Shen put away the secret letter, and immediately sent Wang Chengfeng to arrange his subordinates to prepare the carriage and luggage for the trip to the capital overnight. At dawn the next day, he got on the carriage and set off, intending to return to the capital quietly.
Who would have thought that when they were a hundred steps away from the west gate of the city, Xie Shiguan lifted the curtain and looked forward from afar, only to see the guards at the city gate carefully screening passers-by one by one and one by one, looking much more serious than usual.
He keenly sensed that something was wrong, so he stopped the carriage temporarily, called a servant to the back, and whispered, "First, follow the people in front, then show your badge and say that His Royal Highness Prince Ping sent you out of the city for an urgent matter."
The servant immediately did as he was told and caught up with the team leaving the city.
Inside the compartment, Shen looked at Xie Shiguan with some doubt and raised his hand: "Why send him to test?"
Xie Shiguan just stared at the servant's back quietly, and said softly: "Those guards and gatekeepers don't look right."
Shen Que had no choice but to move closer and look out through the gap he opened. When he saw the scene outside the car clearly, Shen Que's heartbeat quickened slightly.
Yingchuan is neither the capital nor a frontier town, and the four main gates are not normally heavily guarded, especially for officials and civilians leaving the city. Unless someone's behavior is really suspicious, the gatekeepers will come forward to check, and at other times, they will not check one by one.
As expected, as soon as the servant showed the palace badge, the gatekeeper suddenly smiled coldly: "Capture him!"
Xie Shiguan immediately held Chen Que's shoulder, asking him to be patient, and then ordered the driver outside to retreat quickly through the small road.
"You said that the signature on the secret letter last night was the emperor's private seal?" Xie Shiguan narrowed his eyes slightly, and when he saw Chen nodded, he continued in a low voice, "Since he said he was seriously ill, and it was written by himself and privately sealed, if His Majesty urgently summoned all the princes back to the capital, he would not have bothered to write it by hand, and could have directly issued an open urgent summons."
However, Shen refused to form a clique or take sides, and few of his staff were willing to submit to him. He turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside, and he had no reliable source of information about the ever-changing situation in Kyoto.
Shen Que slowly moved his hands: "The soldiers guarding the four gates are all the governor's men."
After the two men discussed it for a while, Xie Shiguan suggested taking a team of royal guards and sneaking through the small path.
Shen interrupted him: "Except for the four gates in the east, south, west and north, there is no other clear way to go in the city. It's the same if you choose other roads."
Xie Shiguan smiled and said, "There is no open way, but there may be some hidden ways."
The person driving the horse outside the wing was changed to Xie Shiguan. He drove skillfully along the path and then stopped in front of an earthen house near the city wall.
"I'll be back soon," Xie Shiguan turned around and instructed the guards who were accompanying him, "If you hear any unusual movements, use your lip whistle to let us know immediately."
He was never anxious or worried when faced with difficulties, and seemed to be "very much" trusted by His Royal Highness Prince Ping. Unknowingly, he became the person in charge of the overall situation, and all the guards naturally obeyed his orders.
Therefore, the leading guard nodded slightly and replied, "Yes."
Seeing Xie Shiguan step into the mud house, there was no movement for a long time. Shen opened the curtain a little and looked at the window with a little worry.
Xie Shiguan just told him that he had an old friend here, and asked him for two gold bars, but Xie Shiguan didn't seem to be 100% sure about this...
Before getting off the car, Xie Shiguan whispered to him, "I don't know which noble lord of Yingchuan County these people are relying on. If they can't get out within an incense stick of time, you must make a decision and order them to escort you back to the palace."
A stick of incense was about to pass quickly, but Chen couldn't help but feel nervous, with a hint of hidden worry in his eyes.
He had always lived a life that followed the rules and never dared to overstep the boundaries. When such an inexplicable crisis suddenly confronted him, he should have been at a loss as to what to do.
Although Shen was unwilling to admit it, it was because that presumptuous and arrogant person was always by his side that he did not panic in this turmoil.
Only this person dared to say to him so confidently: "Your Highness, please stay with me. I will protect you."
So arrogant, yet so stubborn.
Fortunately, after a while, the broken wooden door was opened. Xie Shiguan blew a lip whistle towards them from a distance, and his heart was slightly relieved. The driver outside immediately urged the horse to move and walked towards the earthen house.
Xie Shiguan stepped forward and gently supported Chen Que, while leading him to the front room, he said: "The next road is not passable by carriage, I asked them to prepare a simpler carriage at the exit outside the city, and we will change to that carriage after we leave the city."
Shen was not picky about the specifications of the carriage, and now was not the time to be picky, so he just nodded slightly.
What he didn't expect was that there was a secret passage hidden under the brick slabs in the mud house. This secret passage connected to a house outside the city. The tunnel was neatly built and it was obvious that people often went in and out.
