After reaching a trade agreement with the young master of the branch Ma clan—agreeing to send goods like rare medicinal herbs to him, accepting his goods to sell on Long Yu Island, and helping forward them to Fu Kingdom, which lay far to the south and was difficult to reach quickly because one had to circumvent Long Yu Island’s territory filled with underwater patrol soldiers covering a vast area, preventing outsiders’ ships from trespassing whether ordinary vessels or warships, allowing Long Yu Island to remain independent to this day… Yang Xiuying felt the capital of Jian Kingdom was less boring.
And it seemed there was another fun event coming in the next few days—the annual pleasure cruise on the Liu Li River from the capital to Heng Yang City for the upper class.
This event invited royal family members and high-ranking nobles along with their important sons and daughters to join.
At first, Jian Hantian showed no interest in this event whatsoever, because in previous years he hadn’t attended. Some years he was stationed at the border. But this year, his Wangfei looked extremely excited and eager to join. In the end, he decided to attend because he was quite certain she’d probably find trouble with Chu Huiru again.
***
On the day of boarding the pleasure cruise, in the carriage, Yang Xiuying looked at her husband, who spent every day leaving for work from early morning, with curiosity.
“Will Wangye be joining the pleasure cruise as well?”
“Mm…”
“I heard Wangye never attended in previous years. What made you decide to come this time?”
“Because this year you’re joining.”
Hmm? On the surface, that answer sounded as though he cared for her greatly. But if she had to guess, it was probably because she’d caused trouble… secretly… at the previous banquet.
Tch… why were so many people trying to become her second and third mothers?
***
When Qin Wang and Qin Wangfei arrived at the boarding area—considered the last group to arrive—the eunuchs and maids receiving guests respectfully paid respects and led them onto the ship to the seating area reserved for royalty.
Qin Wang’s arrival caused no small stir, for everyone knew that pointless events… ahem… meaning gatherings without soldiers, weapons, combat, competitions, or martial contests—were precisely the sort he would never attend. If not because of… everyone’s eyes therefore turned to his side instead.
What people saw was a woman with exquisite beauty and graceful manner. If they weren’t told she came from a remote, uncivilized island, they probably wouldn’t know. One man bold and imposing, one woman stunningly beautiful and flawless—the pair looked perfectly matched.
So it was actually because Qin Wangfei was attending this event too? Or could the relationship of this forced couple be going well? That was what the various nobles were watching closely.
But even so, there were many who were quite displeased, because they’d lost the opportunity to form connections with the immensely powerful and prestigious Qin Wang.
When those second only to the Emperor and Empress arrived at the hall area, attention immediately focused on both of them. And after the newcomers paid respects to the Emperor and Empress who were the event’s hosts, they were led hand in hand to seats prepared next to the Emperor’s throne.
Li Wang secretly watched his former concubine—who today looked more stunningly beautiful than any time he’d seen her—with longing eyes. He himself had intentionally come to this event hoping to see her.
“Husband, have something to eat. If you drink too much wine now, you might fall ill.” Chu Huiru saw her husband watching another man’s wife until his soul nearly floated away—so furious she had to clutch her skirt tightly. But she couldn’t openly cause trouble right now, so she merely diverted his attention away from that lowly concubine.
“Mm,” was Jian Chaohe’s inattentive answer, his eyes still staring at the other woman without stopping, making Chu Huiru want to overturn the table full of these luxurious dishes. She shot her eyes to look at her mortal enemy who was impossibly difficult to eliminate with resentment, wishing that man-seducing face would disappear from this world!
On the other side, Qin Wang and Qin Wangfei received tremendous attention from the nobles, because there were few opportunities to meet him so closely like this. His table therefore had people constantly rotating and taking turns coming to pay respects.
As for the man himself, he paid it little mind. His expression remained so impassive that some were forced to retreat.
“What’s fun about banquets like this? Just drinking wine and talking nonsense.” He asked the person beside him quietly, his expression unchanged.
