The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1238 - 1238 605 Against the Heavens (Second Update)

Chapter 1238: 605 Against the Heavens (Second Update) Chapter 1238: 605 Against the Heavens (Second Update) “Princess! Something terrible has happened!”

On Vermilion Bird Avenue, Yujin dismounted the carriage and, lifting her skirts, ran straight to Princess Xinyang’s room.

Princess Xinyang was practicing her calligraphy by the window. She had emerged from her emotions much quicker than before; in just one day, she was already able to go about her affairs calmly and collectedly.

While she practiced her writing, she asked in a soft voice, “What could be so urgent this early in the morning? This isn’t like you.”

Yujin suddenly hesitated. Should she really tell the Princess about this?

She had followed the Princess for many years; the Princess was her true young master, while Marquis Xuanping was but a stranger who had joined the Princess’s retinue.

But no matter how one sliced it, the Marquis was attempting to assassinate King Liang for the Princess’s sake. If anything happened to him, wouldn’t the Princess feel a tinge of guilt?

Princess Xinyang asked, “What exactly happened? Did your family come looking for you again?”

Being Princess Xinyang’s favored attendant, Yujin’s family was not very reliable and would come asking for handouts from time to time.

Gritting her teeth, Yujin said, “It’s not about Yujin’s family; it’s the Marquis! The Marquis is in trouble!”

Princess Xinyang’s hand, holding the brush, paused as she asked indifferently, “What sort of trouble?”

Yujin said anxiously, “Didn’t the Marquis go to King Liang’s fief? I just ran into the young Marquis, who said that a natural disaster is about to occur on King Liang’s territory, right on the Marquis’s inevitable route!”

With a swish, Princess Xinyang’s brush traced a long streak of ink on the paper.

On the avenue, Liao Quan looked toward the curtains of the carriage, having overheard the entire conversation between Yujin and Xiao Hen.

The Marquis of Xuanping was a reckless man, but Liao Quan was surprised by his audacity to attempt to kill even the Emperor’s uncle.

To be honest, Liao Quan was curious about the reasons behind it, but now was not the time to satisfy his curiosity.

“Sixth Brother, what should we do next?”

Even though he was aware of Xiao Hen’s status as the young Marquis, he still habitually called him Sixth Brother.

What to do?

This was a huge dilemma that lay before Xiao Hen.

The journey to King Liang’s fief was hundreds of miles long, and Marquis Xuanping had already set off the night before. Judging by his pace, if they did not stop him quickly, he would arrive just in time for the landslides and mudslides.

Every moment’s delay was fraught with danger.

Especially since carrier pigeons simply could not get the message to him; they were to be used to save the villagers.

There were carrier pigeons traveling between the major post stations. Although there was a certain failure rate, like pigeons being shot down or eaten by predators en route, it seemed this was the fastest and most convenient method available.

Carrier pigeons also struggled to fly in torrential rain, so it was essential to reach the post station before the rain started and leave ample time to alert the Government Office and for them to send troops to evacuate the village residents.

On one hand was Marquis Xuanping, on the other were the villagers of the village.

Liao Quan could not enter the palace.

If Liao Quan were to turn back to fetch Gu Jiao, and then have her report the imminent disaster to the Emperor, it would delay the rescue by at least one two-hour period.

Moreover, there was no certainty that Gu Jiao was even at home; perhaps she had gone to the Medical Hall, or perhaps she was out on a medical visit.

The fastest way to rescue the villagers was for him to enter the palace directly, but doing so would delay the search for Marquis Xuanping.

He had to choose between his own biological father and the hundreds of unrelated villagers.

“Sixth Brother…” Liao Quan called out to him.

Xiao Hen’s clenched fist trembled slightly, “To the palace!”

There were less than four hours left until the rain; the carrier pigeon must reach the post station of Pingcheng Prefecture City before then!

In Huaqing Palace, the Emperor met with Xiao Hen.

“How did you know that rain was coming to Pingcheng Prefecture City?” the Emperor asked with curiosity.

Xiao Hen himself did not understand how Gu Jiao managed to predict the weather hundreds of miles away, so of course, he wouldn’t divulge that and add to the Emperor’s concerns—especially when the priority was to save those villagers who might be buried by the mudslides.

Xiao Hen said, “I met a businessman who had come from Pingcheng Prefecture City. He said that the city has been particularly sultry these past days, with the sky overcast, as if rain is imminent. He also mentioned that while passing by the Official Road near Creek Village, he narrowly missed being hit by rocks sliding down from the hillside. In the books of Hanlin Academy, I read that this is a sign of the mountain becoming unstable. If it indeed rains heavily, there will surely be landslides, and those living below the mountain will suffer terribly!”

It was fortunate he had learned enough about geography at Hanlin Academy to concoct such a plausible explanation.

Seeing the Emperor deep in thought, Xiao Hen continued earnestly, “Your Majesty, the lives of over a hundred villagers from Creek Village are at stake; it’s better to err on the side of belief!”

The Emperor’s expression grew grave, “If your deduction is true, then Zhan Country has seen both war and natural calamities this year—is heaven sending a warning?”

