Chapter 593

Hu Xiaotian heard this and was startled: "General Li, didn't you say the Seventh Prince is on his way here from the Tongtian River?"

Li Chen Zhou said: "That's right, but midway the Prince received an imperial summons ordering him to return immediately to Yongdu, so he entrusted me with escorting Princess Anping to Yongdu."

Hu Xiaotian hearing this news could be described as mixed joy and worry. Joy: Seventh Prince Xue Daoming will not appear temporarily, thus avoiding him meeting Zijuan, preventing early exposure. Worry: Li Chen Zhou personally escorting them back to Yongdu, Li Chen Zhou is exceptionally wise and shrewd, along this route he will surely monitor them closely; my original plan was to find an opportunity en route for Zhou Mo to take Long Xi Yue away early, but under Li Chen Zhou's watch it should be hard to find an opportunity.

Hu Xiaotian showed a pleased expression: "Having General Li accompany us would be perfect, but the earliest we could depart is probably three days from now."

Li Chen Zhou said: "No need to delay; we'll leave NanYang Water Fortress this afternoon and head for Yongdu."

Hu Xiaotian heard this and was greatly startled; Wu Jing Shan also found it hard to believe his ears, astonished he said: "But the matters here haven't been sorted out yet; the deceased warriors haven't even been properly dealt with."

Li Chen Zhou smiled: "Nothing is more important than the Seventh Prince's wedding; you two sirs need not worry. These warriors' corpses will be properly handled by General Tang; as for the dowry, there's little left, we'll just load it onto the ship and ship it away."

Wu Jing Shan, hearing they still had to take a boat, turned pale: "What? We still have to take a boat?"

Li Chen Zhou said: "From here to Yongdu one must cross mountains and ridges, the route is rugged and difficult; choosing to go by boat lets us travel north along the canal straight to the Tongtian River, then disembark there and continue overland to Yongdu. Sir Wu, rest assured: within Da Yong's borders the realm is peaceful, and I, Li, can guarantee your safety."

Although Hu Xiaotian raised no objection, he also thought the departure was too hasty, and he whispered: "I haven't yet reported this to the Princess. Generals, allow me to explain matters to the Princess first, then we can decide."

Tang Boxi said: "Lord Hu, you really don't act like us men—hesitant, indecisive. You went to all that trouble bringing Princess Anping here just to get to Yongdu, didn't you? Now you keep making excuses, deliberately stalling. Do you have some other scheme?"

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed this guy's mouth needing a slap; my identity is a eunuch, but I'm not really a eunuch, you keep flip-flopping on this matter. Mocking me for not being a man, your character is truly base. Hu Xiaotian smiled: "There's no scheme at all; just because this is such a big matter, we must first inform the Princess."

Li Chen Zhou said: "Lord Hu, just go and report. I'll have people start preparing; we'll set sail this afternoon." His words amounted to telling Hu Xiaotian that his decision admits no change; whether you request instructions or report, in our Da Yong territory you must obey our arrangements.

Hu Xiaotian came to the Princess's tent. At that moment Zixuan walked out from inside, having changed into a brand-new splendid palace robe, which was found in a wooden crate salvaged from the water. Zixuan's face was veiled, revealing only a pair of clear, beautiful eyes. As the saying goes, a person needs clothes, a Buddha needs gold; after donning this attire, Zixuan exuded a noble, aloof aura. Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but secretly admire her—after all, having followed Long Xi Yue for years, Zixuan could almost pass for the real thing when dressed up. Yet this girl is indeed not simple; having endured this ordeal, she remains calm and rational, making me realize I had previously underestimated her.

Hu Xiaotian performed a deep bow with pretended solemnity, respectfully saying: "Xiaotian pays respects to Your Highness the Princess, may you live ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

Zixuan said calmly: "Rise!" With a lift of hand and foot she portrayed the Princess's manner to perfection.

Hu Xiaotian repeated Li Chen Zhou's decision exactly as he had just said it.

Zixuan said: "Anyway, we have to go to Yongdu sooner or later; the timing makes no difference."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Since the Princess says so, I'll go prepare now."

Zixuan said: "There's nothing much to prepare; after this incident most people are dead, only thirty-odd survivors remain, and most of the dowry has already been lost in the Yong River."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Some of the dowry and luggage have been salvaged; later I will send a messenger back to Dakang to report to the Emperor as soon as possible, explaining the situation."

Zixuan said: "Da Yong is a vast great state; it won't care about that bit of dowry. You needn't worry; once we reach Yongdu I'll explain it myself to them."

Hu Xiaotian secretly admired: Zixuan had entered the role so quickly; if not for knowing the inside story, even he couldn't tell whether she truly was the Princess.

Zixuan lifted her gaze, looking at the warriors busy sorting the dowry, then sighed softly: "Hu Xiaotian!"

"Present!" Hu Xiaotian bowed his waist.

"If someone on the way tries to harm me, will you protect me?"

"Xiaotian is willing to lay down his liver and brains for the Princess, to die without regret!" Hu Xiaotian declared firmly.

