Doubling Back

It was still the dead of night, but sleep was out of the question. Elder Yue said, "Princess, the false emperor's lackeys are in hot pursuit. We cannot linger here. Better that we travel through the night so we can reach Yingshui Commandery sooner and rendezvous with our reinforcements." Princess Dongyang lowered her head in thought for a moment, then suddenly asked Qin Sang, "Young Master Qin, by your reckoning, how many assassins did Jiangshan Tower gather in Sanwu City?" Qin Sang answered prudently, "From what I know, close to thirty." Princess Dongyang nodded. "Say there were thirty. Two were killed by Young Master Qin, yet only ten showed themselves this time. That means our movements haven't been completely blown. Jiangshan Tower's killers have either split their forces, or Granny Li and the others fought to the death and took out the majority of them. Elder Yue, what if we double back to Sanwu City tonight?" Elder Yue paled in shock. "Princess, absolutely not! Sanwu City is already a den of tigers and wolves. There is every chance Prince Zhenshui has thrown his lot in with the false emperor. The other guards have all been slain, leaving only the few of us. If we walk into an ambush, we couldn't guarantee your safety even if we gave our lives! We could never answer to the prince!" Princess Dongyang offered a faint smile. "To achieve great things, how can one cherish one's own skin? Even you wouldn't expect me to turn back to Sanwu City, Elder Yue, so the false emperor's lackeys certainly won't anticipate it either. As for Prince Zhenshui, I suspect he hasn't necessarily turned to the false emperor. If he had, the false emperor wouldn't need to resort to such underhanded tricks." Before Elder Yue could speak again, Princess Dongyang shook her head. "No need to dissuade me, Elder Yue. My mind is made up. Commander Bai, share a horse with Guard Zhou, take the severed arm, and ride swiftly to Sanwu City. Prince Zhenshui's estate has imperial physicians; perhaps they can reattach the limb." Bai Jianglan hurriedly answered, "Understood!" The horses were still there. Woman though she was, Princess Dongyang lacked the slightest trace of frailty. She swung onto her mount and rode without stopping, catching sight of Sanwu City's north gate by dawn. Just as expected, they encountered not a single assassin from Jiangshan Tower along the way. Like the south gate, the north gate had side entrances open. Qin Sang knew his way around and helped Princess Dongyang's party split up and blend in among the merchant caravans. Only Water Monkey's injury was too conspicuous, so Qin Sang found a secluded courtyard outside the city where he stayed behind to look after him, while Princess Dongyang, Elder Yue, and Bai Jianglan went to meet Prince Zhenshui. Exhausted and severely wounded, Water Monkey fell into a deep sleep. Qin Sang sat in the courtyard waiting for news of the princess, keeping vigilant watch on the movements outside, ready to flee at a moment's notice. From the scattered remarks between Princess Dongyang and Elder Yue, Qin Sang had pieced together the rough outline. The "false emperor" they spoke of was presumably the current Emperor of Great Sui, and Jiangshan Tower turned out to be the emperor's men. No wonder they had dared to assassinate the governor general in broad daylight on the open street. Word had it that Prince Dongyang and the current emperor were born of the same mother, with Prince Dongyang being the elder brother. Yet after the late emperor died, the younger brother ascended the throne while the elder brother was relegated to a commandery prince, an affront to the proper order of succession. There had surely been no shortage of bitter friction between them, though outsiders could hardly know the inside story. Now Great Sui was plagued by constant natural disasters, and in the four northern commanderies countless people had raised banners in rebellion. War raged on all sides, plunging the realm into chaos. With Great Sui teetering on unstable foundations and rumors spreading among the common folk of the new emperor's tyranny, Prince Dongyang had likely spotted an opening and could no longer bide his time. The fact that Princess Dongyang, Granny Li, and Elder Yue never spoke of Jiangshan Tower without calling them the false emperor's lackeys was proof enough. If Prince Dongyang meant to raise his banner against the false emperor, his first order of business would be winning over Prince Zhenshui. Zhenshui Commandery and Dongyang Commandery were as close as lips and teeth, standing side by side in the west and east of southern