The following few days passed peacefully enough. After entering the eight-hundred-li Changting Lake, they would only need to travel a few more days before having to switch to overland routes.

The waters of Changting Lake stretched in all directions with a broad surface, except for one place called Tiger’s Roar Gorge. There, two mountains faced each other with elevation differences between the mountain bodies, causing that section of the lake to narrow with turbulent currents and numerous hidden reefs. Ships frequently met with accidents there, and water bandits often took advantage of the chaos to appear. Therefore, when both ships traveled near Tiger’s Roar Gorge, they moved very slowly and carefully.

To guard against water pirates, the escorts on both ships stood on deck.

Tie Ci was also on deck enjoying the scenery. She saw Tan Xiuyue standing in a corner on the rear ship, looking very well-behaved.

Gu Xiaoxiao had also reported to her that these past days, Tan Xiuyue hardly left her cabin and was quite proper. Her little servant also stayed honestly in the lower cabin, though Gu Xiaoxiao felt sorry for him and allowed him to come up for air in the evenings.

At this moment, near dusk, evening clouds spread like brocade, the setting sun molten gold, the lake water half dyed crimson red and half azure blue, with the ships’ white sails gliding light as gulls and herons.

Ahead lay Tiger’s Roar Gorge, where they could see the narrow knife-cut green mountains on both sides. The ships moved even more slowly.

People walked along both shores – mountain folk lived in this area, and it was also a necessary route to nearby county towns.

Tie Ci noticed shadowy figures among the trees on the shore, apparently a young wife riding a donkey with a young man beside her who should be her husband, carrying a book bag and wearing scholarly robes like a scholar.

The sunset filled the mountains. The young man occasionally helped support his wife who couldn’t sit steadily, while the young wife often wiped away the sweat from his journey.

It was a very heartwarming scene.

Murong Yi suddenly leaned beside her and said, “Ah, how enviable.”

Tie Ci wondered what was so enviable about this? We two are looking at others as scenery, but couldn’t those people on shore be looking at us as scenery as well?

But she heard that fellow murmur, “When will my darling also carry one in her belly for me?”

Only then did Tie Ci notice the young wife’s swollen abdomen – she was actually pregnant.

She knew Murong Yi’s mouth never produced proper words.

After the two bantered briefly, their gazes turned away. This was precisely the time for passing through dangerous rapids, so everyone’s attention was on the river surface.

From the corner of her eye, Tie Ci saw the young wife apparently dismount from the donkey, being carefully helped by her husband to the water’s edge, seemingly wanting to drink water or wash her hands.

The green mountains on left and right stood like screens. From behind the screens, two ships suddenly emerged.

Black boats appeared like ghosts in the evening mist and haze. Their pointed prows had barely appeared when they rammed toward Tie Ci’s ship.

But Tie Ci’s ship was faster than theirs.

Murong Yi pursed his lips and whistled. Tie Ci’s ship suddenly accelerated, actually charging first toward the approaching boats!

At the same time, their ship’s hull rang with continuous clattering sounds as iron nets extended outward, protruding from the ship with sharp gathered centers. Under the setting sun they flashed silver and radiated cold menace. The entire ship seemed to instantly double in size, becoming an iron-armored monster on the river.

The iron-armored monster suddenly turned sideways in the river with almost nimble speed, directly colliding with the prows of the two opposing ships.

Countless iron net spikes instantly pierced the hulls of the opposing ships, while the tremendous force and added weight of their ship’s movement literally smashed those two smaller boats askew.

Three ships collided on the river with a cracking sound as both water pirate ships simultaneously broke apart.

Countless people jumped into the water.

The water was already shallow here, and the ship collision stirred up the river water, immediately causing the current to surge with urgent waves.

The young gentlemen on board had originally been frightened seeing the pirate ships, but before they could react, the ships here had already been scattered.

They couldn’t stand steady and tumbled into a heap. Looking up, they saw the Crown Princess and her people gripping the railings – even though the ship was tilted nearly to capsizing, she still stood steadily without even changing expression.

The young gentlemen slid back and forth on deck, desperately grasping whatever they could hold, vomiting and crying simultaneously, thinking while crying that they hoped never to encounter the Crown Princess again in their next lives…

A scream rang out. Everyone looked to see the young wife who had been washing her hands on shore lose her footing from the surging river water and fall into the river.