Zixuan's beautiful eyes were filled with coldness: "I don't believe it—not one bit!"

Li Chen Zhou's decision to depart this afternoon made time unusually tight, leaving little time for Hu Xiaotian and his group to finish up. After discussion, Hu Xiaotian and Wu Jing Shan decided to leave Xiong Anmin and his son here, having them lead four warriors to cooperate with the NanYang Water Fortress side in handling the warriors' corpses; meanwhile Wu Jing Shan wrote a letter, so that after Xiong Anmin finishes here he can immediately return to Dakang, trying to get the letter to the capital as soon as possible and deliver it to the Emperor. Doing this also aims to clarify the situation, gain the Emperor's understanding, and thus absolve themselves of blame.

Originally Xiong Tianba was unwilling to stay; he wanted to follow Hu Xiaotian and the others to Yongdu to join the fun. But Hu Xiaotian considered that the upcoming journey would likely be more dangerous, Xiong Tianba is hot-tempered and rash in his actions; if he caused trouble in Da Yong it might spiral out of control, so he instructed Zhou Mo to order him to stay and look after his father.

In the end, only twenty-nine people remained to escort Princess Anping to Yongdu; however, we are now within Da Yong's borders, and security is entirely in Li Chen Zhou's hands.

That afternoon, three warships set out from NanYang Water Fortress, sailing north against the current along the canal.

Hu Xiaotian and his companions accompanied the Princess aboard the middle ship; after the fleet entered the canal, Hu Xiaotian led the surviving warriors in sorting the dowry: they opened the wooden crates, spread the contents on the deck to dry in the sun, then repacked them.

These wooden crates still contained many valuable items, which Wu Jing Shan re-registered in the ledger. Although these people formerly belonged to different factions, after the Yong River capsizing disaster, over eight hundred have dwindled to these thirty; even the former loyal warriors of Wen Boyuan no longer harbor hostility toward Hu Xiaotian. Everyone understands that we must set aside past grudges and grievances, and only by joining forces can we hope to overcome this crisis.

What pleased Hu Xiaotian was that the landscape painting Yang Lingqi had given him remained completely undamaged; he handed those paintings to Long Xi Yue for safekeeping. Long Xi Yue is meticulous—each painting was carefully wrapped in oilcloth, so none had been soaked by water. This also included a portrait Hu Xiaotian had painted of Long Xi Yue; upon finding it he immediately destroyed it, for this object must not be kept, lest it fall into the hands of someone with ill intent and become a major trouble.

Long Xi Yue's current status is merely Hu Xiaotian's attendant; seeing him about to destroy her portrait, she felt a twinge of reluctance. Hu Xiaotian guessed her thoughts and, via voice transmission, told her: "Once we're out of this predicament, I'll paint you a hundred, even a thousand pictures."

Long Xi Yue nodded slightly, but then heard him add: "A nude portrait."

Long Xi Yue's pretty face flushed; she wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in—this guy really will say anything. She felt sweetly delighted, and if she truly could overcome this predicament, she could spend her life with her lover, letting him do as he wishes.

Li Chen Zhou came from the stern, wearing black warrior garb and a darkwood hairpin; this outfit made him look somewhat antiquated. Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: dressed like mourning attire—actually in this era mourning garb is mostly hemp and filial pins, though some wear black clothes; Li Chen Zhou's attire serves another purpose, deep in his heart he silently mourns his brothers.

Hu Xiaotian noticed the long sword hanging at Li Chen Zhou's waist was precisely the Tiger Soul sword used in life by Wen Boyuan; his heart stirred—this Li Chen Zhou is no good sort, seeing the fine blade, greed stirred and he claimed it for himself. He approached with a spring-breeze manner, clasped fists and saluted: "General Li has arrived!"

Li Chen Zhou said: "I heard the Princess suffers from seasickness, so I had some anti-seasickness medicine prepared and sent over; please trouble Lord Hu to present it." He handed a jade bottle to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian received it with both hands, repeatedly thanking: "General Li, your thoughtfulness is truly thorough."

Li Chen Zhou said: "Just a trifle, not worth mentioning." His gaze swept over the dowry spread out to dry on the deck, and he asked: "How is it? Is the loss great or not?"

Hu Xiaotian answered truthfully: "Most have already fallen into the Yong River; we only recovered a small portion, but still we owe it to you."

Li Chen Zhou said: "Lord Hu, no need to be so polite; we're all after the same goal."

Hu Xiaotian deliberately lingered his gaze a few extra seconds on the Tiger Soul sword hanging at Li Chen Zhou's waist; the meaning was clear: even if Wen Boyuan is dead, he was still a Dakang general, and his belongings are not something you can just take at will.

Li Chen Zhou said: "This sword is called Tiger Soul; it is the relic of General Wen."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "It looks somewhat familiar to me." He thought to himself: "Even if you're thick‑skinned, being a famous Da Yong general, you wouldn't stoop to embezzling a dead man's sword, would you?" (To be continued~^~)