"Miss? Where are you going?"

"Since the emperor doesn't want to do anything about his brother getting sent to his death, I'm going to do something." Jin qing answered, throwing open her closet doors to take out simpler robes for easy travel. She needed to leave quickly. She knew that Xi jian wouldn't let her leave so she must go as soon as possible before it became impossible.

"But miss! Your injuries aren't fully healed! It would be far too dangerous, even for you!" Ye bing pointed out, grabbing onto her miss' hand.

Jin qing shook her maid's hand off and quickly took off her heavy garments and jewelry. "My wounds will heal eventually, but you cannot bring a dead man back to life no matter what you do. Bai yan, I want you to go outside and see if there are any guards approaching. Quickly- Xi jian would not let me go as easily as I'd like him to."

"Bai yan!" Ye bing stared at the maid who had stood up and began to hurry out the door. How can she be so inconsiderate? It may be a direct order from their miss, but this is something than will pit their miss' life at even more of a risk than it has ever been!

"Ye bing, our miss has a point." Bai yan answered back "I'll come back as soon as I can. Miss- you should pack lightly!"

"Ye bing, please." Jin qing looked up for a brief moment as Bai yan hurried away "Let me do this. Shang ye is heading straight into a trap. Xi jian doesn't know who he can trust and has clearly spoken of too many things that should have stayed hidden. I need you to head to the stables and prepare three horses and bring it out to the side entrance in exactly ten minutes."

"But Miss-"

"Do it!" Jin qing rose her voice as she grew more and more impatient.

Ye bing gulped. She could tell her miss wasn't messing around anymore and her temper shouldn't be tested. She spun around on her heel and ran to do what her miss had told her to do.

As soon as Ye bing left, Jin qing was done changing into a simpler blue dress like the ones she would wear before her identity was revealed. She didn't have time to celebrate as she can finally move around more freely, but she reached underneath her bed to take out the sword she had gotten from that Liang assassin and a polished wooden box.

Jin qing knelt down and carefully opened the box, lifting up the jewels on top along with the soft cushion that it was resting on to reveal a fine, sheathed silver dagger.

With shaking hands, Jin qing looped a piece of leather on the hole on the top and hid it underneath the folds of her skirt. She grabbed a cloak and put it on, putting the sword on the buckle around her waist.

She needs to leave. She had already wasted too much time, but she still needed to do one more thing-

Grabbing a map of the Wei resting on her desk and a brush, she quickly marked off an area and hastily wrote something on a separate sheet of paper, and tied it up with a piece of string when she was done.

Bai yan came running back in as soon as Jin qing folded up the map "Miss! I saw guards heading this way. They would be at the front entrance any minute now! I came back as soon as I could but im worried they might have seen me-"

"We need to go to the back exit, quick!" Jin qing hissed, grabbing Bai yan's hand and dragged her toward the back where a smaller entrance led out a long stone pathway. Jin qing and her maid ran along the deserted path and toward the side exit where Ye bing would be waiting. "As soon as I leave, I need you two to go somewhere and hide until I get back."

"But why?" Bai yan asked, out of breath at the speed of they were running.

The moon was rising and the only light that was provided was being blocked by the number of trees that lined the path, and in the dim light Jin qing reached into her robes and pulled out the two pieces of paper. 

"Xi jian would most likely never forgive you two for assisting my escape. I marked off an area on this map- It is a safe place for you to go. It's perhaps the safest place in the entire country right now. When you get there, I have written a letter explaining why you two are there. The people there will accept you and hide you."

"Where? Where are we going?"

"You two will flee to the countryside home I stayed at as a child. They will keep you safe here until I send word that it is safe for you to return. I do not know how much of a temper Xi jian has but I know it won't be something you two want to witness."

They had arrived at the side and lesser-used entrance. This exit is the closest one to exit the city if she rides fast enough. Jin qing hurried to her horse and got on. "I already told Bai yan what's going on. Let's go! I cannot leave you two behind to face Xi jian's wrath when I am gone."

