Chapter 410

After Ma Kui and the others got their money back, they were still considering whether to keep winning.

Who knew that Zhu Di could tell they were throwing the game, and strictly forbade them from deliberately losing, so naturally the banknotes started flowing into Ma Kui and the others' hands.

When had Ma Kui and the others ever had so much money? Even holding it felt like it burned their hands.

Then it alarmed Liu Rushi.

Originally, Liu Rushi didn't want to get involved.

But the banknotes Zhu Di was losing were originally given to her by Su Qiao, for her to manage!

She couldn't bear it right away, directly chased Sun Youxu away, and sat down across from Zhu Di.

Hmph, fear and such—originally, there was some.

But when she saw her own money being lost in a rush, Liu Rushi couldn't sit still anymore.

What Your Majesty, what fear—Liu Rushi wasn't afraid anymore!

So she sat across from Zhu Di and locked horns with him.

Here Zhu Di was losing money in a rush, there Liu Rushi was winning money in a rush.

Finally, a proper cycle!

Su Qiao couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu of Tang Bohu.

……

After entering Fujian's territory, the passing ships they saw grew fewer.

Just like that, the official boat Su Qiao and the others were riding entered a narrow waterway, and it had been a long time since they saw a single new ship.

Su Qiao sat on the bow deck, watching the flocks of birds flying in the distant reed marshes, his thoughts churning, not knowing what he was thinking about.

"Mr. Su, please go into the cabin first."

In the past, when Su Qiao was thinking about things, Ma Kui and the others always had good sense and never disturbed him.

But today, Sun Youxu's situation seemed a bit off.

Su Qiao came back to his senses, glanced at him in confusion, didn't object, and got up to enter the cabin.

After Su Qiao left, Sun Youxu's expression grew somewhat Solemn, and he immediately ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard on board to stay on guard.

Crossbow bolts and bowstrings were all drawn taut, Embroidered Spring Sabers placed beside them, and Sun Youxu also specially called a few people to go into the bottom of the cabin and carry out several wooden crates.

Even if Su Qiao were slow to catch on, he could sense something was off.

Zhu Di, who was playing mahjong, at this moment, just as he was about to lose, pushed the mahjong tiles away.

"What's going on?"

Zhu Di also sensed the atmosphere was off!

"I don't know either, haven't asked yet, but it seems Sun Youxu discovered something."

Su Qiao spread his hands and said.

Zhu Di watched the people on the ship bustling about, closing the windows and putting up shutters, crossbows all laid out, and also guessed what kind of situation they had run into.

"It couldn't be some river bandits, could it?"

The waterways in the south were dense and winding, with no shortage of river bandits, and it wasn't easy for the official army to wipe them out.

Often, after troops were dispatched, they couldn't find anyone, and once the official army left, they would return again.

Wasting provisions and military pay for nothing.

So these river bandits could be considered a specialty of the Jiangnan region.

It's just that neither Su Qiao nor Zhu Di thought it was a simple matter of river bandits.

"If I had to guess, you've been targeted—who did you offend before?"

Zhu Di turned around with great certainty, looked at Su Qiao, and said.

Su Qiao was stunned at the words—who had he offended?

Wasn't it just Xu Chunming of the Bai Bai Lianjiao?

Didn't he almost get left behind in Tianjin and run away?

Could it be that he refused to give up and came here to ambush him?

Su Qiao's thoughts spun rapidly in his mind, thinking of quite a few things.

As for why Zhu Di was so certain it was targeting Su Qiao.

The reason was also simple—this was an official boat, and on it were not only the Embroidered Uniform Guard but also obvious official soldiers.

Ordinary river bandits would absolutely not dare to casually provoke the Embroidered Uniform Guard or an official boat.

That would be inviting trouble for themselves!.

263, no choice!

River bandits aren't fools.

Even if they don't provoke the authorities, official soldiers will still come to encircle and suppress them.

So if they dared to rob the authorities' and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's ships, that would be purely poking a hornet's nest!

Anyone who could become a river bandit chief wasn't a fool.

Anyone whose brain didn't work well was basically either killed or wiped out by the authorities.

The ones left, which one of them wasn't slippery and elusive, keeping far away when they saw an official boat?

But now the situation was exactly the opposite!

If Su Qiao were to say there was nothing fishy in the middle, he absolutely wouldn't believe it!

Zhu Di's grasp of danger was stronger than others; although he hadn't yet seen how many ambushers there were.

He could already be certain that the people ambushing Su Qiao this time had invested heavily, and there were absolutely no shortage of hands.

"Su Qiao, this time it's probably going to be a fierce battle, you'd best hide deep in the cabin and not come out!"

Zhu Di turned his head and instructed Su Qiao.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall!

Su Qiao was not foolish; or rather, he had been prepared for this.

This was not the time for him to show off; with Zhu Di directing the operation, Su Qiao standing aside would not only be useless but might even become a hindrance.

So he simply nodded and said, "Your Majesty, please ensure your safety!"

Saying this, he took out two exquisite hand crossbows, threw one to Zhu Di, tucked the other into his chest, and then took Liu Rushi to hide in the cabin below.

Ma Kui and others who knew Zhu Di's identity looked at one another in silence.

It was always the subjects protecting the Emperor as he fled; today was truly a sight to behold, for the situation had reversed!

Yet it seemed the Emperor Taizong had agreed to it!

Calculating that neither side could be provoked, they decided to pretend they saw nothing.

Zhu Di took the small hand crossbow Su Qiao had thrown him, and a rare expression of helplessness crossed his face.

He was accustomed to killing enemies on the battlefield with a long blade; this thing was of little use to him.

Thinking so, he was about to toss it aside.

Perhaps it was because he had spent so much time by Su Qiao's side that he had been influenced by him.

Suddenly, Zhu Di recalled Su Qiao's words in his mind:

Villains die from talking too much; regardless of the means, if you survive and crush your opponent, then the victor is the king!

Hmm, although he was not very accustomed to using such a thing.

What if he needed to use it in a moment?

At this thought, Zhu Di, as if guided by a ghost, fastened the hand crossbow to his lower back.

The official boat had stopped by now, and the soldiers and Embroidered Uniform Guard standing outside had all taken cover.

Even though there was a considerable distance between them, the ambushers among the water bandits sensed something was wrong.

More than a hundred zhang away from the official boat along the waterway, the three leaders of the water bandits had gathered together, hiding in a secluded reed marsh.

They were currently standing on a small black-canopied boat; it was unremarkable, yet their gazes were fixed intently on the situation of the official boat.

"Second Brother, why do I feel something is wrong? Have the people on the official boat discovered us?"

The eldest leader's eyesight was still good; even from several hundred meters away, he could see quite clearly.

But the more he looked, the more doubts arose in his mind!

Upon hearing the eldest's words, the second leader also narrowed his eyes and looked.

"Eh? Big Brother, it really does seem wrong. The official boat has stopped, and weren't there many people on the bow before? Why is there not a single person there now?"

The third leader reacted the fastest. "Big Brother, Second Brother, although I do not know how we were exposed, I can be certain they must have discovered something amiss; otherwise, they would not have stopped so cautiously."