Not that it was any concern of his, since she was already married. And living well away from the Duchy. And he had already made arrangements, every year, that would have him inspecting his troops out in the wilderness, every time that she came to pay a visit.Yet, who could have known that she would get into this much trouble this time?!
The Ducal Heir sighed to himself, before he steeled his expression again. And glanced at the rider that had appeared before him. He had not noticed when his escort had arrived, but that was something that they were supposed to do, so he wasn"t really bothered by it.
The one that he looked at nodded back at him, in a somewhat obsequious manner. That irritated Li Changtian slightly. Like his father, he preferred straightforward people who didn"t hide behind over-polite manners and such. Well, those who served him would figure that out for themselves, he thought.
The message that he received, however, was a welcome one. Which probably accounted for why he was suddenly feeling so indulgent towards his people. And his sister.
So he simply turned his horse about, and started back for the camp.
Now that things have been set into motion, there was hardly any need to keep such a close eye on her. He would leave a pair of his personal guards to watch over her and escort, and get them back on the proper trail that would lead them towards the Capital quickly.
By the time that Li Changtian returned to his sister"s carriage, the sun had already been up for a while. And the soldiers that had been accompanying her had already broken camp, and were ready to move. The men who had arrived together with him did not look too impressed though, and he overheard a few rather nasty comments about the quality of those men, when he slipped back. Those were silenced immediately, the moment that he was spotted however.
The Ducal Heir paid that no mind. He had no issues with the quality of his Protectors, and to be fair, the soldiers that the Zhao Family had set to look after his older sister were rather deplorable. No doubt, the elders from the same were expecting Zhou Jinhu to keep them all in line. And to advise Li Xiuxian.
Unfortunate, therefore, that he was the one who had been taken prisoner!
Not that it mattered. His people had already tossed out the relevant information with regards to where Zhou Jinhu was incarcerated, and the quality of the guards that had been set over him. That should be enough information to prompt those who were working for the Zhao Family to make an attempt to rescue the idiot.
Once he was out of the Duchy, and his stepmother"s hands, there would be no evidence to tie the Zhao Family to this attempt on his younger half-brother"s life. If his father cared to present matters that way, that is. As far as Li Changtian was concerned, it would be for the best.
After all, the King was still in relatively good health, and he had raised none of his sons to the position of Crown Prince as yet. So it would be far to early to start any trouble at the Royal Court. At least, not in a manner that would be too eye-catching.
So he should just head back to the Barbarian Invasion in the West. He had received reports that were a little out of the ordinary, including the ones from his younger brother, so he would have to take certain steps there. In any case, that should keep him occupied, and in such a high profile manner that no one could mistake him for being somewhere else.
Which was just how he liked it!
His sister, Li Xiuxian, on the other hand, was upset that he was no longer going to accompany her. Which, given the way that she had always believed that the whole world revolved around her, was not that much of a surprise to the Ducal Prince.
"But ...? Why ...? Aren"t you going to see me to where I am going? I thought you were here to bring me back to the Ducal Palace, in Yanyun. Are you just going to abandon me here?"
The Ducal Heir gave his pouting sister his usual comforting smile, which had never failed to work. "I am still attached to the forces that are supposed to be handling the Barbarian Invasion, remember? You might say that I am violating military orders, to have come all the way here to make certain that you are safe, and heading back in the right direction. What you do think Father will do to me, if I were show up back at the Palace with you in tow?
"You don"t want me to get into trouble, now do you, Elder Sister?"
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Li Xiuxian pouted at that. No doubt because she had come to the conclusion that he was not going to give in to her. She had always been like that, whenever she could not get her way. But Li Changtian had always been quick to find something to distract her.
Or, in this case, something to sufficiently frighten her such that she would simply obey his instructions without further questions:
"Besides, what do you think will be waiting for you, if you head back to father"s Palace? Don"t forget that he would have a day or two to work on your Zhou Jinhu. Do you thing your Little Tiger would be able to keep his mouth shut? He would probably have spilled everything already, don"t you think?"
He noted how she paled at his words, and reached out to pat her on her arm, in what could be seen as a brotherly, comforting fashion. "I think it would be best if you head back home to your husband, and give him ... some sort of warning about what the Zhao Family is likely to face, when father gets the full story. I think he"s likely to send a small contingent of guards to the Capital, at least, to get an explanation, hmmm?"
As expected, Li Xiuxian"s eyes filled with tears at the thought of that. And the Ducal Prince happily spent the next hour or so consoling her, while the rest of her people made ready for their long march home. Under the command of his own personal guards, of course. They would make certain that there would be no delays!
It could be said that Li Changtian was more than happy to pander to his sister"s insecurities, so long as it achieved his ends!
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