Chapter 72 The Journey Home (5)
A line of hoofprints stretched from the grove all the way to the official road, heading towards Luzhou.
Pang Shi's face was grim: "Your Highness, after that thunder last night, I'm afraid there were still some who escaped and headed towards Luzhou."
The crown prince's expression was also grim: "Can you tell how long they've been gone?"
Pang Shi squatted down and examined the tracks again carefully: "The hoofprints are almost completely buried by the snow. They must have been traveling for more than two hours."
While the Crown Prince was still considering his words, Meng Guanqi cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please hear what I have to say."
The prince said, "Speak."
Meng Guanqi said, "Last night, a thunderbolt struck and killed ten people. The one who managed to escape must be terrified. His subconscious will be to return to his lair to get reinforcements or report the situation to his master. Luzhou is very likely their base. To be on the safe side, Your Highness must not go towards Luzhou."
Wan Quan hurriedly replied, "Young Master Meng is absolutely right. Your Highness is of great importance and should not risk going forward."
The Crown Prince pondered, "If that's the case, which direction should we go?" His gaze turned to Meng Guanqi.
Meng Guanqi said, "If we continue along the official road for another two hundred li, we will reach the direction of Lin'an Prefecture. Lin'an Prefecture has Qingzhou Guard and patrol inspectors. Your Highness can go directly to Lin'an Prefecture to see the prefect, and then have the guards from the garrison escort you. You can also use the prefectural government's 800-li express courier service to send a message to the capital. As long as the Imperial Guards are dispatched to meet you, this crisis can be resolved. I have been traveling with you on this journey, and I am willing to escort Your Highness to Lin'an Prefecture."
The Crown Prince's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with rage: "Deploy the Imperial Guards? The Imperial Guards are His Majesty's personal guards. How can I arbitrarily deploy them?" If he were not careful, he could easily be accused of coveting the throne, which would be a great disrespect to His Majesty.
Meng Guanqi immediately knelt down: "Your Highness, Lin'an Prefecture is more than 700 li away from the capital. The journey back to the capital involves passing through two prefectures and five counties. Only the Imperial Guards can protect Your Highness."
Pang Shi and Wan Quan exchanged glances, both agreeing wholeheartedly. The Imperial Guards represented the Emperor; if the Emperor sent them to meet them, any further attacks by petty villains along the way would be considered treason.
No one in the world dares to lay a hand on the Imperial Guards. If His Majesty really sends the Imperial Guards to welcome Your Highness back to the capital, your safety along the way will naturally be assured.
However, this topic was a major taboo, and neither of them dared to interrupt. This young boy was actually asking His Majesty to send the Imperial Guards over. Court officials could say such things, but the Crown Prince could not utter a single word about it.
Meng Guanqi added, "I am not suggesting that Your Highness directly write to His Majesty to request the Imperial Guards to be dispatched. Your Highness only needs to truthfully explain the dangerous situation to His Majesty and ask His Majesty to send someone to pick you up. Once His Majesty knows that Your Highness is in danger, what soldiers would be safer than the Imperial Guards?"
The Crown Prince had long since come of age and had cultivated his own power over the years. He was adept at managing the Eastern Palace and, having held a high position for so long, naturally possessed a certain arrogance and was unwilling to show weakness easily.
The fact that they were being relentlessly pursued was something that could neither be spoken of nor concealed; they needed to carefully consider how to tell the Emperor.
If I were to truthfully recount to the Emperor my desperate escape, the loss of my trusted confidants, and the peril of my life, would the Emperor perceive me as too weak and incompetent? But if I were to deploy troops too forcefully, it would make the Emperor wary. It is a very difficult situation to strike the right balance.
Meng Guanqi advised him to feign weakness and submit, and ask the emperor to send troops to rescue him.
Meng Guanqi's eyes were piercing: "Parents who love their children will surely plan far ahead for them. If His Majesty really sends the Imperial Guards to welcome you, why should Your Highness worry about being surrounded by powerful enemies?"
