He Xia wondered aloud, "Why, it's so late, does King want to see us?"

"I guess I know." The messenger chuckled and said, "The Queen was talking to the King about how noisy the Jing-An Ducal Residence would be this evening. I don't know what exactly the Queen said, but the King started talking about how he used to see Sir practising swordsmanship, like a lion, while he studied. Miss Pingting, whose intelligence is so impossibly rare, would also be there, serving at one side."

"Ah, the King sure likes praising us today."

"Yes, yes, yes, so you see, the King's praises, made the Queen feel curious to see Sir sword dance, accompanied by Miss Pingting's qin. As Sir knows, the King is very devoted to the Queen, so he sent an Order, to take you two to their Residence." The messenger added, "The King also said that although it's very late, the moon is very large and round, perfect for moon gazing, which will be followed by sunrise later."

He Xia nodded, "I see." He turned back to Pingting, "Since the Queen wants to hear you play qin, bring our best qin."

Pingting went inside and not long later, she hurried back with her qin. She had also put on a chiffon cloth over a part of her face.

He Xia took five other servants, including Pingting and Dongzhuo. No one took the carriage, they were each on their own horse. All of the shops had long closed for the day. No lights were on, everyone was well asleep. The only sound that night was the steady beat of hooves, thundering on the stone pavement.

Seeing the messenger and his companions leading the way slowly, not far ahead, Pingting leaned towards her master. In a quiet voice, she whispered, "Master, the King is going to make his move."

"Yeah, I don't have a good feeling either." He Xia looked at the messenger's back view, "Except for the messenger himself, all of his companions are top assassins."

"King wants Master to bring the Precious Heimo Sword but it isn't stated clearly on the Order. He sent a messenger instead...this must be a trap." The horses' steps were slow and hesitant, as if sensing danger. Pingting reached out to pat the horse reassuringly, while saying, "I'm worried that the King plotted to make Master bring in the Precious Heimo Sword into the Royal Residence and then create chaos, so that His Majesty can frame Master for betrayal when royal military comes to back up."

He Xia looked around, "His soldiers are standing beside the footpath as well. If we attempt to escape, they'll definitely attack."

Dongzhuo was beside them, listening to every word. He gripped the edge of his seat, lowered his voice and muttered, "Yup, there's a murderous aura here." He had also been with He Xia for a while, so he could sense when danger was approaching.

The other servants were alert, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

They were still only halfway there, but they knew that if He Su really was planning to frame them, entering the Royal Residence meant certain death.

"What should we do?" asked He Xia.

Pingting nodded slightly, "Well, I told the Duke about my suspicions as I went to get my qin. Although there are lots of people living in the Jing-An Ducal Residence, they should all be able to escape the capital city under the cover of dark. As for us..." She opened her palm, revealing five ink-black marbles.

Whatever that meant, He Xia himself knew.

"Okay!" Still speaking quietly, He Xia and Pingting nodded at each other.

"The Mister in front of us...please stop for a while." Pingting's high-pitched voice rang out.

The messenger and his companions turned forward and Pingting calculated the right time to time to throw the things in her hand. Sparks of fire shot out with a boom, instantly cutting off He Xia's group and the messenger's.

Clang! The Precious Heimo Sword was unsheathed.

"The King wants to hurt an official! Fight our way out!" Dongzhuo yelled.

As expected, more soldiers appeared on the two sides of the road.

The sky was filled with cries of battle.

"KILL!"

"GO! DON'T LET ANY OF THEM GET AWAY!"

"The King has given his Order: CAPTURE HE XIA AND THAT GIRL ALIVE!!"

Pingting raised her head and noted that there weren't many soldiers on the enemy side. She secretly sighed in relief.

That's how it should be. The House of Jing-An has been the managing the military for the last few decades, so using soldiers to assassinate them wouldn't work. But isn't He Su worried that we might counterattack and attack his Royal Residence instead?

"KILL!"