thefictionvixens Chapter 102 The Great River, the Territory of the Jiangnan Navy
Chapter 102 The Great River, the Territory of the Jiangnan Navy
Chapter 102 The Great River, the Territory of the Jiangnan Navy
Wu Huai'an, the prefect of Yingzhou, soon learned that the princess was leaving.
This surprised him somewhat.
Didn't you say you were going to stay here for two days? Why are you leaving after only one night?
He was even thinking of inviting Wu Feng for a drink today to try and build a good relationship with the Princess.
The gifts are all prepared.
Before the gift could be delivered, Her Highness the Princess suddenly decided to leave.
Wu Huai'an stood at the entrance of the government office, listening to the clerk's report. The smile on his face gradually froze, and in the end, only confusion remained.
"Strange—why the sudden rush to leave? Is there something wrong with the arrangements made by this government?" he murmured.
The clerk said cautiously, "My lord, Her Highness the Princess has already gone to the dock."
Wu Huai'an sighed deeply and wiped his face with his hand.
"Let's go," he said weakly, "to the dock to see His Highness off."
When he arrived at the dock with the officials of Yingzhou, the official ship had already set sail, showing no intention of waiting for the officials from Yingzhou.
The river breeze is quite strong today.
Wu Huai'an led the group, bowing respectfully in the direction the official boat had gone, and only straightened up after the boat had completely disappeared around the bend in the river.
The docks gradually returned to their bustling state.
The laborers picked up their sacks again, the vendors continued to hawk their wares, and the merchants discussed the impressive ship they had just seen.
"That's Her Highness the Eldest Princess's ship—"
"I've heard that Your Highness is as beautiful as a celestial being!"
"Nonsense, Her Highness the Eldest Princess is the most beautiful woman in the world, how could she not be beautiful?"
Beside the tea stall, a middle-aged man wearing a gray cloth shirt sat silently.
A bowl of cold tea sat before him.
This person was from the Yingzhou branch of the Censorate.
He had received a message by carrier pigeon from the capital half an hour ago, instructing him to secretly inform the Princess that Qin Ye, the chief envoy of the Privy Council, had gone to the Luzhou camp of the Jiangnan Navy.
But by the time he arrived at the dock, the ship had already left.
The middle-aged man stared at the river for a long time before finally picking up the bowl of cold tea and gulping it down in one go.
Then.
He put down his bowl, took out a few copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the table, then got up and left the tea stall.
We need to hurry back and send the message back to Kyoto.
Mission failed.
The eldest princess left Yingzhou ahead of schedule, and the intelligence failed to reach her.
After the official ship left Yingzhou Wharf, Li Yunrui rested in his room on the second floor of the ship.
Chunmei served by her side, pushing the window open halfway to let the river breeze in.
Li Yunrui leaned back on the soft couch, holding a storybook in her hand, reading it with great interest.
The light purple silk nightgown was soft and clung to her voluptuous body, outlining her sexy waistline.
Her long hair was loosely tied up, with a few stray strands falling beside her fair cheeks, swaying gently as she turned the pages of the book.
"Interesting." She suddenly chuckled, a charming smile playing at the corners of her eyes.
Chunmei looked up.
Li Yunrui continued reading the storybook, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes gleaming with a unique, languid yet playful light.
It seems they've completely forgotten their current situation.
Chunmei felt uneasy, but seeing His Highness's appearance, she dared not ask any more questions.
On the roof of the ship.
Wu Feng sat cross-legged, with his embroidered spring knife at his side.
The river wind was much stronger than the wind below, causing his robes to flutter and his hair to become somewhat disheveled.
A swift with a pointed tail perched on his right shoulder, its small body adjusting its posture slightly with the rocking of the boat, chirping softly.
The swift "told" him that there were no strangers on either side of the Phoenix Canyon river.
Wu Feng frowned even more deeply.
Emperor Qing will definitely take action.
But where is he?
This feeling of knowing there was danger but not being able to pinpoint its location made his anxiety grow stronger.
He has mobilized birds to patrol the entire Phoenix Canyon river section, and they are to report immediately if anything seems amiss.
About an hour later, the official boat entered Phoenix Canyon.
The river narrows abruptly, with towering cliffs on both sides, as if cleaved by a giant axe.
The river becomes turbulent here, and the waves crash against the gunwale, making a "splashing" sound.
The boatmen all perked up, some poling and others steer, their movements much more cautious than before.
The official boat had a wide bottom and a shallow draft, but the hull was very stable, so the current did not have much of an impact, and the voyage remained smooth.
But Wu Feng and the other eight sword-wielding maids, including Shu Ying, were all on edge.
Shuying led three people to guard the bow of the boat, while Ling Shuang led three people to guard the stern.
Eight pairs of eyes were fixed on passing ships and every possible hiding spot on the cliffs on both sides.
Inside the cabin, Li Yunrui was still reading a storybook.
She turned a page and suddenly laughed again.
"This scholar is quite devoted," she said gently, with a hint of teasing. "It's just a pity—the fox spirit is still a demon after all."
Chunmei, standing to the side, finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Your Highness, aren't you worried?"
Li Yunrui raised his eyes and glanced at her.
Those alluring eyes were as calm as a deep pool, without the slightest ripple.
"What's the use of worrying?" She gently closed the storybook and placed it aside. "What's meant to happen will happen."
After saying that, she picked up another volume and continued reading.
Another half hour passed.
The official boat passed through Phoenix Canyon without incident.
The view ahead suddenly opened up, and the river water changed from clear turquoise to murky yellowish-brown.
We've entered the main channel of the Yangtze River.
Standing on the top of the boat, Wu Feng looked at the vast river in front of him, his vigilance remaining unchanged.
Not long after entering the Yangtze River, a patrol warship of the Jiangnan Navy approached from the west.
The warship was much larger than the official ship, with the flag of the Jiangnan Navy flying at the bow and dozens of soldiers in naval uniforms standing on the deck.
Upon seeing the flag of the Princess flying on the official ship, the warship immediately slowed down and sailed alongside the official ship.
A middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of a low-ranking military officer stood at the bow of the ship, bowing respectfully towards the official vessel, and announced in a loud voice: "Jiangnan Navy Luzhou Camp sentry ship, paying respects to Her Highness the Princess!"
A window on the second floor of the ship was opened, and Chunmei leaned out, waving her hand down below: "Your Highness understands. You may continue your patrols."
"Yes!" The military officer saluted again before directing the warship to turn and head towards the other side of the water.
Once the warships were far away, Shuying and the others visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Once you enter the Yangtze River, you're in Luzhou territory. The Jiangnan Navy's Luzhou Camp is stationed here, significantly increasing the safety factor.
But Wu Feng remained standing on the top of the ship, motionless.
His gaze swept across the river, over the distant, faintly visible shoreline, his heart still taut with tension.
People sent by Emperor Qing —
Where exactly will they take action?
At this moment, a boatman climbed up the ladder, walked to Wu Feng's side, bowed, and said, "Lord Wu, we'll reach Chaohu Wharf in a little over an hour. Would you like to stop and rest at Chaohu tonight?"
Wu Feng looked up at the sky.
The sun was already setting in the west, and its orange-red light spread across the river, creating a shimmering expanse.
He nodded: "Let's stop at Chaohu Wharf."
"Yes," the boatman replied, turning to go down and relay the order.
Wu Feng sat down cross-legged again, his hands resting on the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Blade.
A cool sensation came from my palm.
He gazed at the gradually darkening river surface ahead and let out a soft breath.