Pang Shi and Wan Quan were both shocked, and then broke out in a cold sweat.
These scholars may seem physically weak, but they have a thousand tricks up their sleeves and are always up to no good.
Whether the position of Crown Prince is secure or not depends most importantly on what the Emperor's attitude is.
Regardless of what court officials think in private or what factions they belong to, they must uphold orthodoxy on the surface. If the emperor values and loves the crown prince and stands with him, all evil spirits must step aside. Whether or not the imperial guards are sent to welcome him is a test of the emperor's attitude towards the crown prince.
If the emperor sends the imperial guards, it demonstrates his care and attention for the crown prince, and also serves to highlight the crown prince's status to the court officials. Even if it's just mobilizing troops along the route to meet him, the crown prince can still use this opportunity to gauge his standing in the emperor's eyes and prepare accordingly. Regardless of the emperor's response, it's a beneficial opportunity for the crown prince to test the emperor's attitude.
The crown prince instantly understood Meng Guanqi's intention, and his surprise was evident.
It would not be surprising if such a plan were proposed by Li Wenkui, but since Li Wenkui died unexpectedly, it was Meng Guanqi who brought it up, which was truly like a pillow being delivered to someone who was sleepy.
The Crown Prince smiled slightly, having already accepted his suggestion, and did not dwell on the topic. Instead, he asked, "How old is Young Master Meng this year?"
Meng Guanqi said, "My birthday is on the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, and it will be the fifteenth after the New Year."
The Crown Prince sighed, "Today is the seventeenth of the twelfth lunar month. In another month, it will be Young Master Meng's birthday."
He casually took off a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Wan Quan: "It seems that I will not be able to celebrate Young Master Meng's birthday. Consider this jade pendant my birthday gift to Young Master Meng."
Wan Quan respectfully accepted the jade pendant and handed it to Meng Guanqi, smiling slightly, "Young Master Meng, this jade pendant is His Highness's beloved possession. Please keep it safe."
Meng Guanqi bowed and thanked them, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness." However, his hands, which were holding the jade pendant, were sweating profusely.
This was the first time he had shown his true colors, and the target was none other than the current Crown Prince. With this jade pendant in hand, he no longer had to be trampled on in the mud.
He hid his excitement inside, completely ignoring his vest that was already soaked with sweat.
It must be that Li Xiaoxiao's wolfskin coat was too warm, making him sweat.
Since they couldn't go to Luzhou and the crisis wasn't over yet, the group, each with two horses, quickly set off towards Lin'an Prefecture.
Ah Sheng sat behind Zhao Jian, sharing a horse with him; he didn't know how to ride a horse yet.
We changed horses along the way, and the speed of travel was much faster than by carriage. After leaving the territory of Luzhou, we finally saw towns and villages along the way.
No one dared to stop and rest. Along the way, Zhao Jian and A Sheng replenished their food and water and bought medicine. After eating quickly, they rushed on their way. They dared not sleep at night and were always alert to the movements around them.
Three days later, the group hurried and finally arrived at the intersection where Lin'an Prefecture and Biyang County met. Eighty li to the east was Lin'an Prefecture, and fifty li to the west was Biyang County.
It is now the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The climate here is much more comfortable than in Luzhou. There is only a thin layer of snow on the ground. Because it is close to the end of the year, there is a constant stream of pedestrians, merchants and horse-drawn carriages. The carriages are loaded with New Year's goods and the people on their backs are full of festive goods.
Seeing the seven people with more than ten horses coming from the north, looking travel-worn, passersby cast curious glances at them.
The prince and his entourage felt the pressure of being hunted down lessen once they arrived at this place.
After three days of continuous escape, the pursuers have not shown up, presumably because they have already shaken them off.
