"That Yongle, he didn't even wait until Qingyu's wedding was over before leaving. She's still her sister, after all. Her own brother is gone, and her sister-in-law has run away. How is Qingyu supposed to feel?" Princess Xuan muttered.
"Qingyu doesn't even think that way, but you insist on saying it like that, making it seem like Qingyu is so petty."
Princess Xuan pursed her lips. "I think this child is too willful. It's all your fault; you've spoiled him!"
King Xuan took a deep breath, wanting to say something, but said nothing.
What do you mean it's all his fault for spoiling her?! Didn't you spoil her yourself too?!
Shen Qingyu genuinely felt that her wedding didn't need to be so grand, but Cao Zhi invited everyone he knew.
Song Yaozhu knew that Shen Qingyu felt embarrassed and wanted to comfort her, but she didn't know how.
You can't exactly tell people, "Although this is your second wedding, it's Cao Zhi's first wedding, can you?"
“I don’t know why Yongle rushed down there so hastily. For such a big event as your wedding, Shen Qingque will definitely come back.”
After Shen Qingque went south, he almost never sent letters home. His family didn't know what he was thinking, so it's possible they missed them.
Shen Qingyu was slightly surprised, "I didn't write to my younger brother to tell him about my upcoming marriage!"
She was afraid of disturbing his official duties, so she only talked about minor matters.
"If you don't tell, then your arrogant little brat won't say anything either?"
Cao Zhi wished that everyone he knew could attend his wedding.
If his rank had been higher, he might have even been able to invite the emperor.
Mentioning Cao Zhi made Shen Qingyu blush. Although she still felt a little inferior and even felt the wedding was somewhat awkward, the thought that she was marrying Cao Zhi filled her with strength.
"I'm afraid it will delay his plans."
"Don't you know what kind of person your brother is? He won't let his own affairs get in the way."
Song Yaozhu is right. After receiving Cao Zhi's letter, Shen Qingque made all the necessary arrangements and submitted a memorial to the court, requesting a half-month leave.
The river is now frozen over. If he wants to go by boat, he might get stuck on the ice. But it's snowing in the capital now, and the official roads aren't easy to travel on. A round trip would definitely take more than half a month.
This trip back to Beijing will be shortened to half a month, and he will definitely have to travel day and night. But the thought of seeing his family and wife seems to comfort him.
However, he did not know that the person he longed for had also gone south because he missed him.
Yongle's journey was quite smooth. After all, it was a waterway, and a large, man-made canal like the Grand Canal, so the journey was very calm, with almost no need to worry about the waves being too big to capsize the boat. The only thing to worry about was the ice on the river.
If they encounter a large ice sheet that could damage the boat, it would be dangerous, so every day before they set out, they would first send a small boat out to clear the obstruction.
This was the fifth day since Yongle left Beijing. Life on the ship was incredibly boring, and he had read enough of the storybooks he had brought. Yongle was so bored that he felt he was about to become moldy, just like the vegetables and fruits on the ship.
"Princess! Princess!" The little eunuch hurriedly ran to the cabin and called out from outside the door, "The clearing team is back, and they brought someone back with them!"
Yongle was bewildered. What was that?
Who is it?
What kind of good person could possibly end up in the river!
"The person is half-frozen, should he be treated?" The little eunuch's voice trembled slightly. He thought to himself that since the person had been brought back, he should definitely be treated, after all, it was a human life.
"Go ahead and treat them. You can decide what to do," Yongle said indifferently. As long as they weren't some heinous villains, it was fine.
Five days later, the ship docked at the Jiangzhou pier. The people on board disembarked to buy supplies, and Yongle also disembarked, intending to visit Jiangzhou.
The young eunuch came to her again and said, "Princess, the person we pulled out of the river that day wants to see you."
Yongle pursed her lips, displeased, and said, "What kind of status do I have? Do you think he can just see me whenever he wants?"
The young eunuch understood Yongle's meaning and immediately withdrew, thinking to himself that it made sense. The princess was kind-hearted and saved him, which was as simple as saving a small ant. There was no need for such a commoner to repay him.
Inside the cabin, Dongfang Shi was still weak. He had been soaking in the cold water for almost a whole night and nearly thought he was going to freeze to death in the river, but unexpectedly he was rescued.
Even more surprisingly, the one who saved him was Princess Yongle of the Great Chen Dynasty.
He twitched the corner of his lips, and the little eunuch pushed the door open and came in. He raised his chin and said, "The princess is of noble status, and you can't just see her whenever you want. You should take good care of yourself. If you can walk, then you can leave!"
Dongfang Shi suppressed the murderous intent in his eyes. How dare a mere eunuch be so insolent to him? If he weren't in a dangerous situation, he would have killed him to vent his anger.
"Thank you for helping me make this trip, Eunuch. However, I am just a commoner. If it weren't for the princess's rescue, I would probably be dead. So I would like to kowtow to the princess to express my gratitude."
"No need for thanks. Just remember our princess's kindness in the future." The little eunuch saw that he was coughing and struggling to breathe. "I'll go and ask someone to make you a bowl of pear syrup. You should lie down and not talk too much."
Dongfang Shi lay back down. His body was still relatively healthy, but he had been soaking in ice water for too long and had a fever for three days. Perhaps his lungs were damaged, which was why he was coughing so badly.
The fact that he was currently on Princess Yongle's ship meant he was safe. As the saying goes, it's darkest under the lamp; his pursuers never imagined they would be saved by Princess Yongle.
Yongle's trip might very well be to find her husband in Yanzhou. I can hitch a ride on this journey and make my plans once we arrive in Yanzhou.
Having made up his mind, he stayed on the ship.
However, his plan to lie low did not go as expected, because no one was hunting him down, but someone was hunting Yongle down.
Yongle had no idea where these people had come from. She wandered around Jiangzhou City for a while, but feeling bored, she led her entourage back to the ship. Just then, a group of people on the dock suddenly sprang into action, brandishing knives and charging at her.
Fortunately, the accompanying guards reacted quickly, immediately escorting Yongle onto the ship and killing the group of people.
Once aboard, the boatman immediately hoisted the sails and set sail, fearing that people on the dock would catch up.
“Princess, we shouldn’t have run onto the boat. If someone chases us in a boat, we will be isolated and helpless and die on the river,” the commander of the Imperial Guards sighed helplessly.
Emperor Yongle was still in shock and didn't care about anything else.
"I am here to Jiangnan by imperial decree. How dare they attack me at the docks in Jiangzhou!"
Those people are definitely against Shen Qingque; they probably want to kidnap her to blackmail Shen Qingque.
"Who is it! Who dares to be so bold!" Yongle was both shocked and furious. He wanted to grab the person immediately, twist their head off, and kick it like a ball to vent his anger!
"Princess, I suggest we conduct a self-inspection of the people on the ship now, in case any assassins have infiltrated."
Yongle was reminded of the person he had pulled from the river that day after his reminder.
"Investigate that guy thoroughly! My safety is in the hands of the Commander!"
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