Now that she had laid this contradiction bare, Zhao Yun’s heart inevitably felt somewhat constricted.

It was well known that cultivators lived no more than two hundred years. The King of Yan was already over one hundred and sixty years old, equivalent to a common person in their eighties. Although his cultivation was profound and no signs of decline were visible in his appearance, the two-hundred-year lifespan limit loomed ahead—a threshold no cultivator could cross.

Zhao Yun was currently the King of Yan’s oldest living son, making him the first in line to inherit the throne by both law and blood. If he had not been in the country when the King of Yan passed away, the seat of power could very well have been seized by his other brothers or nephews. Who knew how many coveted this position?

Wei Kingdom’s former Crown Prince Xiao Jing was a bloody example.

Moreover, all hearts were made of flesh, but a ruler’s emotions were typically detached. If he went to live in An Xia territory for decades, even if the King of Yan hadn’t died, their father-son relationship would inevitably fade with such prolonged separation. Was this what Zhao Yun, who had cultivated his position for decades, wanted to see?

But he also understood that if the King of Yan wanted to form a marriage alliance with New Xia, he was necessarily the prince who would be assigned. Princess Changle was the Queen of New Xia, with her status and position being what they were. If Yan Kingdom sought a marriage alliance, they weren’t specifically looking to make enemies—they needed to show the appropriate respect externally and couldn’t casually assign just any royal grandson.

The fact that the King of Yan had not yet appointed a crown prince indicated he had no intention of relinquishing power. Asking Zhao Yun to marry the Queen of New Xia showed that the king was not considering Zhao Yun’s perspective.

The crux of the matter was that he couldn’t openly reject Princess Changle’s requirements. She was a queen, and her husband should rightfully accompany her to reside in her country—this was a matter of principle.

After pondering for a while, Zhao Yun nodded and said, “I understand.” He made no further attempt to persuade or probe Feng Miaojun.

Feng Miaojun and Fu Lingchuan exchanged glances, both knowing they had achieved their purpose. If Zhao Yun was clever, he would know that the best solution was to delay—to stall until these two returned to New Xia, at which point the marriage would naturally fall through. After all, with the great distance between the two countries, as Princess Changle had said, her future opportunities to visit Yan would be few.

This aligned perfectly with Feng Miaojun and Fu Lingchuan’s objectives.

Fu Lingchuan smiled opportunely: “Let’s not discuss these matters anymore. Since we’re on Clear River, why not enjoy ourselves? I remember that Clear Crabs are at their most delicious this season, and I haven’t had the chance to taste them since returning.”

Clear Crabs had claws like golden hooks, with sweet, clean meat and roe that carried a hint of grain fragrance—a premium among crabs. Now that autumn had arrived, the underside of the crab shell was filled with rich oils, commonly called “fat lid,” making it the perfect time to enjoy crabs.

Zhao Yun clapped his hands and laughed heartily: “Indeed, bring on the crabs!”

As a local delicacy, the preparation of Clear River crabs differed completely from elsewhere due to their particular ingredients:

Soft-shell crabs.

Crabs needed to molt their shells to grow, and if this period coincided with the “fat lid” stage, you had soft-shell crabs with golden oil roe. Here, they specifically selected soft-shell crabs, deep-fried them to a crisp, sprinkled them with seven spices, and served them to the nobles.

Every year during this season, the delicacy was at its prime.

Feng Miaojun listened with a growing appetite. However, before the dishes were served, cries for help came from outside.

Immediately after, Zhao Yun’s attendant rushed in to report: “People have fallen into the water in the middle of the river.”

Feng Miaojun moved to the window and looked out. Indeed, people were struggling to stay afloat—men, women, old, and young, perhaps more than thirty in all. Nearby, a civilian boat was sinking, with only half its bow still visible above the water.

This was the middle of the river, with no land nearby. Even if these people could swim, they likely couldn’t reach the shore.

Should they save them? Feng Miaojun couldn’t help but look toward Zhao Yun.

It was his boat, so only the Nineteenth Prince had the authority to decide.

Zhao Yun immediately noticed the compassion in her eyes and smiled. “Princess Changle is truly kind-hearted.” He then ordered his subordinates to pull the drowning people out of the water.

Before long, the deck was wet with water, and the rescued civilians huddled together. A guard loudly asked, “How did the boat fail?”

The boatman of the civilian vessel wiped water from his face. “We were heading to the opposite shore. When we reached the middle of the river, something violently struck and shattered the bottom of our boat, and water flooded in.” He gestured with his hand. “Almost half the bottom was gone, and three or four people immediately fell overboard.”

A civilian cursed, “What thing? You must have hit a rock at the bottom of the river!”

The boatman widened his eyes in response: “I’ve navigated this river for twenty years and could do it with my eyes closed! How could I not remember whether there were reefs in the shipping lane? I’m telling you, that thing could move!”

The guard who had rescued them also reported to his master: “When we went down to the river, there seemed to be a giant shadow moving under the water, not like a reef.”

Everyone had seen the boat—made of cedar wood, and though it had some age, having been soaked in water for so long, it was harder than raw iron. No ordinary fish could have shattered it with a single impact.

Was it a monster attacking civilian boats to eat people?

Feng Miaojun asked curiously, “Are there wild monsters in the Yan capital?” Clear River was fifteen li wide, adding rare scenic beauty to Taiping City. But this was, after all, the world’s most prosperous metropolis, the area with the densest human activity. How bold would a wild monster need to be to come here?

Zhao Yun also shook his head. “Impossible.”

Why would a wild monster risk coming to Clear River to ram boats? This boat was full of commoners—what deep grudge could it possibly have?

The rescued civilians all thanked the three. Upon hearing that this was the most favored Nineteenth Prince of the court, suddenly one person emerged from the crowd and fell to his knees before Zhao Yun with a loud “thud.”

The sound was so loud that Feng Miaojun winced, thinking that kneeling like that a few more times would surely shatter one’s kneecaps.

But this person seemed completely unaware of the pain and cried out loudly, “We have a grievance! We have a grievance! We beg the Nineteenth Prince to grant us justice!”

He was a skinny, dark-skinned man, clearly from the countryside.

Although he said “we,” with this kneeling, the people around him were both shocked and suspicious, retreating to make him stand out.

Where did this “we” come from?

The man stammered, “I-I am called Liu Dali, a person from Yuping County…”

Zhao Yun cut him off: “Come up with me to talk.” He also ordered his guards to settle the other civilians, then led the thin, dark man up to the deck and back to the upper level of the pleasure boat.

He invited Feng Miaojun and Fu Lingchuan to sit down again, then asked, “Which Yuping County? The one under Anyang Prefecture?”

Liu Dali nodded repeatedly and explained the details.

The petition wasn’t complicated. Liu Dali’s parents had died early, and it was his older brother who had raised him. All their spare money went to support the younger brother, and his elder brother only married at thirty to a woman surnamed Sun. Sun was a widow waiting to remarry, fair-skinned and attractive, who had agreed to marry Liu Dali’s honest elder brother.

Unexpectedly, two years after the marriage, Liu’s brother accidentally discovered his wife having an affair with the son of wealthy landowner Zhang. In a fit of rage, he went to confront them but was struck in the skull with a hammer by the adulterer, causing his brain to burst out, killing him instantly.