Chapter 130 Purpose
The carriage bumped and jolted its way out of the city.
The number of refugees chasing them had decreased significantly, and so had the number of guards. Human speed couldn't match that of the carriages. Taking advantage of this, Xiang Shi arranged for the guards to intercept the refugees whose pace was gradually slowing down along the way. The danger of refugees lay in their ability to gather in large numbers; as long as they couldn't unite, the danger would follow.
It did not disappear.
Why do the disaster victims have horses?
Not only did they have horses, but they also had bows and arrows.
An arrow grazed the carriage curtain, and Xu Rong dared not look out the window any longer. She lowered the curtain, turned around, and asked.
These horse-riding refugees with bows and arrows joined the fray from some alleyway during the chaotic run. By this time, half of the guards had been scattered, while the other half were still escorting the carriage. In the process of fighting with the "refugees," some of them inevitably got separated again. The roads outside the city were bad, and by the time the carriage reached the foot of the mountain, only Xiang Shi and the coachman remained as guards.
"Let's go up the mountain first." Xiang Shizai glanced around nervously, then turned to face the carriage road. "Those fake disaster victims have good weapons, but their numbers are limited. They don't have the ability to search the mountain, and bows and arrows are not as effective in the mountains as they are on flat ground. Let's go in, hide for a day or two, and hold out until the government sends reinforcements."
Lin Xin and Xu Rong exchanged a glance, agreeing with his assessment: with all the commotion they had caused, Zhou Qianxian would surely have received the news, and the longer it dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for them.
They abandoned the carriage and headed into the mountains along the path. The temperature was scorching, and the mountains were no better. After days of drought, even the leaves of trees that had been plucked were dusty and gray. Dust flew up as they walked, and soon they were all covered in dirt.
The chaotic footsteps trailing behind meant that danger still lingered, until as they ventured deeper into the mountains, the sounds lost their direction and gradually faded into the distance.
"Let's rest for a while." Lin Xin stopped under an ancient pine tree, let go of Xu Rong's hand that he had been holding, and wiped her sweat with his sleeve.
He still had strength, but he could feel Xu Rong's steps getting heavier and heavier, almost reaching his limit.
"Hmm." Xu Rong was indeed exhausted, panting, and without caring about being clean, she sat down on the spot and rubbed her sore calves.
"Young Master, Grandmother, I'll go take a look around," Xiang Shi said alertly.
Lin Xin nodded and left. Lin Xin also sat down on the ground, looked around, and picked up a large, unidentified, half-yellow leaf to fan the two of them.
A gentle breeze brushed against his forehead and neck. Xu Rong sat for a moment, finally recovering, and said, "Xuancheng, don't you think this scene looks familiar?"
Lin Xin's lips tightened, and he nodded: "Mm."
Bai Fu, who had slumped to the side, looked a little bewildered: "Grandma, what are you talking about?"
She wasn't there when they fled last year. Xu Rong smiled at her: "I said, this isn't the first time we've been chased while sitting in a carriage."
The feeling of arrows whizzing past your ear is unforgettable once you've experienced it, only the location and climate are different.
Bai Fu understood what she meant and exclaimed in surprise, "Grandma, you mean—that's impossible, this is Pingliang!"
“Yes, this is Pingliang.” Xu Rong knew what she wanted to say, and she agreed. “Pingliang is Prince Qing’s territory. He has the most power and seems to be the most suspicious.”
"It seems so?" Bai Fu hesitated. "But it's not actually like that?"
"Not necessarily." Xu Rong didn't give an answer immediately. "Prince Qing has someone he wants to deal with, but I don't think it's us."
Bai Fu asked in disbelief, "Who is that? Has someone else offended Prince Qing?"
"The Chang family." Lin Xin slowly fanned the leaves, hesitating to finish his sentence.
Xu Rong understood, and without bringing it up immediately, continued, "I just met Princess Shu'an, and she said something that the man surnamed Chang betrayed Prince Qing 'again.' Besides this time, when else?"
Lin Xin narrowed his eyes slightly: "For the past twenty years, Prince Qing has never set foot outside Shaanxi and has had no contact with the capital."
Let's rewind the timeline—
“Xuancheng, I remember you told me that before the late emperor passed away, Prince Qing gathered some people to prepare for a final gamble, but something unexpected happened and it didn’t work out.”
Lin Xin nodded: "For some reason, Prince Qing was kept in the dark until the late emperor passed away, which allowed the emperor to successfully ascend the throne."
