The Untamed Princess

Chapter Eight: The Unwelcome Intrusion

Li Ming Yue sat on a horse, holding the reins lightly.  She was surprised that the prince, after checking to make sure she had sufficiently recovered from her injuries, had asked her if she would prefer to ride on the journey back.  She supposed she should really have said no, but she suspected that he knew she was able to ride in any event, and the offer was simply too tempting to refuse.

Ming Yue loved horses, and she had named this one Xun, because she had the feeling that if she gave him free rein, he would be very fast indeed.  He had a beautiful chestnut coat and warm eyes and, as she touched his neck, she sent a wave of positive emotions towards him.  He nickered softly in response.

As she was riding, that left only Eunuch Wang in one of the two carriages they had borrowed from the new governor, but Ming Yue suspected he didn't mind that at all, although thinking about it made her remember Bai Mi, and she felt a pang of sorrow.  The other carriage was transporting the former governor of the province. Zhao Weisheng had decided that he should go before the Hall of Justice on their return to the capital to face punishment, to show the people that such behaviour would be dealt with in the most public way.  The prince had spared his family, honestly believing they had nothing to do with the man's corrupt actions, although they had been moved out of the governor's mansion and into a smaller property on the outskirts of town, to avoid public outcry.

The new governor was one of the province's junior officials who Weisheng had come to know in the aftermath of the unmasking of the crime.  While he was still relatively young for an official, in their brief interactions the prince had been impressed with the man's presence of mind and good judgment, and he was popular with the townsfolk.  Like the prince, Ming Yue was confident there would be no more problems with the relief aid distribution and, under the new governor's supervision, the rebuilding of the flood-damaged areas was now well under way.

Just ahead of Ming Yue rode the prince and Luo Jian, deep in conversation although, as usual, Weisheng was doing most of the talking.  Now that they had resolved the issue of the missing relief aid, they were able to move on to considering a different, but no less troubling, matter.  The attack on their group on the journey north.

They had decided to take a different route back, to avoid misfortune. It was longer, extending their travelling time by a day, but it was safer, covering more open ground and with more merchants also travelling the same road.  As an extra precaution, they had told no one of their change of plan, just in case the attack had been something more than a random, opportunistic raid by a band of local thugs, which was exactly what the prince and Luo Jian were now discussing.

"They seemed too disorganised to be part of a calculated assassination attempt, and their martial arts skills were not on a par with our men's" said Luo Jian.  "But I don't believe they simply happened to come across us. I would say they were lying in wait."

Zhao Weisheng nodded.

"I agree," he said.  "All things considered, I'm inclined to believe that they had accomplices earlier on the trail who saw us pass, sensed an opportunity, and then sent a message to their fellow gang members up ahead.  Perhaps at the inn where we rested the night before."

"Most likely."  Luo Jian acknowledged the possibility.

"Still," Weisheng responded.  "We cannot afford to let our guard down."

Luo Jian agreed readily.

"When we return to the palace, I will arrange for more guards to be stationed around your mansion."

Weisheng raised an eyebrow.

"Is that really necessary?"

"Your Highness," Luo Jian began, "I will follow your commands at virtually all times, but not when it comes to your personal safety.  Please don't argue.  I will not back down."