Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 41: Business Transaction

Xie Chao was on horseback from morning to night, not daring to close his eyes for a moment. Mentally and physically exhausted, riding until he was half alive, he had barely shouted those few words before fainting.

Yaoying took him back to the residence and asked the doctors to treat him.

She entered the study and asked Xie Qing to fetch Qing County's territory map.

According to Xie Chao's description before he lost consciousness, Li Zhongqian was ambushed in Qing County's river valley and was seriously wounded. They were encircled for several days, but help never came. Before he fell into a coma, he sent a few people who were adept at swimming to break through the siege to seek help.

Xie Chao was one of them. They escaped through layers of the enemy's blockade, but they were discovered on the way by the other side. Only he survived.

Yaoying looked at the territory map and had doubts: "Why did Second Brother want Xie Chao to return to the capital to ask for help?"

Zhao Tong, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince's army were all closer to Li Zhongqian. Why did he choose to seek help from far away?

Xie Qing had never been in battle and did not understand how to send troops to battle, frowned and pondered, not saying anything.

Xu Biao grunted coldly and heavily slapped the desk with his hand missing two fingers, cursing: "Because the prince does not trust the Third Prince and Zhao Tong! If we ask the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince for help, the prince and the others will truly be completely wiped out!"

He suddenly slapped his head.

"I had suspected before. The prince was only escorting the army provisions this campaign and was far from the front line. How could he be ambushed? Someone must have betrayed the prince and lured him into a trap on purpose! Then, they went through the motions and didn't send soldiers to search along the river. After finding a few corpses, they said that the prince had been massacred; they simply did not want to save the prince!"

Yaoying's hands clenched into fists within her sleeves.

A trap. A trap again.

Was Li Zhongqian destined to die on the battlefield?

Even if she stopped him from going to Liangzhou a year ago, he still had to die in battle a year later?

Just because Li Xuanzhen wanted to kill him, because he was the biggest threat to Li Xuanzhen, he was bound to die?

She must save Li Zhongqian.

No matter what price needed to be paid.

Yaoying closed her eyes, calmed down, and organized her thoughts.

Zhao Tong was a veteran general, neutral in stance, and did not favor any of the princes. He would not harm Li Zhongqian.... nor would he save Li Zhongqian.

The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince's minds were on the difficult to figure out side. The two would be killed in the future under the crime of rebellion by various officials. As to whether they really plotted rebellion or not, no one could say.

If the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince joined hands to kill Li Zhongqian, Zhao Tong would only look on indifferently.

Why did they want to harm Li Zhongqian?

To seize the throne?

Or to curry favor with Li Xuanzhen?

Or, was it all a poisonous plot calculated by Li Xuanzhen? The Eastern Palace had already laid out an inescapable net, only waiting for Li Zhongqian to go south?