Yu Qi descended down the stairs of the prison that held the prince of Wei.

Wu Xin had given her a task, and just like all the years before, she will not fail her.

She had already set fire to a building in the palace to create a distraction, and the keys to their cells were already in her pockets. Walking in the dark, she approached the Prince who was already waiting for her.

"I've been waiting. Is it finally time?" Shang Ye asked.

Yu Qi took out the keys and opened the heavy iron lock. "Come, quickly. I'll take you somewhere and you'll wait there as I gather the men that I can release."

Shang Ye nodded. He knew that they wouldn't be able to save all of the captured soldiers as many of them have already died in captivity. Yu Qi wouldn't tell him why or how they died, but she had assured him several times that none of them spoke under interrogation. "Is Jin qing alright?"

Yu Qi was still getting used to people calling the crown princess Jin qing but nodded. "She's fine. We can't waste any time..." she unlocked the cuffs on his wrist, letting it fall with a sharp clang. "Come, hurry. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to assist you."

"You've already done more than enough." Shang Ye nodded and followed her out the stairs.
He can still see orange hue the fire painted in the dark sky and correctly guessed what was going on in that direction.

"Go in the opposite direction of the fire, following this path." Yu Qi pointed and started to walk back. "You'll see a fleet of horses waiting in a garden by the wall. I didn't have the time to saddle most of them. I'll go free your remaining men... there isn't much left, unfortunately. I'll see you soon!"

She turned around on her heel and sprinted toward the direction of the other prisons. She was a trained bodyguard to the royal family so she was granted the luxury of wearing the light garments that she knew Wu Xin has always longed to wear.

Yu Qi can see the servants and guards of the palace rushing to tame the raging fire and silently thanked her late father who had taught her how to use fire as a controlled weapon. The fire had brought her some precious time, but it wouldn't go on forever. She needed to get the Wei soldiers and their prince out before the fire was put out.

The men looked up when they heard her footsteps crushing the hay on the floor. They all knew it was time and stood up, waiting patiently for her to unlock all their cells. Out of the seventy-five that had been captured, only forty was left after a total of two weeks of staying in the Song.

Yu Qi placed her keys back into her pocket after releasing all of them. She grabbed a lantern off the walls and began to run up the stairs. "Quickly! We mustn't dawdle. I'll take you all through a shortcut through the side gardens, but you all will have to move quickly. Hurry."

The men followed her faithfully. They had grown to put some trust into this woman after her repeated signs of kindness all as a favor to the Xue Xian.

However, this trip wasn't all smooth sailing as Yu Qi had hoped. They soon came across three guards that were in front of the gates to the shortcut.

One stared at Yu Qi and the people behind her in confusion. "Commander Yu Qi? What are you-" the man didn't get to finish his sentence as she had drawn two short daggers and had impaled one neatly in his chest.

His blood blossomed but no hesitance was shown from Yu Qi. Her attention was turned to the other two and swung her arm, cutting both of them down as her blade met the soft skin of their neck.

This was the way of a Liang assassin.

She put her knives back and opened the gates, gesturing to the stunned men to follow her. She knew that she'll have to cut up their body even more so it would look like the Wei soldiers got past them on pure force.
But her main attention was to get them to Shang Ye first.

Shang Ye was waiting for them, the fleet of horses waiting impatiently. "How long do we have?" He asked.

"I'm not sure." Yu Qi admitted. "I cannot help you once you leave the palace walls. Head east toward the river boarding the Liang and the Song. I have arranged a fisherman to ferry you across. I trust that you know how to get back to the Wei from there?"

Shang Ye can tell why she chose to send them toward the Liang. Once the Song find out they had escaped, they would assume they would take the quickest path back into the Wei. The Liang is dangerous, but from memory, he can recall a forest that stretched across the Liang, the Song, and the Wei.
"It'll be dangerous and it'll be a detour, but it would be fine."

"The Xue Xian has great faith in your abilities." Yu Qi said truthfully. "Get back safely."

Shang Ye nodded. "I am in no position to ask you this, but keep the Xue xian safe... and get her back into the Wei as soon as possible."

"I'll do my best." Yu Qi patted the horse's side. "Now get going! I don't know how much time you have left. Stay safe!"

<><><><><>

Jin Qing didn't need to be told by Yu Qi or anyone else for her to know that Shang Ye and the others had made it out safely. The moment she saw the people outside racing around with water buckets and shouting, she knew that Shang Ye and his men were on their way home.

Her tense shoulders relaxed and she carefully leaned back against the stone walls with a soft smile on her face. Now that's one thing she didn't have to worry about. It's also one less weapon Shen Feng can use against her.

To her, anything that can give Shen Feng a disadvantage is considered a gift.

Now that one thing was finally off her mind, she can finally start figuring out a way to smuggle herself and Yu Qi out of the city safely.

Was such a thing even going to be possible? Forget even escaping this place, what was going to be the consequences?

She knew that Shen Feng was going to do everything in his ability to stop her from getting back into the Wei. After all, she was the only thing stopping him from conquering the Wei and Liang.

After all... she had something he lacked.

Patience.

His mother had that trait. His mother waited five years to get what she wants. His mother waited three years to use her as a weapon of fear against the world.

But he failed to inherit or learn the one thing that would have made him unstoppable.

Jin qing had learned to use this against him in the past, but she now knew not to underestimate him and finish him off the second she got the chance.

Staring up at the low stone ceiling, she couldn't help but remember something the old General she had called father for many years- the same old man she had grown to respect in the countryside.
He had said that while Shen Feng lacked patience, Jin Qing would let her own emotions and beliefs get in the way of better judgment.

Jin qing knew precisely what he meant but still failed to correct it.

It had been around a week since Tian Xiang had visited her. Shen Feng has stopped seeing her for around three or four days.

This worried her.

For all she knew, they could be attacking the Wei. She knew that of the five generals the Wei has, three of them are seasoned veterans that she deemed competent. The other two are much younger but enthusiastic to follow in their predecessors' footsteps.

But for the time being, Jin qing couldn't do anything but wait. Unlike the Wei palace, she had no idea what the Song palace was like. It would be a challenge for her to even get out of her cell, much less exit the palace and into the city or countryside where it would be more difficult to find them.

All she can do now is enjoy the few days of peace and wait for Yu Qi to update her on what has been going on.

Jin qing picked at the hay that made up her bed and continued to braid a few loose strands. This has become a strange habit for her, making rope out of anything she could find around her.
You never know when you might need it. Besides, it proved quite useful to her when she needed something to cure her boredom.

Can you imagine? Being bored in such a dangerous situation? The irony amused Jin Qing, but it was also very unsettling. Almost like the calm before the storm.

Taking in a deep breath, Jin qing tried to review to herself on the information she had already gathered based on the short amount of times she was dragged from and to this little cell and the outside world.

Guards change every three times a day. Once during sunrise, once more while she is gone, and the last time at midnight.

She could use that to her advantage, but it won't do her any good if she can't get out of the cell in the first place.
Then there is the constant looming threat of her identity getting exposed...

But anything was better than staying in here and being anywhere near that man.

Jin qing desperately ran through the different possibilities of her escape, but none of them possible.
This frustrated her beyond belief.
As someone who was always trusted with the creation of some kind of plan, not having one was so frustrating to her. All she was doing now was wasting her time, sitting around in idleness compared to the productivity she would have if she had a plan.

She needed more information. She needed to know about the advantages and the disadvantages she has. She needs Yu Qi to tell her about the things that are happening outside. But Jin qing didn't want her childhood friend to risk her life by visiting her too often. Information will never be as expensive as human life, no matter how important it is.

What should she do?