Chapter 93: The Princess Falls Into The Water 

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too. 

There are over fifty flower boats on the river tonight. Each flower boat had different performances. Only the opening and closing flower boats were prepared by the government. The rest were carefully selected from major shops, taverns, and major brothels in the city. They arranged people to go on stage and perform. One shop occupied one flower boat.  

Now, the leading flower boat had already left this place and sailed through most of the river. At this moment, the flower boat passing by the viewing pavilion was the one arranged by the government to close the show.

The spectators standing at the rear of the fleet on both sides of the strait had already left one after another after watching the complete performance. Only those who are not satisfied will follow the direction of the fleet procession and run downstream to continue watching the repeated performances.

Therefore, the place where the final boat passes is the time when the show ends.

The spectators at the front, back and left of the viewing pavilion were dispersing one after another at this moment. The change occurred suddenly when most people's attention was distracted at this moment.

The three hidden arrows came from the last closing flower boat. The arrows were too fast. They did not even give people a chance to get up before they pierced through the air and reached Li Qiubai.  

There was still a long distance between the front fleet of boats and the closing boat. When the sudden change happened, the front fleet did not notice anything unusual. Only the last few boats sensed something wrong because of the small circle of people's exclamations near the viewing pavilion. But they did not know exactly what happened.  

Since tonight's event was too important for them, after a moment of panic, they quickly calmed down and continued to focus on performing for the spectators on both sides of the river. The front fleet of boats let the last boat fall behind and continued moving forward.

When the hidden arrows reached the front, Young Master Meng's expression sank. She hooked her long leg and kicked the table in front of her, flipping it over to temporarily slow down the arrow's momentum.  

In that fleeting moment, the Young Master pulled the Princess to the side, sliding two steps away to help the Princess avoid directly facing the arrowhead. Then, she swiftly picked up a fragment of a porcelain plate that had shattered when the table flipped. When the hidden arrow pierced through the wooden tabletop and shot toward her face, she seized the right moment and struck out with the porcelain shard clamped between her fingers.

It was clearly just a fragile and easily breakable porcelain shard, yet with the Young Master's internal energy, it became no different from a sharp blade.  

The sharp iron arrowhead, along with its specially reinforced shaft, was struck mid-flight by nothing more than that small porcelain shard in the Young Master's hand, yet it shattered on impact.  

The hidden arrow split in two and lost its force, falling to both sides.  

The Young Master had already turned with the Princess, leaping backward a few steps and landing steadily at a spot behind their original position, without a single stain on her body.  

Young Master Meng focused only on protecting the beauty in her arms, unwilling to waste any effort helping the other two nearby.

The other two who were also attacked were not as fortunate as Li Qiubai. Though the Prince of Yu and Shi Hongzhang knew some martial arts, they were nowhere near the level of the Young Master, a true expert of the martial world. Unarmed, they dared not face such deadly arrows directly.  

The arrows came fast and fierce. In that instant of crisis, they could only throw themselves to the ground and roll aside, barely managing to dodge the fatal shot.  

"Guards! Assassins!"  

A loud voice rose from the crowd, followed by chaos as people stumbled and horses neighed in panic.  

The Prince of Yu and Shi Hongzhang, who had just moments ago carried themselves with such noble arrogance, now looked extremely pathetic as they scrambled to evade the attack.  

Meng Chang'an held back her urge to gloat. She led the Princess to take cover behind the nearest wooden pillar before lowering her gaze to check the expression of the beauty in her arms.  

Her flushed cheeks and half-closed eyes carried an air of intoxicated indifference. She looked nothing like someone who had just escaped from death.

She never thought that even at a time like this, the Princess would still keep up the act, playing the part of a drunken woman so flawlessly.  

Meng Chang'an could not help but poke the Princess' cheek. She smiled helplessly and asked, “You trust me that much?”  

Hearing this, the Princess even wrapped both arms around the Young Master’s neck, lazily clinging onto her body.  

“Of course. If I do not trust you, who else can I trust?” After speaking, the Princess leaned in close to the Young Master’s ear and asked softly, “But like this, will I be a burden to you?”  

Arrows continued to rain down from the river, shooting toward the pavilion.  

