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Facing her daughter-in-law, He Yu always had various reasons and expressed that he was already used to it, choosing not to argue with her.
After staying in the Palace for over ten days and celebrating a lively Mid-Autumn Festival, they finally sent off the Eldest Princess. The Emperor was also preparing to take He Yu and the others southward again. Xiao Yao was excited and rarely directed the maids to pack their luggage.
He Yu walked over with a smile, pulling Xiao Yao into the room. "You should calm down; haven't you noticed that without your direction, everyone is getting busier?"
"But I can't sit still," Xiao Yao replied as she stood up.
He Yu pressed her down playfully and said, "Alright then, since you can't sit still, let's do something we both love."
"Ah? Hey, hey! It's broad daylight... Ah! He Yu! You... scoundrel!" Then, under He Yu's various antics, Xiao Yao was finally exhausted and too tired to move even a finger, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
He Yu covered Xiao Yao with a blanket before dressing himself and stepping outside. When Yun Zhu saw He Yu had changed clothes before coming out, she immediately understood what the prince and princess had been doing. Yun Zhu was no longer the girl she was a few years ago; instead, she had become more composed and relieved, greeting He Yu respectfully.
"Alright, you all hurry up and pack," He Yu waved his hand, no longer saying anything unnecessary. He strode toward the backyard; they were about to board the ship, and she needed to figure out how to get Wu Yun and Liu Jin on board tonight. The goal was indeed too big.
Xiao Yao slept soundly until the next morning.
When she opened her eyes, He Yu had already gotten up and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Alright, hurry up; after breakfast, we need to set off."
"Mm." Perhaps due to the quality of her sleep, Xiao Yao did not linger in bed but sat up from the bed while letting Yun Zhu and Yun Yue help her dress and groom herself. "Where are the boys?"
"The boys woke up a long time ago; they're excited about taking the boat today!" He Yu found it amusing that the young masters of Xuanping Prince's Mansion were so thrilled just to be going on a boat.
Really...
Hearing He Yu's words made Xiao Yao laugh as well. "Alright, don't be too hard on them; after all, they are just kids!"
"Yes, I knew you would speak up for them."
"Of course! They are my sons; who else would I support?"
He Yu stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Xiao Yao's waist, pulling her close. "You can still lean towards me."
"I’m not leaning towards you at all," Xiao Yao chuckled, reaching up to wrap her arms around He Yu's neck, standing on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "We are one and the same; there’s no question of leaning or not."
Hearing this made He Yu feel incredibly pleased, a low, joyful laugh escaping his throat. "Yes, we are indeed one."
This time, the waterway was a newly dug canal. To showcase the resources of the Great Feng Dynasty, this southern journey was naturally quite grand. Leading the way was the pilot boat, followed by the emperor's enormous and luxurious Golden Dragon Boat. Among the concubines was Consort Chen, while the others were sent back to the palace. Everyone's eyes widened with curiosity when they saw Consort Chen accompanying the emperor onto the ship instead of Ning Consort.
The Crown Prince was on a boat behind them, sharing a vessel with the Fourth Prince and Third Prince. The princes from these families had to take care of their children still in the cradle, so they naturally could not attend. The Eldest Prince was overseeing state affairs and could not come.
The Third Prince remained unmarried and alone. As for the Fourth Prince, Sun Ruoxue returned under the pretext of seasickness, leaving a Consort by his side to attend to him.
And further back was He Yu, who had brought his wife and children along, causing quite a commotion on their own separate boat. This was basically the main group; there were also accompanying officials and servants—some on supply boats behind them and others scattered across various ships to ensure the safety of these precious nobles. Surrounding these main vessels were several escort boats that tightly protected these splendid ships.
Xiao Yao leaned against the ship's railing, gazing at this spectacular fleet and feeling a sense of awe. She had never witnessed such grandeur before. When she studied history back in school, Zheng He’s voyages to the West must have looked something like this.
The two children ran over excitedly. "Mother, where are Wuyun and Liujin?"
"They're in that cabin behind us. You two be careful not to let them be discovered," He Yu instructed.
"Okay!" The children nodded vigorously and headed towards the cabin.
Seeing that the children had left, Xiao Yao suggested, "Shall we go take a look too?"
"It's fine; let's wait until we’ve sailed a bit further. It’s too conspicuous right now," He Yu said, kissing Xiao Yao on the cheek as he stood on the deck. A gentle breeze blew across the lake's surface as He Yu tucked Xiao Yao's loose hair behind her ear. On that deck, the Fourth Prince and his Consort Zhao observed this scene with envy. Zhao remarked, "Xuanping Wang and his princess truly are affectionate."
Yang Yunzhe, who already had a rather grim expression, coldly dismissed Zhao with a glare after hearing her words. "What do you know? This prince hasn’t spoken yet; who gave you permission to speak?!"
Zhao's face immediately turned pale as she quickly knelt down to apologize. "I was wrong! Please forgive me! I won’t dare again!"
“Concubine?” Yang Yunzhe sneered, “So ignorant of the times, yet you still call yourself a ‘concubine’? From now on, you’re just a city slave!” After saying that, he waved his hand and no longer looked at Zhao, who had already collapsed to the ground, and entered the side room by himself.
Yang Yunzhe's personal eunuch naturally noticed this. He didn’t care about Zhao, who was still lying on the ground, and followed the Fourth Prince into the side room. “Your Highness, there’s no need to be troubled over this woman. You’ll be able to go ashore tomorrow, and then Servant will find you someone better.”
“Forget it,” the Fourth Prince took a sip of wine and squinted his eyes. “I’ve heard that the further south you go to Jiangnan, the more beautiful these girls become!”
“Indeed,” Cai Zhong cautiously observed Yang Yunzhe’s expression while carefully choosing his words. “There are grand halls above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below; Jiangnan not only has beautiful scenery but also has girls who are exceptionally gentle and lovely, especially…”
“Just like Consort Xuanping?” He Yu interrupted Cai Zhong abruptly.
“Huh?” Cai Zhong was taken aback by the Fourth Prince’s words. “Your Highness…”
“Forget it, I’m being reckless,” Yang Yunzhe took another sip of wine. “Isn’t Consort Xuanping from Jiangnan? Naturally, we have to compare.”
“Yes, but…” If Xuanping Wang hears this, wouldn’t the prince be angry? Cai Zhong thought.
However, Yang Yunzhe seemed to be slightly intoxicated from the few sips of wine and simply waved his hand for Cai Zhong to leave, leaning back against the couch to sleep.
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