Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 20: Goes to Battle Again

It was night and all was silent.

　　The restaurant in front of the intersecting street selling hubing suddenly burst into bright yellow blazing flames, the fire soon spreading to the adjacent walls of the next door buildings. In the blink of an eye, the thick smoke surged and the flame soared.

　　The Wuhou shop guards and patrolling Jin Wu Wei rushed over to put out the fire. The sound of gongs, drums, footsteps, yelling, shouting and cursing mixed into one.

　　An oxen cart was parked in the dark corner of a square. A ram horn lantern with the Zheng family's crest on it was suspended in front of the cart.

　　The cart driver looked nervous, pushing the ashen-faced Du Sinan onto the cart and repeatedly urging: "Ah lang, go now! You can no longer stay in the capital!"

　　Du Sinan's clothes were untidy, his long hair scattered over his shoulders, his headwrap crooked on top of his head and his belt loose, appearing very worse for wear.

Before getting on the carriage, he looked back at the faraway house that was mercilessly engulfed by fire, his palms ice-cold.

　　The Crown Prince actually attempted to kill him.

Du Sinan knew that the Crown Prince suspected that he was too deeply involved with the Second Prince, but he thought that the Crown Prince was broad-minded and was unlikely to care about this matter. He was confident that he would be able to gain the Crown Prince's appreciation.

　　He did not expect that he miscalculated this time. The Crown Prince actually killed him so quickly and decisively.

　　The Crown Prince was so adverse to the Second Prince?

　　Or was.... the person that the Crown Prince was really adverse to the Seventh Princess?

　　Du Sinan narrowly escaped death. His mind spinning, he lifted the cart's curtain and looked at the sturdy guard beside the cart.

　　Just as he had gone to bed tonight, Xie Qing suddenly burst into his room, pulled him straight out of the blankets, and carried him over his shoulders, fleeing over the wall to this location near the square's wall. He was about to cry for help when he suddenly smelled a strong burning scent in the wind. He immediately reacted, scared until his liver and guts split.

　　He was a strategist. He'd never been to the battlefield and was afraid of death.

　　With this second chance at life, Du Sinan did not want to lose his life in the capital. He decided to leave the capital first to avoid disaster, and then seek another good opportunity.

Before leaving, he had a question.

　　"Does the princess have any words for me?"

　　The Seventh Princess sent someone to save him, and would surely use this lifesaving grace to force him to assist the Second Prince.

　　Xie Qing expressionlessly said, "None."

　　Du Sinan sneered.

　　He was in such an awkward situation today, all thanks to the Seventh Princess. Why did the Seventh Princess put up a pretense?

　　Xie Qing handed a waist tablet to the driver: "Leave the city through the west gate. If anyone asks, tell them that you are a servant of the Zheng family and that Her Highness the Crown Princess asked you to deliver a letter from the city."

　　The coachman was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be burned to a crisp, and nodded like pounding garlic.

　　Du Sinan sat in the carriage, a mocking smile on the corner of his lips, waiting for Xie Qing's feelings to change and make a speech to detain him.