Xiao Hen urged, “Your Majesty, saving lives is urgent!”

The Emperor sighed, “Understood. I’ll send someone to Pingcheng Prefecture City immediately.”

Xiao Hen insisted, “People might not make it in time, Your Majesty. Why not take a two-pronged approach—let the carrier pigeon go first!”

The Emperor took Xiao Hen’s suggestion and immediately summoned Eunuch He to carry it out.

After leaving Huaqing Palace, Xiao Hen got into his carriage and promptly asked Liao Quan, “Uncle Liu, have you finished swapping the horses?”

“They’ve been swapped, and they’re the fastest warhorses from the imperial guards, but…” Liao Quan looked worriedly at Xiao Hen’s arms and legs, “with your injuries like this, it’s not convenient to travel. Let me go instead! If you think I won’t be able to catch up, you can send officers from the Ministry of Punishment, or you could ask the Empress Dowager and Empress to dispatch some palace experts.”

Xiao Hen shook his head, “You can’t stop him.”

Marquis Xuanping was a stubborn man; once he set his mind on doing something, not even mountains collapsing or tsunamis could stop him.

Besides, would he believe it if you told him a mountain was going to collapse?

He wouldn’t.

And he wouldn’t be afraid.

If he were afraid, he wouldn’t be Marquis Xuanping, nor would he have fought in so many battles or dared to attempt the assassination of the former Emperor’s uncle.

“But, but didn’t the Marquis leave Capital City yesterday? Can we catch up to him?” Liao Quan wasn’t trying to find excuses not to go; he genuinely wished he could go in place of Xiao Hen, urging him to stay instead.

Xiao Hen took out a map with his right hand and looked at the routes saying, “The mountain roads are rugged, and even his steed can only cover sixty miles in a day at most. By noon today, he will have completed half the journey and entered Pingcheng Prefecture City’s jurisdiction. However, there will be a heavy rainstorm soon that will greatly delay his pace. If we leave Capital City now, we will not encounter the heavy rain and can push ourselves to reach Pingcheng Prefecture City by tonight. Then, I will not be far behind him.”

“Ah, it’s not far,” Liao Quan exclaimed, “but once we enter Pingcheng Prefecture City and encounter the pouring rain, even if we aren’t far behind, it might not necessarily mean we can catch up! The downpour in the territory won’t just delay him either!”

Xiao Hen neatly folded the map with one hand, “What you say makes sense.”

But he still had to go.

Liao Quan was both frustrated and concerned, “Now I finally understand why nobody can stop Marquis Xuanping; and truly, nobody can stop you either. You and your son… both so single-minded!”

One insists on killing despite being injured, while the other insists on rescuing despite being injured.

Xiao Hen’s eyes suddenly hardened with resolve, “Let’s depart!”

…

Shortly after noon, Pingcheng Prefecture City was like a basin suddenly overturned, and the torrential rain poured down noisily, causing travelers on the Official Road to seek shelter from the rain.

A tea shed, previously not doing much business, was in an instant densely packed.

Among all sorts of individuals there, the tall and imposing figure of a man distinctly caught everyone’s attention.

For one, his face could be considered Zhan Country’s number one beauty, strikingly handsome wherever he stood; secondly, he exuded an aura of nobility and ferocity, and even his horse next to him seemed more fierce and untamed than the others.

A peculiar scene unfolded in the tea shed; to avoid the rain, everyone was crammed together, stepping on each other’s feet, yet around this man’s table, there were no customers to share it with.

Marquis Xuanping usually didn’t exhibit such an intense aura when returning from the battlefield. Handsome in appearance and always carrying a smile, his demeanor was approachable and charming.

But today, due to a strong internal fury to tear Old King Liang to pieces, he suddenly became someone everyone steered clear of.

Among those seeking shelter from the rain were a group of hidden bandits.

However, the bandits were directly frightened out of their wits.

Marquis Xuanping wasn’t there to shelter from the rain, he had come to feed his horse. After the horse had eaten, he planned to get up and leave.

He reached into his chest and pulled out a purse, and upon opening it, it glittered with gold!

The tea shed owner’s eyes lit up with greed.

But when Marquis Xuanping rummaged through the purse, he unbelievably fished out just a Copper Plate and laid it on the table.

The tea shed owner suspected he had seen wrong—not a Copper Plate, but a tael of Silver, perhaps?

A man of such high status, being so stingy?

The tea shed owner walked over and counted carefully three times.

It really was just a Copper Plate!

“Excuse me, sir!”

The tea shed owner plucked up the courage to address Marquis Xuanping.

Marquis Xuanping, holding his horse’s reins, turned around with a puzzled look.

The tea shed owner gestured with his eyes to the Copper Plate on the table.

It’s not enough, at least give two!

Marquis Xuanping uttered an “Oh,” gave the tea shed owner a knowing look, and walked over.

The tea shed owner smiled understandingly.

The next second, he saw Marquis Xuanping pick up the solitary Copper Plate and put it back into his own chest.

The tea shed owner: “…”

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.