On one side was a perilous situation filled with danger, while on the other was a fragrant soft jade in her arms.  

At a time like this, the Young Master knew she should not let her guard down, yet the Princess’ warm breath brushing against her neck sent tingles through her body, making her momentarily lose focus.  

The Princess' delicate and powerless posture, along with the way she placed her full trust and reliance on her, awakened a rare desire to win in the Young Master.

Mm, if she wants to pretend to be drunk, then let her. The Princess must have her own reasons for doing this. All she could do was go along with it and spoil her.  

As expected, beauty was truly a downfall.  

Meng Chang'an instinctively tightened her arms around the Princess' waist and said in a dreamy voice, “Of course not. Your Highness, just lean on me with ease. As long as I am by your side tonight, I will not let those people harm you in the slightest.”  

Since she had already made such a promise, the Young Master naturally did not want to let the Princess down.  

With a casual flick of her free right hand, she picked up a thin blade between her fingertips, standing fully prepared, ready to strike at any moment.

At this moment, the Prince of Yu and Shi Hongzhang had just climbed back to their feet. Several black-clad men wielding blades had already leaped over the riverside railing.  

Wave after wave of black-clad assassins sprang from the water, rushing into the viewing pavilion one after another.  

On the water's surface, at some unknown point, several small sailboats had appeared, scattered around the pavilion. They vaguely formed a surrounding formation.  

The first to react was Li Xinyi. She had already drawn her sword and leaped forward, striking away the blade that had followed right after the hidden arrow, aiming directly at the Prince of Yu's chest.  

“Father, be careful!”

Li Xinyi's swordsmanship was quite good. Even in this sudden danger, she was not too flustered. Before the guards could rush over, she had already engaged the first wave of assassins attacking the Prince of Yu.  

Seeing how Li Xinyi instinctively charged forward, risking her life to protect him, the Prince of Yu felt a stir in his heart. He secretly wondered if he had been too harsh on this daughter in the past.  

Meanwhile, Shi Hongzhang was not as fortunate as the Prince of Yu and Li Qiubai. He had no one beside him willing to shield him at the cost of their own life. Unarmed, he dared not catch a blade with his bare hands. In his frantic attempt to dodge, he was still struck by a sword, and his right arm was already drenched in blood.  

Fortunately, the number of guards arranged by the Prince of Yu was not small.

The guards from the Prince’s Manor scattered throughout the pavilion, along with the Military Commissioner's personal guards who had been keeping their distance to protect Shi Hongzhang, all quickly drew their swords and rushed forward when they saw the situation. They fought hard to protect their masters, blocking one blade after another for the Prince of Yu and Shi Hongzhang, and clashing with the assassins who kept jumping into the pavilion.  

The scene inside the pavilion changed in an instant. What had been a place for enjoying the view turned into a battlefield, with swords flashing and blades clashing everywhere.  

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too. 

The officials who could not fight no longer had the mood to drink wine and write poems. They had already run away in all directions, holding their heads as they looked for a place to hide. Some even pulled the palace guards beside them to use as shields.  

There were even faster runners who had already tremblingly slipped out through the side door.

For most of them, they were all feeling lucky that the assassins' main targets were the Prince of Yu, Shi Hongzhang, and Li Qiubai. Because those three had drawn most of the assassins' attacks, the assassins had no time to bother with the others, allowing them to escape without being randomly killed.  

Meng Chang’an’s hiding spot with Li Qiubai was not too well-hidden, and it still got noticed by the black-clad men. One after another, they kept rushing toward them.  

But compared to the Prince of Yu and Shi Hongzhang, who were trapped among the crowd, the two of them had far fewer enemies to deal with.  

After throwing out the thin blade at her fingertips again and slashing the throat of a black-clad man who had foolishly swung his knife at the Princess, the Young Master finally lowered her head and asked for the Princess' opinion.  

"Do you want to fight or run?"

This trip was only meant for fun, so the Young Master did not carry many hidden weapons. Now that she had killed so many people, she had almost run out of them.  

She had been observing for a while. Most of these black-clad men were not weak in martial arts, and their coordination showed some level of training, as if they often fought side by side.  