Ye bing got on the horse just as her miss had told her. Bai yan followed quickly, and as soon as she was settled on her horse, Jin qing started her horse and began to ride.

They rode through the deserted streets of the poorer parts of the city, some of the few homeless people looking up when they heard the pounding of the hooves of three horses riding at full speed. Jin qing was making a silent route in her head, figuring out the quickest way out of the city before the guards at the city walls find out she wasn't supposed to leave.

A few minutes later she and her maids approached the city walls, and Jin qing drew in a deep breath in ready t be questioned.

"Lady Xue xian!" A guard stepped down from his post to greet her. "What are you doing out here so late?"

Jin qing breathed a mental sigh of relief. it seems like word traveled slower than she had feared. "I'm on an urgent mission for the Wei, let me pass."

"Ah- of course!"

The city gates opened for her and with a little nod to the solider as thanks, Jin qing and her maids rode out into the night.

<><><>

Jin qing rode with her maids and out into the plains for a while until the great capital of the Wei had nearly disappeared. "If you ride to the east from here, you should be able to start seeing some trees. Ride along the border of the woods toward north until you see an abandoned house. Stay there for the night if you want, but you may keep on riding until you reach your destination- your path on the map starts from there anyways."

"Miss, would you be alright?" Ye bing asked. "Your injuries aren't' fully healed and you may not be able to hold it in a fight."

"Don't underestimate me."

"Miss, please don't overestimate your self."

Jin qing paused.

"You can't do everything in the universe. Please, be careful."

"I know." Jin qing answered her  "But you two girls hurry. Xi Jian must have known about our escape by now and would have sent men after us. Go! And be careful!"

Her two maids nodded and rode off in the opposite direction as Jin qing rode further north.

<><><>

Xi Jian was furious even though he had known Jin qing would try to leave anyway.
Why couldn't she just understand that he was trying to keep her safe? The Song general clearly wanted her head but then there she is, heading straight toward enemy territory alone.

Her maids are nowhere to be found, which must have meant that they had gone with the Xue xian.

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He should have known. He should have known that the Xue xian was going to try her hardest to leave and warn his brother.

Clearly her own safety and the good of the kingdom aren't on her mind as long as his brother was in danger and alive.

Xi Jian needed her right now. He may be able to keep the country from collapsing but their chance of winning any battles will decrease without the strategic genius of the Xue xian.

"You don't deserve to be called emperor."

She was right, and Xi Jian hated it.

Perhaps... perhaps he didn't need the Xue xian. The Xue Xian was only holding his potential back because he's relying on her too much. 

And then when he proves that he is just as capable as her and is able to run a kingdom without her help. 

He had just stood up when Huan le came walking into his room. 

"Huan le- what brings you here?"

"Nothing. I just saw the commotion outside..." Huan le trailed off, her eyes growing distant for a brief moment, the looked back up. "did something happen?"

"Remember how I told you that Shang ye is going on his military campaign?"

"Yes, I do." Huan le nodded. "Did something happen to him?"

"The Xue xian is convinced that he's falling into a trap- can you imagine? And now she's heading his way to warn him despite the dangerous conditions." Xi Jian sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That woman- she thinks she can do whatever she wants without thinking of the consequence."

"And so I assume the people outside are trying to find her? I'll say it's no use. I know my own sister well enough to know that she would be long gone by now- we can't do much except to hope that's she's safe."

Xi Jian stared at the woman in front of him "You think that's the best course of action?"

"Perhaps not the best... But we need to put our faith into Jin qing and believe her instincts- what if she's right? What if Shang ye is really heading into a trap? And besides..." Huan le stepped closer to the emperor with a smile on her face "I know how badly you want to prove yourself to her. If she's wrong about the trap, you can use that against her, saying how she is finally wrong. Is it such a good idea to go after her?"

Xi jian smiled and patted Huan le's shoulder "You're right- but I'm still going to try and retrieve her. she doesn't know how dangerous it is to go out at this time of war. It has happened to her once and I would not like it to happen again."