Chapter 67 Dangers of the Waterway
The journey to Jiangnan takes half a month of bumpy travel by land, but by water it is fast and stable, going downstream.
The Regent's official ship, named "Juque," had three decks and stood majestically like a floating fortress. To accommodate the pregnant princess, Shen Jin specially ordered that the most luxurious cabin on the top deck be covered with Persian carpets, and even the corners of the tables be covered with soft cloth, for fear of causing any bumps or knocks.
As night falls, the canal glistens with light.
Inside the cabin, candlelight shone brightly.
Jiang Mianmian was leaning against the window, watching the lights recede on both banks of the river, holding a freshly caught hairy crab in her hand, eating it with relish.
Wow, this is like an ancient luxury cruise ship!
[No motion sickness, can enjoy the breeze and crab – the only downside is the lack of Wi-Fi, this life is perfect!]
[Chen Jin went to inspect the supplies in the lower hold. Perfect timing, this biggest male crab is mine! Hehe, it's full of crab roe!]
Just as she was about to put the crab roe into her mouth, suddenly—
"Thump!"
A muffled thud came from the bottom of the ship, like a boulder hitting the ground, causing the entire ship to shake violently.
Jiang Mianmian's hand trembled, and the crab roe fell onto the carpet.
Holy crap! My crab roe!
What happened? Did it run aground? Or did the Titanic hit an iceberg?
Immediately following was a sharp alarm gong that pierced the silent night sky.
"Assassins! A water ghost is scuttling the boat! The hull is leaking!"
"Quickly, protect the Prince and Princess!"
Shouts of battle erupted from outside in an instant.
Jiang Mianmian's expression changed, and she instantly threw away the crab leg in her hand.
[A water ghost? Another water ghost?]
Is that old hag, the Empress Dowager, deliberately targeting water? Last time it was the river, this time it's the deep river. Is she trying to feed me to the fish?
Wait... is the hull leaking?
Jiang Mianmian suddenly realized something, and her face turned deathly pale.
[It's over! The hold! The hold contained 50,000 taels of silver for disaster relief, and several thousand bushels of grain!]
If the ship sinks, the silver can be salvaged, but the grain will be ruined by the water! That's the life-saving food for the people of Jiangnan!
[And...and the two boxes of my secret stash of money that I hid inside!]
"No! My money! My food!"
Jiang Mianmian instantly switched from a laid-back mode to a fighting mode.
She didn't even bother to put on her shoes and rushed out barefoot. As soon as she opened the door, she bumped into Shen Jin, who was soaking wet and had obviously just come out of the water.
"go back!"
Shen Jin grabbed her and pressed her down, his eyes sharp. "There are assassins everywhere outside! Yingyi, guard the door and don't let the princess out!"
"I don't!"
Jiang Mianmian grabbed his arm, jumping up and down in panic, "The ship is sinking! What about the silver and food in the hold? They're our lifeline!"
Shen Jin frowned deeply: "We can't worry about that now. There's a huge hole in the hull, and the current is too strong. We must immediately switch to a smaller boat and evacuate. As for those possessions..."
He gritted his teeth. "I have no choice but to give up. The most important thing is to stay alive."
This is the most rational judgment.
With several thousand bushels of grain and tens of thousands of taels of silver, it was impossible for them to safely escape the siege of assassins.
[Give up? Are you crazy?]
That's fifty thousand taels! That's several thousand bushels of grain! That's countless lives! You just want to abandon it?
[A spendthrift! A super spendthrift!]
【No way! If you don't want it, I'll take it! I have my own space, who am I afraid of!】
Jiang Mianmian took a deep breath, then suddenly clutched her stomach and let out a painful groan:
"Ouch... my stomach... my stomach hurts so much..."
Shen Jin was shocked: "What happened? Did it affect the baby?"
"No...no..."
Jiang Mianmian pointed weakly toward the lower deck, "I...I have a family heirloom left in the lower deck...It's a keepsake left to me by my mother...I can't live without it...I have to go get it..."
[Keep making things up! As long as we can get into the hold!]
Shen Jin was so angry he wanted to hit someone: "What are you doing worrying about belongings at a time like this! We're about to die!"
"I won't leave! I won't leave!"
Jiang Mianmian started throwing a tantrum, clinging tightly to the pillar, "I won't leave without the family heirloom! If you won't let me go, I'll... I'll jump into the river!"
Shen Jin was so angry at her "money over life" attitude that he almost laughed.
But he knew her. This woman usually seemed timid, but once she became stubborn, not even nine oxen could pull her back.
"Very well! I'll take you there!"
Shen Jin gritted his teeth, scooped her up in his arms, and said, "Take your things and leave right now! Not a second longer!"
...
Lower deck.
It was now a vast ocean.
The river water surged in through the large hole that had been dug, already reaching above knee level. The once neatly stacked boxes and grain sacks were now submerged in water, teetering on the verge of collapse.