But these people happened to lack the viciousness and killing intent of professional assassins. Their killing techniques were not ruthless enough, making them seem unlike those from assassin sects in the martial world.  

There were only about a few dozen to nearly a hundred of them. Their martial skills were good, and if they were only facing ordinary guards, they could indeed gain the upper hand. But the Young Master was not afraid at all.

Of course, that was under the condition that the enemy only had this many people and would not keep emerging from the water in wave after wave.  

She had already made her plans. If the Princess wanted to fight, she would give it her all and let the Princess see how bravely she could kill enemies, hoping to make the Princess like her a little more.  

If the Princess only wanted to escape, she could also take the Princess away safely, without getting entangled with those assassins.  

Whether to fight or run, either would feel better than just hiding here and waiting for them to come.  

How could the Princess not see through the Young Master's little thoughts? 

“Do not try too hard. Just pick up a sword and casually kill a few of those black-clad men without embroidery on their veils.”

Li Qiubai chuckled and leaned against the Young Master's shoulder. She closed her eyes again and reminded, “Did you not say you would protect me? Did you forget?”  

Only then did Meng Chang'an suddenly understand, gradually realizing the Princess' purpose for acting out this play tonight.  

The Princess was drunk, and the Prince Consort had to take care of her and protect her. No matter how good the Prince Consort's skills were, what use would it be? When they were too busy taking care of themselves, they naturally could not care about the chaotic battle.  

By pretending to be drunk, the two of them could legitimately catch a fish in troubled waters*.

*taking advantage of chaos or confusion to gain benefits.

At first, the Young Master did not notice any difference between the assassins. But after the Princess pointed it out, she looked carefully and finally saw the differences among the black-clad men tonight.

The black-clad men without embroidery on their veils mostly surrounded Shi Hongzhang. Their attacks were ruthless, as if they were determined to take Shi Hongzhang's life even if they had to die. The personal guards and the palace guards protecting Shi Hongzhang were the most severely injured in the chaotic battle tonight. Half of the personal guards had already lost their lives to save Shi Hongzhang.  

Only a few from that group of black-clad men attacked in the direction of the Princess. But anyone who dared to lay a hand on the Princess had already been cut in the neck by the Young Master's hidden weapons, dying with eyes wide open.  

The other group of black-clad men, whose veils had faint silver embroidery, mostly surrounded the Prince of Yu. They specifically targeted the palace guards. They even found chances to secretly trip up the assassins attacking Shi Hongzhang.  

During the chaotic fight, the Prince of Yu and Shi Hongzhang were gradually separated by the two groups of black-clad men.  

The Prince of Yu was slowly forced back toward the entrance of the viewing pavilion. Shi Hongzhang, on the other hand, was pushed toward the railing in the midst of the chaos.

So the Hongmen Feast was truly a Hongmen Feast. She just did not expect that it was not aimed at the Princess but at the Military Commissioner instead.  

Now, the Young Master finally understood. She casually picked up a sword from a corpse nearby and put on an act before seeking an answer from the person in her arms. “Your people? You want to keep Shi Hongzhang alive?”  

“Yes. Even if he deserves to die, he should not die here.” the Princess admitted it openly, then rested in the Young Master's arms with ease and said leisurely, “Let us move toward the railing as well.”  

The Young Master obeyed at once.

Following the Princess' instructions, she held and shielded the Princess while slowly moving toward the riverside railing. Along the way, she casually killed a few black-clad enemies from the opposing faction.  

Meanwhile, Li Xinyi, who was being protected alongside the Prince of Yu, took the chance to whisper to him, "Father, it looks like these are not just our people…"  

"I can see that."  

When those black-clad men charged at him like madmen, he already sensed that something was wrong.  

After all, this was not what had been agreed upon.  

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too. 

Originally, it was just for show. Once his men completed their task, they were supposed to retreat. Now that things had been disrupted, his losses were not small.  

He just did not understand how these two factions managed to work together so seamlessly…

The Prince of Yu's face was grim. He did not notice the excitement in Li Xinyi's eyes and only focused on watching the Princess and the Prince Consort move with ease. He sneered coldly, "I really underestimated her."  

Aside from Li Qiubai, the Prince of Yu could not think of anyone else capable of such a grand scheme to ruin his plans.  

