Yun Shu stood invisibly to one side, watching the boy emperor use every honeyed word he could muster to persuade General Wang to go to Zhenbei Prefecture. She could not help thinking that the boy emperor’s mind worked rather quickly.
She had told him that the Goddess was a true goddess, yet he still dared to say such things. That alone showed a fair amount of courage.
Then again, the boy emperor had probably been driven into a corner with no other options. Whether he went to Zhenbei Prefecture or not, he was walking toward certain death.
General Wang’s eyes flickered. His fingers tapped lightly twice against the iron hilt of his saber, as though weighing his options.
“Your Majesty’s words do have some merit,” he said slowly. “But the Imperial Preceptor’s orders were to obtain your abdication edict and escort you back to the capital to live out your days in comfort. If I act on my own authority and escort you to Zhenbei Prefecture to seek a marriage alliance, the Imperial Preceptor will surely hold me accountable. I fear I may not be able to keep my head.”
The boy emperor straightened his back. “General Wang, think carefully about what I just said. If you truly take my abdication edict back to the capital, the Imperial Preceptor will certainly install another child emperor. Once that child ascends the throne, the court and the realm will fall into turmoil. If the Goddess in the north takes advantage of the opportunity to lead her army south, who will be able to stop her?”
General Wang remained unmoved. “Your Majesty, matters of state are for the Imperial Preceptor to decide.”
The boy emperor’s heart tightened. His mind suddenly flashed back to his mother’s words: “You have never truly thought about fighting.”
He drew a deep breath. Ignoring his disheveled state, he took another step forward. “General Wang, after serving the Imperial Preceptor loyally for so many years, what have you received in return? Nothing more than the position of a fourth-rank Defense Commandant. Even the salaries of those merchant brats in the capital who bought their way into officialdom are higher than yours.”
“Do you truly have no desire to rise any higher?” His tone carried a hint of temptation. “The Imperial Preceptor’s Five-Stone Powder has become a poison that everyone in the capital now avoids like the plague. No one worships him anymore. He is already a grasshopper in autumn—his days are numbered.”
“Why should you still fear him?”
He paused, then lowered his voice. “General, the Imperial Preceptor has never given you what you deserve. I can give it to you.”
“If this journey to Zhenbei Prefecture succeeds and I marry the Goddess, you will be the man who saved the Great Yong dynasty. Even if I make you the Duke Protector of the Realm, no one will dare object.”
That final sentence rang out with such force that even Marquis Ningyuan could not help looking up at the boy emperor.
The timid young ruler he remembered now possessed a sharpness between his brows that could not be ignored.
General Wang pondered for a moment, then glanced at the surging waves around them and the faint line of the horizon in the distance.
This isolated island was cut off from the rest of the world. If he killed the boy emperor and Marquis Ningyuan here, no one would ever know. But the mess that followed might not be so easy to clean up.
Once the crime of regicide came to light, the Imperial Preceptor would most likely throw him to the wolves as a scapegoat and use him to quell the people’s fury.
The boy emperor was right.
After following the Imperial Preceptor for so many years, his salary was still lower than that of the useless men who had bought their way into the court.
Since the Imperial Preceptor had shown him no loyalty, there was no reason for him to continue risking his life for that man!
With that thought, he finally sheathed his saber and cupped his hands in salute.
“Since Your Majesty has such ambition, I am willing to take this gamble. However, once we reach Zhenbei Prefecture, if the Goddess refuses to accept your marriage proposal, you should understand what the consequences will be.”
The boy emperor’s heart clenched, and his legs nearly gave way, but he kept his expression composed and did not reveal his fear.
General Wang said no more. He turned around, waved his hand, and called loudly to the soldiers scattered along the shore.
“Get our ship ready! Inspect every mast and rope carefully. Do not let anything go wrong at sea!”
The soldiers immediately sprang into action.
Before long, the ship was ready.
As everyone boarded, the boy emperor could not help looking back once more at the isolated island that had imprisoned him for months.
The sea wind swept toward him, carrying the salty reek of the ocean.
In a daze, he seemed to hear his mother’s voice once again beside his ear.
“A-Yue, go.”
He clenched his fists, turned around, and stepped onto the deck.
Once everyone was aboard, General Wang stood at the bow and waved his hand grandly at the men behind him, his voice booming like a bell.
“Raise the sails! Head north—to Zhenbei Prefecture!”
The moment the ship pulled away from the island, a wave surged forward and slammed heavily against the hull, sending white spray flying into the air.
Yun Shu stood atop a reef and watched the large ship gradually disappear into the distance. She said to Little Fox, “System, go tell Little Blue to return to the seabed first. It shouldn’t come out for the next few days.”
Little Fox did not understand why Yun Shu wanted this done, but it was obedient and followed her instructions without asking questions.
General Wang personally took the helm and pushed the ship to its maximum speed, clearly intent on reaching Zhenbei Prefecture as quickly as possible.
The boy emperor and Marquis Ningyuan’s daughter sat inside the cabin. They had wrapped themselves in dry outer robes stripped from the soldiers. Aside from their somewhat pale complexions, they were not seriously injured.
As he watched the waves sliding backward outside the window, the boy emperor suddenly remembered something. He shot to his feet and stumbled toward the bow.
“General Wang, we can’t go straight ahead! We have to take a detour!”
General Wang was studying the nautical chart. Hearing this, he frowned and turned to look at the boy emperor.
“Why do you say that, Your Majesty?”
The boy emperor’s face grew even paler. He pointed toward the endless expanse of blue sea ahead.
“The reason I was stranded on that island was that I encountered a huge fish in those waters. It was a legendary kun. It overturned my ship!”
General Wang’s expression darkened. Clearly, he did not believe him.
“Your Majesty, are you hiding some other scheme and trying to delay us until someone comes to rescue you?”
The boy emperor said urgently, “I have no such intention! The matter of the sea monster is not without basis—”
“Your Majesty!” General Wang interrupted him, his tone tinged with impatience. “I came to the island by this very route and never saw any giant fish. If you have nothing else to say, you may return to the cabin and rest. Do not interfere with our journey.”
“General Wang…”
The boy emperor was about to say more, but General Wang waved his hand. Two soldiers immediately came over and carried him back to the cabin. General Wang even instructed them not to let him out again.
Once returned to the cabin, the boy emperor could neither sit nor stand at ease.
A full day and night passed.
The sea was as calm as a mirror. The setting sun sank beneath the horizon, and the sky was filled with glowing clouds. Not even a slightly larger fish had leaped from the water.
General Wang stood at the bow. He cast a cold glance at the peaceful sea ahead, then looked back at the cabin door, which remained firmly shut. A mocking snort escaped his nose.
“What kun? It’s obviously just a trick from a coward who’s afraid to die.”
He then turned to the deputy general beside him. “His Majesty may look frail and sickly, but he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Go give him some medicine now. Don’t let him escape.”
Little Fox had been monitoring everything happening aboard the ship. Seeing this, it hurriedly reminded Yun Shu, who was drawing from the prize pool.
“Host, General Wang is planning to drug the boy emperor. Should we do something to stop him?”
“No need to interfere. Let him administer the drug. Just keep an eye on things and make sure the boy emperor doesn’t get poisoned to death.”
Yun Shu continued drawing from the prize pool.
The charge of blaspheming a deity was far too serious. But if the boy emperor and the others were poisoned and forcibly brought to Zhenbei Prefecture, she would have room to maneuver and could go easy on them.