Meng Guanqi's face was pale. The past few days had been arduous, and everyone was exhausted. The sun was high in the sky, and it was noon. If they continued for another half day, they should be able to reach the outskirts of Lin'an Prefecture before dark. He pointed in the direction of Lin'an Prefecture and said, "Your Highness, follow this official road eastward for eighty li, and you will reach Lin'an Prefecture." Once they entered Lin'an Prefecture, they would be safe.
After a moment's thought, the Crown Prince summoned Wan Quan: "Take my token and go to Lin'an Prefecture. Go directly to the Commander of Qingzhou Guard and borrow two hundred personal guards to go to Biyang County to see me. Also, use the Qingzhou Guard's post station to send an urgent message over 800 li to inform Father that I am in danger."
Wan Quan was shocked: "Your Highness is not going to Lin'an Prefecture, but instead intends to go to Biyang County?"
The Crown Prince said, “I have heard that Lin’an Prefecture is wealthy, while Biyang County is remote and poor. If we have pursuers behind us, they will surely expect me to head towards Lin’an Prefecture. I will change course and follow Young Master Meng back to Biyang County.”
Wan Quan accepted the order and asked Meng Guanqi for help: "Young Master Meng, I am not familiar with Lin'an Prefecture. Do you know if you could send Zhao Jian to accompany me to the Qingzhou Guard Command?"
Zhao Jian was a down-to-earth and steady person who contributed a lot along the way, and Wan Quan had a very good impression of him.
Meng Guanqi hurriedly said, "That's how it should be. Zhao Jian, you go with Eunuch Wan to find Qingzhou Guard." He paused for a moment and added, "His Highness the Crown Prince has important business to attend to; you don't need to worry about anything else."
Zhao Jian responded with a "yes," spurred his horse up from behind, and rode with Wan Quan toward Lin'an Prefecture.
Ah Sheng has learned to ride a horse in the past few days. As long as the journey is not too fast, he rides by himself. Since Zhao Jian has errands to run, he naturally cannot go with him and obediently finds a horse to ride on.
Meng Guanqi pointed in the direction of Biyang County and said, "Your Highness, there is a post station about ten miles away. Would you like to rest there?"
The Crown Prince urged his horse forward: "No, to avoid any unforeseen complications, we should get to Biyang County as soon as possible."
They're still halfway there, and it's unclear whether the assassins have taken a detour to ambush them or gone directly to the Biyang County government office for safety.
Pang Shi was the only one left by his side. Although Meng Guanqi's maid, Li Xiaoxiao, was very skilled, she was also very loyal. In the past few days, there had been many opportunities to get close to him while traveling, which others would beg for. However, she was very well-behaved and always put Meng Guanqi first, without even raising an eyebrow at him.
If they were truly in danger, she might not be able to rush ahead of him, so the Crown Prince was being very cautious.
The group of five rode their horses toward Biyang County.
Once inside Biyang County, the road became increasingly difficult to travel, and the villages and houses along the official road became more and more rudimentary. The trees were covered with weeds and wild trees, and occasionally you could see woodcutters carrying firewood out of the mountains. Their clothes were patched on top of patched, and they were wearing straw sandals even in the dead of winter, with their hands and feet covered in sores from the cold.
As the woodcutter watched them pass by, each with two horses, his expression was not as lively as when he had met the others on the road. He simply numbly stepped aside, showing no interest in inquiring.
The Crown Prince had long heard of the poverty in Biyang County, and seeing it with his own eyes now was not a pleasant experience. He had traveled south from the capital and had seen many impoverished prefectures and counties, but even Yizhou, which had been destroyed by floods, was better off than Biyang County.
No wonder those who take turns serving would rather skip their turn than come here.
Biyang County is a typical hilly and mountainous area with undulating terrain and few flat areas. The fields cultivated by farmers are all terraced fields, which are long and narrow, about the width of a palm in the middle, with ridges longer than life itself, covered with wild trees and weeds that look stubborn and difficult to eradicate.
In such a place, expecting a good harvest is like fighting against nature, against vegetation, and probably even against wild animals. It's no wonder there's no chance of a good harvest.
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