follow this Emperor back to the Western Regions early tomorrow morning.” The man glanced at Tan Ge one last time before he walked out of the house.
The door closed with a creak, and the only light in the room came from the ominously flickering candle.
Tan Ge sat up on the bed. Prince Hao’s aura is so cold and ruthless that it makes him unapproachable, while the Western Regions King can make others feel like he’s a heartless and dangerous individual. It was akin to the smell of fresh blood entering your nose.
Her body trembled, and she tightly clenched her firsts. He said that I don’t look like his Empress Mother. Doesn’t that mean that he would be suspicious if he meets Su Xi-er?
At that thought, Tan Ge was thrown into a panic. No! That won’t do! I definitely mustn’t let him see Su Xi-er! We must leave the capital as soon as possible tomorrow morning!
The calm darkness of the night did little to calm the unimaginable perils that hid within it.
~~~
Meanwhile, in the Dragon Heaven Palace, Pei Qianhao walked into the inner chamber where Situ Lin rested. He noticed that the latter was already peacefully asleep in his blankets.
Pei Qianhao stood beside the bed and watched Situ Lin. A moment later, he walked to the outer chamber and picked out a few books to place on Situ Lin’s desk; he then ground some ink, writing down several points that Situ Lin would need to pay attention to.
Once he was done, Pei Qianhao stood up and set the books on top of the piece of paper to ensure that it would stay in place before leaving the palace hall.
When the little eunuch serving Situ Lin noticed Pei Qianhao, he immediately bowed. “This servant pays his respects to Prince Hao.”
“This Prince has some important matters that require me to leave the capital tomorrow, so I left some words for His Majesty before I depart. Wake him up at 7 am tomorrow, and remind him to be more diligent and conscientious; Grand Tutor Kong will be coming.”
The little eunuch immediately nodded. “This servant will remember.” The only reply he received was the sound of steady footsteps, and by the time he looked up, Pei Qianhao was already gone.
Gazing at the empty courtyard, the little eunuch’s eyes flickered. Prince Hao really treats His Majesty as a father would his son.
The next day, an ordinary horse carriage departed from the entrance of the Prince Hao Residence at 5 am. Wu Ling was the one driving it; their journey was to be a secret this time around.
As the day brightened later in the winter, it was still pitch-black. Despite this, the city gates were open, and the guards watching them were standing ramrod straight, not daring to slack off.
Upon spotting Wu Ling, the guards bowed. “This subordinate pays his respects to Commander Wu.”
Wu Ling nodded, but didn’t reveal his destination. He simply cracked the horsewhip and headed towards the suburbs.
Not long after the carriage left the capital gates, a slightly more spacious carriage followed behind. They claimed that they were guest merchants, and needed to leave the capital now that they were finished with their business.
The guards looked towards the window curtains, and could make out a robust and tall man sitting inside. He looks like the scion of an eminent family.
The guards raised their hands to signal that it was okay for the carriage to pass through the checkpoint. Once Tan Ge heard the sounds of the carriage wheels turning, her racing heartbeat gradually settled down.
Now that we’ve left the capital, he won’t be able to meet Su Xi-er. I just need to reach the Western Regions, and I will have a way to make everyone believe that I’m the imperial princess.
The horse carriage was approaching a tea store in the suburbs when Du Ling signalled for the guard to stop the carriage and buy some dry rations to bring along with them for the journey. The guard acknowledged the order and immediately stopped the carriage, leaping down to fulfill his lord’s wishes.
Soon, the guard returned with pastries wrapped in yellow paper. However, the next words out of his mouth while he was handing them over caused Tan Ge’s heart to skip a beat. “King, the horse carriage parked before the tea store is from the Prince Hao Residence. This subordinate spotted Prince Hao’s subordinate, Wu Ling.”
