"What's the plan?"

Qiang An had taken her to a place underneath one of the palace walls where the trees would hide them from the guards patrolling above for a breather after narrowly avoiding guards that came too close to them. "I've prepared horses for you to leave the city on- I don't think I'll be able to help you much beyond the palace walls." he turned around to face her "I'll likely never be able to talk to you again after you leave. You'll be alright, right?"

"We'll be fine. How will we get Yu Qi and the children out-?"

"I think we'll be able to force our way out if we get a distraction," He answered, pointing somewhere to Jin Qing's left "The emperor and some generals that stayed behind is convening over there,  so that'll be the most dangerous area to be and we should probably avoid it. There are firecrackers in storage that we can set off to get their attention elsewhere- but it's risky. I wanted to try something similar with them as I did for you-"

Jin qing had a better idea. "No- wait. I can get you the distraction you need. Where are we meeting?"

"What? The firecrackers or the gunpowder won't work if you're thinking of an explosion-"

"Oh, no. That definitely will not work since it's very simultaneous and will only get the attention of the people there. Just look for the signal and that's when you should break them out."

"What's the signal?"

"You'll know it when you see it."

"Then what are you planning? I'll be behind you all the way."

 A thin smile spread across Jin Qing's face "I'm thinking that we play with some fire."

<>

The most dangerous place is almost always the safest place in disguise, and Jin qing knew exactly where her target was if she wanted to create both a distraction and a delay just in case Qiang An does betray her. 

How convenient is it that Tian Xiang and some very important people are all in one room tonight?
wouldn't it be a shame if the building they were in was to... mysteriously catch aflame?
A building fit for an emperor must be lavishly decorated with silks, gold, intense, and many, many candles to light up the place.
it'll be a shame if those things were to be fuel for a hungry beast named fire?

Jin qing loved playing with fire, and it'll be a nice twist that the very thing that leads to her being caught would be the thing that would help her escape. 

Using her basic knowledge of the palace from the time she spent wandering around, she managed to locate the kitchens and find a box of matches along with jars of oil. It'll be impossible for her to carry the big jugs around, but she didn't need that much. the stook a long bolt of cloth and dipped it in the oil, straining it so it was damp but not completely wet. She tied it up with more string and put it on the table. A bottle filled with oil was filled up quickly and she tied that to her belt. 
It should be enough to light a reasonably sized fire. 

Just in case they haven't been feeding Yu qi and the children enough, she grabbed some steamed buns from the pot and wrapped it up before running out. They'll need the strength from the food to be on the run- besides, who knows when will it be the next time they'll be able to eat properly while being wanted criminals? She and Yu qi might be able to handle going without food for a few days and still stay strong, but she was worried about the children and how well they were going to do. 

So many questions- so few answers and so little time to think about them. 
it'll be a gamble.
and It'll be all worth it. 

Jin qing hurried back, climbing up trees and scaling the walls to get onto the roof of the building. A few times she almost lost her footing but she managed to regain them quickly lest she slips and falls to her death. 

If it wasn't for the urgency of the situation, she would have stood on the rooftop and admired the view. It wasn't every day you get to see nearly the entirety of the royal palace at night. The sky was dark and dotted with stars... a sky that will soon be washed red. 

Immediately, she unrolled the oil-soaked cloth and let it fall down to the balcony of the floor below her. From the rooftop, she started to make a trail using the oil in the bottle from the end of the cloth on the flow below her to something more flammable- like a door with a paper screen. She splashed the rest of it on the floor below that and dropped down to see what else she can use to burn. 

The fire didn't need to be big from the start- but it definitely needed to be able to sustain itself. 

No one saw her as she walked around the perimeter of the top floor. She would occasionally open a few doors and set the candles on the floor, but as soon as the fire was lit, she'll just have to hope the oil and the elaborate decorations of a palace like this would be enough to fuel the beginning stages of the fire. 

