Shocking Mountain Moon

Chapter 125 The Prince's Gratitude
Xue Han didn't know how long he had slept before Hu Si came in and woke him up: "Sir, there's a message from the palace that the emperor is summoning you."

Xue Han packed up briefly and went to see Emperor Jingping.

Compared with the important ministers and nobles who waited until dawn to return, Emperor Jingping had a better rest and was in good spirits when he met Xue Han.

Although the prince had just escaped death, he seemed to have recovered as usual.

"Your humble servant Xue Han greets His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Emperor Jingping smiled and said, "No need to be polite. Xue Han, you saved the prince last night. I want to thank you very much."

"It is my humble duty, and I dare not take credit for it."

Emperor Jingping was quite satisfied with Xue Han's attitude: "Patrol and guarding is not only the responsibility of the Imperial City Department, but you were the only one who discovered the fire in time and saved the prince."

The prince stood up and bowed to Xue Han: "Thank you, Xue Huangcheng, for saving my life."

Xue Han quickly dodged and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me for my humble behavior."

"I was so busy last night that I didn't have time to ask you how you found out that the prince's residence was flooded."

"Your Majesty, there are many plants around the palace. Considering that the weather is dry in autumn and fires are more likely to occur, I have arranged for my men to patrol more often, especially in the middle of the night when it is difficult to detect the situation in time..."

Emperor Jingping nodded, looked at the prince, and asked, "I heard that when you led people to the prince's residence, not only was the Zhaixing Tower on fire, but the place where the prince slept was also on fire. How did you guess that the prince was trapped in the Zhaixing Tower?"

Emperor Jingping asked this question not because he suspected Xue Han, but because he was curious.

When the prince was in danger yesterday, he asked about it immediately. At that time, all the people who discovered the fire were busy putting out the fire in the prince's bedroom. If Xue Han had not rushed to the Zhaixing Tower to rescue the prince, the consequences would have been disastrous.

"I didn't make too many guesses. I just saw that the people in the Crown Prince's residence were doing their best to put out the fire in His Highness' bedroom, while no one was taking care of the Star-Picking Tower. I felt a little uneasy for some reason, so I decided to go and take a look." Xue Han's tone was calm, which made people more convinced. "If you want to know why I made this judgment, it might be intuition."

"Good intuition!" Emperor Jingping looked at Xue Han with more appreciation in his eyes, "Xue Han, this time it's really thanks to your intuition."

"It is what I should do."

"Pass on my decree. Imperial Envoy Xue Han has been rewarded with a purple robe and a goldfish bag for his meritorious service in saving the Crown Prince."

In Daxia, only officials of the third rank and above could wear purple robes. Xue Han was granted purple as the Imperial Envoy, which was a great honor.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your reward."

Xue Quan standing by tried hard to suppress the upturned corners of his mouth, looking extremely satisfied.

In the past, people would say that Xue Han had a good adoptive father, and later they would say that he, Xue Quan, had a good eldest son, and that he really had vision.

After talking about the rewards, Emperor Jingping's expression became serious: "Although the fire is out, we still need to investigate thoroughly to see how it started. Those who have made contributions to firefighting will be rewarded, and those who are negligent will be punished."

"Yes."

"You go down."

"Wei Chen retire."

The prince stood up and said, "Father, I will see Master Xue off."

"Well, let's go."

After leaving the hall, the prince spoke first: "Lord Xue, would you like to come sit with me?"

"It is an honor for me to be invited by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

The prince’s new residence was not far away, and it didn’t take long to arrive.

The eunuch brought tea and the prince smiled apologetically: "I just moved in, so I'm sorry for not hosting you well."

"Your Highness is too kind."

"I'll use tea instead of wine to thank Lord Xue for saving my life." The prince raised the teacup.

"Your Highness is the crown prince. I am just doing my duty as a subject. How can I deserve your thanks?"

The prince took a sip of tea and sighed softly: "Lord Xue saved me last night, but he also saw how miserable I was. The crown prince would also be afraid and panic when facing the ruthless fire. He is no more immune to water and fire than ordinary people. I am really grateful to Lord Xue." Last night he was trapped in a high-rise building, with thick smoke and approaching heat waves, which made him clearly aware of his own insignificance and powerlessness.

Life and death are just a fine line apart.

In despair, he saw the young man in front of him.

The young man was not wearing any helmet or armor, but in his eyes he was like a celestial soldier who descended from the sky to save him from the sea of fire.

It is indeed natural for a minister to die for his king in the eyes of the world, but as the one who was rescued, how can he take it for granted? If Xue Han had not appeared, his ending would probably be like the eunuch who carried a lantern to accompany him to the Zhaixing Tower last night.

Two bodies were found in the fire last night, one of which was the prince's close attendant. He did not die in the fire, but fell to his death while escaping with Xue Han, who was carrying the prince on his back.

Xue Han took a sip of tea, was silent for a moment and said, "Your Highness is so kind, I dare to say a few more words."

"You said."

"I was one of the first people to arrive, and I found that the fire in the Star-Picking Tower spread faster than that in Your Highness's bedroom. The two places are not connected, and the fire did not spread and caused—"

The prince looked serious: "What do you mean?"

Xue Han looked directly into the eyes of the prince and said frankly, "In my opinion, the probability of two fires catching at the same time in two places that are not adjacent to each other is not high. The fire in your highness's bedroom seems to be a diversion."

The prince's expression changed: "Lord Xue suspects that this fire was not an accident, but man-made?"

Xue Han cupped his hands and said, "To be honest with you, Your Highness, I do have this guess."

The prince subconsciously picked up the teacup and took two sips, then put it down, feeling heavy in his heart.

It's not that he didn't have this suspicion, but he didn't dare to say it out loud. What he didn't expect was Xue Han's frankness.

"Why didn't Lord Xue mention it in front of the emperor?" After a moment's silence, the prince asked.

Xue Han lowered his eyes: "This is a serious matter. I dare not speak rashly and make the emperor worry based on just speculation."

The prince nodded and asked thoughtfully, "Since this is a matter of great importance and there is no evidence, why did Lord Xue speak frankly to me?"

Xue Han said frankly, "Although this is a serious matter, the safety of Your Highness is more important. Regardless of whether this fire can reveal anything, if Your Highness is reminded to take more precautions from now on, I will not be ashamed."

"What a shameless person." The prince raised his glass again, "Master Xue, I toast to your shameless person."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Does Lord Xue have any direction for the investigation?"

"May I ask, Your Highness, why did you go to the Star-Picking Tower last night?"

The prince was silent for a long time, then he said softly, "Yesterday was my late mother's birthday."

According to Daxia customs, the birthday celebration for the deceased is not held every year, but as a son, how can you forget such a day?

On this day every year, he would climb a high place to remember his mother and recall the days when she was still alive.

"The other deceased was the eunuch guarding the Zhaixing Tower. Your Highness saw him yesterday. Did he find anything unusual?"

The prince thought about it carefully and shook his head: "Nothing unusual."

"I think this person is a little suspicious."

"how to say?"

"This person was guarding the first floor. He should have had enough time to escape when the fire started, but he was trapped and died in the fire. I intend to focus on investigating this person."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Master Xue."

Xue Han stood up and said, "It is time for me to leave now."

"I will escort Master Xue out."

After politely declining the prince's offer to see him off, Xue Han did not go back to rest, but went directly to where the bodies were placed.