Great Sui. If Prince Dongyang failed to bring Prince Zhenshui aboard, his rear would remain exposed, and any march against the usurper would be out of the question. Princess Dongyang had braved great danger to come to Sanwu City alone, almost certainly to persuade Prince Zhenshui. Little had she anticipated that word would leak out along the way, alerting Jiangshan Tower and prompting orders for an ambush. God only knew how many undercurrents were surging through Great Sui right now. At first, Qin Sang had been entirely in the dark, boarding Prince Dongyang's pirate ship purely by accident. He had not lacked chances to slip away, yet he had chosen to stay. His goal had never changed. Whether Great Sui's emperor was Prince Dongyang or the reigning monarch mattered not a whit to him. All he cared about was finding a shortcut to cross paths with an Immortal Master. As the saying went, chaotic times produced heroes. Following Prince Dongyang in rebellion was undoubtedly a golden opportunity. Now it all came down to whether Princess Dongyang could sway Prince Zhenshui. If she failed, she was dead meat. He would not stay behind to die as her martyr; at worst, he would slaughter his way out and flee to another country. Around midday, Qin Sang suddenly heard a rustle of footsteps heading straight for the courtyard. Alert, he stood and tilted his ear to listen. People were talking, but the tone did not sound hostile or tense. Qin Sang set Yanwang aside. Moments later, the courtyard gate was pushed inward. The first to enter was Bai Jianglan alongside an old man carrying a medicine chest. Behind them walked Princess Dongyang side by side with an elegantly dressed middle-aged man, chatting warmly, her face betraying no sign of distress. Only then did Qin Sang breathe a sigh of relief. Recalling Yanwang, he stepped forward to greet them. The man speaking with Princess Dongyang was none other than Prince Zhenshui himself, while the figure beside Bai Jianglan was an imperial physician from Prince Zhenshui's estate. After inspecting Water Monkey's wound, the physician stroked his long beard, studied the severed arm for a good while, and shook his head. "Reporting to Your Highness, Princess, this severed arm is severely mangled and devoid of all vitality. Too much time has passed as well; I fear it cannot be reattached." Bai Jianglan's eyes dimmed sharply. Princess Dongyang said, "Then I must trouble you to stem Guard Zhou's bleeding and dress his wound properly so his life is not endangered." "As you command!" The physician opened his medicine chest and set to work on the injury. Standing nearby, Prince Zhenshui said, "Rest assured, Niece Anning. Imperial Physician Wang's medical skill borders on the divine; he will surely preserve this brave man's life. I have already laid out fine wine and a sumptuous banquet. Why not come with me to the estate first to dine and rest?" "Thank you, Uncle," Princess Dongyang replied with a curtsy, her voice tinged with unmistakable weariness. "Anning came in secret merely to pay her respects, so there is no need for extravagance. Now that my concerns are settled, I must trouble Uncle to send an escort with me back to Dongyang Commandery. Otherwise, if Father worries for my safety and frets in anxiety, it would be unfilial of me." Prince Zhenshui said indignantly, "To think that a mere gang of underworld assassins would dare stir up trouble in Zhenshui Commandery and make attempts on royal blood! I have already ordered a full search of the commandery, and I shall see to it that neither fowl nor dog is spared, so as to give Elder Brother and Niece Anning an answer! Since you insist on returning at once... Men! Prepare a large ship and lay out a banquet aboard. Then send word to General Zhao Xiang to dispatch the finest elite troops under his command to escort the princess back to Dongyang Commandery. If she loses a single hair on the journey, I will hold him personally accountable!" "Understood!" *** Qin Sang shared a carriage with Bai Jianglan and Water Monkey, flanked by elite soldiers before and behind. When they passed Mount Cuiming, Qin Sang lifted the curtain to gaze outside. With his own future still uncertain, he chose not to disturb the people there. They boarded the ship and traveled downriver with the current, arriving three days later at Chun City, the seat of Dongyang Commandery. Following Princess Dongyang under the strict escort of the prince's guards on their way to the estate, Qin Sang took in the sights as they passed, noting that Chun City's local customs and atmosphere differed considerably from those of Sanwu City.