Old Mrs. Qian gave a deep sigh. “Even if we die here, Qi will know nothing about this. He won’t know of our decision and will still be threatened. So we can only wait patiently. If only we could send a letter to him, telling him we’d rather die than become burdens to him!”
Hearing that, they all felt discouraged. The soldiers wouldn’t even let a pigeon in, so how could they possibly send a letter out?
…
While they were stuck there feeling helpless, Xiao Baoshan arrived in time. Those with him were Qian Qi’s trustworthy elite soldiers. They were familiar with the capital and General Qian’s residence and could figure out a way to slip inside.
Although the residence was heavily guarded, the state preceptor tried not to provoke the Qians and had not posted any guards inside. Therefore, the Qians could still live an unmonitored life in the house.
After Xiao Baoshan slipped in, he met the old lady secretly with the letter. Old Mrs. Qian felt that he was quite familiar. Two years ago, she had seen him once from a distance when parting with her elder son. Everyone in the capital had thought he was a great talent who would be promoted above her son if he won the battle. So she had observed him for quite a while.
Meeting him again, Old Mrs. Qian asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m Xiao Baoshan.”
“Xiao Baoshan! You’re that traitor! Why are you here? Are you an accomplice of those villains? Do you want to kill me and threaten my son?” Old Mrs. Qian became imposingly furious.
Xiao Baoshan took out Qian Qi’s letter and handed it to her. “I was so incapable that I failed to save the fourth prince and General Qian that time. But I promise I’m not a traitor. Mrs. Qian, this letter was written by Qian Qi. You’ll know I’m innocent after reading it.”
Qian Qi’s trusted subordinates also backed him up.
Old Mrs. Qian was finally convinced. She uncovered the letter and read it slowly. Her brows furrowed more and more tightly.
…
Old Mrs. Qian was a daring, resolute and efficient woman. Once she decided to do something, she would take action immediately.
After reading Qian Qi’s letter, she brought the whole family together. She told them give up everything there and they went to meet with Qian Qi.
“If Qi kills the sixth prince, he will be promoted and our family’s status will also improve. But at the same time, our family will become notorious in the public eye. This is not what we want. What we should do now is to meet with Qi and support whatever he wants to do, instead of being a burden to him!”
After she had given the instruction, everybody was quick to prepare for the journey. With Xiao Baoshan’s help, they managed to leave the capital in disguise.
It was two days later that the guards found the house to be empty. They reported the situation to the Imperial Court of Justice and then to the state preceptor.
After learning the news, the state preceptor flew into a rage. “Humph! They are just women and children and can’t go too far. Send soldiers to find them and ask other local governments to help arrest them. Don’t let them slip into any other cities!”
…
The state preceptor met the third prince instantly.
After hearing the news, Li Chengkun frowned imperceptibly. “The Qians are doltish and stubborn. Anyway, they are useless to us from now on, so we don’t need to keep them alive. Just kill them directly.”
The state preceptor was somewhat surprised by his words. He turned to his footman and said, “The order has changed. Kill the Qians if anyone finds them.”
The footman nodded and left temporarily.
The state preceptor said, “Unfortunately, Qian Qi has taken many elite soldiers with him. I’m afraid they will support the sixth prince to rule the border areas. If so, our land will become smaller.”
Li Chengkun sneered. “The southwest is merely an uncivilized place, so I don’t believe he can make any kind of stir there. Besides, he’s not a person who would crown himself. What he will do is simply train soldiers to protect him.”
The state preceptor chewed over his words and said, “I agree with you. When you come to the throne, you can be generous to give him a title of nobility and keep him in the west.”
Li Chengkun smiled. But soon, his face fell again. “Things are becoming more and more complicated now. We have to carry out our plan sooner.”
The state preceptor was hesitant. “But His Majesty is sometimes unconscious and sometimes sober. The doctor has been keeping him alive with medicine, so I’m afraid he won’t abdicate anytime soon, unless…”
“How dare you!” Li Chengkun roared. “I’m a prince, His Majesty’s son, how can I kill my own father?”
The state preceptor didn’t dare to speak anymore.
I didn’t say anything about killing the emperor. Why did the third prince mention this?
Li Chengkun said, “Forget it. You can go back now. I want to think about it alone.”
The state preceptor nodded and left.
..
When the state preceptor sat in the carriage, his footman came up to him.
The state preceptor leaned against the board and asked, “My conversation with the third prince had been going well until I mentioned ‘unless’. Then, he said he couldn’t kill his father. Did I tell him to kill his father?”
The footman said, “No, I didn’t hear that.”
“Then why did he mention this?” the state preceptor asked.
The footman had accompanied the state preceptor for years and always knew what his master was thinking about. He rolled his eyes before he said, “The third prince might be hinting that there’s something he can’t do by himself, but you can help him to carry out.”
The state preceptor also flared like the third prince, “How dare you! I’m loyal to His Majesty. How could I do anything rebellious?”
The footman knelt at once. “Please forgive me!”
The state preceptor said, “Forget it. Get up from there.”
After returning to his home, the state preceptor wrote a secret letter and handed it to his footman. “Take this to the imperial palace. Don’t let anyone find it.”
The footman obeyed the order.
…
On a mountain to the west of the capital, some people were spurring their horses forward. Their new identities as escapees forced them to avoid official roads and instead go through the mountain trails.
