Chapter 60 Fate Unknown
In Lingwei's room, the candlelight burned all night, casting long and short shadows on the window paper.
The door finally opened the next morning.
The guards standing outside the door immediately rushed forward, and upon seeing the obvious dark circles under Ling Wei's eyes, their hearts tightened: "Your Highness..."
Ling Wei raised her hand to stop her from expressing her concern, her expression cold and clear-headed after a sleepless night.
Without delay, she quickly selected a group of her most capable personal guards, totaling twelve men.
"You will come with me, Jiang Yingxue. Where did you hide the crucial original evidence during your pursuit?"
Jiang Yingxue, still pale and leaning against the headboard, gave a location.
“Alright.” Ling Wei nodded. “I will take men to retrieve it. Qing Shu, you lead the remaining troops to escort Magistrate Jiang and Consort Shen back to Fuling County. Find Commander Zhao Ying and ask her to allocate reliable troops to escort you back to the capital later.”
Qing Shu was taken aback: "Your Highness, you only have twelve people with you? That's too dangerous! Perhaps I should..."
"It is precisely because of the danger that we need to divide our forces."
Ling Wei's tone was grave. "Jiang Yingxue has been wanted by the Netherworld Pavilion. Since they were able to intercept and kill her once, they must have a backup plan. Your targets are obvious, and Magistrate Jiang is still injured and should not travel quickly. She needs military escort, and traveling slowly will be safer. I will travel lightly and simply, making a smaller target and moving quickly. After obtaining the evidence, I will go straight to the palace to meet the Emperor."
"My mother should be recuperating at the Cuiwei Mountain Hot Spring Palace right now. Judging by the schedule, if we travel at full speed, we should be able to arrive before she returns to the capital."
This was a feint, a covert maneuver; she personally led a small team to gather the most crucial evidence and present it directly to the emperor, creating a time lag.
She turned her gaze to Shen Zhilan, her tone softening slightly: "Take my token and go with Qing Shu. Act according to the situation and make sure to protect Jiang Yingxue."
Shen Zhilan gave her a deep look, nodded vigorously, and gestured: "Your Highness, please take care."
"Xuanying, you shall come with me."
"yes!"
With the arrangements made, Ling Wei said no more. She led Xuan Ying and twelve personal guards out the best horses, mounted them, and with a whistle, more than ten riders shot out of the inn's backyard like arrows, quickly disappearing into the morning mist of the northern official road.
Shen Zhilan watched the group of people disappear, then looked away and nodded to Qing Shu. The caravan was reorganized, carrying the weakened Jiang Yingxue and Bai Ji who was in charge of taking care of her. They turned around and slowly headed towards Fuling County.
Six days later, on the official road, one hundred li from Fuling County.
Leaden clouds hung low in the sky, and fine snowflakes began to fall again, landing on the withered branches and the unmelted snow on both sides of the official road.
After Zhao Ying mobilized troops, Shen Zhilan's convoy moved very slowly. Jiang Yingxue's injuries were recurring, and she fainted again midway. Bai Ji had to provide emergency treatment inside the carriage, and the convoy had to stop again.
As Shen Zhilan rode on his horse, gazing at the gloomy sky, a strange tightness gripped his heart. Counting the days, His Highness should have already obtained the evidence and was on his way to Cuiwei Mountain.
I wonder if everything went smoothly? The roads are slippery in this snowy weather, and the mountain roads are probably even more difficult to travel.
As he was pondering, a sharp, unexpected pain shot through his chest, like being stabbed by a needle. A chill then ran through his limbs, making him shiver and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.
"My lord?" Yun Qi, who was following closely behind, immediately sensed something was wrong and looked over with concern.
Shen Zhilan waved her hand to indicate that she was fine, but her face was a little pale.
He clutched his still aching chest, his brow furrowed. The feeling was so strange, so inexplicable yet so real, as if something terrible was happening, something connected to him by blood.
Is it His Highness?
He shook his head violently, trying to dispel the ominous association.
