Chapter 113 – Inspection Tour, Part 3 [37.1]
Lin Jia Bao didn’t understand what a flower boat was until he boarded the vessel. The boat didn’t have any flowers at all. There were only a few scantily dressed women playing the qin. Their skills on the qin were quite good, but Lin Jia Bao didn’t like how they kept throwing flirtatious glances at his crown prince.
Lin Jia Bao drank scented tea listlessly. Xuan Yuan Han Cheng forbade him from drinking alcohol, so he could only obediently drink scented tea.
“I want to go back,” Lin Jia Bao said.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng put his arms around Jia Bao and kissed his darling’s slightly pouting mouth. The reason he rented out the entire pleasure boat was just to satisfy his darling’s curiosity and nothing more. He could feel a faint sense of jealousy from his darling. Feeling happy, he turned to Yuan Fu and said, “Tell them to bring the boat to the shore.”
“Understood.”
At this time, a loud noise suddenly came from the aft of the pleasure boat and the entire boat shook. The women screamed.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng asked sharply, “What’s going on?”
Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com
Yuan Fu took a look at the situation outside and reported back anxiously, “Your Royal Highness, there are assassins! The assassins bore a hole into the boat. The guards are fighting with them.”
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng felt the sinking of the boat, “Get to the shore, quick.”
The decorated pleasure boat was small and there were only a few women abroad, so Xuan Yuan Han Cheng had only brought along a few imperial bodyguards. He was too careless this time.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng shielded Lin Jia Bao as they walked outside. The fighting was still going on. The boat was already starting to tilt and it was still far from the shore. It was hard to know where to go.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng saw a person that he did not expect. It was Prince Li, Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong! There were several scars on Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong’s face. He wore a murderous expression and he looked like he has aged a lot.
“Xuan Yuan Han Cheng, I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
When the second prince besieged Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong in Ciyun Temple, Prince Li and his body double exchanged clothes. Then he escaped through a secret passage in the temple, and rushed to Li City along with two of his trusted sishi*.
[*T/N: 死士 si shi – a person that is willing to sacrifice their life for a cause]
But unexpectedly, he came across bandits along the road. There were a lot of bandits. Prince Li and his two sishi were robbed and beaten badly, so they could only find a place to lay low and recuperate. By the time he returned to Li City, he learned that all of his heirs and family members had been executed, and all of his confidantes were either dead or arrested. Seeing that everything had already been determined and there was no possibility of a comeback, Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong turned gray overnight.
When he heard the news that the crown prince would be visiting Jiang Province, he arrived early to Jiang Province and lied in wait. His chance came when he saw Yuan Fu renting out a pleasure boat. Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong and his two sishi sneaked onto the stern of the boat and bore a hole into the side of the boat. This was all so he could take Xuan Yuan Han Cheng down with him in mutual destruction…
“Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong!” Xuan Yuan Han Cheng gritted his teeth and called Prince Li’s name.
Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com
Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong had been subdued, but he was laughing crazily. “This prince has nothing left. It’s worth dying if I can take you – the crown prince – down with me! Ha ha ha ha!”
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng stepped forward and finished him off with a knife. Such was fate. Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong still died by his hands in this life.
“Your Royal Highness, this boat won’t last long. It’s about to sink,” the imperial guard said anxiously.
The wooden boards beneath their feet were already splitting apart.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng looked at the worried Lin Jia Bao and asked, “Darling, can you swim?”
Lin Jia Bao thought for a bit and replied, “A little bit, my elder brother taught me before…”
“Don’t be afraid, baby, everything will be fine.” Xuan Yuan Han Cheng ordered the others, “Paddle quickly to the shore. If that really doesn’t work then we’re going into the water and swimming back. We shouldn’t be too far from the shore.”
“Understood.” Yuan Fu and Yuan Qing nodded solemnly. Fortunately, everyone who boarded the boat today knew how to swim, and no one raised any objections. The imperial guards all rowed vigorously with their hands.
At this moment, the two female entertainers started crying.
“This slave does not know how to swim… my lord, please help me…” A woman ran along the rickety plywood and rushed towards Xuan Yuan Han Cheng.
Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.
Lin Jia Bao, who was beside Xuan Yuan Han Cheng, was caught off guard by the woman’s sudden approach. With a lurch of the boat, he fell into the river.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng stretched out his hand to grab onto Lin Jia Bao, but he only managed to grabbed a piece of his clothing. Without hesitation, he followed his darling into the river.
From the boat, Yuan Fu and the imperial guards shouted, “Your Royal Highness! Lin-cejun!”
The river water was very cold. Lin Jia Bao tried hard to recall the correct swimming posture, to not let himself sink, but he still ended up drinking several mouthfuls of water.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng swam to Lin Jia Bao’s side. He aided Lin Jia Bao in the water and they swam in the direction of the boat, but just as they were about to reach the vessel, an accident happened. With a loud bang, the stern of the boat broke apart. A pile of broken wood crashed into them, knocking them far away in a split second.
