Ning Chen's party rode fast and light, and still had time to stop along the way for a meal.

Three days later they were out of Wulin City.

Once past Wulin City, they were less than five days from Great Xuan's frontier.

Ning Chen and the others slowed their pace.

Shen Min could hold it in no longer. "My lord marquis, are we simply leaving like this?"

"What else?"

Ning Chen returned the question.

"Then Lord Li Hongzhuo died for nothing?"

Ning Chen smiled. "He deserved worse than he got. Even if he had lived, he would have died on our return."

"We went out to eat and drink, and he pretended to be unwell — and then turned up near the Prince Regent's residence. Care to guess why?"

Shen Min shook his head.

"The Inspectorate has had its eye on him a long time. Li Hongzhuo was in league with the Wu Prince Regent."

Shen Min was astonished. "He dared deal with the enemy and betray his country?"

Ning Chen nodded, and laid it out. "My guess is that with the two kingdoms about to talk peace, the two of them fell out over some interest or other, and the Prince Regent killed him for it."

"If the Prince Regent dared kill Lord Li Hongzhuo, he'd dare kill us... So running was the right answer."

Shen Min nodded slightly. "The Prince Regent has no regard for his sovereign at all. My guess is the woman emperor wanted the talks and the Prince Regent didn't, so he killed Lord Li Hongzhuo to start a war between the two kingdoms."

Ning Chen glanced at him and smiled. "Lord Shen's reasoning is very sound!"

"Only this official's poor opinion. I hope the marquis will forgive it!"

Ning Chen was about to speak when Feng Qizheng came galloping up.

"Ning Chen, the Wu Prince Regent is coming after us with several thousand men."

Wulin City was Wu's first line of defense, so the Divine Wolf Army was garrisoned there year-round.

But the Divine Wolf Army answered to the woman emperor, and Song Tiancheng…