Chapter 12 The Act

"Mr. Soldier, can't you just let us pass through? It had been a long journey for our young miss, she is already both tired physically and mentally. Our young miss had suffered so much in this journey, we need to bring her to a physician quickly." Xihuan Shui begged the soldier as he looked really worried for Huan Mingyun's sake, he secretly gave a pouch containing silver coins to the soldiers to bribe him. "Here, take this as my thanks for your benevolence."

Looking at the pouch of silver coins, the soldier smiled happily at Xihuan Shui as he kept the coins.

"We won't make it hard on you then, journeying to the Capital sure is tiring I hope that you will enjoy your stay here." The soldier said as he signed to the soldiers behind him to let the horse carriage pass through.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Xihuan Shui cup his fist to the soldier as he thanked him. He then motioned to the horse carriage behind him to start.

"Did you not find anyone suspicious at all that tried to get out of the Capital?" Just then, a middle aged man on horse back arrived at the scene at the same time the horse carriage that Huan Mingyun is in was allowed to go. He surveyed the people getting in and out of the Capital strictly.

"Answering to General, no such people had been sighted coming out of the Capital yet." The foot soldier that was one of the soldiers that was tasked to catch any suspicious person going out of the Capital said, he was also the soldier that Xihuan Shui bribed.

"Looks like those people didn't fell on my trap, where could they be hiding?" The middle aged General mumbled as he look at the people in line in hopes of going out of the Capital, a few hours later the Capital would be in a lock down. No matter where Lanling King and his subordinates hide he will surely catch those rats!

"B-Blood!" One of the foot soldiers yelled when he saw a trickle of blood in the ground, his shout quickly alerted the soldiers around and the General who was lost in his own thoughts.

"Stop every carriages and search all of them! Lanling King should be hiding inside one of them!" The General quickly ordered his subordinates to stop every carriage, he thought that Lanling King would surely not walk on foot since he was escaping with a deeply injured prisoner so he must be hiding inside those carriages!

Among the carriages that was stop was the horse carriage of Huan Mingyun, if only the General arrived later then they would have already escaped.

"Where did the trail of blood came from?" The General asked one of the soldiers.

"Answering General, the trail of blood seemed to be coming from that horse carriage." The soldier who was the one who discovered the trail of blood quickly answered the General, he pointed the horse carriage of Huan Mingyun.

Hearing this, the soldier who had received the bribe from Xihuan Shui shuddered nervously as his General's cold eyes landed on him.

"Didn't I already ordered that every horse carriages that goes in and out of the Capital must be checked, did you even properly check those carriages?!" The General lashed out to the soldier.

"General, please have mercy! This soldier is incompetent, I really did check all the carriages going in and out the Capital and that horse carriage really contained only a young lady of one of the noble family." The soldier drop to his knees in the speed of lightning in fear that his head might fly if he were a step late, he then quickly lied through his teeth and answered his General with lies that had half truths on them. That horse carriage really only contained a young lady as Xihuan Shui told him earlier and judging from the intricate style of the horse carriage it must be from a noble family, connecting the dots together the soldier thoroughly lied to his superior.

"Then, if that horse carriage really contained a young lady from a noble family where did the blood came?" The soldier shuddered also having no idea why, is she having her period then? Idiot! "Incompetent! Search that horse carriage for me!"

"Yes!" Soldiers quickly surrounded Huan Mingyun's carriage, the General on horse back got off his horse and walk towards the carriage.

"Sirs, why are you doing this to us? We are honest citizens of this country and had just returned from the Capital today, just by that trail of blood it could not possibly come from those Qi b*stards that you had been searching." Xihuan Shui tried to explain but the General only coldly stared at him.

"Search the carriage!" The General coldly ordered.

"Yes!"

"Sir, you can't possibly do this!" Xihuan Shui yelled.

The General smirked at the old man thinking that finally he will be able to catch Lanling King, he also thought that maybe since the gates were tightly guarded Lanling King and his subordinates went back to the Capital instead of going out. They rode one of their allies carriages to safely bring them in again, but looking at the old man yelling himself hoarse the General could not help but feel that his a little familiar.

The crowd outside the carriage was a mess, soldiers outside the carriage surrounded the carriage in all corners. One of the soldiers was about to open the door of the carriage when suddenly a tired but crisp clear voice of a woman sounded inside the carriage, her voice was neither loud or low just enough for the people outside the carriage to hear her voice.

"Uncle, are we already home?" A tired voice of a woman sounded inside the carriage, her voice was so soft that one would thought that the woman speaking had only a breath left.

"Young Miss!" Xihuan Shui who was being held back by the soldiers gathered his strength to push the soldiers holding him, in an exaggerated manner, he ran towards the carriage almost scrambling. "Miss!" Xihuan Shui pushed the soldier who tried to open the door aside, he then slowly opened the door afraid to see what was happening inside. His face immediately paled when he saw Huan Mingyun.

"Uncle, a-are we home?" Huan Mingyun who was drenched in blood tiredly look up at Xihuan Shui, her blood on her white dress looked like a red flower on full blossom.

"Miss! Forgive this old man for being incompetent, please hold on miss I will get us out of here immediately and bring you to a physician!" Xihuan Shui cried as he scrambled his way towards the General and pulled out a token from his sleeves, the token was made of jade and a big "Huan" was carefully carved on the jade. "Let us through or else I would have all your head on a single platter if something were to happen to our young miss!"

The General who saw the token and the woman inside the carriage also paled at the sight of her, now he knows why the old man looked really familiar. The old man was the steward of Princess Hua!

He had heard from his superior, Yuwen Yong that Princess Hua went missing four days ago and her status was still unknown. But now the missing princess was here in front of him drench in fresh blood, the situation of the princess was really urgent and needs a physician urgently but he instead block the way. If his superior were to know then his head will surely fly!

"Don't block their way, let them pass!" The General quickly ordered as he turned panicky.

"You better pray to the Deity above that nothing happens to our young miss or else..." Xihuan Shui ominously said as he quickly rode the carriage away.

"General, don't we need to check the carriage?" One of the soldiers behind him asked.

"Check my a**! Do you want our heads to fly?! Those people are not to be offended! Just do your job well and nothing else!" The General reprimanded as he quickly rode his horse and to the Prince's Manor, he must quickly report that Princess Hua is finally back!

The horse carriage that was the talk of the soldiers stop at a certain inn, four people went out of the carriage. They were Huan Mingyun and the three fugitives that are wanted.

"Lanling King, wasn't I right. We met again."