With a loud "splash," the sound of someone falling into the water rang out. Only then did the Prince of Yu realize that Shi Hongzhang, who had been surrounded and attacked, had somehow fallen into the water without him noticing.  

Meanwhile, the black-clad men who had been chasing Shi Hongzhang were suddenly stabbed in the back by their own "companions", before they had the chance to figure out whether they had failed or succeeded.

A swift and decisive stab, aimed straight at the heart.  

Seeing those fools caught completely off guard, the Prince of Yu finally figured out the reason behind tonight's unexpected turn of events.  

After stabbing their targets, the black-clad men with embroidered veils immediately withdrew from the battlefield, jumping into the river one after another.  

The remaining black-clad men, who wore veils without embroidery and were still locked in battle with Shi Hongzhang’s last few personal guards, were stunned at the sight.  

Huh? Where did these traitors come from?  

And why were there so many of them?

The remaining black-clad men without embroidered veils hadn't yet grasped the current situation. They hadn't even decided where to strike next when suddenly, they heard the sound of synchronized, hurried footsteps rushing from outside.  

The urgent steps grew closer and closer.  

No one knew whose reinforcements had arrived, but one thing was clear—the situation was turning against them.  

The Prince of Yu was still entangled with the black-clad men left behind to cover the retreat and had yet to break free. Lowering his voice, he instructed Li Xinyi, "Withdraw first. Go outside and send the signal to summon the hidden palace guards nearby. Lead them along both sides of the riverbank and search thoroughly. We must find Shi Hongzhang tonight—dead or alive."  

Just then, the doors of the viewing pavilion were kicked open, and reinforcements poured in.

They were the soldiers of Jinwei Camp, led by Ying Siling.  

As soon as they received the report and call for reinforcements from the officials who had escaped, Ying Siling immediately mobilized her troops, allowing them to arrive in time.  

Seeing the ground littered with corpses, her gaze darkened, annoyed that she had still arrived too late. Without hesitation, she shouted, "Capture all these criminals!"  

"This subordinate receives the order!"

The Jinwei Camp soldiers quickly rushed into the scene.  

Seeing that the situation wasn’t right, the black-clad men who were still fighting with Shi Hongzhang’s personal guards didn’t dare to keep fighting. Once the signal was sent, they quickly retreated.  

The main gate was already blocked. The closest escape route for them was only the waterway they came from.  

The Princess and the Prince Consort just happened to be standing on their retreat path.  

What a coincidence. They messed up one job, but there was another achievement standing right here.  

Feeling tempted, a few of them immediately leaped toward Li Qiubai.

Meng Chang'an's face turned cold. Under the siege of several people, she had no choice but to release the Princess first and shield her behind. She then raised her sword and charged forward, aiming straight for their fatal points.  

The Young Master had already figured out these assassins' skills.  

There were only four of them. To the Young Master, they were no real threat. She had already calculated that even if she only pretended to fight seriously, she could still send them to the underworld in no more than twenty moves.  

Unexpectedly, just when she was being surrounded, someone suddenly jumped out from the side and wielded a blade toward the Princess.

The Princess was not weak in martial arts. If it were any other time, that person would never have succeeded in an ambush. But who knew that even at a time like this, the Princess still did not give up and continued pretending to be drunk? With a slight sway of her steps, she walked straight toward the blade.  

Ying Siling had just arrived and broke out in a cold sweat upon seeing this scene. She immediately led her people and rushed toward the railing.  

To outsiders, it seemed like the Princess had done this unintentionally. But the Young Master knew—this was clearly on purpose!

How could she bear to see the Princess get injured again?  

Meng Chang’an’s heart tightened. She could not let the Princess succeed. In desperation, she gathered her deep internal energy and swung out a sword strike, not caring about the backlash of overexertion. In an instant, the four attackers were shaken away. After breaking the encirclement, she swiftly reached out, grabbed the Princess, and turned half a circle to shield her.  

She could not guess why the Princess wanted to get injured on purpose at this moment. But she could tell that whether it was the Princess or herself who got hurt, the result would not be much different.  

So, the blade that was supposed to land on the Princess’ shoulder, with the Young Master deliberately holding back at the last moment, instead slashed across her own left arm. Dark red blood immediately gushed out.

