Lin An heard from the maid that Xu Qian An was departing today to Chuzhou to investigate a case. Knowing that the journey ahead was extremely perilous, Princess Lin An became worried and rushed out. By the time she arrived at the dock, Xu Qian An’s ship had just set sail. Hearing Princess Lin An calling his name from the dock, Xu Qian An instructed his men to stop immediately and wait for him for fifteen minutes.
Eager to see Lin An, the ship turning back was too slow. Unable to contain his anticipation to meet the princess, Xu Qian An jumped off the ship and swam to reach her. Meanwhile, Lin An also found a small boat. Usually someone who never touches the water in springtime, she surprisingly took up an oar to row over. The two of them hurried toward each other from opposite directions and finally met at Lin An’s small boat. Xu Qian An mustered the courage to kiss her and repeated what Lin An had once said—she didn’t want to be just ordinary friends. After confessing his feelings, Xu Qian An hurried back and boarded his own ship.
Once on the ship, Xu Qian An recalled that Wei Yuan had mentioned he would enlist twelve bronze men to assist him. However, he only saw Xiao Rou. Xu Qian An ordered his men to search each room one by one and eventually discovered that Xiao Rou was merely the twelfth in rank and had nothing to do with the twelve night watchmen. It seemed Wei Yuan had deceived them.
On the deck, Xu Qian An found the sachet of the Northern Zhen Princess. Previously in Dafeng, he had the luck of finding sachets, but he didn’t expect this one to belong to the Northern Zhen Princess. Confirming that the princess was on board, he quietly warned Xiao Rou at night: “The Northern Zhen Princess being secretly hidden on the ship is already problematic. Now that she’s on board, it will inevitably lead to a pursuit.” Just as he finished speaking, countless flaming arrows rained down on the ship, and many soldiers were ambushed.
Finally, daylight arrived. The ministers stood at the dock, directing their men to transport the soldiers injured last night to safety. To protect the Northern Zhen Princess, Xu Qian An went alone to chase the Kui clan. The commanders had been lost, and the ministers deeply regretted not heeding Xu Qian An’s advice the previous night. If they had changed their strategy, they could have minimized many casualties.
Many members of the Kui clan were pursuing the Northern Zhen Princess. The princess had her maids change into her clothes, but the pursuers relentlessly chased after her. However, Xu Qian An had become proficient in using the “Wang Qi Method” and quickly traced the princess’s whereabouts, rescuing her in time.
The Northern Zhen Princess had once been held as a hostage in the palace for several years. Now that she was finally about to return home, she was eager to escape. Xu Qian An understood her intentions clearly. After capturing the princess five or six times as she attempted to flee, the pursuers realized they couldn’t escape and obediently followed Xu Qian An’s arrangements.
Xu Qian An decided to first take the Northern Zhen Princess to Neihuang County, with the ministers handling things openly while he worked behind the scenes. He went to Chuzhou to consult with a courtesan to gather information. Although he used his cousin Xu Xinnian’s name, the courtesan quickly recognized him as Xu Qian An. She deliberately mentioned that the Xikou County had been inexplicably sealed off the day before yesterday. Xu Qian An also noticed that people passing through were hurrying. He then inquired with another local courtesan, only to find out that she was completely unaware of the sealing of the county.
