"Here." Ying Si dug under his boots for a long time and pulled out something the size of a candy wrapper. Xu Yixing held it in his hand. It felt like sheepskin. There were a few crooked symbols drawn on it, smaller than a fly, so it was hard to make out.
"This symbol means the emperor, this one means 'death', this code word refers to the royal court, and this one is a trap." Ying Si pointed at the four symbols and explained them to Xu Yixing one by one. In short, the meaning of this sentence is that the emperor is dead, and he died in the trap set by the royal court.
"The emperor this symbol refers to is indeed our emperor. How can he not be their Khan?" Xu Yixing asked palely. Even she herself laughed out of anger after she said it. How could she ask such a stupid question?
"The code names for Khan and Emperor are naturally different." Ying Si was a little disdainful. "You even have to ask such a question?" But when he saw his master's eyes were blank, he retracted his unfriendly emotion.
"Haven't you always wanted to escape the royal family? Now, your wish has finally come true. When the news of the emperor's death reaches the capital, they won't be able to find you and the little prince, so they'll definitely fabricate news of your death. From then on, you'll be truly dead. We'll protect you wherever you go. Isn't that good?"
Isn't that good? Xu Yixing didn't know. Although he had known for a long time that he and Lu Anyuan would go their separate ways, he had never expected such a situation of separation between the living and the dead. Now he couldn't feel whether he was happy or sad. "What have I done to deserve you to follow me so wholeheartedly..."
Xu Yixing said dejectedly, the bumpy ride in the carriage made her a little confused and her mind was unclear.
"We are all the people left to you by the old master. It is only natural for you to inherit your father's business."
"Heh..." Xu Yixing lowered her head. Although the news couldn't be confirmed yet, it was certain that the Shadow Guard's message was credible. How could she not feel bad? But in front of Shadow Four, she couldn't cry. Besides... The carriage accidentally hit a rock under the tire, and with a sudden jolt, a flash of light suddenly crossed her mind, realizing she had overlooked something.
"How did you get into Bai Garden and how did you know the secret passage?" She thought that Ying Wu had memorized the topographic map, but it couldn't be that he was the one who discovered the secret passage.
"Because, that's Bai Yuan." Ying Si's expression was as matter of course, which made Xu Yixing react all of a sudden.
"This Bai, isn't it my grandfather's Bai?"
"That's right. Bai Garden was once where our family's merchants stored their goods. The mechanisms, terrain, and secret passages and rooms in the garden were all designed by Old Master Bai. They are the same as those of our family in Beijing. Master, do you not know?"
"I really didn't think about it that way." It wasn't her fault. Her grandfather was the commander of the imperial guards and had never left the capital. How could she have imagined that this small military fort thousands of miles away was actually their own property? "Ah! I got it! Ying Si, I know what the problem is. We can't leave now!"
Xu Yixing knocked hard on the car wall several times, hoping that Ying Yi, who was driving outside, would stop. However, he had already been driving for more than half an hour and didn't know if it was too late to go back.
Baiyuan is brightly lit.
Qiu Ling held a torch and looked at the four guards lying on the ground in the main courtyard and the two maids in the room. He sighed softly, shook his head and exhaled white air.
"Your Majesty is right. She will indeed escape."
The wind was so strong that it blew the torch from his hand, leaving only a faint shadow, but it did nothing to diminish the murderous intent on his face. A man hurried by and reported, "General Qiu, we've checked. All thirty guards on duty in the garden have been drugged and unconscious. There's nothing unusual outside the garden. We really don't know where they came in or out."
The young leader who led this team of imperial guards was standing beside him, feeling depressed: "General Qiu, what should we do? There is no clue, how can we chase them?" The queen actually disappeared under the defense of his team. How could this not be shocking?
"That's all right, His Majesty has already anticipated this. General Li, bring the archers and follow me in pursuit."
"Crossbowmen? If they catch up..."
Qiu Ling remained silent. His Majesty had said that if the Queen escaped again, she would be apprehended by any means necessary, but her life must not be harmed. He didn't care about the distinction between high and low. "Wait, follow my orders. Do not shoot arrows at anyone."
Li Ming breathed a sigh of relief. The crossbowmen were there just to keep up appearances. That was good. Otherwise, if the Queen was injured, he'd be held responsible. He followed General Qiu out through the secret passage in the rockery in the back garden. Once outside, he discovered it extended all the way to the fort, leading directly to the Gobi Desert. No wonder the Queen vanished without a trace in the middle of the night, without even passing through the fort gate.
They galloped out of the city on horseback. Although the traces on the ground had long been covered by the strong wind and heavy snow, they brought three good dogs with them and searched along the way, following the scent. When they reached a desert forty miles away, they saw a lonely carriage parked in front of them, which looked very strange.
"General Qiu, I'm afraid this carriage is a scam. I'll go take a look."
"Yes." Qiu Ling's face was also full of vigilance. In just over half an hour, they had already run forty miles. It was obvious that the horses they used must be excellent horses that could travel a thousand miles a day. How could they abandon them halfway? So he raised his hand slightly, and the crossbowmen behind him immediately loaded their bows and arrows, looking forward.
The guard approached cautiously, suddenly drawing back the curtains. He hesitated for a moment before signaling that there was no danger. Qiu Ling clamped his legs together, whipping his horse, and in a flash, he was in front of the carriage. Inside, a child about ten years old was sitting, holding the little prince in his arms. He was trembling and seemed very frightened.
"Who are you!" Qiu Ling asked loudly, and at the same time put his hand on the sword, ready to kill the person in front of him immediately if he made any unusual movement.
"I, I am, I... I have a letter, a letter for you..." Ying Si pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over tremblingly. He felt bad in his heart. Really, why did he let me stay to do this job? If it wasn't for the safety of the young master, why would the master let a "little brat" like him, who looked so suspicious, stay here!
Qiu Ling took the letter and had the people in the car searched carefully. After confirming that it was the little prince, he opened the letter suspiciously and read it by the light of the fire. When he saw it, he was shocked:
"What? She really went to the royal court?" Qiu Ling's voice became much rougher with anger, frightening Xiaobao, who started crying again. He quickly lowered his voice. While ordering the imperial guards to continue the pursuit, he stuffed the paper into his arms with slightly trembling hands and hurriedly took the child, who had come from nowhere, and the prince back to the fort.
Upon returning to the fort, he immediately wrote a secret letter, sending it to the army with urgency. The Empress actually said she was going to find the Emperor and leave the newborn prince to be cared for by her? This was ridiculous!
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