Chapter 80 The Shipwreck
The arson incident was quickly suppressed, some of the officials in Jinan Prefecture who were incompetent and held their positions were punished, and the imperial entourage continued its southern tour.
On the first day of the second month, Kangxi arrived in Shandong and instructed the Shandong governor, Wang Guochang, to properly comfort the disaster victims; on the fifteenth, Kangxi arrived in Hangzhou, inspected the garrison troops, and awarded them silver; on the twenty-sixth, he arrived in Jiangning Prefecture and dispatched Grand Secretary Ma Qi to offer sacrifices at the mausoleum of the Ming Taizu Emperor…
The following month-long southern tour proceeded smoothly without any further incidents. It wasn't until the first day of the third month that Emperor Kangxi and his entourage returned to Beijing by boat from Jiangning…
"Thirteenth, let me test you. Do you know why I require that those responsible for dike and dam safety be county officials of high rank, and that they be selected from wealthy families?"
Throughout the journey, Kangxi constantly tested Yinxiang, and everyone got used to it, assuming that the thirteenth prince had somehow caught the emperor's eye.
On his way back to Beijing, Emperor Kangxi did not forget to inspect the waterway construction along the way. The group had just finished inspecting the Gaojiayan Dam when they boarded the boat again and set off.
The question that Kangxi asked was exactly what he had been instructed to do at Gaojiayan. Yinxiang pondered for a moment. After all, he was no longer the greenhorn who had just left the palace. In recent days, with Kangxi’s constant testing and Yinzhen’s private tutoring, Yinxiang had made rapid progress in the area of political affairs.
Therefore, after a moment's consideration, he calmly replied: "Those from wealthy families will naturally cherish their property more and be more diligent in preventing risks; those from higher positions than county magistrates will face fewer obstacles and will be more diligent in preventing risks."
"Not bad, you're just like the fourth brother."
Kangxi nodded, a smile on his face, seemingly in a good mood. His gaze shifted from the much-improved Thirteenth Prince to the bowing Yinzhen beside him, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
Ever since he harbored murderous intent towards Songgotu, Kangxi had begun searching for a new assistant for the Crown Prince. He chose Yinxiang, a man of loyalty, courage, and resourcefulness, already possessing exceptional martial prowess. Under Yinzhen's tutelage, Yinxiang had also acquired some of Yinzhen's literary skills. He was indeed a very suitable candidate to assist the Crown Prince.
Yinzhen was exceptionally capable, but unfortunately, too capable; he wasn't entirely at ease entrusting him to the Crown Prince. Moreover, Yinzhen had already, under his arrangement, severed ties with the Crown Prince's faction…
Therefore, Yinzhen should just be a loyal subject.
...
As a diligent and frugal emperor, Emperor Kangxi was well aware of the enormous expenses involved in a southern tour, so he did not request a particularly grand procession.
Emperor Kangxi and his three princes were on one boat, their officials on another, and their guards and attendants on two separate boats, one in front and one behind. The entire fleet for the southern tour consisted of only four large ships, similar to a typical merchant fleet. The only distinguishing feature was the decoration of the boats, which revealed the extraordinary status of the passengers.
Under the still, moonless night, the dragon boat moved slowly across the river. Most of the nobles on board were asleep, and only the patrolling guards moved about quietly.
There's no need to control the dragon boat's speed; with the sails down, the boatmen only need to keep an eye on the water. With nothing to do, it's easy to doze off.
The drowsy crew members naturally didn't notice the unexpected noises coming from the bottom of the ship.
"Ugh... ugh..." Startled awake from his sleep, before he could react, the crew member felt a hand tightly covering his mouth and a sharp pain in his throat. After struggling for a few moments, his body gradually cooled down, and he fell into a deep sleep.
With a clear objective, the men in black stealthily boarded the dragon boats from the water. After dealing with the crew at the bottom, they took out their tools and silently chiseled open the hulls. None of the four dragon boats escaped.
Seeing the river water rising from the bottom of the boat, the men in black quickly changed into the clothes of the servants on board. Some played the roles of eunuchs, some guards, and some crew members, and under the cover of night, they blended into the crowd on the boat.
The hole carved into the hull appeared to be carefully designed; it wouldn't cause immediate rocking of the ship, but over time, it would ensure that the people on board couldn't escape.
All four large ships successfully completed this design, and the man in black's plan seemed to be progressing very smoothly.