By then, it would have been too late to rebel. Prince Qing, with his high level of personal integrity, pulled back from the brink.
Who is the person who deceived and betrayed him?
It's not hard to guess. As a former member of Prince Qing's faction, Duke Zheng not only successfully inherited the title but also later took charge of a crucial position like the Capital Guard. Could such a level of trust and influence have been earned simply by a beating from the old Duke?
If the emperor were so trusting, he wouldn't have sent people to investigate Prince Qing's whereabouts so many years later.
After finishing his analysis, Xu Rong continued, "Not only that, but several years ago, the Emperor sent Chang Rongshi to Pingliang. What must Prince Qing have thought about that?"
“He’ll think it’s surveillance,” Lin Xinshun continued. “When he first met me, he said he’d sent a greenhorn like me this time.”
Similarly, if there's one time, there will be another.
Who was it that time? Chang Rongshi.
His mind was no slower than Xu Rong's; he connected the dots and had already linked everything together.
"Not only that, there was also a test." Xu Rong grasped his wrist, which was holding the fan blades, to let him rest and give him some support so that he could say the following words, "because of your identity."
Lin Xin could no longer avoid the question, nor did he intend to. He pursed his dry lips and said coldly, "I come from the Changxing Marquis's mansion."
This is where he becomes useful; Prince Qing won't remain indifferent to him. This is the real reason why Lin Xin was given such an important position so soon after entering officialdom.
“Actually, it would be more appropriate to send Xiao Lun.” Xu Rong patted his hand reassuringly. “However, Xiao Lun is a military officer, and disaster relief work is not his responsibility. Sending him here would be too conspicuous. The Emperor only wants to know Prince Qing’s intentions and probably doesn’t want to really force him to rebel.”
Lin Xin gently grasped his hand in return: "Yes. Even so, Prince Qing was so agitated that he couldn't sit still."
Bai Fu, who was listening from the side, was completely confused and hurriedly asked, "Young Master, Grandmother, then why do you say he didn't intend to rebel?"
They've clearly been traumatized.
Xu Rong laughed: "When a person wants revenge or to vent their anger, there is more than one way to do it than rebel. I have observed Prince Qing so far. His actions seem unpredictable on the surface, but they are actually quite methodical. As long as he is not insane, I know that he failed to rebel back then, and it is even more impossible now."
The victors have been ruling for twenty years, and the world is at peace. Even if chaos has broken out in Shaanxi due to the drought, given Pingliang's geographical location and resources, how could they possibly rebel and reach the capital? If they were to actually raise the banner of rebellion, they would probably be suppressed before they even leave Shaanxi.
Lin Xin also said, "If he wanted to rebel, he wouldn't agree to sell grain. The more the famine victims go crazy because of hunger, the more advantageous it would be for him."
Xu Rong, remembering that he had left the Prince's residence earlier than she had, asked him, "Did Prince Qing not only agree, but he also didn't make things difficult for you?"
Lin Xin nodded, paused for a moment, and said, "He only told me to be careful after I came out. I didn't understand at the time and thought that I had threatened him with Chang Rongshi, and that he was resentful."
Xu Rong was slightly surprised, then suddenly realized: "Someone infiltrated his doorstep to cause trouble and even brought weapons into the city. With Prince Qing's control over Pingliang, how could he not know? He deliberately let it go, pretending not to know, and watching from the sidelines!"
Bai Fu anxiously shifted her feet. She felt like she understood, but there were still many things she was confused about. She was just too embarrassed to ask again, as it would make her seem too clumsy.
Xu Rong noticed and gave her a reassuring smile. He then began to explain from the beginning, which also helped him to sort out his thoughts: "Back then, Prince Qing intended to rebel, but was betrayed by the Duke of Zheng. His rebellion failed, the Duke of Zheng's glory remained undiminished, and Prince Qing was exiled to the Northwest."
Prince Qing had been out of the public eye for many years, until this severe drought in Pingliang. The prefect was corrupt and concealed the extent of the drought, prompting the county magistrate to send men directly to the palace gates. Such a forceful magistrate should surely have been effective in disaster relief, right? But in reality, he was not. When we arrived in Pingliang, we only saw disaster victims rioting and loitering around the prefectural government office and Prince Qing's residence. The Pingliang county magistrate seemed to have vanished; the disaster victims didn't even bother to look for him. This shows that he was utterly mediocre in his official duties.”