The young scholar on shore cried out in alarm and immediately reached out to grab her, but the current here was swift – in a blink, the young wife had been swept far away.

This section had rolling river waters with elevation differences. Every year, even good swimmers drowned here, and ordinary people dared not enter the water.

Yet the young scholar didn’t hesitate and immediately jumped into the water.

At this moment, the river surface was full of people who had fallen in. For a time, he couldn’t see clearly where his wife had been swept to. He floundered in the river water searching, swimming toward those fierce-looking water pirates while calling out mournfully, his voice heartbreaking.

Due to the current, the pregnant woman had already been swept near the large ship. She floated in the water with a deathly pale face and numb expression, her head bobbing up and down.

Those familiar with water knew this was the true state of drowning – loud cries for help and such usually meant one wasn’t really drowning yet.

Everyone looked at Tie Ci.

On the rear ship, Tan Xiuyue was already shouting loudly, “Save them quickly! Save them! You’re all going to watch a pregnant woman die without helping?”

Gu Xiaoxiao frowned, looking at Tie Ci. The Ministry of Revenue officials’ expressions were already somewhat wrong.

Tie Ci nodded.

Someone jumped down and rescued the pregnant woman.

Chi Xue stepped forward to help the pregnant woman expel water and check her pulse.

The water pirates were still desperately swimming in the water. The scholar couldn’t see clearly what was happening here and continued searching frantically while dodging the water pirates.

The guards and archers on Tie Ci’s ship were still watching Tie Ci.

After ramming the ships and causing the water pirates to fall in, the next step was to shoot arrows to eliminate them, leaving only a few alive for questioning.

But now with the scholar in the water, they couldn’t fire volleys of arrows.

After all, killing water pirates was one thing, but accidentally injuring innocents would be bad.

The guards waited for the Crown Princess to order the scholar rescued as well. Watching him struggle desperately in the torrent with an equally pale face, clearly about to exhaust his strength.

In these torrents, whether from exhaustion, encountering water pirates, or meeting arrow volleys, the outcome would be equally tragic.

The scholar could have swum back at this point to save his own life, yet this man was actually moving bit by bit toward the center of the river.

Such devotion and deep affection was moving. The guards present all sighed with emotion, some already prepared to enter the water, just waiting for His Highness to speak.

What surprised them was that the Crown Princess, whom they considered very virtuous in their hearts, remained completely unmoved in the face of such urgent circumstances.

Murong Yi even raised his hand, preparing to order the arrow volley.

Everyone felt somewhat puzzled and uneasy but still slowly raised their bows and arrows.

Below, a water pirate noticed they were about to shoot arrows. Looking up, he happened to see the scholar desperately searching for someone and grabbed him, choking his neck.

The scholar hung limply from his arm with a deathly pale face. The search, anxiety, prolonged swimming, and icy river water had exhausted all his strength.

Suddenly a scream erupted from the ship – the pregnant woman had awakened and saw her husband.

She clawed at the ship’s rail, crying and shouting loudly. Unfortunately, the river water here roared, wind howled like apes, and various sounds were cacophonous, drowning out her calls.

The scholar had also fainted at this moment and obviously couldn’t hear.

The pregnant woman was frantic with worry and turned back to kowtow to the people on ship, crying sorrowfully, “Please save him! Please! I beg you!”

One had called out in the water earlier, one now wept and pleaded on the ship. Their heartbreaking voices pressed down under the rolling river water and vast layered clouds as the blood-red sunset sank from the horizon’s end.

The expressions of unbearable sympathy on everyone’s faces grew thicker as they frequently looked at Tie Ci.

Tan Xiuyue seemed to have thrown caution to the wind today, being exceptionally bold. Her shouts could be heard even across ships: “Save them! Save them quickly! What are you all just watching for? Are you going to watch helplessly as someone dies, young husband and wife separated by life and death, the child born without a father?”

The Ministry of Revenue officials also couldn’t help saying, “What is the Crown Princess waiting for? This failure to save lives will damage her fine reputation!”

Tie Ci stared fixedly at the scholar, whose face was clearly showing the pallor of death.

Murong Yi sneered and paid no attention. “Shoot!”

A shower of arrows responded from the upper level.

It wasn’t the Crown Princess’s Nine Guards who acted, but his people.