No, no, Your Highness has Xuan Ying by your side, and elite guards who are first-rate in both skill and wisdom. They will surely turn misfortune into good fortune.
Perhaps it was because I had been worrying about something these past few days, coupled with the freezing weather, that I had a misconception.
He took a few deep breaths of the cold air, forcing himself to calm down, and gestured to Yun Qi that everything was alright.
On the morning of the seventh day, after spending the night at an inn by the official road, Shen Zhilan slept very restlessly. When he woke up, the sky was still gloomy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.
The feeling of unease did not dissipate with the dawn; instead, it continued to spread.
The caravan continued its journey. Jiang Yingxue was fast asleep in the carriage, and Bai Ji checked her pulse from time to time.
As they approached a relatively open bend in the official road, flanked by withered trees and barren fields covered with a thin layer of snow, Shen Zhilan felt another sudden pang of unease.
Almost simultaneously, the sound of rapid, dense hoofbeats came from afar.
It wasn't the scattered rhythm of a caravan, but rather the sound of a well-trained, purposeful raid.
"Be on guard!" Qing Shu shouted sharply, drawing his sword instantly.
The guards reacted swiftly, quickly shrinking their formation to protect the carriage carrying Jiang Yingxue in the center. Swords were drawn, bows and crossbows were nocked, and they were ready for battle.
Shen Zhilan hurriedly gestured, and Yun Qi loudly translated: "Who goes there? The Fifth Prince's carriage is here. Stop immediately and do not approach!"
Qing Shu narrowed his eyes, and when he saw the face of the person leading the way, his expression suddenly turned extremely ugly: "Sect Minister, they... I'm afraid they won't obey orders."
Sure enough, the approaching troops showed no sign of slowing down; instead, they flanked the enemy in a fan shape, their hooves trampling the snow and mud with menacing force.
The group of men stopped their horses twenty paces away in perfect unison. The leader dismounted and even gave Qing Shu a familiar nod before stepping back two paces to make way.
The crowd automatically parted to both sides, making way for a passage.
A figure wrapped in a silver fox fur coat and wearing a purple-gold crown rode out unhurriedly and stopped at the front of the group.
Her face was as white as powder, her lips held a smile, and when she glanced at Shen Zhilan and her group, there was a condescending and amused look in her eyes.
"Oh dear," the Second Princess Ling Yao said with her usual affectionate tone, "What are you doing gathering here in this desolate wilderness on such a snowy day? Fifth Sister is too heartless, letting someone like Zhi Lan freeze here."
Shen Zhilan's hand clenched slightly in her sleeve, but her face remained calm as she made another hand gesture.
Yun Qi raised his voice, neither humble nor arrogant: "Your Highness, we are returning to the capital on the orders of the Fifth Prince. We do not know why Your Highness has brought us here. If it is an important matter, please inform us."
Ling Yao's gaze swept over the carriage, which was tightly guarded by her personal guards, with interest. Her smile remained unchanged, but her tone turned cold: "I received a secret report that a high-ranking criminal is hiding in your group, suspected of plotting to murder the princess. Now that I've stumbled upon him, I can't just ignore it. Zhi Lan, hand him over, so as not to ruin our harmony."
Shen Zhilan's heart sank; it was indeed for Jiang Yingxue.
He slowly shook his head, his gesture resolute.
Yun Qi immediately said, "Your Highness has probably misunderstood. These are all guards and necessary attendants under the command of the Fifth Prince. There are no serious criminals among them. Please, Your Highness, investigate this matter thoroughly and do not listen to slanderous words that could damage our sisterly relationship."
"Misunderstanding?" Ling Yao suddenly covered her mouth and let out a short, light laugh, the laugh filled with undisguised mockery. She then turned to Shen Zhilan and said, "Zhilan, you really don't know yet, do you?"
Her smile vanished, and she spoke clearly, word by word: "My fifth sister was ambushed and her whereabouts are currently unknown."
Their fate is unknown.
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