Bai Fu hadn't even considered the county magistrate's involvement. She paused for a moment and said, "A mediocre official, yet he has such audacity—Grandma, are you saying someone instructed him?"
Guess who it is?
“…Prince Qing?” Bai Fu suddenly understood. “If the county magistrate doesn’t report the matter, the prefect won’t be afraid to run away. If he doesn’t run away, Prince Qing won’t be able to let him have any connection with General Chang!”
Xu Rong nodded approvingly: "This whole game was started by Prince Qing taking advantage of a natural disaster."
“But,” Bai Fu hesitated, “it doesn’t seem like what Prince Qing did was a bad thing?”
"It's not bad."
The natural disaster was not caused by Prince Qing; in fact, his instruction to the county magistrate to expose the truth about the disaster saved the people.
"Prince Qing was merely going with the flow. The Emperor has distrusted him for years, and Prince Qing himself has harbored resentment. The successive attempts by members of the Chang and Xiao families to spy on him have only exacerbated his discontent—"
"Grandma, wait a minute," Bai Fu couldn't help but interrupt, she couldn't understand again, "When did Lord Xiao send someone, and who is it?"
"At the beginning of the year, your brother..." Xu Rong told Bai Fu about the point he had figured out when he met Princess Shu'an, leaving Bai Fu speechless: "...How could there be such a misunderstanding?!"
Xu Rong shrugged: "It was just a coincidence. Some things may seem to have passed, but if they don't get over people's hearts, they will eventually resurface."
Bai Fu was stunned for a moment, then said anxiously, "What exactly does Prince Qing want to do? My brother is truly innocent. We have nothing to do with the Xiao family anymore. Prince Qing is so shrewd, he should understand that, so why is he still holding onto my brother?"
“Don’t worry, Bai Quan is not in danger.” Xu Rong was certain of this by now. “Once Prince Qing has done what he wanted to do, we can go and beg him again. We should be able to rescue him and Xiao Liu.”
Bai Fu felt a little relieved: "Hmm." She never doubted Xu Rong's judgment, and asked with some curiosity, "Then what does Prince Qing want to do, to take revenge on the Chang family and—" She couldn't help but glance at Lin Xin and whispered, "...and the Xiao family?"
Xu Rong nodded.
This is what she deduced as Prince Qing's true purpose.
Lin Xin's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were cold and deep. Xu Rong could feel that his fingertips were also cold, but she didn't say anything. She continued, "The Emperor's suspicion that Prince Qing is restless is not entirely wrong. Prince Qing has used his schemes to set up his own trap."
Bai Fu asked in confusion, "Grandma, you said before that Prince Qing had something on the Chang family, which forced Chang Rongshi to get involved with Prefect Zheng. He wanted to take revenge on the Chang family, so why didn't he just hand over the incriminating evidence? And Lord Xiao, he raised a daughter. My brother's matter was a misunderstanding, so it didn't harm Prince Qing."
Xiao Shan learned about her background after arriving in Pingliang. Given the relationship between Xu Rong and her, there was no need for Xu Rong to hide anything from her anymore, especially since Princess Shu'an was so outspoken.
Xu Rong said, "Simply handing it over won't be of much use. The Chang family has already used betrayal as the best proof of their loyalty. Even if Prince Qing produces some of their previous letters to make the Emperor uncomfortable, at most he will no longer heavily rely on Duke Zheng, but he won't shake the foundation of Duke Zheng's mansion. Look at Chang Rongshi, although he was guilty and forced to take in Prefect Zheng, didn't he cooperate with the prefectural government's investigation whenever he had the chance? The evidence against him has some restraint on him, but the restraining power is limited."
"As for the matter of the young lady, think about it, doesn't it seem somewhat familiar?"
Following the hint, Bai Fu thought hard and actually realized it: "She—she's the Xiao family's weakness?!"
Xu Rong laughed: "That's right. When Lord Xiao was young, he was bewitched by beauty, leaving a living handle for his family. If Prince Qing doesn't bother him, fine, but if he does, how can he get away with it? Perhaps he received a threat from Prince Qing when he redeemed Concubine Ruan. Otherwise, given his character, how could he have willingly raised his eldest daughter?"
What kind of person is Lord Xiao?
He was known for immediately sending men to hunt down Lin Xin, who was not his biological son.
His actions of "framing" Xiao Shan in her marriage are enough to show that his true feelings for Xiao Shan were not much different from his feelings for Lin Xinqiang.