“The boring parts exist, but the interesting parts aren’t few either. Doesn’t Wangye like sitting eating food and drinking wine on a large ship, while viewing the Liu Li River, plus the scenery on both banks keeps changing?” Yang Xiuying cast her gaze toward the large river that could allow giant pleasure ships like this one to sail comfortably—several at once.
Hearing the answer, Jian Hantian began to turn and look at the river and both banks which, though far away, were truly as she said—constantly changing. He’d never thought about this before.
“Being confined to the manor all day… you’re probably quite bored.”
“One could say that, but I can also find fun things to play with during this time.” Yang Xiuying answered that question while her gaze landed on a table set on the opposite side—Li Wang and Li Wangfei’s table. Seeing the woman from the opposite side looking back as if firing poison-tipped arrows at her endlessly, Yang Xiuying laughed softly.
Jian Hantian followed her gaze and found Li Wang staring at his Wangfei—the kind of look any man would take offense to. Who would like another man looking at one’s wife like that? What an utter lack of decorum.
“This consort would like to take a stroll on the deck. The scenery and atmosphere there should be far more beautiful than here.” Though the banquet hall had large windows allowing views outside, the deck was an open area that would allow clear views of beautiful scenes all around without obstructions.
“Then I’ll accompany you.” Jian Hantian stood while extending his hand for his consort to hold. She looked at that large, calloused hand for a moment before placing her small hand down. People around them therefore saw Qin Wang lead his consort outside to stroll attentively.
Naturally, Li Wang who’d been waiting for this moment for so long had to get up and follow. This made Chu Huiru quickly cling to him, not letting him out of her sight.
The cruise had hundreds of participants, and the ship itself was vast and spacious. Not only did it have the banquet hall, there were also many scenic viewing points around the ship. Anyone could go to any point as convenient. Therefore, the ship’s deck area had quite a few young ladies and young masters standing to view the scenery. Some gathered to chat or used this opportunity to get acquainted.
Yang Xiuying looked at that scene and felt Jian Kingdom had banquets facilitating young people to find partners remarkably often.
When those two leaders walked up above, they naturally became the focus of attention for those already standing there. The opportunity for them to meet Qin Wang wasn’t easy. Some men therefore gathered courage to come pay respects to him.
When one person dared approach, the next people also gained courage. Now Jian Hantian received considerable popularity. And some even knew to choose topics Qin Wang would likely spend time discussing, such as requesting advice and knowledge about military matters and weapons produced from Duanshen ore.
Yang Xiuying saw him surrounded by several young men, so she shifted away. And that was the opportunity Li Wang had been waiting for. He didn’t wait, hurrying to greet her immediately.
“Zhen… Qin Wangfei, it’s been quite some time. How have you been?” Jian Chaohe wanted to call her name intimately like days past, but couldn’t—not with so many eyes watching.
Before she could answer, Chu Huiru interjected first. “Qin Wangfei must surely be pleased because Qin Wang closely cares for her, isn’t that right?” Her meaning was clear—this woman has a new husband now, so Li Wang should stop dreaming about another man’s wife!
“And is Li Wangfei well, with such an attentive husband? I heard Li Wang keeps a beautiful concubine. Why didn’t you bring her to join viewing the Liu Li River today?” The first sentence she said to Chu Huiru, but the latter she turned to ask the plain-faced man who kept casting revolting glances her way.
Hearing that, Chu Huiru erupted in fury rising to her chest, blurting out, “That woman was not only lowborn but also shamelessly committed adultery. I had people cage and drown her in the river already. But women like that are hard to kill. By now she’s probably climbed out of the water and gone to find a new man.”
Yang Xiuying’s eyes flashed with a wicked gleam. She looked contemptuously at Chu Huiru then turned toward Li Wang with a challenging gaze.
“Indeed. If she’s not dead yet, she’d probably climb out of the water to find a man… but whether an old man or a new man, it’s too early to say.”
That vicious smile sent his way made Jian Chaohe feel his heart tremble inexplicably. As for Chu Huiru, whose patience had ended, she signaled for her people to act immediately.
Author’s Note:
Chu Huiru was right about one thing. That woman is… annoyingly difficult to kill. 🤭
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