These two looked pitiful and their situation was genuine, but he bore the responsibility of protecting Tie Ci on this journey. The road ahead was fraught with danger, every step perilous. He had to promptly eliminate all unfavorable possibilities.

Better to kill wrongly than let any escape.

Some things weren’t suitable for Tie Ci to do – he would do them.

Otherwise, what was a husband for?

Murong Yi very consciously gave the order as a husband.

But suddenly there were whistling sounds as another shower of arrows shot upward in reverse, meeting the arrow shower from the upper level. Arrow points collided fiercely in mid-air, sparking countless stars with teeth-grinding metallic collision sounds scraping into ears. Countless arrows were intercepted mid-flight and fell together into the river.

Murong Yi’s long, elegant eyebrows slightly raised as he gazed at someone on the ship’s side, his eyes glinting coldly with a smile.

The other person wore only a small jacket in this weather, exposing his powerful arms. His bulging biceps bore fierce tattoos. He also grinned at him, saying in less than fluent official speech, “You, heartless and unrighteous. This desert man looks down on you!”

Murong Yi turned to Tie Ci and said, “I’ve been tolerating Dan Ye for a long time, really, I’ve tolerated him for a long time. This bastard rules as king in his own desert and still brings a bunch of hedgehogs to annoy me. I want to…”

“You want to become sworn brothers with him.” Tie Ci patted his shoulder. “Want to be the principal consort? Magnanimity and tolerance are the primary requirements for becoming Crown Prince Consort.”

Murong Yi said expressionlessly, “It could also be you becoming my princess consort. I wouldn’t require magnanimity from my princess consort – I’d hope she’d be jealous for me every day.”

“Then I suggest you go marry that whoever.”

This was the first time Tie Ci had used the imperial “I” when speaking to Murong Yi. The implications were self-evident.

Both immediately fell silent.

This was too sensitive a topic to discuss.

But Tie Ci’s heart still sank.

Murong Yi indeed wouldn’t give up the Liaodong throne.

He had offended too many people and truly couldn’t abandon his noble position.

Tie Ci didn’t ask whether he had any intention of submitting and pledging allegiance.

If not, she’d just fight until he did.

Suddenly there was a “splash” as someone from the rear ship entered the water. Before fully falling, an angry shout came: “Which bastard pushed me!”

Tie Ci looked and saw it was actually Wan Ji, captain of the Blood Cavalry and Scorpion Camp, who had been commanding protection on the rear ship.

This fellow originally couldn’t swim well but had been practicing frequently in water recently and had become much more proficient. Since he was already in the water, he simply swam toward the scholar’s direction.

With him in the water, Murong Yi couldn’t shoot arrows anymore. His gaze swept coldly over the rear ship where everyone wore expressions of shocked bewilderment.

Once Wan Ji entered the water, naturally Scorpion Camp members provided arrow cover for him. Wan Ji dove underwater and emerged with a knife across that water pirate’s throat, flinging the scholar onto his back.

Tie Ci had remained silent throughout, but since her loyal warriors had stepped forward, even just for the sake of her faithful subordinates, she couldn’t stop them.

So more people jumped down to support Wan Ji and rescue the man.

The pregnant woman wept with joy and rushed to the ship’s side. Wan Ji directly carried the man onto the main ship.

Dumping the soaking wet person onto the deck, he first begged Tie Ci’s forgiveness, then angrily cursed that someone had pushed him.

Tie Ci glanced at the rear ship. When he went down, there should have been his soldiers behind him, but with many people and confusion at the time, everyone’s attention on the water, it was impossible to verify exactly who had been there.

Naturally, no crime could be prosecuted. Ultimately, saving people wasn’t wrong. She comforted Wan Ji with a few words and gave Chi Xue a meaningful look.

Chi Xue understood and went to the rear ship to investigate the matter.

The pregnant woman kowtowed in thanks to everyone. Apparently overcome with excitement, she also fainted. Tie Ci ordered a cabin prepared for the couple to rest in.

Chi Xue later reported that standing behind Wan Ji at the time, besides his soldiers, there was also Tan Xiuyue. Wan Ji also vaguely felt he’d been bumped by a woman, but Tan Xiuyue argued that she had also been pushed by someone, though she didn’t know who had pushed her.

Several water pirates were also captured that day. Subsequent interrogation revealed they claimed to be local water bandits who usually hunted and robbed around Tiger’s Roar Gorge – robbing when large ships passed, hunting when no large ships came by.