Even the weather seemed to be on her side tonight. The wind wasn't blowing hard enough to snuff the flames out but it was just enough to help spread the fire, and the fact that it hasn't rained had helped her set fire to the fields and it will help her set fire to the palace. 

Tian Xiang had a good grasp on the fire in the fields... I wonder how good his fire-fighting preparedness is?

Jin Qing struck a bundle of matches, kicked a few candles to the floor for good measure, and dropped the ball of flame onto the oil. 

The fire burned immediately, and Jin qing tossed on some curtains and stray pieces of furniture to get it to grow and travel around the insides of the building. The heat of the fire made her face unbearably hot, but she had a smile on her face as she scrambled away before her clothes caught aflame. By the time she had traveled to a safe distance toward the cell, the top floor was completely ablaze and the floor beneath it was quickly being consumed. 

this is why being wealthy is such a terrible thing. It's so incredibly easy to set something on fire.

Already, she can hear the people below her panicking at the sight of the growing fire, but she can only hope that Qiang An had already managed- or is in the successful process of- breaking Yu qi and the siblings out from their cell. 

She hurried to the area where Qiang an had arranged a meeting, finding two horses that are already saddled and ready to leave. To her delight, there was even some food packaged and hanging from a bag from one of the horses. That'll come in handy once they're on the run. 

There wasn't much time left, but thankfully Qiang An appeared with Yu qi and the children in tow. They didn't look too hurt either- a little pale, perhaps, but they showed no signs of being a mistreated prisoner. 

"oh- thank goodness you're alright-" Jin qing rushed over to Yu Qi, pulling her in a tight hug "Thank goodness all of you are alright."

"don't worry about us- we weren't in there for very long- thanks to you and Qiang an." Yu qi lifted Xiao Wen up to one of the horses "Qiang An, head back to one of your stations to help with the fire lest you arise suspicion. They shouldn't know about our escape for a little longer, which will buy us an incredible amount of time."

Jin qing nodded, and helped Nian Zhen up to her horse "Hold on tight to the reins and you won't fall off. There'll be some hard riding from now on..." she turned to Qiang An "How will we get past the city walls?"

"There are four main gates around the city, but there's a tunnel big enough for you and your horses to pass through directly from the palace to the outside." Qiang An informed them "That should take you outside the city. It was built for the royal family just in case they needed to escape, but I guess we can use it now. Not too many people know about how it leads to the outside."

"Which direction would that be facing?"

"It would be facing where the Liang used to be, though it'll be very close to the Wei. It's such a dangerous area now- I truly don't suggest leaving the Song until-"

Yu qi cut him off "We need to head out now. Time is of the essence. I know how to get there but we'll need to be careful not to run into the crowds that are flocking to the fire." 

Jin qing nodded and swung herself onto her horse. She looked down on Qiang An "be safe. No one needs to know that you've helped us."

"I do what I believe is right for this country." He said in such a confident way that it made Jin qing's heartache knowing that she was lying to him. "You'll have little time to leave this country Jin Qing. I'll go and warn them about you to hide my involvement."

"Do that and do that quickly- you don't deserve to be marked as a traitor, Qiang an. You are a good man with a good heart."

Qiang An saluted her. "I'll see you again some other day, Jin qing."

it was at that moment that Jin qing made a vow. If the Wei reigned victorious over the Song in this war, she would make sure the Song never suffered too harshly as a repercussion. It would be for the better of the people and the future- after all, it's oftentimes because of heavy prices of post-war that drives countries to the brink of collapse... and revenge. 

"We'll see you again, Qiang an." if you don't hate me by the next time I see you, Jin qing thought. She spurred her horse, guiding it toward the direction of freedom. "May you have a prosperous life ahead of you!"

With that, the two that should have been enemies parted ways on good terms, and into the dark they went. 

Hey!
I'm not dead!
Sorry, I didn't update in the month of November, but I thought updating on Christmas would be a nice treat?

See you all sometime in January, and thank you for waiting this long and sticking around :D