The Untamed Princess

Chapter Six: The Violent Intervention

The next day, the weather was clear, and the group set out in good time.  The scout ahead had reported that the aid caravan had also started to move, and was expected to reach the provincial capital by late afternoon.  As before, all members of the party were dressed casually, disguising the status of the royal amongst them.

The scenery en route was picturesque, and Li Ming Yue had rolled up the curtains of the carriage to look at the dense forest on either side of them.  The leaves on the trees were a vivid green, and the sunlight trickled through the branches as they rustled lightly.  She breathed deeply and inhaled the fresh scent of grass and dew in the air.

The track they were on was relatively narrow and bumpy, but she didn't mind the discomfort.  Instead, she replayed last night's interaction with the prince in her mind.  She couldn't help but think about what would have happened if Luo Jian hadn't arrived at that moment.  She shook her head to stop her thoughts from wandering. "Idiot!" she muttered, under her breath.  She started to turn her head back to talk to Bai Mi, but then a movement in the trees caught her attention.

It was a shape.  No, a figure.  It was definitely a person.  And they were moving stealthily.  No person with good intentions would move through the forest in this way.  Then she spotted another, and another.  She leaned forward slightly to look out of the window at the men around her, only to see that their attention was fixed firmly on the road ahead.  She thought for a moment, then decided she had no choice but to act.

Moving forward, she jumped gracefully from the moving carriage, surprising Eunuch Wang in the process, and walked quickly on foot towards the prince and Luo Jian at the front of the group, trying not to alert their pursuers in case it prompted an attack.  Ming Yue put one hand on the prince's bridle and looked up at him.

"Don't turn around now, and you may have already noticed, but there are men in the woods, on either side of us.  At least fifteen of them I would say, and the way they are moving suggests they know martial arts.  Unless they are your men, I would think this means trouble."

Zhao Weisheng looked down at her serious expression.  He didn't ask why she had drawn this conclusion, even though he wanted to.  That was a question for another time.  Instead, he turned to Luo Jian, not doubting Ming Yue's words for an instant.

"Luo Jian, move back amongst the men.  Pretend you are instructing them where we will stop for a meal, but instead tell them quietly to move into a more defensive formation.  Tell Eunuch Wang to get the men's shields ready – they are stored in the carriage for emergencies.  I will speed up the pace gradually, and they should follow my lead."

Luo Jian nodded and turned his horse around immediately.

Ming Yue went to return to the carriage but suddenly found a strong hand circling her waist, pulling her up on to the horse.  Zhao Weisheng placed her in front of him.

"You had better stay here," he whispered.  "It may look suspicious if you go back now."

She nodded, even though she didn't really understand the man's logic.  Feeling the prince's presence against her back was disconcerting to say the least but, she reasoned, the closer she was to him the easier it would be to protect him if anything did happen.  She cursed her lack of a sword and kept a close eye on the forest to her left and right.

The prince took the reins in one hand and left the other around Ming Yue's waist in a firm hold.  If there was danger, he wanted her close to him.  Any thought of propriety was irrelevant.  He urged his horse to start moving forward again, gradually quickening the pace, and was surprised to feel the woman responding easily to the horse's movements.