“Then what about Prince Qing and the eldest daughter—” Bai Fu’s voice lowered, “If something happens to the Xiao family, the eldest daughter won’t benefit either.”
"No need to think about it too much." Xu Rong shook his head slightly.
There's really no need to overthink it. Prince Qing has a wife and children. How much affection could he possibly have for a bastard daughter he's never met and who's been living away from home? That's the norm for men. Someone like Lin Ding is an anomaly.
“Xiao Lun should not have married Chang Shuyin,” Xu Rong said frankly. “This marriage has stirred up old grudges of Prince Qing.”
Lin Xin was taken aback, then realized what was happening and finally spoke up: "I see."
He looked at Xu Rong's consistently gentle and calm face, and his heart calmed down.
They met because of that ill-fated marriage. As for what the Xiao family had done in the past or what they were going to suffer, he realized at this moment that he didn't care anymore. Xu Rong being by his side was the most important thing.
Bai Fu cautiously confirmed from the side: "Then it really isn't Prince Qing chasing us now?"
Xu Rong gave her a definite answer: "No."
Bai Fu remained silent.
Lin Xin gave a slight, unsmiling twitch at the corner of his mouth. They hadn't voiced the suspect's name, but in reality, everyone had a clue.
“If Prince Qing didn’t want to rebel, he wouldn’t have killed the imperial envoy,” he said, speaking up. “Even if he were to kill him, it wouldn’t be in this way.”
Xu Rong sensed the change in his mood, hooked his finger, and replied with a smile: "They should drag us to the gate of the mansion and chop our heads off, then raise their arms and shout, raising the flag of rebellion. What's the point of chasing us to the desolate mountains and killing us without a sound, without a name, without any status?"
Bai Fu understood and said, "Oh—"
"Young Master, Grandmother, hurry!" Xiang Shi rushed back. "There's smoke coming from somewhere. It looks like they're setting the mountain on fire!"
Xu Rong's expression changed, and he stood up: "What?"
Setting a fire on the mountain at this time of year is insane! The mountain is full of flammable materials; if the fire spreads, the person who started it won't be able to escape!
Xiang Shi was sweating profusely in a panic: "Let's go quickly. I didn't dare to get close to see. I don't know where they started the fire. There was such a big commotion, shouting and yelling."
Lin Xin nodded, grabbed Xu Rong, and left. This was no time to hesitate; any delay could mean being engulfed by the wildfire, which would be far more dangerous than before.
He had only run about ten steps when he suddenly stopped.
In the wild forest behind them, a group of people had quietly appeared.
Another hurried footstep came from the other side, and someone bowed and said, "Your Highness, those foreign bandits are incredibly audacious. They have gathered some dry leaves and set them on fire. I have already sent men to clear the area, put out the fire, and arrest the bandits. This is not a place to stay for long. Your Highness is of noble birth, so please return to the city as soon as possible."
Prince Qing put his hands behind his back, nodded casually at the report, and kept his gaze fixed on Lin Xin, Xu Rong and the others.
After a moment of surprise, Xu Rong realized: this prince had actually been chasing them—or more accurately, chasing those fake disaster victims and real bandits all the way out of the city and up the mountain. And it was very likely that after Xiang Shi went to check the surroundings and was led away by the smoke, he had sneaked up behind them.
Prince Qing spoke in a low voice, confirming her guess: "I should have known long ago that a mediocre talent like Xiao Yuanhong could not produce a top scholar."
His black boots crunched on the fallen leaves as he strolled slowly closer, his gaze shifting from Lin Xin to Xu Rong, his words carrying a deeper meaning: "Such a strategist, it's a pity I couldn't have him back then."
Xu Rong: "..."
These words had a rather rich meaning, and she didn't know how to respond, so she pretended not to hear them and curtsied.
Lin Xin became wary. He hadn't forgotten the recruiting words he'd used when he first met Prince Qing. He subconsciously stepped in front of Xu Rong to block him. Prince Qing chuckled at this, but stepped aside, revealing one of his attendants.
"Brother!" Bai Fu exclaimed in surprise as soon as she looked closely.
Compared to when she left with Xu Rong's jewelry years ago, Bai Quan, though showing signs of age but still looking spirited, winked at her sister before smiling and bowing to Prince Qing.
Prince Qing waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a mosquito: "Go."
Bai Quan rushed over, grinning from ear to ear.
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