The Treacherous Concubine’s Guide To Whitewashing

Chapter 14, Pt 2 - Out of Town

On the vast expanse of white ground, Yuan Luo flew with the troops like a sharp arrow.

The bitter cold wind blew on her face as extremely painful as a knife. Yuan Luo throat felt dry, but her body was not exhausted. She had thought that the original owner was good before, but she didn't expect her to be this good. She was worthy to have grown up deep in the mountains.

Several guards who were proficient in tracking led large dogs, who were half the size of a human. They determined the direction in which the East China Sea king and his party had fled. They rushed out in the middle of the night and finally intercepted the person at a turn in the road by a range of hills.

From a distance, dozens of guards from the prince’s mansion were crowding around a small tent, which was exceptionally obvious in the white snow.  Miao Zi Fang had taken the advance guards with him and had already struck the opponent.

In the middle was a lone horseman with a handsome face, who was none other than Sikong Yan himself.

The two sides had similar manpower and the situation had sunk into a stalemate. Sikong Yan saw that his way out was blocked and several times he was unable to get out of the conflict. Anxiety caused his complexion to become even more ugly.

Yan Qing Tian, guarding his body from the front, yelled and accused, "Are you trying to assassinate this mounted royal in order to conspire against the state?"

Miao Zi Fang shouted, "Brother Yan, stop babbling nonsense. We dare not to offend the prince, but the prince has hurried out of the Capital, which is quite confusing."

"When this prince goes out of the Capital, how is it that you are in charge?" Sikong Yan looked unsightly.

Miao Zi Fang said, "No matter how anxious the prince might be to leave, he should say goodbye to the Emperor. It is not a nobleman’s action to leave without saying goodbye."

Sikong Yan sneered. "Then you intercepted this king today and must have the Emperor’s imperial edict. However, for no reason at all, you attacked the imperial clan and offend your superior. You are guilty of treason."

Yuan Luo opened her mouth and said, "It was the Emperor in the palace who summoned the prince and Commander Miao would rush out on a snowy night just to invite the prince to return to the palace."

The crisp tone transmitted to his ears and Sikong Yan was taken aback. He looked up and only then could he see who the slender figure behind Miao Zi Fang was.

To the astonishment of everyone, Yuan Luo immediately urged her horse forward and said in a deep voice, "The prince was so anxious to leave that the civil and military courts heard of it and thought that perhaps the Emperor had treated the prince unfairly."

Sikong Yan's face had turned pale. He had never considered that Yuan Luo would come to chase him personally.

Yuan Luo looked at his face and continued, saying, "I am afraid, considering the state that the prince is in, he is not fit to continue on the road."

Yan Qing Tian nervously glanced at his master. Admittedly, he was annoyed by their failure to escape, but the prince's body was indeed difficult to support.

Yuan Luo waved her hand. The besieging imperial guards all retreated and the two sides resumed their silent confrontation.

After a short period of time, the snow fell heavier and the roads and branches were covered with snow.

Yuan Luo continued, "If the prince willfully wants to go his own way, I’m afraid we must offend one or two people."

Yan Qing Tian leaned closer to Sikong Yan: "Prince..."

Sikong Yan glanced at Yuan Luo gloomily. If it hadn’t been for the heavy snow, they would not have failed.

He climbed down from his horse and said with a straight face, "It just so happens that this king has also become tired after traveling. Since this king is going to be returned to the Capital, go prepare the carriage."

Yuan Luo released the breath she had been holding. A real knife and gun were fighting with neither side looking very good.

Miao Zi Fang commanded two of the guards by his side. After a short while, a carriage was brought from a nearby inn.

Sikong Yan got into the carriage and saw Yuan Luo riding a horse immediately beside the carriage. Her cheeks were as ruddy as before and she was in high spirits. His heart practically burst with anger.

"Does the imperial concubine have the Emperor’s imperial decree for leaving the palace so late at night?"

Yuan Luo smiled vigorously at him. "The prince wants the imperial edict. This palace will write one for you once we return." She interrupted herself with a disingenuous cough. "We’ll let the Emperor write one for you."

Sikong Yan's face looked congested. Suddenly he smiled and said, "If the Emperor knew of the imperial concubines’ great kindness in personally coming to pursue this king on such a snowy night, I don’t know how he would feel. What will the government and the public think when they hear about it?"

Yuan Luo looked into the open carriage window. Sikong Yan was reclining on the seat. Even though his body was weak, his mouth was still spirited.

Yuan Luo would not be instigated by him. She smiled and said, "The prince has a precious moral standing. If a few isolated phrases really do get out, the Emperor and the adults, even if not convinced by me, will believe in the prince."

For quite some time, this treacherous imperial concubine's reputation had already spread. Contrarily, the East China Sea king was praised by the imperial court and ordinary people both young and old as a gentle and modest nobleman. With her reputation, it wasn’t worth it for him to join with her.

His expression was cloudy. Yuan Luo continued impatiently, "The prince is so delicate. It would be better for you to rest more. It is said that having too much to say will damage your energy. If by any chance there is an unexpected accident, jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t make this palace clean."

After speaking, she waved a hand and the brigade of guards began to return.

Sikong Yan was unbearably suffocated by her words. He closed his eyes and spoke no more.

----

Yuan Luo took the East China Sea king back to the Capital, but did not send him back to his own mansion. Rather she decisively stuffed him directly into the palace.

It had only been reported that the East China Sea king’s chronic disease had flared up last night and he was delivered to Tai hospital for critical treatment.

This statement was half true and half false. Anyway, not long after returning to the Capital, Sikong Yan really became ill. His whole body was burning with fever, so Yan Qing Tian did not object to entering the palace.

As for the secret escape and Yuan Luo leading people in pursuit, these sorts of things of course weren’t mentioned at all. The common people in the city were unaware and as for how much the aristocratic families knew, that was a completely different matter.

Early the next morning, Yuan Luo instructed Qin Tian Jian to take the memorial which had been prepared the day before.

Other than the East China Sea king, no one else could replace the Emperor who could not only live in the palace, but could also pray for the Emperor in the temple. In this way, the East China Sea king could leave Tai hospital and would naturally be sent to live in Tianfu Pavilion at the north end of the palace.

With such a fair and honest reason, the aristocratic families headed by Prime Minister Wei would not object. They could only remind Tai hospital to carefully treat the prince's body to ensure his safety.