Assassin (4)
Given that the Capital was the most popular city, people came there from all over the world so fire incidents happened frequently.
Even though there were many houses with water supply, special wells were constructed so that their water could be used to put out fires at such times.
After people saw that the stalls were caught in fire, they immediately gathered together and ran towards the well to get water to fight the fire.
Although a fire caused by lanterns wasn’t a major fire catastrophe, but the road was blocked after the carriage hit the stall, no one was able to put out the fire right away. Even the guards who were following Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang were unable to react for a moment and without proper guidance the scenes became very chaotic.
No matter how powerful the Imperial Guards were, they didn’t have wings. In addition to that, there were too many people at the Lantern Festival, and the streets were so cramped that it was impossible for even a daoist immortal to get through. The commander of the Imperial Guards could only watch as Prince An and Princess An’s figures got blocked by the crowd. When the Imperial Guards finally rushed over, they didn’t find any signs of Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang.
[TL Notes: Daoist immortal:- in Chinese Daoism, an immortal who has achieved divinity through devotion to Daoist practices and teachings.]
The Imperial Guards were petrified and started to have suspicions about the disappearance of Prince An and Princess An.
If Mu Mingtang were to know about the doubts the Imperial Guards had about them, she would have definitely blown up and shouted at them that they were being wrongly accused. They had really just come out to merely enjoy the Lantern Festival, they had no hidden intentions and also don’t have any hand in this fire incident.
When Mu Mingtang and Xie Xuanchen saw that the carriage which passed by them had hit the roadside stall, they knew that the situation would turn very chaotic. However, before they could take any action, the lanterns suddenly caught fire and people started to run out. Even the chestnut stall owner saw that the situation was turning for the worse, and hurriedly shouted: “There is a fire! Run!”
And since the crowd was running mindlessly, Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang unknowingly got separated from the Imperial Guards.
When they finally arrived at a more spacious place, they had already entered another street. The chestnut stall owner was also with them, wiping the sweat on his forehead, he gave a sigh of relief: “Fortunately, I ran out, and luckily it was just a false alarm.”
Then he looked towards Mu Mingtang and Xie Xuanchen and said: “If you don’t die this time, you will have good luck. People who survive from catastrophe are bound to have bright futures. I saw that Young Lord and the Lady originally wanted to buy chestnuts, but suddenly that fire incident happened. Unexpectedly, I met you two here, I really have a fate with Young Lord and the Lady. Since fate has brought us together, I will sell the chestnuts to Young Lord at 30% cheaper than the original price.”
Xie Xuanchen looked at the vendor with an inexplicable smile, while Mu Mingtang sighed: ‘How can I be so naive? It seems like the assassins have been keeping their eyes on us for a long time.’
After all, Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang had directly come from the palace, and anyone who saw them leave could easily guess that they were quite rich and belonged to the royal family.
However, the truth was more cruel than what she thought. When those assassins realised that Xie Xuanchen, who had left the city tower followed by many guards, was in fact a member of the royal family and that his identity was not disposable, they decided to carry out their plan.
However, they didn’t know that they had got the wrong impression of Xie Xuanchen because of his handsome and innocent appearance. It was in reality the assassins who separated guards away from Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang.
Mu Mingtang actually started to feel pity for the vendor in front of her. Did they really think that the guards were around to protect Xie Xuanchen and her?
Then they had better not think so, because in fact those assassins were the ones who needed the protection of guards. Guards who could protect them from Xie Xuanchen.