Chapter 316 Contradictions

One person shouted, and soon everyone around looked over.

"It's really Concubine Su!"

"It's Concubine Su! She's so beautiful!"

One after another, they recognized Su Rui without her veil and gathered around her.

I originally thought that I could take a boat after getting off the carriage. Not many people knew Su Rui, so they wouldn't notice me. However, I never expected that I didn't have a boat, and I was surrounded all of a sudden.

Luo'e, Liuli, and Xiaoru immediately surrounded Su Rui and Tang Yuli, and there were slight movements in secret.

"Concubine Su, I have a boat, take my boat!"

"Take mine, my boat is bigger."

"My boat is ready. Tea and snacks are ready, and there are musicians. It's all thanks to you, Concubine Su, for saving my brother. I'll give you this boat."

Hearing that everyone was vying to send the boat, Su Rui and the others were stunned.

I thought it would be the same mocking and humiliating words as in the past, and even if it wasn't, it wouldn't be nice to hear. But I never thought that they would all want to give her the boat.

Thank her again?

"Yes, it was all thanks to you, Concubine Su, that my son was able to come back. Although my nephew is dead, the subsidy is enough for my family to live a worry-free life. You really have a kind heart."

"You are the Bodhisattva. You have suffered on the frontier, so you know how difficult it is for soldiers, unlike those nobles who are high above you."

"That's right, we only recognize you. Even if Princess Dongyue becomes Prince Yong's consort, she can't compare to you."

Su Rui was completely confused at first, but after listening, she guessed the general idea.

It is true that she asked for reinforcements, but she only knew about the Mobei Army and the Yanzhou Army, and they did not know more about each other. Not many people went to Shengjing, and the people would not have known about it if no one deliberately spread the news.

There was also the matter of subsidies for the wounded soldiers. Su Rui had only mentioned at first how complicated and demanding the subsidies were in the past, so Yun Ji was supposed to give the subsidies this time. Unexpectedly, this matter also fell on her head.

Most of the Yanzhou Army were civilians from inside and outside Shengjing City. They were not from poor families, but they had no access to more information. All they cared about was that their children and relatives could survive and get what they deserved. In particular, many of them died in the past, some even died in unclear circumstances, and their bodies were never found. Therefore, the Yanzhou Army incident this time made the people particularly uneasy.

Although he knew it, when he faced this turmoil personally, even Su Rui was shocked.

There was a day when she was actually welcomed by others.

It was Yun Ji who created the momentum for her, but the people below agreed to implement it because it was beneficial to Yun Ji. After all, compared to a concubine who was a military slave but only beautiful, a concubine who cared about the country and the people and could feel the people's suffering was better. Even her past experience as a military slave would become an advantage as she could feel the suffering better.

"Come on, come on, we need your boats." The boat dealer waved his hand to drive away the people who gathered around him, and walked up to Su Rui and said with a smile: "Greetings, Concubine. I am a boat dealer on Chengming Lake. I don't have any other boats, but I have many boats. I also have a sandalwood flower boat with everything you need. It is perfect for you to take a boat trip on the lake."

The boat dealer's smile revealed his shrewdness. It was obvious that no one in his family was serving in the Yanzhou Army, and he was not that supportive of justice. He just wanted to use the fact that Su Rui had taken a ride on his boat as an excuse to expand his business.

At this time, if Su Rui wanted to escape, Zhuiyue and the others would have to come out to force their way, which was contrary to her current approachable image in the hearts of the people. Sometimes even the slightest inconsistency would cause an uproar and give others something to talk about.

Similarly, there is favoritism no matter which ship you choose. The only thing that is best is to choose a ship merchant, pay to board the ship, and receive payment in full. Naturally, some people will say that she does not take advantage of the people.

The boat dealer had the same idea. When Luo E handed over the silver, he simply refused twice and then happily took it. While leading Su Rui and the others to the dock, he praised them repeatedly, never saying a word of flattery twice.

The sound disappeared only after Su Rui and the others boarded the flower boat and Zhuiyue rowed the boat away from the dock.

"That boat dealer is really good at talking. He never says the same thing twice. It's a shame that he only works as a boat dealer here." Xiaoru was still in shock. She had never seen anyone with such a good tongue.

Even Luo E nodded in agreement this time, "It's really a waste of talent for this man to be a ship merchant. He should go to the Honglu Temple and see if he can speak better than Lord Wu."

Su Rui glanced at the boat dealer who was still dancing at the dock from a distance, then turned around and walked into the cabin and sat down.

Xiaoru and the others stopped talking about irrelevant people and placed the prepared cakes and tea on the table one by one.

The river breeze brought a slight chill, but everyone was wearing cloaks and there was a stove lit in the cabin, so we didn't feel cold and were more focused on enjoying the beautiful scenery on the lake.

What you can see on the lake is indeed incomparable to what you can see at the lakeside. The vast lake surface makes even a flower boat that can carry dozens of people look like a small boat.

The magnificent scenery is so overwhelming that it makes people overwhelmed. They only regret that their vision is too narrow and they cannot take in this vast and beautiful scenery.

When faced with something grand, people’s hearts will also become more open.

Although Su Rui tried her best to make people not care about things that should not be cared about, her heart sometimes couldn't help herself. Once she was idle, some images and words would pop up inexplicably, so she could only keep herself busy, no matter what it was.

But now standing here, I feel like it's all in vain.

The world is vast, so why be bound by it?

I have been reborn, but if I still cannot do what I want, then I have lived in vain.

Tang Yuli beside him was also stunned by the magnificent scenery in front of him. No one knew what was going on in his little head, he just stared at it blankly.

"What a big ship!" Xiaoru, who was concentrating on looking outside, suddenly pointed outside and shouted.

Looking in the direction she pointed, I saw a large two-story ship coming from the other side. Its size was in sharp contrast to the surrounding flower boats and was very eye-catching.

From a distance, Su Rui saw a figure standing on the deck.

It was a little blurry, but Tang Yuli, who had been staring at the beautiful scenery, suddenly shrank back and held Su Rui tightly with his hands, and then he knew who the figure was.

It’s the second prince.

However, ever since Tang Yuli got into trouble, the Second Prince has been relatively low-key. After General Tang chose Yun Ji, he was sent to the Lin family for further education. Now he is showing off on such a large ship, which is somewhat contradictory.

Just as they were wondering if there was something wrong, they saw a small boat being launched from the big ship, rowing all the way towards their flower boat.

Su Rui had seen the person who came before. He was an attendant of the second prince and a member of the Lin family.

"Concubine Su, my prince has invited some young men and women from aristocratic families to take a boat ride on the lake. Seeing that you and Miss Tang Er are also there, I would like to invite you and Miss Tang Er to join us on the boat ride. I wonder if Concubine Su would be so kind as to invite you to join us."

Looking up again, I saw that some people had already walked out of the cabin onto the deck. Judging from their figures and clothes, there were indeed both men and women.

"Since the Second Prince has invited me, I must honor him. Miss Tang will..." Su Rui was about to say that Tang Yuli would not go, but before she could say anything, Tang Yuli pulled her hand.