Shen was somewhat surprised that these people were able to dig a secret passage right under the noses of so many patrolling officers and soldiers. Such a large project would take at least 10 to 20 years to complete.
Besides, whether the secret passage is easy to dig is secondary. If you are caught by the patrolling soldiers by mistake, you will not be able to get rid of it by just a beating. No wonder Xie Shiguan said that these people must be backed by a noble master.
After leaving the city, the group took a detour through the small paths and forests.
In order to conceal their tracks, they did not stay in any inn or hostel, but only rested in an isolated and dilapidated temple at night.
His Royal Highness Prince Ping has always lived a life of luxury. Even though he is not favored, he is still the heir to the throne. How could he have ever experienced such hardship of sleeping in the open air?
Even though Xie Shiguan had specially laid a thin velvet blanket on the hay, Shen still couldn't fall asleep and tossed and turned. The dilapidated temple smelled of mold and rot, as if it had not been repaired for a long time. Even the hay that the guards had collected from all over the place on the bottom floor was damp.
Seeing that Chen Que couldn't get used to it, Xie Shiguan even had the leisure to tease him, "If your highness thinks this hay mattress is uncomfortable to sleep on, why don't you let me make a bed for you and you sleep on me, how about that?"
But Shen turned over and ignored him.
Three o'clock in the night.
Suddenly, Shen heard the sound of horse hooves hitting the ground in the courtyard outside the temple. He subconsciously became alert, and the guards who were sitting with their backs against the broken wooden door also pressed the hilts of their swords at their waists.
But the next moment, a low voice called out from outside the door: "Aque, are you still awake?"
It was Xie Shiguan’s voice.
Shen got up helplessly, and the two guards who were on night watch also put away their sharp knives. He pushed open the door and saw the man unload the horses pulling the cart, and smiled at him lightly while riding on the horse: "If you can't sleep, why don't you come with me to get some fresh air outside?"
Shen didn't agree, but he didn't refuse either.
Xie Shiguan thought he nodded, leaned over and took him to the horse with one hand, forced him to put his face close to his chest, and then squeezed the horse's back: "Hold me tight."
Then the four horses under him began to gallop like the waves, rushing into the darkness like an arrow. Although Shen was not good at riding, he knew how to ride. However, he had never experienced riding with his back to the road before.
He subconsciously grasped Xie Shiguan's robe. This posture was too dangerous. He could not catch anything except this bad guy.
Kisses rained down like raindrops, and he kissed Shen's heart trembling. The panic and panic emotions mixed with the easily aroused desire mixed together, and Shen had no idea what had aroused his heartbeat.
He was wearing a brocade petticoat and only a close-fitting silk leggings underneath. Xie Shiguan stretched out a hand and reached inside, easily touching the base of his legs.
"Watch the road," Shen opened his lips silently, even his eyelashes trembling, "You may fall to your death."
This wild path in the mountains was not as good as the official roads built by humans. The snowy field was muddy and bumpy, and the horses' ups and downs were so violent that Shen always suspected that he would fall off the horse at the next moment.
But Xie Shiguan did not stop, he even kicked the horse hard and took him into a dense dark forest. The two figures pressed against each other disappeared in the jungle, startling the snow on the branches and falling off.
The sound of wind, panting, and horse hooves stepping on snow.
So fast, and so deep. Xie Shiguan leaned down slightly, pressed him down and kissed him, then licked away the tears that overflowed from the corners of his eyes, panting and laughing: "I won't let you fall."
But Chen was still afraid that he would fall, so he hugged him even tighter, like a drowning man holding tightly to a branch sticking out from the shore.
Except for two rows of leafless snow-covered branches and dead trees, this place was a wilderness. Chen almost fell backwards on the horse's back, watching the starry sky branches and trees quickly retreating.
He felt as if he was falling in such a wet and crazy wave. His eyes were full of moisture and burning sensation. It was a cold night all around, but his robe was soaked, messy and sticky.
"I love you so much, Shen Que."
Xie Shiguan deliberately murmured at this time, and the hot whispers seemed to be tangible and gnawed at the deep earlobe.
Noticing that the person in his arms suddenly trembled uncontrollably, Xie Shiguan pulled the reins to control the horse to gradually slow down. He had never been to school and could not learn those euphemistic ways of expressing his feelings.
At a spring banquet, one glass of wine is not enough, one song is not enough, and three wishes are not enough.
"Look at me," he said with only straightforward passion, "Please look at me."
Xie Shiguan kissed his forehead and forced him to look into his eyes. The dark eyes of the mute seemed to be filled with a thick night, heavy spring rain, and murmurings.
They embraced each other and kissed, their rapid breathing overlapping, but it still couldn't cover up the pounding heartbeats.
"If you are willing to love me a little more," Shen Que suddenly heard him say, "I would be willing to give you my heart."
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The next chapter should be finished.
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