The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1013 - 1013 481 Save Him (Part 1)

Chapter 1013: 481 Save Him (Part 1) Chapter 1013: 481 Save Him (Part 1) Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng embarked on a journey northward together, while Yuan Tang, stuck in the Capital City, was not so fortunate. He could neither obtain the imperial edict from the Emperor of Zhan Country nor take the secret passage at the north city gate. Several attempts to sneak out of the city with merchant caravans had all ended in failure.

As the frontier warfare escalated, more and more bad news reached the court, and the Emperor’s indignation towards Yuan Tang grew increasingly intense. A few days ago, even the elite guards of the Imperial Palace were ordered by the Emperor to capture Yuan Tang.

Just last night, Yuan Tang encountered three waves of these elite guards, causing him to lose contact with his subordinates. As dawn was about to break, he finally fought his way out of the encirclement, but he also paid a heavy price.

His right arm was slashed. If he encountered the elite guards again, he couldn’t guarantee that he would be lucky enough to escape.

“He’s injured, he won’t get far. You guys, go that way; the rest of you, follow me!”

Yuan Tang clutched his right arm tightly, hiding in a household’s stable, listening to the voices of the elite guards outside the courtyard wall, his face showing signs of irritation and despair.

He was the sixth prince of Chen Country, the Empress was deceased, and the Imperial Harem belonged to his mother, who held the highest rank, equal to the deputy empress. His maternal family was the powerful Rong Family who controlled military power. He was the most distinguished prince of Chen Country and had nearly never suffered in his life.

Even when he was sent to Zhan Country as a hostage, it was only to claim achievements and naturally become the Crown Prince.

All thanks to his uncle, Prince Bo, he had suffered all the hardships in these few days that he had never experienced in his twenty years of life.

“Hiss—”

The wound hurt again.

Yuan Tang furrowed his brows.

Just at that moment, a servant of the mansion came over. Upon suddenly seeing a disheveled stranger in the stable, bleeding from his arm, the servant instinctively let out a sharp scream, “Ah—”

Yuan Tang struck the servant unconscious with a chop of his hand.

But the noise had already been made, and the imperial guards hurried toward the stable.

Yuan Tang was forced to leave again, seeking another hiding spot.

With imperial guards all around and a dead end to the right, he had no choice but to hide in a carriage parked to the left!

The carriage didn’t look big, but the interior was quite spacious and refined; the seats were covered with cloth. He lifted the cover and curled his sizable body under the bench.

Such a narrow space was truly a squeeze for someone of his large stature.

“Master Xiao, please go slowly!”

In the bookstore next to the carriage, the owner personally saw Xiao Hen out.

“Please wait.” Xiao Hen nodded towards the owner, then turned and boarded the carriage that was parked by the roadside.

The carriage driver came out of the bookstore, holding a large pile of stationery supplies.

Xiao Hen had just received a dispatch from the Ministry of Personnel that morning, appointing him as a Fifth-rank official in charge of the archives at the Penal Department.

The official in charge of archives was mainly responsible for organizing files, managing the official seal, and drafting documents.

His position at Hanlin Academy hadn’t changed; he was simply taking on an additional role.

It was the idea of the Minister of Penal Department who had submitted it to the Ministry of Personnel last month. The placement in the Six Ministries differed from that in the Hanlin Academy and was not under the Cabinet’s jurisdiction. After the Ministry of Personnel received the document from the Minister of Penal Department, they reviewed it internally before presenting it to the Emperor for his consideration.

It was rare for an official to hold multiple posts, especially across different departments. The requirements for the official himself were extremely high, in terms of ability, energy, and character, he had to be much more outstanding than his colleagues.

The Emperor was worried that Xiao Liulang might not cope with the strain and was also concerned that he would attract jealousy due to his prominence.

The Emperor called the Senior Libationer into the palace to hear his opinion. The Senior Libationer had originally not thought of this, but now that someone had broken ground, he was eager to elevate Xiao Hen to a higher position.

“Now is the time of need, Your Majesty might as well let Xiao Liulang try first. If he can’t manage it, we will make other arrangements.”

The Emperor found the Senior Libationer’s advice sensible, and thus approved Xiao Liulang’s appointment.

Xiao Hen had just reported to the Penal Department and was on his way back to Hanlin Academy when he passed by the bookstore and remembered that he was running low on writing supplies at home, so he stopped the carriage to buy some.

He had just entered the carriage when he sensed something was amiss.

The curtains of the carriage were open, making it well-ventilated, yet he could still detect a faint smell of blood.

“Master Xiao, I’ve placed the items here,” said the carriage driver as he set a large box of stationery supplies on the floor of the carriage. He lacked Xiao Hen’s sensitivity and didn’t notice anything unusual, “Are we going back to Hanlin Academy now? Or do you need to buy anything else?”

“No need,” replied Xiao Hen.

“Alright, then I’m heading out.” The carriage driver dropped the curtains and settled back on the bench outside.

Xiao Hen didn’t rush to sit down but cautiously watched the bench covered with a silk cloth.

Under the bench, Yuan Tang gripped his wound, breaking into a slight sweat on his forehead due to tension and pain.

