Dugu Jingyao is reborn as Li Chu's beloved

Chapter 400 The Battle is About to Begin

Because of the previous incident at the Shen Mansion, the secret guards had been keeping an eye on the An Mansion. Now they saw movement at the An Mansion. They might not be able to see anything else, but An Lushan's size made it difficult to recognize him even if he was wearing a cloak that covered him tightly.

Especially since he came out from the back door, it was even more suspicious. So one of the two secret guards continued to secretly follow An Lushan, while the other returned to the Guangping Prince's Mansion to report the news.

Because the curfew had not yet been completely lifted and they were still able to leave the city, their exit was relatively smooth. The secret guards followed them from a distance until they arrived in front of a small courtyard that looked very shabby.

The secret guard was a little confused. Was he deliberately trying to trick us? This place obviously couldn't hold many soldiers!

However, just after An Lushan and Shi Siming got off the carriage and stepped into the seemingly inconspicuous courtyard, the secret guards responsible for monitoring them did not give up, but continued to follow them carefully.

The secret guard first carefully surveyed the courtyard. Although it looked rather shabby from the outside, when he actually walked into the courtyard, he was surprised to find that it was a different world! Although the houses looked a little old on the outside, their interiors had obviously been carefully repaired and were in good condition.

The well-trained guard quickly leaped onto the roof and gently lifted a tile. Through this small piece of tile, he could see the entire interior. It was a house of exquisite decor, though mostly filled with precious antiques and paintings.

Just as the secret guards were filled with suspicion, a startling scene suddenly occurred within the room. An Lushan slowly walked to a corner, carefully moving a vase, then a nearby book. As he completed his movements, the bookshelf, which had been standing quietly there, began to slowly move.

Time passed minute by minute, and before long, the bookshelf was completely removed, revealing a huge hole at the back. Then, An Lushan, without hesitation, took the person beside him and walked into this hidden space, and the door that had just opened quietly closed.

The secret guard thought for a while and decided to go and report the news first. He was alone, and if there was really an ambush inside, he might not be able to handle it.

So he covered the tiles and left the roof, returning to hide in the jungle. He then took out the paper and pen he had with him, wrote a small note, and then used a whistle to call a carrier pigeon. He tied the small note to it and released the pigeon, and continued to wait in the same place.

Li Chu also received a message from another secret guard saying, "An Lushan quietly left the palace through the back door."

Upon hearing this, Li Chu thought the situation was urgent and quickly got up from the couch. Dugu Jingyao also expressed her understanding, but she was really sleepy, so after Li Chu left, she fell down and continued to sleep.

Just as Li Chu was about to leave the house, he received a letter by carrier pigeon informing him where An Lushan was. Li Chu knew what was going on and rode his horse directly into the palace.

The fire in the camps outside the capital was a major event. Although it did not actually burn, it had to be reported to the higher authorities. So Li Chu and Guo Ziyi met outside the Shangshufang.

When Li Chu saw Guo Ziyi, he asked, "Master Guo, why did you come to the palace?"

Guo Ziyi bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Your Highness, Prince Guangping. Tonight, someone set fire to the camp outside the capital. Fortunately, the Dugu family army encountered them and urgently summoned help. Although the fire didn't start, I still need to report it."

Li Chu understood what he meant when he heard it. He was afraid that An Lushan and his men wanted to burn down the military camp first. If they could really kill a lot of people, they could capture the camp outside the capital at the lowest cost, and then no one would be able to come to the aid of Chang'an City.

Li Chu snorted coldly and said, "Humph, it seems that An Lushan has taken action. He has a good plan. It's a pity that he didn't find out that in addition to the previous 50,000 soldiers, there are also Dugu's troops. This plan will not be so easy to implement."

Guo Ziyi also echoed: "Yes, Your Highness."

Just as the two were discussing the fire in the camp outside the capital, Gao Lishi came out and saluted, saying, "Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Guangping and Lord Guo. The Emperor invites you."

The two followed Gao Lishi into the Shangshufang. Just after they finished paying their respects, the Crown Prince arrived late. The Crown Prince paid his respects to the Emperor first, and then the two paid their respects to the Crown Prince. Only then did they begin to discuss business.

The emperor asked, "What brings you two here so late at night?"

Guo Ziyi wanted Li Chu to speak first, but Li Chu gave Guo Ziyi a look that said "you go first". Guo Ziyi understood and said, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Guangping, someone went to the camp outside the capital tonight and set it on fire."

The emperor frowned and asked, "How is it now?"

Guo Ziyi continued, "Your Majesty, because the arsonist happened to be seen by a soldier from the Dugu family army, he called in other soldiers in time to put out the fire. No major damage was caused, and the two arsonists were captured alive. However, they are still being interrogated. They are very stubborn and have not revealed who ordered them to do so."

The emperor slammed the table and said, "Then continue the trial! Until they can say something useful."

Guo Ziyi saluted and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!" Then he sat back in his seat.

The emperor looked at Li Chu again and asked, "What's the matter, Chu'er?"

Li Chu stood up and saluted, saying, "Grandpa Emperor, your grandson and his men have been keeping an eye on the An Mansion. They discovered that An Lushan quietly left the mansion through the back door tonight and headed to a house in the suburbs. This is the information I've brought back, please review it."

After saying this, he gave the pigeon letter to Gao Lishi, who then presented it to the emperor. After reading it, the emperor said, "It seems that this secret room contains a secret!"

The prince asked, "Is he going to raise an army?"

Li Chu nodded and said, "That's probably the case."

The emperor slammed the table and said, "Since that is the case, Guo Ziyi, you will take my order and leave the city to the camp outside the capital. You and the King of Yunnan will be ready to meet the enemy at any time. Chu'er, you will lead the people to evacuate the civilians and defend Chang'an City."

Upon hearing this, the two men stood up and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Emperor then looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Heng'er, you are responsible for the safety of the palace."

The prince felt overwhelmed at the thought of starting a war, but he still agreed reluctantly: "Yes, father."