But the Young Master did not even cry out in pain.  

She endured the backlash from her internal energy and the pain in her arm, only letting out a muffled grunt. Holding the Princess tightly, she leaned close to her ear and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is this blood enough?"  

If it was not enough, she could take another strike. One more, two more, three more…  

Until the Princess thought it was enough.  

Li Qiubai's heart ached.  

How could she not understand the unspoken meaning in those words?  

This silly girl...

Li Qiubai sighed silently.  

But time was tight, and the moment would not wait. She had no time to check on the Young Master, nor to tend to her wound. She could only follow through with her plan—holding the Young Master and using the momentum of their fall, she let herself fall straight backward, pretending to be unable to support the weight of an injured person, making it look like an accidental tumble.  

Behind them was the riverside railing. Beyond the railing was the freezing river water.  

The railing here was low, so with this fall, they both plunged into the water.  

Ying Siling had seen everything clearly. She could not tell that the Princess had done it on purpose and only thought they had truly fallen by accident. The moment she saw the incident happen, her expression changed drastically.

The current was rapid. By the time Ying Siling led her people to the scene, Li Qiubai and the other had long disappeared.  

Even the ripples from their plunge had already faded without a trace.  

Thinking of those black-clad assassins who had jumped into the river one after another, Ying Siling felt a headache coming on.  

Even though it was late at night and the river’s depths were unclear, the thick scent of blood rising from the water was unmistakable.  

Who knew what dangers lurked beneath the surface...  

If the Princess were to die in this area under her jurisdiction, it would be no small matter...

At the moment when Ying Siling was worrying, the last group of people who had been entangling the Prince of Yu as a distraction had already taken the chance to escape.  

Jinwei Camp had only managed to capture a few assassins alive.  

Ying Siling had no time to send more men after them. She only ordered the deputy general, “Go prepare the boat first. I will take some brothers who are good at swimming to search for them in the water! We must bring Her Highness and the Prince Consort back safely!”

The Prince of Yu, who had finally managed to break free, leisurely asked, “What about those assassins? Are you not chasing them?”  

“Compared to Her Highness the Princess' safety and those who have fled in panic—which is more important? Your Highness should be well aware of that, right?”  

If the one here at this moment were the old General of the Ying family, the Prince of Yu would not have worried about losing face. But the one leading the troops now happened to be his own stubborn daughter, who had always been doing things without fearing the powerful. She often provoked dissatisfaction among the noble families in the city, yet she just so happened to be deeply trusted by the soldiers.

The Prince of Yu did not wish to fall out with her, so he could only reply with a forced smile, "Then naturally, Her Highness is more important."  

Li Qiubai's people had long since run off completely. The only ones left here were just the remnants the Prince had arranged—either dead or wounded, and now all had fallen into Ying Siling's hands.  

Fortunately, Li Xinyi had already slipped away in advance to bring people to handle matters for him.  

After that, the Prince of Yu no longer concerned himself with how Ying Siling's Jinwei Camp would act. He merely left a few trusted officials and confidants to clean up the aftermath, then took his own guards and left.

It seemed that this good plan for the night had been completely ruined by Li Qiubai.  

Moreover, in tonight’s events, the three of them had clearly been the ones ambushed at first. Now, the Princess and her consort were missing, the Military Commissioner was missing, yet he remained unharmed. No matter how one looked at it, it would be difficult for him to clear himself of suspicion.  

He wondered what that person in the capital would think after learning of this matter.

By the time the Prince of Yu rode in his carriage all the way back to his Manor, he was already physically and mentally exhausted. Yet, even more troublesome matters were awaiting him.  

Inside the Prince’s Manor, flames soared into the sky, and choking smoke filled the entrance.  

He had just stepped across the threshold when the steward hurriedly came forward.  

“This is terrible, Your Highness! There has been a theft in the Manor! The Prince Consort set fire to your study…”

The Prince of Yu was stunned for a moment. “You said who?”  

What kind of joke was this? The Prince Consort had just ruined his plans and had fallen into the river along with the Princess. How could he possibly have the time to come and set fire to his residence?  

