Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 66

It wasn't Jin qing or Yu qi's first time sneaking out, but having two children along... well, it didn't make the difficult situation any easier. Having a horse was good enough, though Jin qing had to continually make sure they weren't riding at a speed that would be too rough. 

Yu qi made traversing through the palace easy and took them on paths away from the main roads. It didn't save them any time, but it was worth being stealthier to avoid anyone seeing them.

Nian Zhen curled up in front of Jin qing, gripping onto the horse's mane for dear life, and struggled not to fall off. Xiao wen was having an even more difficult time, but Yu qi had wrapped a scarf around their waist to secure his small body to herself to stop him from slipping. 

Just as Qiang an had described, they found a tunnel just tall enough for them to pass through the palace walls and into the dark underground. The tunnel hadn't been used in ages and was musty from the water dripping down from the stone above them, filling the atmosphere with a foul, suffocating air that made it difficult to breathe. 

Jin qing didn't dare make an extra sound until they exited the city through the opening on the other side and breathed out a sigh of relief when she finally smelled the fresh air of the outside world. She can tell everyone else was relieved too from the deep breath they all took, and couldn't help but smile. 

"We're facing the Liang now," Yu qi said, her eyes flickering over to Jin qing.  She slowed their horses to a trot to give them a little rest before the charge toward the border. "we'll have to loop around if we wish to head into the Wei. It's been years, but I doubt whatever's left of the Liang will be happy to see us."

Jin qing nodded in response, still staring off into the distance in thought. "Ride out a little so we're not in range of the Song's search parties. They must have been informed of our disappearances by now..."
She was painfully aware of how intelligent Tian Xiang was and knew that Qiang An probably didn't even need to report to him about them for him to guess what was going on. 

It'll all depend on how much he values his palace. 
Which one does he want more-- his palace, or her?

The more he prioritizes his palace and the people inside, the better. If he doesn't and goes after her with a search party, his people will blame him for the loss of property and the loss of lives. If he does the opposite... well, she'll be able to get back, scot-free. 

"Of course. I know this terrain well."

An idea sparked in Jin qing's mind. "Actually, let's not ride out too far."

"Hm?"

Jin qing turned her head to face Yu qi. "Since we're leaving this wretched place, why don't we burn some more things on the way?" She asked with a sly smile. "that emperor had already ordered an early harvest- good on him- but under such short notice im sure he hasn't gotten much done. We can still deal a devastating blow onto the food-"

Yu qi cut her off. "I understand. doing that will cost us time, we'll need to hurry."

Nian Zhen looked back from the front with a frown. "So you are burning down the fields. It'll make everyone go hungry!"

"Nian Zhen, who am I?"

"The Xue Xian of the Wei..."

Jin qing nodded. "It'll cause a massive shortage of food in the Song and leave them without provisions for the upcoming winter-- and the war. They'll be forced to buy food, but I saw on some maps in Tian Xiang's room that the Wei had cut plenty of the supply lines off. He can't fight a war if the people aren't backing him up... or if the army isn't well-fed."

"But so many people will die!"

She gritted her teeth "All so that we can end this war quickly, Nian zhen. War isn't about strength-- it's about endurance. It's in everyone's favor to end this quickly." she spurred her horse "Time is running out. We need to get a move on before Tian Xiang recovered enough of his palace to come looking for us."