He didn’t know whose carriage he was in, but he heard the carriage driver call the person “Master Xiao.” And when the driver asked if he wanted to go to Hanlin Academy, he knew there was only one official with the surname Xiao there—Xiao Liulang, Gu Jiao’s husband, the top scholar of the current imperial examination, and now a government official in Hanlin Academy.

Yuan Tang had never formally met Xiao Liulang, only seen him from a distance a few times. He knew he was Gu Jiao’s husband and that he worked in Hanlin Academy now.

As for whether Xiao Hen recognized him, Yuan Tang was unsure.

But if he did see him in his current state, Xiao Liulang would probably be able to guess who he was, even if he didn’t recognize him.

Whether Xiao Liulang was friend or foe, Yuan Tang dared not jump to conclusions. Although he was Gu Jiao’s husband, he was also a government official of the court. As a government official, he should capture and bring him to justice.

Yuan Tang bit his lip hard, refusing to let himself make a sound.

He had no intention of harming Gu Jiao’s family, but if… and he meant if, he really had to capture him, he would have no choice but to offend them!

“Whose carriage is that ahead?”

A unit of forbidden guards stopped opposite the carriage, with the commander asking the question.

They had been chasing for a while, surrounding the area, but Yuan Tang seemed to have vanished into thin air.

They speculated that Yuan Tang must be hiding right under their noses, either in a nearby shop or in a passing carriage.

Xiao Hen eyed the slowly spreading blood under the bench; his gaze shifted slightly as he walked forward, lifted his hem, and sat down, his right foot coincidentally stepping on the bloodstain.

After negotiating with the forbidden guards, the coachman opened a small gap in the curtain, addressing Xiao Hen, “Lord Xiao, the forbidden guards say they are capturing a hostage from Chen Country, and they hope to search our carriage.”

Xiao Hen raised his hand, gesturing for him to open the curtain.

The coachman bowed slightly and lifted the curtain all the way up to give the guards a clear view inside the carriage.

Xiao Hen sat upright in the carriage, serious and expressionless. His handsome, youthful face exuded an exceptionally strong aura, and his eyes carried an imposing air that was commanding without anger, “Do the lords need to come up and search thoroughly?”

The commander was dazzled by Xiao Liulang’s appearance and aura and stood dumbfounded for a long moment before finding his bearings. Realizing his lapse in conduct, he hurriedly bowed and said, “No need! We have seen everything clearly. We apologize for disturbing Lord Xiao and hope for your understanding!”

Xiao Hen, being valued highly by both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, was someone the commander did not dare offend, even if he had eight times the courage, especially after staring at him so rudely.

“It’s no bother,” Xiao Hen said.

The commander spoke politely, “Then we will continue our search. Lord Xiao, we take our leave.”

Xiao Hen nodded, “Farewell.”

As the commander turned to lead the rest of the guards to search nearby shops, he heard something dripping onto the ground, a faint sound. It was light, but the street was not crowded at that moment, and the surroundings were very quiet.

Yuan Tang’s expression changed drastically!

His blood had dripped through the floorboards onto the ground!

This was the end!

He was going to be discovered!

“What are you standing there for!” Xiao Hen barked at the coachman, “How much longer do you intend to let me bleed? Don’t you hurry to the Medical Hall!”

The coachman was startled.

Was the lord injured?

When did that happen?

Xiao Hen’s aura burst forth so powerfully at that moment that the coachman didn’t have the guts to ask what was wrong. In a hurry, he let the curtain fall and said, “Yes! Right away to the Medical Hall!”

Just as the curtain fell, the commander caught a glimpse of a bloodstain snaking out from under Xiao Liulang’s right foot.

So, was it truly Lord Xiao who was injured?

The commander frowned slightly, a hint of suspicion crossed his mind, but ultimately, he did not check due to the fear of Xiao Liulang’s status and believing Xiao Liulang would not lie. In the end, he refrained from inspecting further.

The coachman steered the carriage toward the nearest Medical Hall, but suddenly heard Lord Xiao from inside the carriage say, “Don’t go to the Medical Hall, head to the north city gate.”

“Ah?” The coachman was taken aback again, “Lord Xiao, aren’t you injured? The Medical Hall is nearly here.”

“I remembered there’s ointment in the carriage; I’ll just apply some myself,” Xiao Hen stated.

“Well, alright then,” said the coachman, still utterly confused by the lord’s quick change of heart, “Lord Xiao, you wish to go to the north city gate?”

Xiao Hen spoke in his usual tone, “I had planned to go there this afternoon, but thinking it over, I might as well go now.”

“Alright,” said the coachman, low in status, not daring to question Xiao Hen’s official matters. He directed the carriage toward the north city gate.

Xiao Hen displayed the Ministry of Justice’s token, “On an inspection.”

The City Guard allowed passage.

Xiao Hen went to the closest post station outside the north city gate.

“Get something for the horses to eat,” he instructed the coachman.

“Yes.”

The coachman unloaded the reins and the shaft, taking the horse to the post station’s stable.

Xiao Hen alighted from the carriage with a calm expression.

He sat in the post station for a quarter of an hour before returning to the carriage; by then, Yuan Tang’s presence was already absent from it.

The coachman led the satisfied horse over, “My lord!”

Xiao Hen said indifferently, “Back to the Capital.”

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