“Replying to His Highness, it is the Prince Consort…”  

Before the steward could finish his sentence, and before the Prince of Yu could confirm with him, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of approaching hooves.  

Accompanying the urgent sound of the hooves was a loud call, “Your Highness, something is wrong! Something is wrong!”

The Prince of Yu felt a headache. He rubbed his temples and coldly glanced at the attendant who had rolled and crawled to the foot of his feet.  

“What now?”  

The attendant trembled as he got up, kneeling at the Prince's feet, his voice shaking as he repeated, “Your Highness, something is wrong! Someone has broken into the prison and taken Su Sheng!”  

Su Sheng, the Governor of Yuzhou, was the one who had been imprisoned in the dungeon.  

The Prince of Yu felt that this time, things were really going badly for him.  

“Are you all useless?”

Already filled with a belly full of anger, the Prince of Yu looked at the trembling figure before him and only felt his fury rise even more. He immediately delivered a heavy kick to the attendant's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Afterward, he angrily roared, “You useless bunch! I stationed so many soldiers around the dungeon, and yet, you could not stop a single person? Did I not say that anyone who dares to break into the prison should be captured alive? Now tell me, who is so skilled that they can escape with their body intact?”  

“Cough... cough...” After a few painful coughs to relieve the pain in his chest, the attendant managed to catch his breath. He knelt again and obediently replied, “Your Highness, it was... it was the Prince Consort...”  

Before the Prince of Yu could strike again, the attendant hurriedly continued, “The Prince Consort came with an imperial order, saying that he needed to interrogate Su Sheng. I did not dare to stop him. After confirming the place he mentioned, I was about to notify you, but before I knew it, he and his people had vanished...”

The Prince of Yu's expression darkened instantly.  

“Who did you say? Which Prince Consort?”  

The attendant, unsure whether the Prince was asking out of ignorance or pretending not to know, cautiously replied, “Currently, it seems the only Prince Consort in the imperial family would be the one from the Qingyang Clan...”  

At this, the Prince of Yu finally calmed down slightly, gritting his teeth as he asked, “When exactly did the Prince Consort break into the prison?”  

The attendant obediently answered, “At the first quarter of the hour of Hai*.”  

*hour/time of the pig - 9-11 PM, ancient China time system.

Only then did the Prince of Yu recall what the steward had said earlier. He shifted his gaze to him and asked once more, “Then tell me, when did the Prince Consort set the fire?”  

The steward, listening more and more confused, began to doubt whether the face he had seen earlier had been real.  

“At the first quarter of the hour of Hai as well...”

Hearing the answers from the two, the Prince of Yu could not help but laugh in anger. 

"But the Prince Consort at the hour of Hai was dining with this Prince in the viewing pavilion in front of all the major officials of the city. It was also in full view of everyone that he and the Her Highness were attacked and fell into the river together! Even if I were willing to believe what you say, do you think anyone else would believe it?"

After saying this, the Prince of Yu shifted his gaze to the group of guards who had accompanied him tonight.

"Then you tell me, who was the one who stayed with this Prince tonight?"

The Princess and the Prince Consort's intimate display of affection tonight, even their actions that seemed like a tragic love suicide, were all witnessed by them.

The guards exchanged glances, cautiously replying.

"It seems it was also the Prince Consort..."

There could not possibly be any technique of duplicating oneself in this world.

The Prince was almost so enraged that he nearly vomited blood.

"Get lost! All of you, get lost! A bunch of useless fools!"

Now he finally understood. It seemed he had underestimated Li Qiubai. This was clearly a trap set by Li Qiubai for him!

What a good Li Qiubai, she had been lying in wait for so many days just to catch him off guard!

After throwing a fit, the Prince directly waved his sleeve and walked toward the main hall. At the same time, he summoned a trusted subordinate and gave instructions.

"Go and thoroughly investigate tonight’s events. Find out where all these Prince Consorts are coming from. I want to see who dares to play a ghost and deceive me!"

Author's Note:

These two chapters were slightly adjusted. Over a thousand words were added to the ending of the previous chapter. Those who have read chapter 93 don’t need to go back and read it again. Those who have only read chapter 92 and haven’t read chapter 93 yet can go back and check the short paragraph at the bottom of chapter 92.