Several guards were desperately trying to plug the leak, but to no avail.
"Your Highness! The water level is too high! We can't stop it!"
Shen Jin carried Jiang Mianmian into the water and said coldly, "Everyone out! Prepare to abandon ship!"
"Yes!" The guards, as if granted a pardon, quickly withdrew.
Soon, only Shen Jin and Jiang Mianmian remained in the huge lower deck.
The water level was still rising, and the light was dim, with only a few oil lamps flickering on the wall.
"Where is the thing?" Shen Jin asked.
Jiang Mianmian jumped down from his arms, the water reaching over her calves, icy cold.
Where are they? They're all here!
She pretended to search around, but in reality, she was frantically scanning with her consciousness.
[Receive! Receive! Receive!]
Her hands appeared to be groping around in the water, but in reality, every box she touched would vanish into thin air with a thought and be stored in her personal space.
[The box containing the silver... accept it!]
[Collect the grain sacks! Collect them! Collect them!]
Because the movement was too fast, coupled with the dim lighting, large ripples on the water, and the need for Chen Jin to be vigilant about the surrounding movements, he did not notice anything unusual for a moment.
He only saw Jiang Mianmian splashing around in the water, touching this and that.
"Have you found it yet?!" Shen Jin urged anxiously, the water already up to his thighs.
"Right away! It'll be ready in a minute!"
Jiang Mianmian's forehead was covered in sweat.
[Too heavy! Too much! My mental energy is about to be exhausted!]
[The last box...my secret stash of money...take it!]
As the last box disappeared from the spot, Jiang Mianmian felt a "buzz" in her head, her vision went black, and she almost fainted.
But looking at the hold, which was once full but is now empty, with only a few empty boxes floating on the water as cover, she felt incredibly satisfied.
[Done! Zero-dollar purchase successful!]
Even if the ship sinks, we won't lose anything! We can even claim the loss from the imperial court and make a profit!
"Found it!"
Jiang Mianmian pulled a small wooden box she had prepared beforehand from the water, hugged it tightly to her chest, and exclaimed with the joy of "finding something lost." "Found it! Let's go!"
Shen Jin looked at the ordinary little wooden box in her hand and sighed helplessly.
I almost lost my life over this piece of junk.
What a foolish woman.
"Walk!"
At this moment, the ship tilted violently, clearly about to sink.
Without another word, Shen Jin scooped up Jiang Mianmian, used the floating wooden planks for leverage, and like a roc, carried her out of the lower deck and onto the deck.
"Boom—"
The moment they rushed off the deck, the Giant Sword finally gave way and slowly sank into the middle of the river.
"Get in the boat!"
Shadow One had already prepared a small lifeboat.
Shen Jin carried Jiang Mianmian and landed steadily on the small boat.
Watching the giant ship gradually being swallowed by the river, along with the 50,000 taels of silver and thousands of bushels of grain that sank with it.
The accompanying officials and guards were all ashen-faced, as if they had lost their parents.
"It's over...it's all over..."
"The disaster relief grain is gone... the silver is gone too... how are we going to explain this to the people of Jiangnan...?"
Some people even couldn't help but cry.
Shen Jin's expression was also extremely grim. Although no one was hurt, the loss was... far too great.
Only Jiang Mianmian.
She huddled in Shen Jin's arms, clutching the small wooden box. Although she was soaked to the bone and shivering from the cold, her eyes gleamed with an extremely strange, almost eerie, excitement, as if she had "made a fortune."
[Why are you crying? It's all in your sister's pocket!]
Once we get to Jiangnan, I'll show you a magic trick to scare you to death!
Shen Jin looked down and caught a glimpse of the mischievous smile that she couldn't quite retract.
He paused for a moment.
The ship sank, the money is gone, so why... is she still smiling?
And that smile is so... sly?
Could it be...?
Chen Jin's gaze fell on the small wooden box in her hand, and he recalled the unnaturally empty space in the lower deck earlier.
An astonishing conjecture came to mind.
This woman...could she be...?
"princess."
Shen Jin suddenly leaned closer to her and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Is there 50,000 taels of silver in your 'family heirloom'?"
Jiang Mianmian's body stiffened.
Holy crap! You actually noticed that?!
She blinked, looking completely innocent: "What are you saying, Your Highness? There are only a few pieces of pastry in here."
"pastry?"
Shen Jin reached out and gently pinched her cheek. The gloom in his eyes instantly disappeared, replaced by a pride that said, "My princess is indeed a goddess."
"Okay. The pastries are good."
"Once we reach the shore, I... will eat slowly."
The small boat cut through the waves in the night, heading towards the shore.
The giant ship behind them sank to the bottom of the river, taking away the Empress Dowager's conspiracy, but leaving behind a "Doraemon Cotton" full of hope.
This perilous waterway journey ultimately ended without serious harm... and resulted in a huge profit.
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