The water pirates had been able to ambush the large ship because they received advance notice that a large ship would pass that day.

As for the source of information, since these water pirates lived half as bandits and half as civilians, they were familiar with all the coastal residents. They had bribed fishermen’s households upstream who would rush to report once they spotted large ships. These people lived long on the water and could travel in small boats chasing wind and waves much faster than large ships.

Tie Ci’s ship looked very plain, unlike either an official vessel or military ship, so these people had targeted it.

This indeed couldn’t be called premeditation. Murong Yi personally handled the matter and reached the same conclusion. Therefore, at the next ferry crossing, Tie Ci had the water pirates taken off the ship and handed over to local authorities for disposal.

The local authorities provided feedback that the water pirates in this section of Changting Lake’s tributaries actually belonged to the largest water bandit gang in Fuguang River – the Sea-Ruling Gang. From Changting Lake to the Sea-Ruling Gang’s thousand-li waterways, scattered water pirates all depended on the Sea-Ruling Gang. These people, as they themselves said, robbed when there was opportunity and hunted when there wasn’t. When government troops came, they scattered into surrounding deep mountains, making them difficult to catch and impossible to eliminate completely.

The Sea-Ruling Gang was powerful with many dependents. Local authorities lacked the capability for cross-border pursuit. Unable to eliminate the roots, water pirates continued plaguing traveling merchants quite rampantly.

Local authorities had repeatedly submitted joint memorials requesting the court suppress the bandits, but Da Qian’s navy was mediocre. Previous bandit suppression efforts ended hastily because the waterways were too extensive and the enemy too skilled at hiding and disguising themselves.

After hearing this, Tie Ci ordered the ship to take a detour through Fuguang River’s tributaries. If they encountered the Sea-Ruling Gang, they would conveniently deal with them.

During these days, the young couple remained very well-behaved, staying in their cabin to recuperate without stepping out once.

Both had awakened that same day. Originally, Tie Ci had people let them disembark at the next ferry crossing, but they said they were traveling to Wuling to visit relatives. Since the scholar was still weak and the pregnant woman quite far along, they feared becoming ill traveling overland in such condition and requested the large ship carry them a bit further.

Tie Ci agreed.

This evening, she and Murong Yi were drinking tea, admiring the moon, and eating refreshments at the ship’s bow. She was listening to Murong Yi point at a crescent moon and spout nonsense about completeness when Chi Xue came to report that the couple had improved greatly today and wanted to thank Tie Ci.

Tie Ci didn’t care about their gratitude but wanted to see them, so she nodded.

Then her gaze shifted and froze.

The river surface bathed in pale moonlight and gentle breezes, those two people turned from the dark stairs like a pair of luminous beautiful jade, almost stealing the warm moon’s radiance.

Though the woman was heavily pregnant, her slender figure could still be discerned. Her features were richly beautiful with full red lips and eyes like rippling autumn waters. Her entire being resembled an exquisite precious vase.

When first seen that day, she had either struggled pale in the water or cried into a tearful mess on the ship. It was truly impossible to connect her with this bright, beautiful person now.

But such radiance dimmed in the presence of that scholar.

The scholar wasn’t the woman’s type of flamboyant beauty. On the contrary, he was somewhat pale and very slender with elegant features, appearing just like a painting. He brought to mind snow covering Liang Garden and frost covering green bamboo, yet that Liang Garden’s nobility remained undiminished while the green bamboo was enshrined in jade vases.

He excelled in having an air both simple and noble – not necessarily stunning at first glance, but one couldn’t help lingering after another look.

Tie Ci naturally couldn’t help taking several more looks.

Beside her, Murong Yi gulped down a mouthful of wine.

Tie Ci watched for quite a while before remembering the vinegar jar beside her. Looking over, oh my, he was actually smiling gently, neither arrogant nor impatient.

Tie Ci found this quite strange.

Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t this person be churning seas of vinegar, having killed someone ten thousand times in his mind by now?

Murong Yi smiled even more graciously, unhurriedly picking up a piece of refreshment.

Ever since Tie Ci had mentioned “principal consort” that day, he had achieved enlightenment.

He should have the bearing and demeanor of a principal consort to make all the cats and dogs submit wholeheartedly.

If the cats and dogs behaved, fine. If not, he had ten thousand ways to make them regret appearing before Shiba for the rest of their lives.