But accidents always happen so suddenly.
On the large ship carrying the accompanying officials, a civil official, inspired by the poetic mood of the night and with the thought that "I am also awake because of my concern for the people," knocked on the doors of several colleagues, inviting them to enjoy the nighttime river view. However, upon walking to the bottom of the ship, he discovered corpses scattered all over the floor and the leaking hull, and immediately cried out.
The shout startled the patrolling guards on board, who rushed over and were horrified by the scene. Ignoring the officials' trembling legs, the head guard fired a flare into the sky to warn the people on the other three ships.
Instantly, the entire fleet came to life, candles were lit, and starlight appeared in the dark night.
"Protect the Emperor!"
The first reaction upon seeing the fireworks was naturally to protect the Emperor's safety. Most of the guards rushed to where Kangxi was, while the rest began to inspect the ship.
Limited by their communication methods, the people on the ship only knew that there were enemies, but they didn't know the specific method of attack. Regardless of whether they were afraid or not, whether they were truly loyal to the emperor and loved their country, or just wanted to show off, or felt that they were safer by the emperor's side, the ships on both sides began to move closer to the dragon boat in the middle.
A large number of officials and guards boarded the dragon boat, which made the boat's draft even deeper. Many men disguised as men in black also took this opportunity to board the dragon boat.
Within the crowd, a small group exchanged glances, knowing this was an opportunity not to be missed. Some quickly moved towards where Kangxi was, while others rushed towards the bottom of the boat.
Since we can't sink the ship as originally planned, let's just take action.
Taking advantage of the chaos, many eunuchs and guards suddenly drew their blades and began killing people as they approached Kangxi's room.
"ah!"
"Murder!"
"An assassin!"
"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"
...
Unexpectedly, an assassin was among their own men, causing the commotion to escalate further. The sheer number of people overwhelming them made the guards even more hesitant and unable to act effectively against the assassin. Therefore, despite their superior numbers, they were unable to subdue him for the time being.
"Fourth brother, you take Father Emperor and go first."
Yinzhi drew his sword and stood guard in front of Kangxi, as did Yinxiang, who stood to the side.
"good."
Everyone knew that Prince Yong was not skilled in martial arts. Therefore, Yinzhen did not refute this at the moment, but protected Kangxi and walked out. Yinzhi and Yinxiang stayed behind to control the situation.
Even amidst the shouts of battle around him, Kangxi's expression remained unchanged; only his clenched fists revealed the fury in his heart.
Flanking them were Liang Jiugong and Yinzhen, and a large circle of highly skilled guards surrounded them. At this moment, Kangxi's safety was not in danger.
Soon, under the cover of Yinzhi and Yinxiang, Kangxi and his entourage broke through the encirclement. Leaving the cramped cabin and onto the deck, it was clearly a better place for the guards to perform their duties, and all the approaching assassins were cut down with their swords.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, the ship shook violently and began to tilt forward, causing the people on board to stagger and fall. A gap appeared in the guards' protective circle.
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
An assassin seized the opportunity to roll into the protective circle, disregarding his own life, and fired several hidden arrows at the three men from his sleeve. The assassin was instantly hacked to death by the guards who reacted quickly, but the arrows that had been released from the bow were heading straight for Kangxi's face.
Liang Jiugong screamed, but before he could block, Yinzhen stepped forward, protecting Kangxi with one hand and deflecting two arrows with his sword with the other. However, due to the rocking of the ship, the last arrow was at a tricky angle, and Yinzhen had no way to defend against it, so he could only block it for Kangxi.
"Yinzhen!" Kangxi, realizing what was happening, caught his fourth son, who was unsteady on his feet from the impact of the arrow. His pupils dilated when he saw the arrow deeply embedded in his shoulder.
"Father, the assassin must have broken through the hull. We should not stay here any longer," Yinzhen said, enduring the pain.
“Prince Yong is right, this servant remembers that there are small boats on board…”
Before Liang Jiugong could finish speaking, the ship began to tilt and bob violently again. "It's too late, get out of here!"
Without time to treat the wound on his shoulder, Yinzhen protected Kangxi and hurried to the side of the boat. With the help of the guards, they untied the ropes of the small boat and let Kangxi, Yinzhen, and Liang Jiugong sit on it. Two guards rowed desperately to get away from the sinking ship...
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